Josto — Restaurant in Cagliari

Visited Josto on the 29/7 whilst on holiday here. We saw it was on the michelin guide and had very good reviews so we had very high hopes for this restaurant.

We decided on the day to go here, but could not make a reservation as the Google maps linked to a Facebook page, which then linked to a one page website without the option to book. I imagine others book via phone but if you are not a local this is a bit frustrating if you cannot call foreign numbers. Overall for a michelin restaurant, there should definitely be an option to book online, and ideally an online menu as well.

Nonetheless, it was a Monday and we were seated straight away but only with the option to sit on one of the serveral outdoor tables. This was slightly disappointing as of course you don't have the benefit of A/C and the atmosphere of the interior but we appreciate it was a busy restaurant.

We were promptly greeted with the aperitif menu which consisted of essentially negroni type cocktails - we felt this was slightly limited. We were then served the usually pre-dinner sardinia cracker and quite significantly after, some bread and a plate.

We opted to order the four starters for €38 euro which we felt was fairly good value. The portions of all four were quite good, the first was carrot with a hazelnut type dressing which was quite nice. The second was a cherry/baby tomato salad with some  "bread" which translated to small croutons which we felt was quite basic tasting. The third was a tuna starter which was nice and the fourth a courgette based dish was had a nice variety of textures but lacked a deeper flavor. Overall the starters were nice, but nothing exceptional.

I had a main of the pork belly with courgette which was the most impressive item of the meal and I very much enjoyed this. Unfortunately after this, the experience went downhill. We were given a desert menu and had a look but decided to skip this. It took about 20 minutes without anyone coming over to the table so we asked for the bill and said we were not having deserts. After this point it took several more attempts of asking and at least 30 minutes before we were served the bill. This was quite frustrating and we had quite a long drive ahead of us and were eager to get off. Not sure if this is a proglem with service in general or being seated outside but it seemed we were not being managed efficiently. To add insult to injury, we looked a the bill which had a cocktail we never even had (I had a glass of wine). This was of course removed but without much of an apology, which felt unprofessional.

Overall, a good restaurant with a seemingly nice interior from what we could tell. Good food, reasonable value and good taste but not exceptional or what we felt was usual michelin standards. Could definitely benefit from easier access I.e online menu,  options to book, as well as a more polished...

Date night and second time at Josto! My husband and I love this small hidden restaurant near the port and we book it pretty easily. The service is friendly and warm and the menu fresh, well curated and exceptionally refined for a city that loves tradition. But at Josto the chef has managed to translate fresh, local and traditional in a incredible mouthwatering journey through an elegant and delicious selection of the very best ingredients this island can offer. We ordered the selection of startes then two mains, I ordered the red tuna and my husband the aubergine ravioli. Each mouthful was an explosion of flavours and a hug to my palate at the same time. The tartare with strawberry sauce (which I normally avoid around the world) was to die for as were the carrots (carrots … what can they be?)… I will never look at carrots the same way. Also the mains were delicious. The service was very good and the chef came unexpectedly to check on us which was very appreciated. If I may add just one tiny suggestion… if the staff could advise what to start with with the selection of starters.. from the mildest flavours to the more intense… just to ensure the best mouthwatering journey through these fabulous dishes. Thank you Josto for the incredible food, we will come back and as a Cagliaritana, thank you for providing such a refreshing experience of our traditional food. Proud and happy! Highly recommended by the way… had...

Our evening at Josto was memorable but also a little peculiar. Initially we were more than excited and felt very surprised to find a place that was so edgy and tasteful from the Ambiente. The Startes were really good, especially the beef tartare and chickpeas soup. The pasta ragu was really solid but not spectacular, the Negroni and champagne were great. Octopus was really on point, a small portion but suitable to a classy place like this and desserts were also really good. Things got a bit strange when we ordered the bill, we had asked for olive oil for the bread and they charged us extra for a tiny plate with oil. Sinced this happened never before especially in a high class restaurant like this we gently asked the waiter why they do that. We were told that in that restaurant they take their bread pretty seriously and Italians eat their bread without oil and that this is a tourist practice and that’s the reason why they charge us. Apart from being incredibly condescend his response was cold and not suited to a place like this category. We wonder what the owner said who was a really nice guy. We left somewhat happy but also confused not because of the money but because of the bitter taste this left after a...