Osti L’Osteria — Restaurant in Comunità Alto Garda e Ledro

Ok…. So I thought I’d delete my previous few rankings on this place and write an extended review, especially for the overly opinionated owner.

As it happens, it was our second time at this place. Actually, it was by mistake, as we had forgotten the name… but it was late and we were hungry after a long drive…. Our first time had been 2 or 3 years earlier and we observed exactly the same attitude as this time. Some things just don’t change. Some chips on the shoulder simply stay.

So, the food. It was generally quite good. The ragu for the kids was very good. The cold cuts and cheeses for the adults were ok, but not much to dream about.

The atmosphere is “it depends”. The location by the road is convenient but not cozy. Great for grabbing a bite but for a nice evening out you would want a cozier place.

The service can be split into two parts. The waiting staff were generally very nice and helpful. One of them was absolutely delightful. There was some waiting with taking the order but it worked out in the end.

The interesting discussion was in the end - as it often is - when we got our bill. We questioned why the bill stated 5 servings of prosecco while we actually got 3 glasses. The explanation came rather abruptly and unpleasantly that “In Italy….” - which is always a great way to start when talking to people who have probably seen more of the country than the person speaking. Basically, apparently “In Italy” the serving was 100 ml. This was surprising to me as in other parts of Italy it was more than that - we used to get between 1/3 and 1/2 of the glass. Maybe just generous hosts. I don’t know. So, it quickly became a matter of principle over money.

And this is where we had a flashback to a few years ago where the owner started with smiles and when he asked for feedback after the meal and did not get 10/10, he turned defensive and started gaslighting us. At that time it was the sequence of serving where they forgot one order, then we decided to skip it, and refused to take it when it finally arrived when we were done with our meals.

This time it was a childish run for the cashier’s machine, withdrawal of a 5 eur note and placing it in the bowl for us to take back. Btw, even the cost was slightly wrong, as there were 2 options of the drink and we did not get asked which one we were ordering.

When we half-jokingly mentioned to a waiting lady that this was such a deja vu for us in terms of attitude, she stared at us with words “but this is the owner”. As if we mistook him for a god who does no wrong. This also gave us a good indication of tolerance for opinions in the place. Some reviews below indicate the same thing: unless you loved it, it is something wrong with you, never with the food or place ;-)

So, this is it from me. I will await an essay now with how ungrateful we were and how wonderful the owner is. Enjoy the monologue :-)

Btw, not-so-dear owner, it seems like the “standard” measure of prosecco is actually 125 ml - exactly as I indicated to you - and not 100. This also makes perfect sense as 750 ml bottle will make 6 glasses. But, anyway, “in...

Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this place to anyone. The food was good — from the very first bite it was clear that the chef here is talented and knows his craft.

However, there is a big “but” when it comes to the atmosphere. First of all, we were refused the table we wanted. The waitress, who was rude and patronizing, told us it was “impossible” simply because we had chosen another table three minutes earlier. We politely asked three times if we could place our order, and each time the answer was: “No, my colleague will come to you.” That colleague finally showed up after 45 minutes. By then, we were already very hungry.

During this time, we also noticed several guests waiting at the entrance, only to give up and leave. The lady (older than rest of the staff) in charge either turned them away or simply didn’t care. Within 45 minutes, you lost at least 5–6 couples or groups of customers. I leave it to the owners to draw their own conclusions — the loss is yours, not mine.

It’s a real pity that such excellent food is spoiled by such unprofessional service. (For fairness: our waiter, who finally came, was kind and professional.)

I highly recommend reading the owner’s responses to other guests—you can see what kind of person he really is. This place is NOT friendly to any community.

The owner seems to think his bar is the only one in the region, but in fact there are many restaurants offering higher quality food, where you’ll be treated as a guest, rather than just another customer, to feed €€€ to the...

We have visited this place on our first Torbole visit last year and after deciding that we want to come back this year, we knew that this is the place that we definitely want to come back as well. First, we wandered without a reservation on peak dinner time ( Smart us, I know), so I made a reservation for the following night (as I should've done before!). We did go back the following night and we did have the most amazing dinner. The Bread - to die for. Really, should be put on a menu as a dish and I would've ordered a loaf of it. For Starters we ordered cold cuts and cheese board to share. I won't lie, I was full and done and a beautiful pasta as a main was stil awaiting... And you know... nobody rushed us, we enjoyed wine, conversations and people watching. Pasta tasted divine. so homey and warm. I wish we had a dessert but there was no space left in a tummy. Everything ticked boxes and we will definitely come back next time we're in Torbole. Food - check Staff- check Atmosphere - check Reasonable...