Bellagio is beautiful; as for off-the-beaten path restaurants, I don't think you'll find any. This is a tourist destination BUT the good news is the food is good everywhere (if there exceptions, anyone, speak up!). We ate at a restaurant that overlooked the lake and the area where the ferries pulled in. Good food, not expensive, great view, delightful waitress. Don't remember the name, but any one of those places along the water would be fine.
Not to miss...a beautiful Romanesque church built in the 11th (!) century (ok the oldest thing in my city is the bomb shelter built in 1953 so I was impressed). There are beautiful gardens (not open all year, but I think they open late April); narrow cobblestone streets; nice shops. Lots of hikes/walks around the area; the ferry goes to Menaggio (didn't get there but it is supposed to be quite pretty, too). The ferries go all over the lake, so if you're going to be there for a while, get a schedule (there are websites about Lake Como with the various towns and the ferry routes) and take a tour around the Lake.

Hi Richard: We were in Bellagio last October. Great place. It's quite small but as mentioned above, there are the ferries to take you to other places nearby. As for restaurants, there is the Belagus (spelling?), but it's pronounced Bel-AH-gus. Good food at reasonable prices. I would also go up the hill to the Belvedere Hotel for lunch on their patio overlooking the eastern leg of the lake. It's one of the truly wonderful spots around. I'm sure you will enjoy..... Paul J

Hi, Richard! We spent 3 days at the tail end of a 2 week tour of Italy in Bellagio in 96. It was wonderful after the hustle of the big cities. So relaxing and peaceful. We stayed at Hotel du Lac which was reasonable, charming and run by an English lady. Room had a balcony facing the lake. The food at the hotel's restaurant was excellent. We were there mid-May and all the gardens were blooming and beautiful. I envy you!

I spent the first four days of my honeymoon in Bellagio, at the Grand Hotel Villa Serbelloni. Ah, what luxury! Anyhow, there is a castle at the top of the hill above Varenna that we hiked to that was very beautiful, and I highly recommend that you take the ferry to the Villa Carlotta. They have beautiful gardens and the Villa is nice too (It was a gift to her daughter from the Queen of Spain, I think--how come I didn't get a gift like that for my wedding!)

I've been to Bellagio twice. It is a great place. You'll love it, it's the prettiest town I've ever visited. The first time I was there, I stayed at the Villa Serbelloni, and I loved it, however, unlike many of the contributors to this forum, I ain't made of money. I would rather spend my hard earned bucks on eating and taking in sights, than in a hotel in which I spend minimal time, as nice as it may be.
The second time I stayed at Il Giardinetto, which is near the church, and is well regarded in Rick Steves book. I tell you, the hotel is a pleasure. It's immaculately clean and it has a great setting. The only drawback, and I don't consider it a drawback is its location. The prices are very reasonable for such a lovely place. If it were lakeside, the price would be triple.
I have two indelible memories of Bellagio. The first is the best meal I had there, or for that part as well as I've had anywhere. When you exit the church, or the Giardinetto hotel, you go down a long flight of steps into town. When you reach the second landing of these steps, going down, look to your right. A short block (a few buildings) to your right is a sort of deli. They sell wine, and canned food, etc. They will also cook up a complete meal for you. You order from a menu and pick up the meal at a prescribed time. When you pick up the meal, it is packaged in foil platters and piping hot. IT IS DELICIOUS. They have a complete restaurant type menu. The woman that does the cooking is the proprietor's wife, and she cooks with the best of them. After picking up our meals, my wife and I purchased a small bottle of good wine from the same store, and proceeded down to the lake, found a great spot and dined AL FRESCO. The food came with utensils and napkins, and we got plastic glasses for our wine. It was a completely spontaneous dinner, maybe that's why we loved it so much, although we did it again a few days later, with the same results.
The second memory I have is as described in Rick Steves' book relating to "Tony the Wine King". I hope Tony is still around, because I will surely visit him again. My visit to Tony made my whole trip to Lake Como. It was the greatest experience I've ever had on any trip I've taken. It's too long to describe, seeing all the words I've just written, but it was a real winner.