Pepe & Sale — Restaurant in Milan

A couple of weeks ago, our family ate here with our kids, and with some colleagues. We had chosen this restaurant because my daughter has some food allergies, and there were reviews saying that staff dealt with allergies well.

When we arrived, we showed the waiter our “Allergy Eats” card, which listed my kiddo’s allergens in both English and Italian. The menu had allergens for each meal clearly listed, which also made us feel comfortable. However, when we discussed my kiddo’s meal choice with the waiter, he explained that the allergens mentioned in the menu were incorrect. So instead, we asked the waiter what WOULD be safe. He said she could have the yellow rice. We were concerned, since the menu said this contained her allergen, and we pointed this out to him. We asked and clarified about this in both English and Italian to the point where he seemed annoyed. We also asked him to give the Allergy Eats card to the kitchen staff but he insisted it was unnecessary. Well, guess what? After one bite, my kiddo had an allergic reaction. We told the waiter, and he abruptly took her plate away.

Now - we’re an allergy family. We totally understand that despite everyone’s best intentions, mistakes can happen. What we’re really upset about is:

The waiter’s interactions with us. He seemed annoyed while we were trying to assure our child’s safety. He also seemed irritated that we told him she had a reaction.

After he took her plate, the waiter never addressed the reaction, never asked about my kiddo’s wellbeing, and never followed up about the incident in any way.

Astoundingly, the restaurant still charged us for my child’s meal! She was literally unable to eat it. They took it back uneaten, and billed us...

I had lunch at this restaurant on February 12, 2025. The food was excellent, and I had no issues with the meal itself. I came for a quick lunch alone, as I needed to return to work shortly after.

When it was time to pay, I requested to use my card. As expected, the payment terminal prompted me to choose between paying in euros or my own currency. Since my bank account is Swiss, I specifically asked to be charged in Swiss francs. However, the owner bluntly responded, “Here, we only do euros.”

As a result, I was forced to pay at an unfavorable exchange rate, incurring unnecessary additional costs. It is well known that the Swiss franc has a stronger purchasing power than the euro, making it financially unwise to pay in euros with a Swiss bank account. Nevertheless, it’s was not about the additional costs, for which I don’t care, it’s the principle and the manners that made the difference.

It is completely unacceptable that a customer is not allowed to choose how to pay and is instead forced into an unfavorable exchange rate. For this reason, I cannot recommend this restaurant, despite the quality of the food. The owner was rude and showed no consideration for his customers.

It is truly unfortunate, as the waitstaff was very polite and professional, but their excellent service does not make up for the owner’s behavior.

Shame...

My daughter and I stopped here after watching a match at the San Siro. We had a good experience up until we paid the bill. The decor is excellent and the restaurant was modern and clean. The waiters were attentive. The food was also tasty, my daughter had the carbonara and I ate the calzone. We had 2 cokes and a beer to accompany the meal. When we paid the bill we were met by an older very rude man who basically looked at our bill and made a figure up - he charged us 60 Euro which was massively overpriced. At the time I did not question it as we needed help to get a taxi as we needed to get to the station to catch a train - he wouldn't help with that either!! Be careful and check the price of what you are ordering so you...