La Libera — Restaurant in Milan

Not sure what everyone is raving about in the reviews. The food is average and overpriced, and waiting time is ridiculous. Yes, owner or maitre d'hotel is a character, but everybody goes to a restaurant to eat. I came there on Sunday night, and while there were two couples waiting by the bar to be seated, bartender said to me that the wait time for the table would be about 20 minutes. Considering people were served prosecco and crackers while waiting, I decided 20 min are reasonable to wait. I wasn't offered any drink up until both couples were seated, after which bartender offered me glass of wine - Bianco Vino da Tavola from the tap. Every time new people were popping in to check on the vacant tables, bartender was reminding the old guy that I was still waiting for the table. Meanwhile two couples paid and left and also one company of three paid and left too - I was still waiting. Even people who dropped in after me were seated earlier, though they've been also walking in with no reservation. Eventually I've been seated only 50 minutes later. Have I known the wait time is close to an hour - I wouldn't wait. It was getting late (I got table only at 10pm while had to wake up early next day for work) and I would rather just go to the next restaurant in the area. Reviews mention that price is reasonable for the food quality, but it is not. Fiori di zucca starter costed 10 euro and was the smallest Fiori di zucca I've ever had. My main was floating in oil and meat wasn't impressive at all. The couple seating at the next table was also saying to the waiter that their meat was "così così", so it looks i wasn't the only one dissatisfied. I took tiramisù for dessert, it was tasty but too wet for my liking. Mascarpone cream was literally running from the top, perhaps it didn't have time to set properly but then in this case I would expect waiter to advise that they don't recommend taking it as it wasn't ready. Eventually when I was paying, I was also charged 5 euro for glass of vino da tavola which I was served while waiting. Firstly it is common in Milano to serve courtesy drink for people waiting to get the table, secondly I never had the ability to choose my drink if I'm to pay for it and was just given cheapest option, thirdly I believe even a litr of the noname vino da tavola costs cheaper than 5 euro I was charged for a...

We really had high hopes for this place.

And at first it seemed to deliver - nice decor and atmosphere, compassionate waitstaff, the cute little owner in his yellow suit with short pants and dramatic hosiery… we ordered three courses to share - salad, pasta and meat.

The salad was fine, arugula with oil and lemon. Simple.

The pasta course came way later, after the tables on either side of us (who were sat after us) had already almost finished their main courses. We didn’t complain, these things happen. A seafood dish with prawns and saffron.

But it was…inedible. I’m not even exaggerating. It smelled like rotten seafood, had a grittiness that felt like you were chewing on dirt and tasted like almost nothing. There was absolutely nothing to like about it.

We tried to grin and bear it but it was impossible. The waitress took pity on us and allowed us to swap it out for something else, so we ordered the vongole, which is always a safe bet. I asked her to go ahead and bring the steak dish (it was almost 11pm, we couldn’t get a reservation until 10) and she said “no let’s not rush”.

The vongole came and it was bad. Overcooked, too creamy(?) and just not high quality. I couldn’t eat it but my partner did. I insisted she bring the meat dish.

She brought the angus filet and it was honestly on par with the “meat” they’d serve at the junior high cafeteria. It tasted as if it had been frozen, defrosted in a microwave, cooked in a toaster oven and served to me. It was Terrible (capitalization intended) and I couldn’t eat it, even though I was hungry and it was late.

Just an awful meal. The irony is that we had passed so many wonderful looking restaurants on the way to this place from our hotel we could’ve enjoyed.

I’m sure this place had had its day, but those days...

Food was ok. But the service, my god, I have no words. The waitress started off being nice, speaking English to us as we didn’t speak Italian. We had the table for two hours, which in theory was more than enough time. But when we ordered the starters without ordering the mains, we got the first ugly look. From there, it was downhill.

My brother didn’t like his dish, so he asked the waiter to bring him the menu so he could order something else. The waiter gave him a deadly look and didn’t bring him the menu on purpose. We then asked the waitress for it, and she brought it but enforced that we only had the table for two hours (there was still more than an hour to go at that point) and from that moment on she only spoke Italian to us (knowing we didn’t speak the language).

One of our bags fell on the floor and the waitress picked it up and very rudely said in Italian that we needed to be careful because “everything was falling”?!

To put the cherry on top, after my mum finished paying she still had the invoice in her hands, and the waitress abruptly ripped it off her hands and put it on the table, without saying a word.

I appreciate that Northern Italy isn’t the place where you’ll be best treated in this country, but good lord the hostile crew that works at this place. Do not recommend and will not be...