Ristorante Alberto Capo — Restaurant in Chioggia

A rather unusual culinary experience. On the surface, everything seems fine—decent food with no major flaws—but when the bill arrives, you can’t help but feel like you expected more for the price, leaving you disappointed. Risotto can only be ordered in a double portion, which drives up the price of what is essentially a simple dish of rice and additions to that of a good steak (44 EUR). The fish is fresh and locally caught, but it’s prepared in the simplest way—just heat treatment. Some might enjoy the pure taste of fish, but I can achieve the same flavor by buying fish at the market and throwing it on the grill myself. I don’t need a restaurant for that. Alongside the fish comes radicchio, tossed on the plate without any finesse, and crispy, tasty polenta. The restaurant offers a good wine selection, but the staff lacks knowledge about the grape varieties and origins. Once again, I find myself comparing quality to price. And so, disappointment prevails...

As per response to owner:

The owner's response is exceptionally arrogant and warrants a comment. It's clear that the kitchen is designed for the convenience of the chefs, not the customers. I tried to be fair in my review, but some people let their success go to their heads. I've traveled across Italy extensively and have never encountered a requirement to order risotto for two people. Moreover, a simple walk around Chioggia is enough to see that this claim is untrue. Even in Bologna, I never paid €22 for risotto. Simple, rustic flavors can certainly be appreciated, but such flavors should come at an honest price, not at gourmet rates. This is a case of style over substance and ego over reason.

It’s better to go to Osteria Penzo, just opposite —a family-run, friendly place with a wonderful owner who treats tourists just as well as locals. And the food is...

Disappointed! This restaurant was not our first choice, but unfortunately the one we wanted to go was across the road from this one, and was fully booked.

Anyway, we went in and was seated straight away. The place was quite. I think we were the second group of customers.

Please bear in mind that this is a seafood restaurant and as such there is very little choice of anything else from the menu. No bread, balsamic vinegar and oil was offered at the start, unlike everywhere else we've been to. There was very little variety of drinks. Mrs had a glass of wine which she didn't finish and I had a can of Fanta. Considering that there were four of us (two kids, Mrs and myself) all with different tastes, we struggled to find something that we were completely happy with. Our kids had a vegetarian meal, which in our household is very rare.

To be honest, the food that was served was quite good, but it certainly was not anywhere near as good as some of the other places we visited in the last few days we've been here.

I wouldn't...

Where to start.. this must have been the biggest comedy of errors whilst on holiday in the region. The waiters and waitresses were apparently overworked and result thereof extremely unprofessional and unfriendly. Children in our group were disregarded and were told there was no tomato sauce for kiddies pasta (imagine that. An Italian restaurant not having any tomato sauce). Our main courses came out eventually (not all of them, mind you), staggered and with no logical consequence (side dish for main course which never showed up came served with the starter). Had to ask the waiters many times for a glass to drink water… anyhow. Never again, this was, to date, my worst restaurant experience all together.. by...