L'alternativa by orsetto — Restaurant in Alzachèna/Arzachena

For balance, our experience was that the great reviews are well deserved for the quality and price of the excellent food but that service is poor. Since we had no reservation, it seemed fine at first to be accomodated in the entry way set apart from the restaurant's standard setup with a table brought out for us. However, two Italian groups without reservation were directed to the proper seating area very shortly after we were seated. One man was soon seated with a table near us. He was an acquaintance of the staff and was annoyed with the head waitress about something. He had two arguments with her and cursed loudly at her. A group arrived to find that the head waitress had given away their table because they were late. The waitress maintained that she had given away the table only because they were late although we noted that she certainly either lied or was mistaken about how quickly she had reassigned it. She was abrupt and rude in telling them they needed to wait. After a short wait, one went to ask how long the table would be and she raised her voice and complained loudly about the group to other staff. When one member of the group accidentally knocked over a glass during the wait, the head waitress lost perspective and spent the rest of our time there complaining loudly and being abrupt with staff and customers. The acquaintance outside expressed loudly that it was nothing new and that she brought it on herself. The group were eventually seated in the entry way rather than the main seating area also rendering the 20 minute wait unnecessary. Any one person can have a bad day and that shouldn't be the basis for a full review so I should also point out that the waiter who served us forgot my partner's main and took ages to bring coffee, and then the bill, while he seemed to complete a number of other tasks. He was very well mannered though as was another waitress who served us. It may be coincidental that the only people seated in the entry way other than the acquaintance were non-Italians but the head waitress did show surpise when she discovered we could speak Italian. It was a strange and almost entertaining experience. Despite good food, I can't recommend the place and it doesn't deserve to be based...

A Truly Special Evening at L’Alternativo Osteria Romana

We had a wonderful evening at this lovingly run restaurant. A special thank you to Bea – she didn’t just serve us, she truly entertained and cared for us throughout the evening. You can tell she’s passionate about what she does and genuinely wants every guest to leave happy.

As vegetarians, we felt incredibly welcomed. There were many thoughtful and delicious options. The bruschetta was specially adapted for us with artichokes, olives, and fresh tomatoes, and it was absolutely delicious. Alongside it came typical Sardinian bread and local olive oil, which added a beautiful regional touch.

We shared a flavorful Cacio e Pepe, and then tried the Seitan in white wine sauce, which Bea highly recommended – and it did not disappoint! It was one of the highlights of the meal.

For dessert, we had a divine Tiramisu followed by an espresso and a taste of Myrto, the traditional Sardinian digestif.

The atmosphere, food, and especially Bea’s hospitality made this evening unforgettable. Highly...

Did not live up to the reviews. The bread was stale, bread for the bruschetta was hard and chewy. The carbonara was the saltiest thing I’ve ever tasted bar sea water. I’m not new to carbonara and had many an amazing version in Rome. The cheese and guanciale are salty enough for the dish, this MUST have had extra added salt it was almost inedible. The other pasta was also too salty. The meat was not typical guanciale, more like fried bits of prosciutto. And the cheese was almost certainly from a pre-grated packet, not freshly grated. Altogether not...