RESTAURANT & PIZZERIA PINOCCHIO — Restaurant in Altenmarkt im Pongau

Overall: A very nice place with absolutely delicious food, impressively fast service, friendly staff and bright, but cozy interior. But be sure to book in advance.

I get it that some reviewers might have gotten offended by not getting a table at once or when not showing up on time. We actually didn't geat seats when trying to just pop in spontaneously. But Altenmarkt does not have a huge number of restaurants while hosting a lot of tourists throughout the season. The place has been busy thoughout the working hours. But once you make a booking in advance you're good.

We dined here twice during our week's stay in Altenmarkt, and twice we had fun, enjoyed great food and atmosphere.

The crew are very fast. They come to your table, do their job taking your order or bringing your food/drinks and disappear nearly instantly. This might seem a bit weird or even unfriendly for an Amarican diner used to very talkative waiting staff. Pinocchio's crew is obviously busy, having full house all the time. This might in fact contribute to impressively short waiting times for literally every dish we ordered. They act professional, but not tiff and boring professional you'd find at 'Café Central' since it does not prevent them from being friendly and fun. And as the clock approached the kitchen's closing time and the crowd became less dense, you do get more attention from the crew.

The starters we tried, including the soups, were super tasty and nicely served. The desserts were great and even the house wine was more than decent. The pizza was excellent, and it made me order another one the next night (two days in a row!).

The interior was spacious. It does have this Alpine vibe which makes it feel wamr and cozy, but on the other hand it's not heavy, it's bright and modernly convenient. The Christmas/winter decorations were abundant but that's how I love my winter holidays. There are also numerous tiny replicas/lego models of motorcycles on several shelves and a gay pride cabinet with n umerous reinbow-themed decorations and special pride editions of local Austrian products. That gives a notion of the venue being a safe-space with friendly people inside. It goes without saying that this is important for many.

It was freezing outside, but one could tell the seating outside (there's a terrace) is a great option in the summer months.

One tiny drawback I could point out is that in winter, you get some amount of cigarette smoke together with the dense air coming through the door and tiny windows in the front. Nothing that would make you suffocate, but still a non-smoker can smell it. But hey, if you're a frequent visitor in Austria you probably know there is no escape from cigarette...

BAD SERVICE, AVERAGE FOOD

RUDE WAITER When we came, the male waiter greeted us with an angry hello (kriss got or something like this) and did not even looked at us while greeting us. We contemplated turning around and going away, but with our kid it would be difficult so we took the risk and stayed.

NO ATTENTION There was only one more family inside the big restaurant, but still the service was very unattentive. First he came to ask us what we want to drink, but never gave us the drink menu. Then during eating not even once came to ask if we want anything, so I had to go to order to the bar. I remind that there were only us and one other family. At least he was not rude anymore when serving, but being unattentive is also nothing to praise in its stead.

FOOD AVERAGE (see pics) Pizza Romano had such a strong sauce that it overshadowed every other ingredience. It was unbearable to eat, nothing taste about it.

Spaghetti carbonara did not taste like it should at all, but we are already used to Austrian cusine having its own version of food tastes, so this was partially expected. At least the portion was very big and I will not be hungry. So this was kinda ok.

Our kid wanted strawberry icecream bowl "Erdbeer Wölkchen" and was really disappointed to find out that there is only one cup of icecream and the rest is whipped cream that he did nor really cared about. On the bottom is marmalade, which was also kind of strange and not much appreciated. Can't you just put there more of the main thing (ice cream)?

PLACE QUITE NICE Place is made in wood, quite nice. To bad this is irrelevant when the service is rude and unattentive.

Cannot give more than 3 stars and we will not...

My family and I approached this restaurant with high expectations, buoyed by its reputation. Unfortunately, my experience was less about savoring cuisine and more about confronting an alarming disregard for basic hospitality.

Arriving a bit late for our reservation, we inquired politely about our table, the head waiter’s response was curt and dismissive: “You were supposed to be here 15 min ago. I have nothing to discuss or offer. Goodbye, I don’t have a table for you.” No apology, no attempt to accommodate—just a blunt rejection that left us bewildered.

Determined to salvage the evening, we requested a to-go order. This effort, too, was met with stunning indifference. Three separate staff members ignored us outright, leaving us to wonder if our presence was an inconvenience rather than a valued patronage.

While I can imagine the food might be tasty—indeed, many have praised it—the arrogance and lack of professionalism displayed by the staff render this establishment deeply unappealing. Dining is as much about experience as it is about taste, and here, that experience was soured before it even began.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this restaurant. Excellence in cuisine should be matched by excellence in service, and this place falls woefully short...