L'Arco Dei Sapori - Ristorante Di Calamo pietro — Restaurant in Ostuni

This restaurant has a beautiful ambience, however that is the only good thing about it.

The young waiter was abrupt and unfriendly. The service was very poor and my waiters demeanour was off-putting from the start.

I ordered sparkling water and a pasta dish with clams and mussels. I was served a different dish initially. I explained to the waiter that the dish wasn’t what I ordered and he said he knew and took the plate away. No apology, obviously a lack of customer service training. The dish lacked flavour and body. The mussels were full of sand and after three bites, I felt nauseous and couldn’t eat anymore. The waiter asked me if the food was good, not sure why as he saw that the plate was full and on the other side of the table. I explained what the issue was with the sand, and he apologized and asked if he could bring me something else. I explained that I felt nauseous from the meal and I didn’t want anything further. I sat for another hour, drinking my sparkling water to help settle my stomach. I had my wallet out on the table for about a half hour, and the waiter didn’t speak to me.

I never received a bill. In any country I’ve lived or travelled in, if the food is poorly and is sent back, one is not expected to pay. Because my waiter never again spoke to me in the hour that I sat there most of the time with my wallet on the table, I wrongly assumed I was not receiving a bill. I did speak out at one point and said may I have my bill for my water. He kept walking right past me. Shortly after that, I put my wallet away, stood up and walked away from the restaurant. In less than a minute I realized I was going the wrong way and I walked back towards the restaurant. The waiter was there and asked me to come back into the restaurant to speak with the owner…who didn’t speak English. I followed the waiter and once inside the restaurant I was told I had to pay. I ansked him why I would be made to pay for something I didn’t eat due to their chef’s lack of training.

The waiter told me I could pay or he would call the police. I politely asked him to call the police. He refused. After some back and forth, the waiter attempted to take my card out of my hand, and I pulled it back. I was then threatened by the waiter and made to pay. I asked him to call the police so I could explain the event and he would not. By this time the owner and one of the chefs were yelling and the waiter was getting more and more aggressive towards me. We were the only people in the restaurant and I began to feel nervous and unsafe with the amount of staff yelling, around me. I ended up paying, as I did not feel I had any other option.

I will be laying a formal complaint at the police station because this is robbery. The couple ahead of me also sent their food back. I overheard the waiter being very rude to them as well, and they paid. I didn’t know what had transpired, but now I understand their game.

I am certain that the owner will respond to this review in an aggressive way as he does to all poor reviews. Please keep...

Everything comes together: The food is great, the outdoor seating is beautiful and Francesco/Francis is the perfect, multilingual host who will make you feel at home instantly.

What's more, I paid €34 for a three course meal - including drinks (plural!) - that I would have been happy to pay around €50 for, so good was the experience.

I sincerely do not understand the many 'one star' reviews that are given here.... Yes, the house wine wasn't special, but had I wanted a great wine, I could have chosen something else from their extensive menu.

Edit: the majority of accounts who gave one star reviews have only given less than five reviews in total... Maybe take that into account when...

Very friendly waiter, which is why we decided to eat here. Nice place to be. But, alas, the food was terrible. We had beef entrecôte, which tasted like old horse; the verdure grigliata tasted like it was from yesterday and it looked the same. It was very little and really not up to any Italian standard. We had also some sort of ravioli; it was just not good. It was not al dente, it was just not good, can't really describe it. Finally we had some stew and scallopini with lemon; this seemed more or less ok, certainly not great. The waiter asked if all was ok, and I thus replied it was not. He was very uncomprehending. Just don't go here if you like...