La Moderna Brace — Restaurant in Bari

My girlfriend's 30th birthday was a complete disaster.

I had arranged a surprise with a chocolate cake and a balloon, confirmed for €60. Upon arrival at 7 PM, we enjoyed a good starter, but the recommended Chianina T-bone steak was mostly bones and fat, yielding only a few edible pieces. It was tough and bland, and when I expressed my disappointment, the waitress ignored my feedback.

Hoping for a redeeming cake, I was shocked when it arrived. It didn’t resemble what I ordered, and after struggling to communicate through Google Translate, I decided to cancel it. They apologized, claiming a kitchen mistake regarding the chocolate, despite my earlier clarification that my girlfriend loves milk chocolate.

When I told another waiter that the steak was nearly inedible, he dismissed my concerns.

They charged 20€ for the balloon, then reduced 7,50€, so I asked if they can reduce it more and offered 70€, then she offered 75€ and I agreed as I just wanted to finally leave…

I paid €75 for a disappointing meal, and the waiter didn’t even apologize as we left.

In summary:

Terrible customer service Rude staff Unhygienic practices Poor-quality food No compensation for mistakes

Avoid this place...

We came at 8 without reservation and were seated by the entrance, which is a typical thing in Italy. But, a view to a wine fridge was actually alright since the decoration of the place is absent. We took Angus Carpaccio (thin, generous, not dressed - use salt and olive oil), three mini burattas - can recommend, a piece of argentinian beef and a steak from local beef. The meat is great and prepared perfectly. Sides are not up to a meat standard, grilled veggies were thin and dry. We also got house wine, it was rather sweet, so we ordered a bottle of Negroamaro. The house wine was excluded from the bill. Nice tiramisu concluded it. All together it amounted to 95 euros - 2 starters, lots of meat, water, wine, dessert. A spot seems to be popular with the locals - everyone entering was saying "buonaserra" to us since we were at the entrance 😀 Generally, I can recommend it, the meat is great and the choice is wide, they are also quite nice.

great: meat, wide selection, wine (by bottle, selection is OK), cold starters

could be improved: house wine (sweet red isn't a good pair with beef), decoration, some background music. Wine...

The interesting thing about travelling solo and often dining alone is getting an instant read on the wait staff's work ethic and attitude as soon as I ask for a table for 1. Here I was greeted with a warm welcome as one waiter professionally set my table, the other got to work splitting a grouped table, as I took the last 2-seat table. Something I don't experience often when there is one couple's table left and plenty of free grouped tables. Other restaurants simply can't be bothered splitting tables like that. So my night was already off to a pleasant note. Next was viewing the incredible range of choices on their menu. After I took the plunge on the Simmental rib-eye steak, I was happily surprised when I was shown the beef before it was cooked, to ensure I was happy with my choice. Something I was grateful for as we certainly don't have these cows in Aus, so i wasnt 100% sure with my choice. The beef, the cooking, the service, the decor it was all spot on. Really high-quality establishment, I will visit again if I return to Bari. My only disappointment is that I found this place on the last night of...