Trattoria Mariposa — Restaurant in Bologna

The waitress Miki was appallingly rude, unfriendly, unwelcoming, unsmiling and intimidating. I rarely leave reviews but her attitude needs a public warning. The menu at Mariposa says " make food not war". Miki's philosophy seems to be " make war with food". From the moment we arrived we felt unwelcome . Everything too much trouble. Argumentative when I asked to keep the menu to look at. Almost accused me of taking at the end. No grace no thanks. Angry when we changed from beer to wine and still brought beer. She should have realised we'd changed drinks or checked but instead angry. She slammed plates on tables kicked the door into kitchen taking food in and out never once smiled. Abrupt manner with all customers. Hard to relax with her stomping around. The cook / chef with pony tail came out at one point and was nice friendly and smiled. Felt sorry for him working with Miki. The food was fine and no complaints but going out for a meal should be an enjoyable experience all round. Not here. Miki needs to go on a charm course and learn how to treat customers in a civil and courteous way. Better still get a non public facing job. We were visiting on holiday for 4 nights from UK and spoilt our evening. Enter at your own risk. Notice others have said similar. Wish we'd...

(ENG vers below) Tra le conseguenze più infelici dell'overtourism nelle piccole città come Bologna c’è la spocchia: degli albergatori che aumentano i prezzi, dei proprietari di case che triplicano gli affitti e delle vecchie trattorie di quartiere che si credono degli stellati sfoggiandone la fastidiosa - e peralto sempre fuori luogo - arroganza. Come nel caso della trattoria Mariposa.

Chi la descrive come un posto ospitale e accogliente credo non abbia mai avuto a che fare col significato autentico di questi termini purtroppo abusati tra le recensioni lette fin qui. Ho prenotato un tavolo per due a pranzo. Arrivati al ristorante 10 minuti in anticipo, appena messo piede in sala ci siamo sentiti dire - meglio: urlare come se fossimo dei ragazzini maleducati - dall’addetta di sala che dovevamo aspettare fuori e che “ci avrebbero chiamato loro”. A noi e ad altre venti persone.

Fuori però c’erano 2 gradi e pioveva a dirotto, anche sotto il portico dove la signora ci ha urlato di aspettare. E dove nessuno è arrivato a chiamarci.

Una volta entrati l’atteggiamento non è stato diverso: servizio discutibile, fare infastidito, risposte secche, sgarbate, annoiate. Porzioni imbarazzantemente piccole, pane non proprio di giornata, logiche incomprensibili (alcuni vini vengono serviti a quartino, altri a "mezza bottiglia": perché? Boh).

Abbiamo ordinato dei tortellini in brodo, degni di un Giovanni Rana, e delle polpette di carne e piselli, le cui dimensioni (dei piselli e delle polpette) erano quasi identiche. Su tutto, però, vince l’enorme maleducazione delle due signore addette a tavoli e sala, incredibilmente contenuta da uno spazio così angusto.

Mai più. È grazie a posti come questo che ringrazio dio ogni giorno dell’esistenza di MacDonald’s, lì almeno sorridono. Among the most unfortunate consequences of overtourism in small cities like Bologna is the arrogance: of hoteliers who jack up prices, landlords who triple rents, and neighborhood trattorias that fancy themselves Michelin-starred establishments, flaunting an annoying – and always utterly misplaced – haughtiness. Case in point: Trattoria Mariposa.

Those who describe it as a hospitable and welcoming place have clearly never grasped the true meaning of those words, unfortunately overused in the reviews I’ve read so far. I booked a table for two for lunch. Arriving at the restaurant 10 minutes early, as soon as we set foot in the dining room, we were told – or rather, shouted at as if we were unruly kids – by the staff to wait outside and that "they would call us when ready." Us and about twenty other people.

The problem? It was 2°C (36°F) outside and raining heavily, even under the arcade where we were told to wait. No one ever came to call us.

Once inside, the attitude didn’t improve: questionable service, visibly annoyed behavior, curt, rude, and bored responses. Embarrassingly small portions, bread that wasn’t exactly fresh, and incomprehensible policies (some wines are served by the quarter-liter, others by "half a bottle" – why? Who knows).

We ordered tortellini in broth, on par with something you’d get from Giovanni Rana, and meatballs with peas, the size of which (both the peas and the meatballs) were nearly identical. But what stood out most was the astounding rudeness of the two women managing the tables and dining area, somehow contained within such a tiny space.

Never again. It’s thanks to places like this that I thank God every day for the existence of McDonald’s – at least...

The food was excellent. I had the meat tortellini in bolognese sauce and it did not disappoint. The prices were extremely cheap (both for food and wine). A couple reviews said to get a reservation but we showed up right as they were opening at 7:30 and were able to snag a table. Bonus is that the waitress we had (only seemed to be one in the cozy restaurant) spoke English and took a few extra moments to discuss the pronunciation of the different dishes. On a side note, if you've found the food underwhelming in different cities bologna...