Ristorante C'Era Una Volta — Restaurant in Positano

My wife and I visited Italy in early September to celebrate a milestone Anniversary and our birthdays. We visited Positano on one of our stops and wanted to celebrate by enjoying authentic Italian cuisine from that area and avoid tourist traps. After lengthy research of restaurants in Positano we chose to make reservations here due to all the positive reviews. We were NOT disappointed! Our reservation requested a seating on the outside patio as we heard it presented gorgeous views of the sea and areas of Positano. It rained heavily during the morning and afternoon causing them to close the patio. However, when we arrived we found they had set up one table on the patio for just me and my wife and had glasses of Prosecco waiting for us. Amazing. We chose several dishes to experience the local cuisine and a bottle of wine common in that region. All were incredible. I am Italian-American and have enjoyed Italian food all my life. This was some of the best food I have ever eaten to include the other locations we have visited in Italy. The prices were very reasonable and well worth the quality and quantity of food received. The staff was great. They were friendly, attentive and accommodating. They provided suggestions that were perfect. After the meal we were so full we could not order desert. After we paid the bill, the Chef presented us with a specially made heart-shaped pizza with Nutella topping, boxed to go, for our Anniversary. Because we drove a rental car and with the lack of parking, one of the employees (I believe it was the owner), drove his car to a location I could park and drove us back to the restaurant and returned us to our car after dinner. We also learned from them that in the fall/winter (Oct-Mar), all other restaurants close down except for this place since it is a local favorite. The pics of our dishes include, Linguini with white clam sauce, Seafood Risotto, and the days special "Scialattelli with stuffed squid (crab/shrimp/ricotta cheese stuffing)". We would HIGHLY recommend this restaurant if you visit Positano. 6 stars if possible.if you...

We climbed up the hill and found a real gem around the corner. C’era una volta Trattoria. We chose to sit on the terrace that afforded a 180 degree view of western Positano. We were greeted by perhaps our best server to date in Italy. Frederico was a portly and charming character with an excellent command of English.

We ordered a ½ L of white wine and he suggested that the local tradition was to add several wedges of peach into the carafe. Frederico further recommended that we should enjoy the best that Amalfi has to offer…that is their seafood. We entertained his ideas and ordered a cold seafood salad that included octopus, a small filet of grilled swordfish, a small filet of poached salmon, several pieces of de-boned and butterflied anchovies, and some crab (even if it was imitation). This dish was drizzled with a chili infused olive oil and seasoned perfectly – delicious. Our next dish was a linguini with fresh squid in tomato sauce. The pasta was al dente, the squid done perfectly, and the tomatoes fresh from the terrace garden. Pauline and I were getting full, but Fredrico insisted that we soak up the remaining sauce with our bread. Rubbing his belly, Frederico happily stated “the bigger the belly, the sexier the man”. Our final dish was a grilled tuna steak. It was dusted with salt and pepper, grilled rare, and drizzled with fruity olive oil. It was one too many dishes. Pauline and I could only eat a little over half. We ordered a limoncello as an aperitif. This time, the limoncello was served in a super-chilled ceramic shot glass with ice cold limoncello. Even after Pauline cooled her head with the glass, it remained chilled for...

Where to begin. Well the reason we are writing this review is a cautionary tale to others who read the great reviews and were lured in. First off, when taken in to the restaurant we were immediately flagged as English speakers before we even said two words, which happened to be Italian! They then took us through the restaurant, which had relatively nice ambience, but we were seated outside in what I guess is the English speaking area. The tent, as it were, smelled like chlorine and there was mold on the walls. But, why not let's try it. Our first night in Positano--surely the food is good. I ordered the Spaghetti alla Vongole (spaghetti with clams). There was no flavor to the food and you could actually taste the old seasoning. The bread tasted fishy and like the plastic bag it came in. The olio had to be canola. Service was nice. Hoping for better food. Just going to...