Ristorante La Perla — Restaurant in Amalfi

I really enjoyed eating here. It was a Sunday night at 9 pm. The first restaurant we went to was packed with no seats available! So my fiance had recommended this place originally but I was deterred by the few low reviews and overall 4.0 stars. But being that we were hungry and the 5 star reviews all seemed recent and celebratory of the food we came. To our shock it was empty! And remained that way over the course of the hour or so we were there. Again must be because of these reviews. Ok so because we are the only ones there we are served almost immediately. And I must say the food was excellently prepared. So exactly what I required from my dining experience in almafi!

There were a few things I want to note which I do not think are worth a deduction of the rating but just to set expectations. In Italy it's typical for wait staff to be "in the distance" neither seen not heard until needed. the main waiter here was not this way. Though not as overbearing as typical American wait staff, he did spend time watching us (being the only customers did not surprise me) which was part of his attentiveness but I had to be careful not to make eye contact less he mistake it for a call for help. He did interrupt one time during the dinner to ask us if everything was good, and to Inform us we can take our water. We also think he might have had some sort of thing because he did mutter a lot but it did not seem negative in anyway sort of like an involuntary thing. But overall he was polite, kind, and attentive. There was a bit of a language gap Bec when we were first served (which was near immediately after handed menus) we knew our Antipasto choice but not the main, he misinterpreted it and thought we were done ordering and attempted to take the menu but we just insisted we were still deciding and continued until we were ready and he was there in a heartbeat. to be honest I cannot fault him for any of these but I can see how others may feel or become uncomfortable because of this. The other negative is that they did not serve the espresso at the late hour which we did not understand why , but it's ok as there are many cafes in almafi we can go to instead for espresso at the late hour.

Finally I looked at the poor reviews to better understand. Firstly noticed they had the tendency to be short with people who did not intend to dine there but just stop for a drink or a light bite. Don't understand it but if you want to dine then you'll be fine. Second was I saw a few people complain about being seated in the alleyway but they had a two seater in the main eating area outside so we are fine. Must have rectified it.

Overall if your party wants to eat a full delicious meal for dinner, and aren't too concerned about being looked after a bit more thoroughly than what's custom and are used to ignoring eager wait staff like we are, and are ok with a few gaps in the availability of some item on the menu, this place is more than adequate. Especially on a busy night when you are ready to eat and don't want to settle for a sub par tourist trap like there exists all over the street! If this place remains as quiet as it was on this Sunday night you will be pleasantly surprised with how quickly you are served so it is a great option for delicious food when you don't feel like waiting for hours at a more busy...

This will be the first time I’ve decided to leave a negative review, but I was so disappointed by the treatment one of the waiters gave me. When I arrived I greeted him and let him know I had a reservation. There was an empty outdoor table in the midst of the patio, but he ushered me inside. I sat for a minute, but decided I was not content there. When he returned I pointed to the empty table and said I would prefer to sit there, if possible. He told me I could sit outside, but would have to sit around the corner in the alley way away from everyone. I agreed. No problem. He eventually came to take my drink order and then food order, as well, but was very cold and indifferent. Another waiter was very kind and friendly. He was actually the one who brought my wine, water and later food. He came by to check on my brought the bread, oil and vinegar, and cleaned up items, as needed. The other waiter basically forgot I existed. I asked the kind on for my check and soon after placed cash there. I don’t even know how long it took before the kind waiter finally came to get the cash and bring back my change. In any other instance I would have I told him to keep the change, but I was so conflicted. I did not want to feel forced to leave that large a tip, and I did not wish to leave the original waiter at all! After some time and thought, hoping on of them would return to the table, I gave up. I chose to leave the larger tip. I had no change, and I did want to recognize/thank the kind one. Man, I wish I knew their names. I left dejected and feeling down, instead of delighted...

Terrible service! Very deceiving from the outside. Do not fall for their polite greetings. I walked in and asked nicely if I could order one pizza and one pasta dish to go as my mother was not feeling well and wanted to stay inside. The older man (who i assume is the owner) looks at me and says angrily "pizza only" and walks away. I proceeded to tell the kind waiter what type of pizza I'd like while the owner disappeared into the back. The older man yells from the back in italian (for which he assumes i didnt understand), "make her pay 5.50". I paid and waited patiently. When the pizza was ready he once again yelled from the back "pizza is ready". I had to walk to him to collect it as he was still very clearly angry that i asked such a silly demand. As i thanked him for the pizza, he turns to his cashier and in italian (again not thinking i understand), "did this person pay!". I responded back "si ho pagato" and walked out. When i opened the box in the hotel room, to my surprise the pizza was half the size of a normal pizza size. Completely disappointed with the service, their attitude and the way they treated a young lady. Will NEVER return! I can name a dozen restaurants with phenomenal food AND service, but this is not...