Ramona Trattoria || Coorparoo & Camp Hill — Restaurant in Brisbane City

We visited recently for a chill date dinner night. Atmosphere was lovely, we sat outside and the vibe was super relaxed and nice! 😇

The service was a bit all over the place though 🥲 We got seated quickly which was great, but one waiter took our drink order, and then 5 minutes later another waiter came over and asked for our drinks again?? Bit confusing. At the end of the night, it also took a while to get the bill, and when it was handed to us, there were no instructions whether to pay at the table or go up to the counter. After waiting around for a few minutes feeling awkward 😶‍🌫️, we just got up and paid at the desk.

The menu was confusing too… it was completely different from what’s online and in the reviews, so we had to rethink what we wanted to eat. Plus, everything was named in Italian with not-so-clear descriptions, which made ordering a little stressful if you don't know Italian food.🥘🥹

Food overall was average🥹I’m sorry 😭My pasta ended up being pretty spicy (and I can handle spice!), but the menu didn’t mention anything about heat, so it caught me off guard. We also ordered mocktails, mine was nice, but my partner’s had a really strange aftertaste that kept getting worse with every sip. 😭

Overall, the atmosphere and speed of seating were great, but the menu, food, drinks, and service left us a bit disappointed. Might be okay if you're mainly after a nice outdoor setting, but if you're going for the food and experience, there are definitely other options out there that we have had great experiences at.

UPDATE: The restaurant replied to my review. While I appreciate them responding, the response felt off.😕

I mentioned that I was there on a date, so it makes sense they couldn’t find me in their system. Since my partner paid.

I also mentioned that the menu was different not just from random reviews, but even compared to what’s shown online, on their own website, so that part of their reply didn’t really make sense either. 🥲

I get that the menu changes often, but if that's the case, it would be really helpful to have better descriptions or even photos to give customers an idea of what to expect ☺️especially if you’re not super familiar with Italian dishes. 📜✨

Also, my pasta dish turned out to be spicy, and there was no warning on the menu at all. You shouldn’t have to ask if every meal is spicy, especially when nothing about the dish indicated it would be. 🌶️

From the way the business reviewed and responded and gave me less warmth..

They focused more on explaining themselves instead of actually acknowledging our experience. A good response would’ve been like, “We’re sorry the menu was confusing, we’ll work on making it easier for customers to understand, thank you for the feedback.” Instead, they tried to justify why it’s confusing.🫤

They didn’t seem to properly read my review properly. I clearly said I was on a date, so obviously my partner could’ve paid (which he did 😇) Their comment about "not finding me in the system" feels a little accusatory (like you’re the problem), instead of just accepting that sometimes people don’t book or pay under their own name. 🤷‍♀️

That response unfortunately than added to the uncertain service aspect so I had to drop down the service stars (from 3 to 1) and my overall rating dropped from 3 stars to 2 stars🥲

Just wanted to add that extra context for anyone...

EDIT: After reading the restaurant’s public response, I feel it’s important to clarify a few things.

We were only asked how our meal was as the plates were being cleared — not during the meal, as claimed. Had someone checked in earlier, we would’ve happily shared our thoughts. We responded politely. The idea that empty plates equal satisfaction is outdated. We came hungry, not to make a statement. And yes, we had drinks and the Prosecco was flat, though we hadn’t planned to mention it.

A tiramisu was brought over as we were leaving, but there was no acknowledgment when we paid. Without any real interaction, the gesture felt hollow.

The long explanation of ingredients and methods came off as defensive and condescending. We’ve travelled Italy extensively, we don’t need a lesson in how something should taste. What mattered was how it did taste.

Most telling was their attempt to discredit my feedback by referencing my review history — a deflection that says a lot about how they handle criticism. If the default response is to attack the customer, it only proves the point.

I initially rated this experience two stars and praised the service. But after their response, a one-star rating across the board feels far more accurate.

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We were really excited to dine here tonight but unfortunately the food was a huge let down. Very bland. We ordered the duck ragu and beef cheek pasta. The duck ragu was watery and lacked any depth and colour, my husband said it looked and tasted like something out of a tinned spaghetti can and I’m sorry I have to admit, it did. The beef cheek was flavourless and lacked seasoning, it looked good on the plate but just didn’t hit the mark. We spent $120 on some bread and 2 mains and the food just didn’t reflect the prices. Considering there are so many impressive Italian restaurants in Brisbane, this place will not be one we will be going back to. The lady that served us was kind and attentive so I cannot fault...

Edited Review: After the restaurant’s feedback I can start to see their defensiveness regarding poor reviews extends to others. Someone had a very similar experience 3 weeks ago, and their review was met with similar defensiveness. My ratings regard to service and the food remain justified.

We had no idea who our wait person was - regardless of whether they were training or not, that makes for a poor customer experience.

Regarding the wine, we were told that the wine, which was $31 per glass was “fruit forward”. It tasted slightly acidic and a bit musty.

We were not asked how our meal was when we were paying. We would have happily provided feedback if we’d been asked.

Original review: Very affable greeting turned into a prolonged, unorganised ill service. After 15min, we had to wave someone over to place our drink and meal order. Majority of wines are all Italian. The premium wine was corked and upon detailing that, they gave us a replacement which was “put through the strainer a few times”! How about, replace the bottle without elements or cork. In addition, don’t charge me for a wine that was corked (upon noting this they did remove it from the bill). Icing on the cake was when the first waiter asked if we were finished and did the obligatory offerings and then fetched our bill. Less then a minute later their colleague asked us the same exact questions. Suggestion is to have designated waiters for set tables.

Foodwise, the pizza is a distant fourth to what you can get in Paddington and the ragu beef cheek pasta was insipid with a raw egg nested on top of the meal. The salad and greens were a stand out. Shame about the disorganised staff and corked Italian wine going for...