Varnelli Pizzeria Bistrot Ristorante — Restaurant in Pompei

Based on the reviews here we were clearly here on an off night. :-(

This was a very unwelcoming experience.

All the waiters and waitresses look like Darth Vader’s Imperial army and they all acted like it too. Until we paid the bill, I did not see one smile from the entire staff!

How did we find this restaurant…We met some super nice Italians on the street who noticed we were looking lost and suggested a few restaurants for us. We were so appreciative of their sense of community that they shared with us that we decided to follow them to the “local” pizza place. We had heard so much about pizza in the area that it only made sense to follow them. You know, go where the locals go.

Not only were they the nicest people we met, once we got inside the restaurant they insisted that we go in front of them. I believe they told the staff in Italian that we were tourists and to please seat us first. We tried desperately to decline but they insisted we be seated before them. We were so happy and excited to try Italian pizza and this was such a lovely gesture we finally accepted.

The nice couple and their Mom seemed to stand at the front of the restaurant for an eternity making us feel even more guilty for taking their spot. We couldn’t relax until we knew they were seated. In all that time, no one on the staff acknowledged us.

That’s where it got even stranger…they got seated at least, 5 to 10 minutes after us. Again, up until this time, no one had come to our table. The next time I looked up our very gracious Italian friends table they were being served drinks (and food!) 15 minutes after we had been seated at our table…still no one acknowledged us.

We watched new tables being served around us with food and drinks. We were clearly invisible.

I finally flagged a waiter down for service and he informed us his colleague would be with us right away.

Another five minutes go by and we are now literally standing up to leave, when a one of the imperial guards came up and asked us if we were ready to order. No hello, just what do we want. This is the first time anyone acknowledged us in 20 minutes!

We decided to sit backdown and order. I said “Grazia” like I had heard it said over and over our the last several day of being in Italy (and from the quick Italian you tube videos I watched) when out of nowhere pops up a second waiter ceremoniously telling us that we were pronouncing it incorrectly. He pronounced it in a way that we had not heard anyone else in Italy pronounce or since we left days later…he told us, we should say, Grazi..A not ah! And then left.

Did we feel unwelcome, hell yeah!

Our drinks came from another waiter and our pizza thankfully came to the table very quickly.

The positive part of the review… large portions for the price and the pizza, especially the margherita pizza was delicious. The tomato sauce and the mozzarella were rich and flavorful.

After being served the pizza no one ever came back to ask if we were done or if we would like another drink. Once again, I flagged someone down for a to-go box and the check. He told us to pay up front.

On the way out we said goodbye to our lovely Italian friends (who we invited to stay in our home in California if they ever came for a visit) and headed to the cash register.

And now, my first smile from the staff…the man at the cash register who patiently taught me how to say the number 14 in Italian. This was the highlight of this restaurant...

My fiancé and I are staying at Hotel del Sole, and when we arrived, we were starving, the staff at the restaurant were so very kind and made us the best pizza we had had since we had been in Italy. Then when we came back from the ruins of Pompeii, we were treated to wonderful bar snacks and cookies with the drinks we ordered. When it came to dinner, we were exhausted and saw that the restaurant had good reviews. Well both he and I were blown away by the wonderful atmosphere, the kind and friendly waiters and manager, and the absolutely amazing food. The manager Michele was checking in on our table and others, and our waiter Ciro was kind and attentive. The beginning appetizers of pizza pieces were great, the balsamic for the bead was to die for, and the fritas were incredible. Both of our Moscow mules were great too. The main courses were delicious! My fiancé had the Tomohawk steak that was perfection and my gnocchi was incredible. Our dessert of the Ferraro Rocher cake was heaven on a plate! We will be making the trip back as soon as we...

After reading the reviews for this restaurant we were looking forward to trying it for our evening meal. Firstly my partners starter arrived (which was fine) and mine turned up after he had finished his with no apologies for the wait. Next, again, my partners main course arrived, which he enjoyed (he was doing well!) I waited once more for mine which was a shorter wait than the first course (RESULT!) I ordered roast potatoes as a side but got ‘grilled vegetables’ I decided to just let this go however when I tasted them they were cold, which I thought was unusual for ‘grilled vegetables’. The calamari I had (what I ate of it ) was the worst I have ever consumed. Very disappointing and the sort I’d expect to come out of a bag of its frozen counterparts from your local supermarket. We ended up complaining and got €10’s off the bill... I used this to buy an ice cream on the way home to fend off the hunger pangs. Maybe this was a ‘bad night’ and hopefully your experience will be better, if not there’s a nice little ice cream parlour...