Darcy Osteria Contemporanea — Restaurant in Bologna

Disappointment on almost All Fronts

Our recent dinner experience at Darcy restaurant was a complete disaster. For an establishment with such high prices (for what you get) and an extensive wine list, the service fell far below acceptable standards. The staff lacked professionalism and adequate knowledge about the dishes they were serving. One waitress was especially disinterested and quite unfriendly.

At the start, we agreed to a glass of champagne upon the waiter’s recommendation. However, he failed to present the champagne or provide any details about it, serving it in a white wine glass instead of the proper champagne flute. This is an unacceptable error, as champagne, especially premium options, should be served in specific flutes designed to preserve its bubbles and enhance the drinking experience.

The food itself was severely underwhelming. Nearly every dish was under-seasoned, lacking both salt and depth of flavor. To make matters worse, basic table condiments such as salt, pepper, or olive oil were not provided.

Though some dishes were visually appealing, others were entirely unimpressive. For instance, one appetizer consisted of two tiny pieces of focaccia with a mortadella spread, unnapealingly presented with no decoration or thought. The dessert—a rice cake—was by far the worst dish of the evening. Of course, we didn’t expect a spectacular flavor or aroma from a rice cake. However, since we chose a menu where the kitchen selects the desserts (which is quite odd in itself, as how can they know what we would like—fair enough), the cake was presented so poorly that it was almost comical. Somehow, tiramisu wasn’t better. Clearly it was made sith subpar coffee..

Adding to the list of grievances, out of all the dishes served, only two were properly introduced by the waiter. In this type of dining, it’s a universal expectation that all dishes are presented with explanations, enhancing the guest experience. This was missing here.

A final note on the champagne issue: there is no universal glass for white wine and sparkling wine. Champagne, especially premium bottles, must be served in narrow flutes to maintain carbonation and properly express its aroma. This wasn’t just a service flaw—it reflects a lack of basic knowledge about wine service, which is alarming in a restaurant presenting an extensive wine list.

On top of these issues, the food quality was far below par for the price. The Bolognese steak was flavorless and watery, while the accompanying potatoes were bland and uninspired.

The only redeeming aspect of the experience was the interior, which was tastefully done. However, beautiful decor cannot compensate for poor service, subpar food, and a blatant disregard for the expectations of fine dining.

I trully rarely write negative reviews—feel free to check my profile—but I cannot tolerate such a blatant mismatch between price and quality, nor the rudeness and lack of professionalism we...

Total disappointment. The dinner we attended was complete chaos. The service is definitely not at the level of a restaurant that has these prices and a huge wine list. The waiters lack professionalism and knowledge about the dishes they serve, also one waitress was extremely disinterested and rather rude. We agreed to have a glass of champagne as recommended by the waiter (but he didn't tell us what is the name of the recommended champagne), when he came with the champagne he didn't present it to us at all, and he served us the champagne in a white wine glass instead of a champagne glass, which is an absolute mistake. There was a critical lack of salt and general taste in all the dishes. We did not get salt, pepper or olive oil on the table. I asked the waitress for olive oil, to which she replied that the only thing she could give me was a tasting of three olive oils and that it would cost 3 euros. The price of olive oil tasting is not a problem, but it is completely unacceptable that you cannot get free regular olive oil with your meal. I have never experienced that in a restaurant. In addition to the fact that all dishes lack a deeper taste, some dishes at least looked attractive, while, for example, one appetizer consisted of only two small pieces of foccacia with mortadella spread, it looked very bad and thrown together without any decoration. The rice cake dessert was definitely the worst dish of this dinner, an absolute disaster in appearance and even worse in taste. Basically, almost every segment of this dinner was disappointing. The only thing I would really like to praise is...

It is good, but not great.

If you know what to pick, you may have a superb experience, but the local tasting menu (Piazza Grande) is, to be honest, not worth the price.

Edit: As per request I extended my review:

As a first course there was a galantine with russian salad. I do not know how it is, that russian salad is traditional to Bologna, but as a Czech I had MANY versions over the years and this was probably the weakest ever.

The second and third courses were really good.

The fourth course was a "schnitzel" covered in ham and cheese. You make a breaded piece of meat (usually to have a crunchy crust) and make it soggy, like the worst possible version of cordon bleu. The meal had no side dish. Basically if you would put the russian salad next to it, as the side dish, you would get the worst possible version of a traditional Czech Christmas meal (schnitzel with potatoes salad). Czechs are not best known for their exquisite cuisine, so if you are in Bologna (supposedly known for their world famous cuisine) and almost one third of the Bolognese course menu is a really crappy version of food from a different country, you are not happy 😅

The last course was a dessert. Panna Cotta. The base was soggy, overly sweet crumbs, overpowering the panna cotta itself.

So overall, two good pasta dishes do not make up for the rest. Have pasta there,...