Il Casello — Restaurant in Monterosso al Mare

The food (baked sea bass) was just as good as you expect it to be. We were also seated fast enough, within 5-10 minutes of waiting.

The disappointing moment was when I ordered an ice tea, which according to the menu was served at 50 cl. In reality, I got a 33 cl can. I did not even notice it at first, but then grabbed the menu to double-check. It did say 50 cl, so I asked the waitress if they had any bigger ones, to which she suggested I just order a second can.

When the bill arrived, they expected me to pay the full price. I asked to either lower the price, or give me another can for free. The waitress, who was taking our orders and talking to us in English all the time, just smiled at me and said that she does not understand English any more and suggested I speak French to her. When I asked for someone who does speak English, she once again in a good English said that she does not understand me and reached out for my cash with her hand.

Luckily, I found an American colleague of hers in the kitchen of the restaurant, who realized the mistake and was helpful enough to only charge half the price for the drink. It is still a mystery to me, why I had to stop her from grabbing my money and to walk into the kitchen to find someone English speaking myself, before I got a fair treatment.

After a friendly “Au revoir” from me to the first waitress, I only got a cold “Thank you” back. So it left a bit of a mixed feeling.

Conclusion: You will eat well here, but watch out for any tricks or unfriendliness...

First time in Europe I feel like I’ve been scammed - and it’s by a restaurant! Not one to be quick to leave a negative review , but this one need a ⚠️ warning ⚠️ label on it before you decide to dine here!! Food was pretty good but a bit on the smaller side of portions , especially for the price. Overall we were enjoying ourselves until the bill came out. We were charged 9€ for TAP water! TAP WATER. I’ve been charged at restaurants for having still water by the bottles which makes sense as it’s bottled water. But never 9 euros for water they get from their own tap! they don’t tell you either!! Would’ve been okay if they had of let us know! I had to check the waiter that it wasn’t a mistake when we saw the bill. Please give your customers a heads up. they also have their surcharges like most restaurants in Italy - theirs was 10€ for 4 people. Overall we were left with a bitter taste in our mouths and one person in our group having to get more food after it anyway because they weren’t full. Ripping off well...

Wonderful!!! Fantastic view, food and service.

I enjoyed Monterosso. It was much more chill and less crowded then Vernazza ( that place was a madhouse!)

I didn't have as much what time is I wanted in each of these towns. So I only got to the two. I was traveling from Florence and it took a little time getting there even though I left quite early in the morning. You have to take about three trains to the Cinque Terre towns. The train station was unbelievable chaos! Holy cow! HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE on these tiny platforms . Unfortunately I hit groups of tourists and there was thousands of people trying to get onto the tiny train.

Also! Beware of the toilet situation. There is one one toilet facility at that train station, you have to pay to Pee Pee. If you stop and eat anywhere make sure you use the restaurant's toilets! Because trying to find public bathrooms in these villages is almost impossible.

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