Restoran Bertolucci — Restaurant in Tallinn

After a truly wonderful day in Tallinn, spurred on by the good reviews we decided to finish the day with a romantic meal at Bertolucci restaurant.

The restaurant was nicely decorated, and the lighting created a relaxing ambience. We were alone apart from one other table that looked like they were at the end of their meal. We ordered the mushroom risotto, and bella napoli pizza.

The food arrived, and I tried my Risotto, mushrooms and parmesan first! The flavour was great and my plans of leaving some for a lunch the next day was looking unlikely. As I tried the Risotto rice however it was apparent that they were slightly undercooked in the center. Whilst they near al dente, they were still too hard in the center.

I put my food to the side and called across the waitress who went downstairs to tell who I have since found out is the chef and owner Marco Bertolucci. There was a bit of noise as he came upstairs, certainly not as light on his feet as the waitress and he boomed "Whats wrong?", I explained that the Risotto was slightly undercooked, and he disagreed with me. It was "Perfect", "It's cooked al dente, this is how it's cooked in Italy". I explained that Risotto was my favourite food and I'd had it countless times, many of which in Italy, but it only needed cooking a bit more. He told me "I can make it like porridge if you like", a little extreme I thought. I didn't like the tone and pointed out that the way he was speaking to me was patronising. I don't know whether he had had a bad day, and I can understand taking pride in your work, but the hostility we met was really out of order. He asked me to confirm that I'd like it cooked a little more, which I did, and he took it back downstairs.

Not an ideal start, but we were sharing meals, so we started on the pizza. Now you know where this is going... Well, the appearance of the pizza was good. From the top it looked cooked, it looked enticing. As soon as I started to attempt to take a piece it was apparent that there was something wrong. The pizza dough in the center was raw. I tasted some to confirm, and the pizza was a floppy mess. I have to commend the chefs ability to somehow get it onto the plate, but it should never have left the kitchen in that state. Note they pre-cut the pizza, so they should have noticed.

I again called the waitress across and explained that the pizza wasn't cooked, and parts of the pizza dough was raw. At this point, I told her that she could cancel the Risotto, and we would be leaving.

She went downstairs to cancel the order, and we heard the telltale stomps coming up the stairs. I forget the exact words as he walked across to the table, however it was something like "What's the problem". I told him that unfortunately the dough was raw and not undercooked, he proclaimed "Ridiculous!", which was quite the claim as he was still several steps away from the table. I told him that we would be leaving, which prompted a bit of a tirade that continued after we left as he vented to the remaining people in the restaurant.

It made me laugh as he told me "You can leave, I won't charge you", I thought a camera crew were about to pop out and we'd see Gordon Ramsey preparing for another kitchen nightmares episode!

The experience didn't ruin our day, as it serves as a funny story.

A message to the restaurant, if the food arrives at the table with issues, please deal with the situation professionally. The level of hostility we encountered is not acceptable. We understand that mistakes will be made, but it is not the fault of...

I so wanted to like this restaurant! Been going past it many times, but never visited. It would have been so cool to finally go and find a gen hidden in broad daylight. Alas! 'Twas not to be.

Right from the start, one drink item and one main course were out of stock. The wine card does not specify the bubbly drinks (just "prosecco" and "cremant") The service was okay, but clearly lacking experience and proper training. The food was mixed. The bread served before dinner was clearly burnt by the smell and also the slight charring on the bread itself. Not exactly bad tasting, but not restaurant quality. The carpaccio was soggy (poorly frozen/thawed, probably) and somehow difficult to cut with a knife. The burrata was nice, and plating pretty, but felt like something one could pull together at home from ready ingredients. Sea bass was actually good, but the garnishing kind of bland (considerable amount of just peas). And I could swear there was truffle oil added to the sauce served with fish. Bewildering combination. The pizza... Such a shame. The crust is just a boring basic bland bread. Absolutely eddible, for sure, but I could not bring myself to eating so much basic bread (I do not usually leave the crust on the plate).

The base level is there to make this place a quality restaurant, but I am afraid it lacks sufficient experience and skill to make it shine. Evident also from the responses by the owner to less than flattering reviews here. You do not argue with clients, but try to learn something from...

I had an absolutely wonderful experience at this Italian restaurant! From the moment we arrived, the warm and welcoming atmosphere set the tone for a perfect evening. The location is fantastic — easy to find, with a charming ambiance that makes you feel instantly relaxed and at home. The service was truly exceptional, and I have to give a special mention to our server, Sofia. She was attentive without being intrusive, incredibly knowledgeable about the menu, and made spot-on recommendations that turned out to be delicious. Her friendliness and genuine care for our dining experience made all the difference. The food itself was authentic and bursting with flavor — from the fresh, perfectly cooked pasta to the rich and aromatic sauces. Every dish felt like it was prepared with love and attention to detail. The dessert was the perfect sweet ending to an already...