Baltolu Trattoria - Da Ottavio — Restaurant in Alzachèna/Arzachena

Unfortunately, what could have been a fantastic start to our holiday , ended up somewhat disastrous. After scouring reviews of nearby restaraunts and having been highly recommended Baltolu by our hotel , we settled on having dinner here on our first night. The starter of fried sardines was to die for; washed down by a delicious crisp white wine. Next up was our mains-lobster with pasta for two. After a 30min wait, out came pasta with mussels. I was ravenous and it looked amazing, but with a significant price difference, I mentioned to a waiter passing by that we had been served the incorrect dish but would happily eat it. She whisked it away without another utterance and we were left wandering and waiting for another 45 minutes when out came said lobster with pasta. My partner and I immediately locked eyes at the lack of lobster. On the plate was beautiful pasta with a beautiful sauce but barely a scraping of lobster in the shell. A culmination of frustration, hunger and disappointment, I couldn’t help but mention it the waiter. Again the plates were whisked away and inspected by a number of staff. The manager/owner came down to us and disagreed with the lack of lobster on the plate, insinuating we had eaten the lobster from the shell prior to notifying staff. He then proceeded to ask what else would he bring us and exasperatingly mentioned this would be the ‘fifth dish’ he would be serving us, Insinuating it was our fault that we were served the incorrect dish to begin with. I contested this and said we were happy with anything but I was disappointed with the lack of lobster, that was all. He told us to get up, leave and pay our drinks bill. He was obnoxiously rude and unwilling to engage in any conversation, I repeatedly assured him the food was delicious and that we wanted to stay but he told us to get out. It was incredibly frustrating and we were left with no dinner for the evening as everywhere else was closed. Such a dissappointment after a long days travel and our first night...

My husband and I had a fantastic dining experience at Baltolu Trattoria - Da Ottavio. We had a reservation for 8pm and were warmly welcomed and seated promptly upon arrival. The staff was incredibly friendly, and our waiter was particularly helpful in recommending a bottle of wine that perfectly suited our tastes.

For starters, we shared the antipasti, and the octopus & potato salad—both were delicious. My husband opted for the grilled mixed seafood for his main course, which he thoroughly enjoyed, noting how fresh it all tasted. I had the spaghetti with clams, which was bursting with flavour, especially with a generous sprinkle of grated bottarga (not parmesan!) on top. For those unfamiliar, bottarga is cured fish roe, which adds a wonderful salty, umami kick to the dish.

For dessert, my husband had the tiramisu, and he swears it's the best he's ever had (and he's a tiramisu connoisseur!). I went with a traditional fried pastry filled with cheese and drizzled with honey—though I can’t recall the name, it was absolutely delightful.

To finish off the meal, they brought us a taste of Mirto, a Sardinian liqueur, which was a lovely touch. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the restaurant had a charming local vibe, far from the typical tourist spots. We’ll definitely be...

Terrible, avoid at all cost. Just returned from there after a terrible experience. My main course didn’t arrive due to a mistake from the waiter (this can happen anywhere, but how the restaurant deal with the problem, is another question). After waiting for them to send it, they sent the wrong thing, by this time my wife had finished her meal and it was too late for them to try for a third time to bring me my main course). The “management”, then went from speaking passable English, to we don’t speak English at all. I never received my main course and nothing was offered as any sort of compensation, not even a free desert. The staff simply didn’t care and were rude and unhelpful. There’s lots of other places to eat in Cannigione, don’t waste your time and money here. Truly...