Maestral Restaurant — Restaurant in Grad Rovinj

We arrived shortly after 5 PM, and there were only two or three tables occupied. Since we had a late lunch and it was the day of our arrival, we were quite tired and unsure how much we’d be able to eat for dinner. My partner and I ordered two Aperols and a large bottle of water, and we decided to start with the beef tartare, planning to order our main courses afterwards depending on how hungry we still felt. He was thinking of having steak, while I was leaning toward fish.

When an older waiter ( probably the owner ) came to take our order, we told him we’d like the beef tartare as a starter and would order mains afterwards. He suddenly snapped at us, saying the beef tartare is only available until 5 PM and not anymore, and that we must order a proper dinner, as that’s how it works here … it’s written on the menu, too. Then he simply walked away.

We were left a bit shocked, considering whether to just finish our drinks and leave. The tone and attitude felt condescending and rude. A few minutes later he returned and asked again if we were ready to order a proper dinner. We said yes, and asked if we could have the beef tartare as a starter followed by two salads. He replied that in that case, yes, the beef tartare is available after all.

Luckily, the food itself was good … . But due to the unpleasant service and the way we were treated, we wouldn’t...

Disappointing Service: A 45-Minute Wait for Order During Off-Peak Hours

Our experience at this restaurant was extremely disappointing. First, my friend and I waited for 10 minutes after being seated before we received the menu. When we got the menu, we informed the staff that we only wanted to order drinks, and they said it was fine. However, after putting down the menu, 30 minutes passed, and still, no one came to take our order.

The table next to us, who arrived at the same time, had already started eating while we had yet to be attended to. Throughout this time, both my friend and I tried to make eye contact with the staff, but despite making eye contact, they only smiled and did not approach us. I finally stopped a staff member who was serving another table and asked if we could place an order, but she told us to wait.

Another 5 minutes passed, and an idle staff member finally came to take our order with a very indifferent attitude. It’s worth mentioning that it was the afternoon tea time, not the restaurant's peak hours, and the staff were chatting leisurely by the cashier, completely ignoring the customers.

This dining experience was terrible, and we are deeply disappointed with the service quality of this restaurant. We will not be...

Only gave 4 stars (4.5) because we decided to eat here for lunch and dinner, so I have nowhere else to compare to in Rovinj. FOOD: Simply great. For lunch we ordered grilled squid and shrimp pasta. Grilled squid was perfectly cooked. It wasn't too chewy or rubbery. Right amount of sauce and came with fresh veg and fried potato chips. The shrimp pasta was excellent also with homemade noodlest. For dinner, we ordered fishermans bread and asparagus soup, both local specialities. The bread was definitely different and superb. Some may find it salty but not if you dip it in olive oil. You gotta try once. Stew was also good and went well with the bread. SERVICE: fantastic service and superb servers. They were patient with us and attended all our needs. Spoke English well and answered all out touristy questions with smile. Thank you. LOCATION: You could see from other pictures, but one of the best locations for photos of the old town. You could see the port, island, and the chapel from the table. Grab a glass wine or beer, and enjoy the view. COST: Very affordable. Each dish was around $15 and .5l beer was only $3. House wine only $1.5 per glass. MISC: Very friendly place and accepts credit card. Quiet place away from...