La Cantina del Macellaio — Restaurant in Riomaggiore

Came here because of all the great reviews but was really really disappointed. First off, you will most likely need to make a reservation. This is a small restaurant that only seats about 20-25 people. The staff seemed very overwhelmed even though there really are not that many guests and the menu is very limited (only 3 or 4 entrees to choose from). People who wanted to wait for an open table were told to leave because they were “fully booked” for the whole night. How is this possible when people are finishing eating and leaving at various times throughout the night?? Second, the servings were way too small for the price. I get that this is a nicer restaurant but I was still hungry when I finished my meal… it honestly felt like I had eaten an appetizer and not an entree. I wanted to order the ribs (listed on the menu) but they didn’t have it and suggested beef or lamb instead (neither of which were on the menu). I ordered the lamb, thinking it was going to be a similar price point as the ribs since the server didn’t mention otherwise, but it was way more expensive, which was not a great surprise when we went to pay. When I asked what wine they recommended to go with the lamb, the server didn’t seem to have any clue despite the fact that their wine menu was 5+ pages. Third, the service was lacking. We finished eating and sat there for 20 mins while no one came to check on us or even ask us if we wanted to order dessert. Meanwhile, the owner of the restaurant (I presume) was at the front chatting with one table the entire time and never checked on any of the other customers in the entire restaurant the whole time we were waiting. We eventually decided to get up and just leave because we got sick of waiting. I’m sad that this was our experience because we were really excited for this meal. I hope that others have a...

I finished a boat tour a bit late and was worried I would not be able to find a nice dinner as a solo traveler. I am SO happy that I decided to stop by and see if they had a table. This place was busy when I arrived, but they were able to accommodate me within a very reasonable amount of time for how busy it was.

I had a nice quiet spot in the back of the restaurant. I was quite hungry and Everything on the menu sounded good. I honestly wish I had ordered more, but I digress… I asked for their recommendations and was treated to an amazing dinner.

I started with a local rose wine which was delicious and got The stuffed onion appetizer per their recommendation. This was so different from everything I had tried on this trip to Italy so far. Absolutely recommend!!

For my main I was thinking I wanted pasta, but was recommended to get the pork ribs… Oh. My. Goodness. I am glad I took their recommendation, I am still salivating thinking about it. It was so well seasoned, lightly crispy on the outside, and tender and juicy inside. The accompanying roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes were also a perfect compliment. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it.

With the pork I had a local red from Riomaggiore, which I loved. It had a Mild effervescence or tingling on the tongue which took me by surprise, but truly delighted me as I continued to drink it.

For dessert I had the panna cotta which was so simple and perfect after the ribs. It both Cleansed my pallet and satisfied the sweet craving that I had after my main course.

I finished everything with a delicious espresso, black with just a hint of sugar.

Absolutely my best meal so far on this trip and made even better by the fact that I just stumbled upon this place.

I will definitely be coming back the next time I’m in...

DO NOT GO. This restaurante was recommended by some friends, so we were really excited to try it. Unfortunately, it did not meet our expectations. We ordered an appetizer and main dishes, and it took more than an hour for the appetizer to be served. The tables around us arrived at the same tim and were eating dessert while we were still waiting. We tried calling the manager to ask about our food, it took 15min before she came to the table despite our attempts - she was clearly avoiding eye contact. When she finally did, she said she did not think it would take much longer while walking away from the table, which we found rude. When she brought the appetizers she did not open her mouth nor apologised for the time we had been waiting. The mains took 30min more to come, and at this point the people I was with were ready to leave. Unfortunately, we stayed. The food was ok - the meat was tasty, the pasta was not great, and the portion of the pasta is really small. We ended up paying almost 100€ for 3 people - super overpriced. It has "tourist trap" written all over the place, but the worst was the service. The manager is rude, she does not smile and is not attentive to customers. She speaks very well in english, however when she realised we were getting upset about the food she started to only speak italian, which we found mean and rude. You can tell how rude she is by reading the responses they leave in reviews. I'm definitely not coming back and will tell friends to stay away from this place. The worst place where we ate during...