Chez Gaby Au Ritrovo — Restaurant in Alexandria

Atmosphere (4/5): The restaurant boasts an ambiance that transports you back in time to the old Greek style of Alexandria. You can feel the rich history in every corner, from the decor to the architecture. It's a place that lets you soak in the city's heritage. However, there was a slight disconnect in the atmosphere. While the setting is historically rich, the waitstaff didn't quite match the classic restaurant style that I was hoping for. They were friendly and amusing but lacked the formality that would complete the picture.

Cuisine (3.5/5): The Italian menu offered a delightful touch with its authentic Italian names, making it feel like a culinary journey to Italy. The pizza, in particular, stood out and was a highlight of the meal. However, the overall taste of the food was good but not exceptional. While you can enjoy your meal, it might not leave a lasting impression. The restaurant also offers a selection of liquor and has a bar for those interested in a drink.

Pricing (3.5/5): In terms of pricing, it falls within the range of what you'd expect at a lounge restaurant, but there are some additional costs to consider. The listed prices don't include the 14% VAT and 12% service fee. For example, pizzas are around 150 EGP, while main dishes range from 200 to 250 EGP. Soft drinks are priced at 40 EGP, and beer starts at 75 EGP. Keep in mind that these prices will add up with the 26% additional fees.

Policy (2/5): One aspect that was disappointing was the smoking policy. While the restaurant is enclosed and air-conditioned, smoking is allowed throughout the establishment. This created discomfort for non-smokers like me. During my visit, I sat next to a smoker who didn't refrain from smoking, which hastened my departure. It would be greatly appreciated if the restaurant could allocate non-smoking sections to ensure a pleasant experience for all guests. Also the children are not allowed after 8pm.

I recommend to give it a try at...

TOURIST TRAP, DO NOT GO!

This place claims to serve authentic Italian food. The food served is anything but Italian; the pasta is unpalatable, overpriced, and tastes like a grocery store frozen dish. The pizza is hilariously bad and tastes like pizza from a cheap corner shop, and it's prepared by a bunch of young men who mess around in the kitchen and clearly should be anywhere but in there.

The place is only attractive to tourists, because it exists in an area with an actual Egyptian atmosphere yet the restaurant does have slightly "Italian" decorations. This does not make it in any shape or form an actual, authentic, or tasteful place. Sometimes, tourists believe that it's "Egyptian Style Pizza"; it's simply a laughable culinary experience that only seems "innovative" to foreigners.

The atmosphere is nothing special, it's almost like a Chili's with dimmed lights, and the service is overly hasty and the waiters are not close to accommodating. The place is a massive cash grab with ambiguous pricing, portions that seem like they were made for children, and an overpriced bar specifically for tourists that serves cheap alcohol. Not to mention that they calculate their service charge on the taxed price, i.e., they make you pay service on the taxes that you're paying, which's such a scummy (and illegal) move.

Additionally, the open kitchen deserves to be insulted in a segment of its own, the "chefs" preparing your food are tasteless, lousy, classless young men who couldn't prepare a proper Italian pizza with all the tools right in...

The worse service I have ever got. I’m not the one to write reviews, but I will take the time out of my day to make sure I complain about the ridiculousness that happened a few days ago. Went in the restaurant, nice place, staff seemed friendly, everything seemed fine, my friend and I were seated, we did not feel like ordering food, so we ordered 2 desserts and 2 drinks. The waiter then insisted on us buying a main course, and so we did, I ordered a pizza which I did not want, I was going to share with my friend. So the order now is 2 desserts, 2 drinks, and 1 pizza, then the waiter said we need to order another main course. I was honestly filled with rage because the audacity of making me order another main dish after ordering multiple things off the menu and a pizza which we did not want. I will not eat if I don’t want to eat, I will not pay for something I do not want to pay for. Extremely unprofessional and they did not even bother to stop us as we are leaving. I will not be returning since I don’t live in Egypt anyways, huge inconvenience , and a huge disappointment. Honestly whole situation was kind of weird that a restaurant would do this or allow this. I will tell My friends that live here not to go. Need to make changes asap because that’s not how you do business, cannot let the customer walk out,...