Lake Garda: which of these towns have best choice of restaurants

We took a day trip to Sirmione from Verona in 2014 and honestly, I wish we had spent our time elsewhere. We were only there for a few hours, but we found it extremely touristy and not worth the trip - although the scenery was lovely. The views on the train ride were better than what we saw at our final destination. I would suggest that you try one of the other towns.

Thank you - very helpful!

Dawn,

My experience with Sirmione was much the same as posted in the first reply. Sirmione is only accessible via bus and car (no rail access), and the visit was a miserable experience. From what I saw, having a car will be a detriment as on some days the car park is so crowded that vehicles are lined up for a kilometre or more waiting for a space. I finally ditched the Taxi and walked the last kM into town. Once inside the town I found the shops were crowded, the restaurants were crowded and the streets were crowded. The experiences of other travellers may differ, but I won't ever be returning there!

I stayed in Peschiera del Garda and found that a much more pleasant town, especially as it does have good rail access as well as good access to the boats for day trips. Based on my research, I'd suggest considering either Malcesine or Limone sul Garda. If you stay in Malcesine, it should be easy to take the boat across to Limone for a day trip. I'm sure Roberto will be along shorty to provide more information on Limone.

Restaurants will be in all those towns. Sirmione has several, but as mentioned above, it is a popular tourist destination like Disneyland so you know what you are up against.
Torri is very small but there will be restaurants. Never been to Soiano. I have been to Riva and Malcesine more than once, and either one would be a great choice. Limone is my favorite village (near Riva on the Western shore) but it's small, so accommodations may be limited. As I said, don't worry about the restaurants. There are enough to choose from even in the smaller villages.
The movie 007 Quantum of Solace was partially filmed on Lake Garda. There is a nerve wrecking car chase in the movie that takes place between Limone and Riva (Google you tube to see it). It's an exciting drive but be careful on that road. I presume you are not renting an Aston Martin.

thanks Ken & Roberto. Now that I've watched the 007 clip, I'm wide awake! (and wondering if roads are actually walkable if not staying right in the middle of a town)

Roberto, yes, Limone seems to not have many accommodation options at this time. Someone else suggested Gargnano - so my list isn't shrinking.

Any recommendations on sites to look at besides AirBnB, VBRO/Homeaway, Tripadvisor, hotels.com ?

I'd be careful walking in the roads.

This may be asking too much, but since my head is spinning from researching Lake Garda, Cinque Terre & Tuscany all at once:

Can anyone recommend an apartment or hotel that has good views of the lake and a SAFE walk to restaurants?

Thank you all, I truly appreciate your help!!

(for an apartment, there are 3 couples)