Trattoria Da Carlo — Restaurant in Orvieto

A recommendation from a new acquaintance, i came here for dinner. Da Carlo is one of the worst restaurants i have been to recently that didn't have a drive-through window. Nothing authentic about this place other than authentically a miss.

Polpette (meatballs) were unmistakably bland. Marinara (tomato sauce) bitter, flavorless and unbalanced. Crostini was made on stale bread, crunchy AND chewy. UGH. Even the arugula salad was oversalted, over-oiled and had insufficient vinegar. No vinegar or pepper was offered despite it being 5 feet away on the counter. no parmesan offered. no inquiries about how I found the dishes. So yes, in addition to the cooking the service was poor. I watched as a couple was turned away not 1 minute before a 4-top got up and left. Wouldn't seat anyone outside despite it being an oven inside. Red wine was therefore served warm, too. Waiter came back in and stank of cigarettes and stunk up the entire room as I waited to pay. I got back to hotel and then of course... I had diarrhea. Why wouldn't that happen after...

We are very disappointed, we live in Germany and travel to Italy every year. We always look forward to our trip to Orvieto and to having dinner at Da Carlo. We have enjoyed it very much, the food was always delicious and the owner, Carlo and his team were always very friendly. Tonight my girlfriend and me wanted to celebrate our anniversary at Da Carlos. Unfortunately we received our main dish before our starter, the Salat I ordered was completely different than in the menu (+ it had no dressing with it), my girlfriend was missing half of her dish and in general the service was very bad and unfriendly. We then reached out to Carlo and explained why we were so disappointed. He immediately started to raise his voice at us and told us to leave his restaurant. I have never been so disappointed in a restaurant and am very sad about the outcome. In the past years this was a very good address and highly recommended, but I guess things have changed....

Disappointing Service and a Meal That Didn’t Sit Well The biggest issue at Trattoria da Carlo was the approach to guests. The welcome wasn’t warm — it felt rather arrogant.

We asked to sit in the coolest, most shaded area, but were refused because the table was set for three and we were only two. Only when we were ready to leave did they finally let us take it. Tables for two are also quite cramped — there’s no space for a handbag, hat, or personal belongings.

We also saw a family of four arrive, and the mother, who was casually chewing on a half-finished apple, was immediately and strictly told that even finishing it while waiting for their meal was not allowed. The tone felt unnecessarily harsh.

To top it off, the food didn’t sit well with me — my stomach reacted with higher acidity, which is very unusual.

When service is without love, there’s a very big possibility your stomach will respond...