Ravintola Monte Rosa — Restaurant in Rovaniemi sub-region

COLD FOOD! + NO COMPENSATION! A Disappointing Experience Despite High Expectations!

Having heard so much about this restaurant being home to the “best steaks in Rovaniemi,” I booked a table a month in advance with high hopes. Sadly, it turned into a truly underwhelming experience.

Upon arrival, the restaurant was packed, which I took as a promising sign. However, the service told a different story. We were seated but waited 15 minutes just to receive menus. My husband eventually had to get up and ask for someone to take our order. Drinks took another 10 minutes to arrive.

We ordered three main courses and a reindeer flatbread to share as a starter. The flatbread arrived promptly within five minutes, but we were left without plates to share it—just a single bowl! It’s baffling that such a basic detail was overlooked.

The plate from the starter then sat on our table for 30 minutes before the waiter came rushing to clear it and serve the mains. A side note about the waiter: he was Greek, spoke Italian, but didn’t actually seem to understand Italian. It was confusing and unprofessional.

When the main courses arrived—meat of the day, reindeer, and beef tenderloin—they were all cold. At nearly €30-40 per dish, this was unacceptable. By this point, we were so hungry and frustrated from the wait that we didn’t bother returning the food. When we informed the waiter about the issue, there was no acknowledgment or apology.

The food itself? It was good, but far from deserving the title of “best steaks in Rovaniemi.” It lacked the wow factor I expected from such a highly regarded establishment. To make matters worse, no one checked in to ask if everything was okay. We had to flag down someone ourselves to give feedback.

When it came time to pay, I anticipated some form of compensation—a complimentary drink, a discount, or at least an apology for the cold food and slow service. None of that happened.

As frequent travelers and food critics, we feel compelled to advise this restaurant to hire more staff and provide better training. A dining experience is not just about the food but also the service, and this fell short on all fronts.

Overall rating: Disappointing. Not...

My biggest issue with this restaurant is the service. What my friend had experience is a disgrace and should be a warning sign for those who wish to eat here. We are a group who stays in the hotel and can order dinner instead of eating the served meal for free. One of our group decided to order hamburger for him and his kid. He doesn't have good English, so when he tried to ask without bacon he accidentally said without beef. However, I heard from the next table and immediately corrected the waiters and even said that he wants it served medium. Her mistake can be understood and she ordered him hamburger with nothing. What is not explainable and outrageous is that the manger came to him and told him that he is going to be billed again for the burger!!! For what? For making the beef and putting it inside the burger? I swear that they had the nerve to give him the same plate just with the burger inside. And , the cherry on top for the second pair of burgers they told him he can't get 30% discount as hotel guest. In my opinion this is a restaurant that cares about taking your money and not her customers. They are greedy and...

Everything was so prefect, from the atmosphere, food, service and attention to detail! I personally feel value for money is great here. We paid €116 converted into £96 for a 2 course meal, a 3 course meal and 2 drinks. The food was absolutely amazing, it was very well seasoned and cooked! I went for the Reindeer pepper steak with mashed potatoes, roasted carrots and pepper sauce, and I must say it was the best Reindeer I have ever had and I have tried it 3 times now whilst in Rovaniemi! The mashed potatoes were so creamy and soft, I also think this was probably the best mashed potato I’ve ever had. My partner had the Beef Steak and chips and even that was cooked to perfection. We was served by the lovely Dan who was very informative with each meal as he ran us through what was on our plates, he was also very accommodating and overall just gave an amazing Service, thank you Dan! I would 100% come back here if I visited Rovaniemi again and I would also recommend everyone to come here if visiting, there is something for everybody...