Gouache Restaurant — Restaurant in Castellammare di Stabia

Apparently there was a name change recently to the Alga Restaurant. Probably because the reviews on the Gouache Restaurant were so bad. Unfortunately they didn’t seem to change much of anything else.

Positives:

The staff were very patient and kind. I was impressed by their care and hospitality. Some of the best service for our time in Italy.

The views are incredible of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius with the bay in the forefront.

Negatives:

The menu was extremely sparse. This is a four star hotel, and of the 30+ countries that we have visited… this is the worst menu that I have seen yet.

The food quality was subpar, for any amount of money, but especially for the expense. If we had not gotten the “half-board” from online while in the USA, we would not have given this place a second chance. It is that bad. We paid €80/dinner + drinks (including paying for water and coffee/tea). That is simply outrageous!

There were 12 items on the menu, in total, including desert. And the menu never changed. Sometimes 12 items isn’t a bad thing when you visit a Michelin restaurant, but even a Michelin restaurant will change their menus throughout the year. And the quality of food is very very good at a Michelin restaurant.

There is no comparison between the Alga and a Michelin restaurant. Unless the sky is a Michelin and Hell is the Alga.

I marked down that the atmosphere was 3/5. The staff’s service were near perfection. And the views were incredible. Come for some cafe expresso’s and some peaceful contemplation of the view, but don’t eat the food!

The door to the outside is always left open so cold air comes through (in the winter) all the time. Don’t sit by the door.

The tables are not pretty and they don’t give you a spoon. Very annoying when you have a yogurt for breakfast and have to get a coffee spoon.

Overall, unless they make some serious changes… I will not ever come back. Other restaurants (much cheaper) have much better food and options.

Thanks again to the staff for making such an awful restaurant experience feel better because the service was that good. Give the staff a raise for doing so well under terrible...

Food was good but the waiter was a real loser. The Towers hotel caters to many if not mostly American tour groups and its apparent this guy isn’t fond if them. We arrived at 7:30 and went to the restaurant where we were asked if we had a reservation. The place was a quarter filled. At the end of the meal the waiter literally threw the bill on the table after I gave him my card and said ‘sign’ in a very authoritative manner. I signed and threw another €5 on the folder but he just grabbed it all and stormed away. On the way out we met another couple who had the...

The food was fine but not great. The dishes were not as we expected from reading the menu. For instance, beef carpaccio is usually served raw but here is was cooked, quite disappointing. Also, the pasta with pesto did not appear to have pesto but the server told me that it was hidden within the tomato sauce. I could not taste the pesto. Besides the beautiful setting, I would not recommend this restaurant for food. It’s a bit expensive for what you get served. We went there because we stayed at the two towers hotel and so it was convenient to eat...