Lo Sfizio — Restaurant in Pisa

A shame we decided to have the last meal of our two weeks holiday here. Looked ok, quite busy and tablecloths set out added a bit of class. Menu looked ok but waitress would obviously rather be somewhere else. We shared a mixed seafood starter and were SO disappointed. We’d had similar before in Sestri Levante and this was awful. Bland, tasteless and consisting of not much more than squid and octopus. We eventually uncovered 2 prawns, a mussel and some chopped up indecipherable small fish. We had to ask for bread and again for olive oil. The bread was stale and almost inedible. Main courses were ok, tagliatelle and wild boar was ok and the beef cuts with porcini was actually very good - except they forgot the accompanying fries and when we reminded them I was half finished and I had actually completely eaten the dish and still the fries hadn’t appeared. When we complained it really didn’t seem to matter, barely an apology and just gave us the bill. They seemed happy we had enjoyed the tagliatelle and the beef and the wine and the rest just didn’t seem to register. If you want a nice meal and good service...

Big terrace, loads of tables, plenty of potential — and yet… the whole experience felt like an elaborate prank on hungry tourists who thought they were about to eat something special in Italy. Let’s start with the “Italian delicacies”, and I use that term with the same generosity they used on the cheese (which came in sachets, like we were on a Ryanair flight and had to beg for condiments). My tagliatelle arrived as one solid, sticky lump of pasta sadness. Honestly, I’ve seen Play-Doh with more personality. The pizza? Overcooked. Not wood-fired, but more like “forgotten-in-the-oven” vibe. And spicy olive oil? Asking for it felt like I requested the secret nuclear codes. The vibe? Tourist trap with scenic delusions. It’s the kind of place that’s banking on its location and foot traffic, not on repeat customers. A shame because looks promising… until you sit down and start to wonder if you accidentally offended someone just by showing up. Bottom line: if you’re starving and want a table now, sure, go for it. But if you’re dreaming of that magical Italian meal to remember? Keep walking... Pisa...

I had a very bad experience at this restaurant.

General critique: there were several large TVs blaring and showing Pop music videos and advertisements. The wait staff seemed unkempt and uneager to work. The table was unstable and the table cloth was dirty. The toilets were very very dirty.

The caprese for two people was served on one plate and only after we had eaten half of it were additional plates brought. The bread was served in a paper bag!? The pizza vegetariana had almost no vegetables on it and was way too salty to eat. The lasagna was a ridiculously small piece which looked terribly unappetizing. It was served without any garnish whatsoever. Not even a leaf of parley. Nothing. Without a warning the waitress stuck her arm between my wife's face and her plate. Almost touching her face and the food. We ended up leaving before eating our food and we did not pay for it.

You will be disappointed if you come here. It might be the most terrible...