Rebecca Leff
Google
I decided to come for lunch as I saw the restaurant had such a high rating. They were full when I dropped by, so I booked a reservation for one person for the following day. I only saw 2 other bookings ahead of me when I peeked at the book she was writing in. I did not get a welcoming vibe from anyone except the young woman who spoke English. I speak some Spanish and Portuguese, and can therefore understand some Italian, but I can't speak it.
Went in for my lunch reservation today and they sat me at probably their worst table, likely because I was solo dining. The lasagna was quite good, but didn't blow my mind. The trouble came when I asked for the bill.
The young woman informed me that the card machine was down, and they could only accept cash. I didn't have enough on me, and she told me that I could walk down the street to the ATM and return. I politely agreed (despite the inconvenience), walked out, and was already halfway there when I heard a loud whistle by a man directing me to return. I walked back in, felt a lot of eyes on me, and felt uncomfortable. The young woman then came over and asked me for my passport to hold onto. That is an unreasonable request - I would NEVER give up my passport while in a foreign country to anyone. I had to then argue and eventually left my credit card at the restaurant (which also made me feel very uncomfortable) while I speed walked to the closest ATM and withdrew cash using my backup debit card.
Overall, a rather frustrating experience where the quality of the food did not outweigh the experience. If you do come, bring cash, don't expect a welcoming atmosphere, and don't expect a nice table if dining solo.