Bar e Vini a Pié de Ma — Restaurant in Riomaggiore

ALL TOURISTS – ESPECIALLY AMERICAN AND ASIAN – AVOID. This place is not only unwelcoming but engages in discriminatory behavior and racial profiling. The owner’s attitude toward certain guests is deeply unpleasant. After I calmly explained my side of the situation in a previous review, she replied with an aggressive and dismissive message — then later deleted it. That alone says a lot.

Honestly, writing this review brought me more joy than spending time in that questionable establishment.

I’ve been coming to this spot every summer for the past eight years whenever I’m in Liguria. It used to be a peaceful, friendly place to relax after a day at the beach in Riomaggiore. But since the reopening of Via dell’Amore, the atmosphere has changed dramatically — and not in a good way.

The staff now behave as if they resent tourists. On my most recent visit, I initially sat at a table in the blazing sun (over 30°C), then moved to a shaded table because no one was waiting, and I hadn’t even placed an order. Within moments, a waitress and what I believe was the owner approached me in an unnecessarily confrontational tone, insisting I couldn’t sit there. They claimed someone was waiting — yet seconds later, they asked a nearby group if they were the ones waiting, and the group said, “No, we weren’t.” It felt completely surreal and overblown — like a scene from a comedy sketch.

This is, unfortunately, typical of the kind of rude Ligurian hospitality that many travellers have experienced: they act as if they’re doing you a massive favor by letting you spend your money there. That attitude was on full display — cold, arrogant, and completely uninviting.

I ended up staying just long enough to finish a Campari, then left and had lunch in Bonassola, where I was treated with basic respect and kindness.

Also worth noting: the owner has a pattern of replying to negative reviews with sarcasm, denial, and attitude. It’s clear she’s not interested in listening, improving, or engaging respectfully with her guests — only in defending bad behavior.

If you’re a tourist hoping for a warm, relaxing experience in Riomaggiore, I strongly recommend going elsewhere. There are plenty of beautiful spots nearby that actually value and...

Neat place we happened upon while walking around Riomaggiore. It's maybe 5-10 min walk from the main street up on the cliff. Cute place with great views that makes u feel like ur on vacation. We got there late afternoon thinking we'd have some drinks/appetizers. They seemed a little stressed out and/or understaffed when we arrived. Service was quite slow. Turns out they were getting ready to close up, but they were completely full and it wasn't late so was kind of surprised. Note - check their hours and b sure u go b4 they shut off food service as many of the food items on other tables looked tasty. We were able to get a bruschetta order placed before they completely closed down, which was generously sized with lots of fresh tomatoes and nice presentation. Also got a few drinks, which btw come with a small bowl of chips (also appreciated this). The smoothie was as expected. The virgin caipiroska was very good - small & wish there were more for $10euro- but good. Would we go back? Definitely! Loved the atmosphere & would enjoy spending more time taking in the scenery while enjoying...

Be warned if you are Asian - because you will not receive good service here. While people were waiting to be seated, everyone was given a chance to browse the menu before sitting down. Everyone except for us who were the only Asians in the restaurant. We were waiting and had nothing to browse. Once we were seated, we had to wait about 20 minutes before we had to flag down the waiter to be asked for our orders. During this time, people who were seated AFTER us were attended to by the waiter almost immediately. Again we were the only Asians in the restaurant. I had to hold up my hand for some time in order to be served and the waiter deliberately jogged past me. It seemed clear to me and my wife that if you are Asian, they will ignore you in preference of their European/Caucasian customers. Food is ok albeit quite oily. The wine was amazing. Price is what you would expect from a place with stunning views - which is the only good...