Rugantino — Restaurant in County Sligo

Rugantino, Sligo Ireland

I have visited this restaurant many times over the years with family and friends. We used to enjoy the food, the Italian-style atmosphere, and the location. However, my most recent experience has completely changed my impression.

I briefly sat down on an empty chair at one of the outdoor tables on the terrace, simply to take a short break. I didn’t order anything. Shortly after, a woman (presumably the owner) came out with a menu. When I politely declined, she spoke to me in a rude and humiliating manner, ordering me to leave the property, claiming it was private and only for paying customers.

While I understand house rules, the tone and attitude were entirely inappropriate, especially coming from someone who represents the business. It gave the impression that the owner has little respect for either customers or her own staff.

Additionally, I’ve noticed for quite some time that the ventilation inside the restaurant is poor — every visit left my clothes and hair strongly smelling of food. This creates discomfort, especially when you have other plans after dining.

After this experience, I no longer feel welcome and cannot recommend Rugantino to anyone who values respect, good service, and...

Me and my boyfriend came for a meal for my birthday, the food was quite poor and the service was not nice at all. From the moment we sat down a waiter turned to me as I had my vape on the table by my phone saying “your not allowed to use that here” which started the experience as if I was in trouble for having that on my person. We let this go and went to have our food. The main courses came out moments after we finished our starters and it seemed too quick for pasta based dishes to come out. The carbonara was very dry and a lot of egg used in it. I didn’t eat much even though I tried as I was hungry. Had a plate full of carbonara left there and we weren’t asked how the food was just “are you finished”. After this when I went to pay the woman at the till, she asked if the food was ok, I told her the rest of the food was fine except the carbonara, that it wasn’t great and I barely ate it and she just turned to me and said we make it freshly like it would be made in Italy. There was no offer to remove the dish from the bill, food to replace the meal that wasn’t eaten or even a small discount. I really didnt enjoy my experience dining here....

Used to be good, now a total rip-off

I’ve been coming here for years, but the quality has completely gone downhill. The pizza is still good, but the pasta doesn’t taste homemade anymore—feels like something store-bought, maybe even from Lidl. The worst part was the dessert. The menu promised "fresh whipped cream," but I got canned cream with two strawberries cut into four tiny pieces, served on a roof tile—for €10! Absolutely ridiculous. My wife ordered the cheesecake, which was more jelly than cheese, served in a biscuit with two pyramids of canned whipped cream. The other dessert I had was a Baba Napoletana, which was basically a cheap cupcake soaked in sugary water with more canned whipped cream. You can get a cheesecake from Lidl for €5—100 times better and 5 times bigger. This place has clearly turned into a cheap corner-cutting operation, and my bill came to over €100 for this nonsense. I’m beyond disappointed and definitely...