Mercato Pompeiano Restaurant — Restaurant in Pompei

The most degrading dinner experience:

I recently dined at this restaurant and unfortunately, I had a truly disappointing experience that I feel compelled to share. From the moment we arrived, it was clear that something was amiss.

Upon entering the restaurant, we were met by a male server with a ponytail, whose attitude was nothing short of disgusting.

Despite the presence of clearly vacant tables that could comfortably accommodate our party of five, he inexplicably insisted on denying us a dine-in option. What made this even more baffling was the fact that there were other patrons inside the restaurant enjoying their meals. When we inquired about the reason for this discrepancy, he provided no substantial argument and seemed more interested in maintaining his unwarranted authority.

To add to the discomfort, we were forced to wait outside in the chilly 6-degree Celsius weather, with a biting wind that made the experience all the more unpleasant. This decision to leave us shivering in the cold, despite the presence of available indoor seating, was both baffling and inconsiderate.

Our dissatisfaction only grew when our food finally arrived after an excruciating hour of waiting. We had ordered steak cooked medium-rare, but what we received was far from it. The steaks were extremely rare, almost bordering on raw. It was evident that the kitchen had failed to meet our basic request, and this culinary misstep further marred our dining experience.

What truly stood out, though, was the repulsive attitude displayed by the male server with the ponytail. His lack of professionalism and disregard for our comfort and preferences were utterly disappointing. It's disheartening to witness such a blatant lack of respect and courtesy toward paying customers.

I must, however, commend one member of the restaurant staff—the female server—who, unlike her colleague, provided us with decent service and did not contribute to our dissatisfaction.

In conclusion, my visit to Mercato Pompeiano Restaurant was marred by a male server's obnoxious attitude, inexplicable refusal to seat us indoors, and a kitchen mishap that left our steaks far from the desired medium-rare. I have not encountered such a repulsive attitude towards clients in a long time. This experience has left me with a sour impression of the establishment, and I hope that they take this feedback seriously to improve their service and overall...

When in the neighborhood of Pompei, this is the place to be after your visit to the archeological sites which is only 10 min by car.

From the moment you enter, you know you hit the jackpot! The inviting meat bar makes your mouth water right from the start. The restaurant only has 34 seat so is Super cozy, beautifully decorated with a wide wine range and local produce which can also be purchased.

Umberto took great care of us and made sure our visit became an experience. All comfort food served is made from local produce and very fairly priced from such a touristic area. The wine list is amazing, they have a wine for every taste and wallet

This is what we had

1. Pizza Margarita 8/10
2. Zuchini flowers filled with ricotta 8/10
3. Spicey meatballs in res pepper sauce 9/10
4. Millefueille with aubergine, mozzarella, vesuvio tomatoes and 36 month old parmesan 10/10 5 ) Canele a la Geovenese 6/10 (onions should have been more cooked) 6 Thomahawk 60 days | 1.6 kilo 10/10

All the food was delicious, only the canele a ala Geovenese could be better, pasta slightly too al dente and onions should been cooked into a gelee kind of sauce.

The tomahawk was grilled to ultimate perfection! Been ages ago that I ate steak prepared this well in a restaurant!

Our visit to Mercato Pompei was our last lunch before heading back to the airport but it was definitely the best dining experience of our visit to Naples!

Thanking Umberto and the whole Mercato team for this memorable...

Not quite there yet(service or food). We were given an English version of the menu, which had titles of items but no descriptions. It also listed a number of seafood items that we wanted to order, but sadly, all seafood items were no longer available.

We were served a bag of sliced bread and a bottle of olive oil, but no plates. When asked for plates, the waiter seemed a bit surprised instead of being apologetic or ‘of course ‘.

When we were ready to order, we asked the difference between the veal cutlet and 2 other steaks. We were told that one steak is fattier than the other, also the size for the 2 types steaks we asked were both over 1 kg, and for the veal cutlet it is 300-400gm. There is a beef filet suitable for 1 person too, said the waiter. So we ordered the veal cutlet instead of the fillet. When we requested it to be MEDIUM RARE, the waiter seemed confused but didn’t say anything. It turns out that in Italy a veal cutlet is always breaded and deep fried. This to me is a waste of good meat. So now I know not to order a veal cutlet in Italy.

The other items we ordered were all vegetables and were tasty: eggplant, mushrooms, and a plate of grilled vegetables which was served cold.

The wine selection was very good and at a fair price.

The space is comfortable and not loud even...