Cordon Bleu — Restaurant in Reggio Calabria

Cordon Bleu eat in 1976 is what I imagine when I think of Italian cafe bars.

Reading the mixed reviews online, the decor apparently hasn’t altered in 20 years. I actually hope it hasn’t altered in 49 years and doesn’t alter for another 20 years.

The styling is beautiful and the dining atmosphere is relaxed whilst also feeling somewhat elegant. The interior is air conditioned too, we have sat on the terrace on a couple of occasions but the interior is also a great place to people watch from when it’s ridiculously hot during the day.

The layout of the food in the counter fridges is very well done and the selection is good too.

Our Italian is very basic to say the least, but so far all the staff we have encountered have been very patient and most have preferred to speak to us in English.

Price wise, as a cafe bar owner and in comparison to UK prices, I think they are very reasonable here £2 (€2.50) for a cappuccino or £2.80 (€3.50) for arancino in a beautiful business is cheap in my opinion.

The draw backs… just two really.

Firstly, the waiting time to place your order can sometimes be a little longer than most places. This is just because of how hard the waiters are working and it’s usually one person covering all tables. But if you’re enjoying the atmosphere like ourselves and not in a rush, this shouldn’t be an issue. All the service has been smooth from ordering all the to paying.

Secondly, the toilets. Not up to the same standards as the rest of the establishment! Whilst not filthy dirty, they are not “clean” and resemble what I’ve seen in Moroccan cafes.

The gentleman’s toilet certainly needs a freshen up, a toilet seat, a new flusher and the toilet pan itself needs the 1cm think timescale build up removing.

Overall, I highly recommend Cordon Bleu and I wish them continued success...

We went there for some cocktails, but ended up having food as well. When I asked for menu I was offered to have a look and choose from food displayed in the fridge already clean film wrapped ready to be taken away. We picked „fish skewers”, seasoned baked potatoes and salad. To be fair, when I realised that this food will be reheated, a thought came to my mind that I should thank for this. No idea why I didn’t do that. The meal came not even warm, which has a reason behind it. If they would keep it any longer in the microwave, it would probably turn even dryer than it was and as hard as a rock. When I tasted „the fish” I said to my friend it will make me ill never expecting what will come the day after. Again, I possibly lost my mind having some more of this instead of sending it back. The fish was dry outside mixed with something looking like bread crumbs and shaped to look like fish chunks (in my eyes to give it at least „second life”), sparkled with olive and with no taste whatsoever. The potatoes were dry on top. I understand that baked potatoes can be greasy but these were additionally covered with some sort of oil to hide the dryness. To summarise the next day I was so sick that I couldn’t even digest a water. Moreover, I struggled with indigestion for five days not being able to drink not to mention having any food. Apparently getting a food poisoning from fish is the worse to get. It must be the true as I have never been this poor before. The waiter was very nice and...

Sadly, may my experience be a warning to other travellers … service = 0.5 — I find it very annoying when others (locals) are served before me, even though I arrived at least 10 - 15 mins before them (this should have been my first red flag); half shot Campari and limoncello does not make for an appetizing aperitif — especially when they are served in warm glasses (2nd red flag); appetizers to accompany the drinks were the final straw — copious stale bread with minimal filling, cold inedible left over from lunch rice and fried bread in the shape of a ping pong ball or something … the final straw though was management’s response — alternating between defensive and accusatory! I have never been moved to vent my frustrations before … but I do now as this establishment did not indicate it would change their habits and we older travellers will continue to pay through the nose for poor service and even worse food! My experience was not a cultural faux pas or language misunderstanding as other locals nearby showed and voiced...