Calaluna — Restaurant in Milan

A "Special" Treatment for Tourists

We were excited to try this "local secret" seafood restaurant on a Sunday evening, having reserved an outdoor table earlier in the day.

Our optimism vanished upon arrival. The head waiter’s (or maybe the owner himself) body language and rude gestures suggested we should "beat it" when we asked if we were in the right place. After confirming it was the correct restaurant, we were rudely told that service was only indoors, despite the empty outdoor garden.

Inside, the decor was basic and the air conditioning was set to a bone-chilling 15°C (59°F). It was a shame, as we would have loved to enjoy the warm evening outdoors, especially when we saw others seated outside as we left.

The rest of the evening was a masterclass in how to ignore a paying customer. We had to repeatedly flag down staff just to get their attention and place our order even though the place was nearly empty.

We ordered one tuna tartare to share as a starter, but received two instead. Fortunately, it was fresh and the only well-prepared dish of the night.

The main courses were a complete letdown. Served lukewarm on flat, cold plates, everything was heavily salted, despite our explicit request for no salt. The tuna fillet was overcooked and chewy, a real pity for what seemed to be a good piece of fish.

The experience ended on a low note when we received an open tab INSTEAD of the bill. It included a € 7 glass of wine we never ordered or drank. When we pointed this out, the staff member removed the charge without a word of apology, without any explanation, or any comments for that matter.

Overall, we felt looked down upon, unwelcome, and completely undervalued as customers.

We would not recommend this restaurant, especially to fellow tourists. Save yourself the disappointment and go somewhere else.

Photos of our disastrous dinner have been added for...

A great surprise, who’d know a restaurant in a tiny street, next to an Essalunga supermarket without a patio would have such great food! I’ve been walking next to this restaurant for weeks, finally in a desperate hour decided to visit and the first impression was not good due to long menu, however, the food and the service are astounding. No wonder so busy on a Wednesday, luckily I made reservation. Coming back again, my first octopus will be definitely here. I tried the fried mixed seafood, second or equal to those of Greek beach tavernas, only missing the tzatziki sauce and if they had it I would have changed to my bathing shorts 😃. Highly recommended till I...

Awful customer service. The moroccan guy with glasses who worked there (can’t remember his name but he said he was from morocco) ripped us off and added extra charges to our check thinking we won’t notice! He also rushed us with our order and kept saying the kitchen is “closing” even though we came 2 hours before the restaurant closing hour and new people were being seated after us. Big huge scam! I recommend looking at your receipt THOROUGHLY before paying, or better yet just avoiding this place altogether and trying a different seafood restaurant nearby (we discovered plenty of better options) so you avoid getting scammed. Huge...