Massimo Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Denpasar Selatan

Massimo Massimo Massimo. Molto Bello. You have grown more than a Beanstalk tree in 29 years in Sanur developing an establishment anyone who knows Italian good food should visit. Organic, home grown produce accompanied by skillfully crafted dishes provide for a range of mouth watering choices on a very extensive menu. It is Long. Massimo Italian Institution ( let's call it that ), has three areas. The front is unmissable for the lines of patrons vying for a bewildering choice of home made gelato. To the left, is the pizza "factory" busier than ever. The centre right section is lowly lit for more intimate dining experiences, where we were lucky enough to be seated. Running alongside the left wall is a long bar with stools where the artisans of alcohol and caffeine do their magic. The rear is brightly lit with some larger tables on a white tiled floor where groups can enjoy celebrations and birthdays ( with happy birthday played on Indonesian, if requested ). This is a highly tuned efficient operation with key staff micd up to relay information between various production teams. We ordered the burata entree plus garlic bread to share. It was perfect. Bombay sapphire GnT was AUD $9.50 and served with Schweppes tonic too! I ordered the evening special seafood gnocchi. It was amazing. Fresh clams and shrimp, right amount of oil and tomato. Great serving size. It was either that or Ossobucho..... But I wanted to try authentic gnocchi. This was not your typical "batch cooked special" . The serve time between dishes was spot on. Everything that can be, is hand made at Massimo and you can tell. Partner ordered the eggplant lasagne which was a low rise version of the typical wedge, but it was described as such. More plaudits. Massimo himself, the myth, ate his own dinner a table away from us. A pizza dough topped fish soup flambé. From humble beginnings, he has created an institution where future chefs are learning the right way to farm and cook and serve the best you can get outside Italy. Perhaps that Beanstalk tree is a direct path back home... AUD$88 for entree two mains 4 alcoholic beverages, cappuccino, and two desserts. ( Don't miss out on the array of desserts - all home made too, but I did say that, did t I? ). Outstanding value and experience. Best I've had in Sanur. Seek it out. Ignore Trip Advisor...

I got gelato with a few friends on Friday, September 19th, 2025, around 1–2 pm. I’ve been coming here for the past 7 years since I moved to Bali. The gelato was excellent as usual, but unfortunately, the service we received from one staff member was very disappointing.

She wasn’t wearing a name tag, so I can’t identify her by name, but hopefully the timing helps narrow it down. She left shortly after serving us, so I assume she was finishing a morning shift.

The way she treated us — as Indonesian customers — felt disrespectful. We paid before ordering, asked for a couple of testers, and the entire interaction was met with a sour expression, no responses when we said thank you, and blank stares. Minutes later, when foreign customers came in, her attitude completely changed, suddenly cheerful, warm, and helpful.

This contrast was painful to experience. I couldn’t help but feel that her treatment of us was based on skin colour, which is unacceptable anywhere, and especially shocking here in Bali, a place that usually feels so welcoming. To be honest, it also made me wonder: I’ve never had this problem before, but most of the time I’ve visited in the past I was with my dad who’s about as white as one can get. Maybe that’s why I never noticed it until now.

To be clear, Massimo is a wonderful person and every other staff member we’ve interacted with over the years has been kind, professional, and friendly to all guests. But this one encounter genuinely ruined the atmosphere for me and my friends. It definitely makes me think twice about coming back: is today the day I want to be treated differently based on my skin colour in my own country? Or should I wait until tomorrow — just because I can’t resist the food and gelato?

⭐ Food: 5 stars — delicious as always ⭐ Service (for this staff): 0 stars if I could — no customer deserves that treatment ⭐ Atmosphere: 3 stars — we tried to stay positive, but it’s upsetting to feel discriminated against in your own country

I hope management takes this seriously. With an Italian-Indonesian family behind the restaurant, it’s especially disappointing to see staff treat Indonesian customers...

Recently visited this restaurant with high expectations, especially given its reputation in the area. We had made a reservation 24 hours in advance and specifically asked for a plain, baby-friendly pasta with some soft tomato or minced meat. What we received was a very small portion of plain spaghetti — no sauce, no tomato, no meat — for 38,000 IDR, which is surprisingly steep considering the full kids’ spaghetti Bolognese meal is only 55,000. We went to a restaurant two days before not even Italian and they happily prepared him a small spaghetti and plain tomatoes. What Italian restaurant can’t even prepare basic tomatoes on request or even plain meat. Which any proper kitchen could do fresh.

Most dishes are likely pre-cooked, batched, and microwaved for service. The kitchen may not be set up to deviate from their set prep — a bad sign for a high-end or “famous” place. Good restaurants — especially Italian — pride themselves on simple, fresh ingredients and accommodating young children. If they can’t do this, it reflects a rigid and probably commercial-style kitchen. Charging nearly full meal price for a stripped-down toddler version and doing it without effort or customization suggests you’re paying more for the name than the food or service. My reasonable expectations would be to boil some minced meat (a 10-minute task). Set aside some tomato (even raw chopped cherry tomatoes would do) and provide a baby-friendly version especially given 24 hours notice.

What’s frustrating is that despite the advance notice, the kitchen couldn’t accommodate even basic ingredients for a baby. It suggests much of the food might be pre-prepared and lacks flexibility for fresh, simple requests. For a restaurant of this caliber, that’s disappointing.

We expected a family-friendly experience with a little effort made for our child, but sadly this felt more like a transactional stop than the warm, welcoming Italian hospitality we’d hoped for. Ended with a 2000 motorbike charge - the only restaurant operating this...