Trattoria La Coppola — Restaurant in Budapest

Based on the positive reviews and the attraction of an interesting menu, my wife and I chose La Coppola for our evening out. While the entrees were excellent and the ambiance was comfortable and attractive (with good weather we sat outside),sadly, the service was unsatisfactory. Specifically, I would characterize the service as inattentive and negligent.

First, our main server chose to bring us a house speciality, bruschetta with anchovies, instead of the plain “bread” my wife ordered which is listed clearly on the menu. My wife thought this is what La Coppola identifies as their bread. Next, the server failed to bring the beer I ordered until I prompted him that he did bring out the beer on a liquor tray earlier but brought it back inside not remembering why he had it on the tray. But wait there’s more: Though I ordered an arugula salad, I received a mixed green salad. Since my wife had already started eating, she said don’t worry about.

When a second server picked up the salad, I told him about the mix up. To his credit, he asked if I wanted the ordered salad. I said no…just wanted him alerted to the mix up. He further pressed…would you like a small salad to accompany your entree! I said sure. I thought that is good customer care.

Here is the sad ending when we received our bill: 1) The bruschetta bread served was 10 times the price of the plain bread listed. 2) The small replacement salad promised never came…But what was really annoying was the false smile and shrug of the server’s shoulders when I told him the salad never came!

Once again the entrees were excellent…The service, however, was inattentive and negligent. You should know, too, that had the thoughtfulness of the proffered small salad appeared and the arrogant shoulder shrug never occurred, I would never have written this note.

RESPONSE TO THE OWNER’S REPLY BELOW: Please know that I appreciate your thoughtful reply. It clearly shows the care that you hold for your craft. I did want to clarify one thing: The young server who made mistakes with the bread, beer and salad, was NOT the same server who offered a small salad to accompany our dinner and the one who shared an arrogant smile and shrug when told the salad never arrived. The second server was clearly older…likely a veteran who should know better what is required. I am able to overlook and understand youthful inexperience and mistakes…but have little appreciation or tolerance for a veteran. I certainly did not want the full force of correction to fall on the undeserving shoulders of the young server....

Edit of the original review:

The service at the restaurant was good, but the food itself was nothing special and overpriced—though that's Budapest for you. The QR code menu also took away from the experience; a physical menu would have kept us more immersed in the meal without the need to pull out our phones.

Edit:

Thank you for your reply to my review. Since Google Maps doesn’t allow me to respond directly, I’ll clarify my feedback here.

I understand the practical benefits of QR code menus, especially considering how they helped the industry through difficult times. However, my experience felt limited, as it wasn’t clear that a physical menu was an option. The staff simply mentioned, “We use this here,” which led us to believe the QR code was the only option. A brief mention that printed menus are available might help other guests who prefer a more immersive dining experience. Last year in April you had normal menu’s given to diners…Covid alarm was well gone by then, so you recently introduced it.

Additionally, while QR code menus have become common, this trend doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best option for every dining setting. Many guests, like myself, appreciate the charm and focus that a traditional menu brings. Navigating the menu on a phone was also difficult, as it was easy to lose track of what we had selected while scrolling up and down. For example, the two Nordic ladies sitting next to us were struggling extensively with it, repeatedly having to scroll up to confirm their choices.

It feels contradictory to present your restaurant with a traditional ambiance—including Goethe quotes about Sicily on the walls—while relying on a QR code menu. Mixing tradition with this approach doesn’t quite align, and it would have been a nice touch to have a printed menu, which could simply be cleaned at the start of each shift.

Thanks again, and I appreciate your commitment to providing good...

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