Tartufo Restaurant — Restaurant in Limassol Municipality

Tartufo is a beautiful and cozy Italian restaurant with a lot of potential, but there are areas that need improvement to not only match the high level of their prices but also align with their positioning as a high-end dining establishment.

Starting with the positives, the interior of the restaurant is stunning, warm, and inviting, creating a wonderful ambiance for a fine dining experience. The food was undoubtedly the highlight—everything we tried was exceptionally delicious.

The eggplant parmigiana was excellent, the tartar with truffles was perfectly prepared with a generous amount of truffles. A standout was the Pasta Ragu alla Genovese, which had very soft, tender veal and was absolutely delicious. The Pizza Mortadella & Burrata & Pistachio was another highlight—soft, tasty dough with perfectly balanced flavors that blended beautifully. The tuna, ordered by my friend, looked exactly as it should and was well-cooked, but I didn’t have space to try it myself, so I can’t comment on the taste. However, the steak, ordered medium, came closer to medium-well, which was disappointing.

We also appreciated the timing of the courses. There was a good pause between the starters and the mains, which gave us a chance to relax and digest a bit before continuing with the meal. This thoughtful pacing made the dining experience more enjoyable.

The cocktails were fantastic! We tried the Negroni and the Burning Wood, both of which were exceptionally tasteful and well-prepared.

One dish—the Homemade Tagliolini, served in cheese—was cold when brought to the table, which was another letdown considering the overall quality of the food.

With a bottle of wine 65€, starters, pizza, and main courses, our total for four people came to €300, which is fair for the quality of food we received.

Now, onto the negatives. First, there is no wardrobe or coat storage, which is a major issue for a restaurant at this price level, especially during colder months. Everyone was forced to place their coats on their chairs, which is not acceptable for a fine dining establishment. A wardrobe or coat check service would significantly enhance the experience.

Secondly, the service left much to be desired. It took a frustratingly long time to get the waiters’ attention, whether to take our orders or clear plates. At one point, I had to wave to get noticed, which felt out of place in a restaurant aiming for high standards. Once the waiter was with us, she worked well, but the overall inattentiveness and delays detracted from the experience.

Additionally, the music in the restaurant was so low that at first, I thought it was off. This created an atmosphere where I could hear everyone speaking, resulting in a noisy, market-like environment rather than a relaxed and chilled vibe. It would be wonderful to have the music at a more noticeable volume to create a more pleasant and upscale ambiance.

Lastly, the Limoncello was extremely disappointing. It was overly sweet and tasted artificial, like chemicals mixed with sugar. I could detect a slight bitterness, presumably from lemon zest, but the drink lacked the natural, fresh flavors one would expect. It would also be a wonderful touch if the Limoncello was served almost frozen, perhaps in frozen glasses, rather than barely cool. This would elevate the experience significantly. However, the fact that the Limoncello was offered complimentary at the end of the meal was a very nice gesture.

In conclusion, Tartufo delivers exceptional food in a beautiful setting, but the lack of proper service, a wardrobe, and a better Limoncello experience prevents it from being truly outstanding. With some attention to these details, this restaurant has the potential to not only justify its prices but also firmly establish itself as a high-end dining destination. I hope to see these improvements...

Disappointed Unfortunately a restaurant that started with potential. Visited a couple of times and liked the food, service always had an issue but it was okay in the beginning as a new restaurant. Today September 2023 we visited for Lunch, made reservations, we enter the restaurant awaiting by the entrance in order to be escorted to our table. The hostess was on the phone talking (understandable) she did not a knowledgeable our arrival kept talking without saying for example just a minute or anything and we ended up waiting for 3 minutes at the entrance until she acknowledged us. Then said follow me without asking if we had a reservation or not which 1. Why we had to make one? And 2. How did she know we were not using someone else’s reservation or if we were a no show? Anyway service was really bad people were not working as a team or as a high expectations restaurant as they want to sell themselves to be.( food was left on “clean” tables, plates with food were put on clean plates and then served to a different table). Our drinks were left at the bar for 10 minutes and no one would serve them. Our pizza was left until almost served cold as well, also we ordered quatro formaggi, pizza had barely one layer of cheese and unfortunately i can tell as I visited the restaurant before and this pizza was my favourite that i even ordered for delivery a month ago. Pizza used to be served with truffle, we ordered it with truffle, was never served with truffle. Mentioned to waitress she said thats how is served….. i have ordered this pizza 5 times by now and i have taken pictures before, this is not how it was served. Anyhow overall very disappointing, bad service, food was okay nothing specific used to be 8 today 5. On our way out the hostess was sitting playing on the phone/iPad whatever that was and was like bye without eye contact. This from a restaurant that is supposed to be warm and welcoming as an Italian restaurant and as restaurant that want to be considered fine dining.

Ps our water never came...

.It is really a big puzzle for me that this restaurant has such good reviews. Don't get me wrong It is not one of the worst experiences I had in Limassol, but it is simply not worth the money and hype unless you are a Russian visitor, or you didn't experience better dining, but it was very tiring for me. Saying that here is what I didn't like: 1.The waitress approached me in Russian while I was waiting for my friend, and I am tired of assumption that everyone in this island if you don’t look CY they put you in the ''Russian '' basket When my friend arrived, she was approached in Russian, and yes, she spoke with her in Russian , which I found very offending from the waitress. 3.Only after 30 min. we received the support tables for our bags, in a restaurant in this class they want to be, I expect a flawless set up We choose wine by glass, but you must be aware that a cork fee per bottle is 50 EUR. Would I be in Mayfair, no problem😊 but the service is not on the level to be charging a cork fee. 5.My friend took the Tartufo Parmesan Tagliatelle, and I went for Risotto which was just okay really. But the pasta was watery I don’t know from where all the water came but the only thing, I know is it was too watery, and the flavor or parmesan was not there at all. During our visit I wanted to visit the restrooms and I didn’t feel like going upstairs so I tried to get to the toilet for disabled visitors, which is just next to the bar. I say ‘’tried’’ because they use it as a storage at least that night. So, for people in wheelchair or problems to go to the 1st floor just be aware that there is not a designated toilet. But OK, as far as I remember there is an elevator going to the 1st floor.

So, all in all if you want really good Italian food, you will be even happier in La Boca where no service is provided but at least you know what you get😊 OR Red Café or Venuto where the service is really good without comparing the...