Old School Cocktails & Food — Restaurant in Riomaggiore

If we had only visited on our first night, this would be an easy 5-star review. We didn’t try the food, but the drinks were solid, the view over Riomaggiore is unbeatable, and the atmosphere was warm and welcoming — thanks entirely to Carmen. She was kind, fun, and made everyone feel like family.

We loved it so much we returned the next night, but unfortunately had the opposite experience. Carmen wasn’t there, and instead an older man with salt-and-pepper hair was behind the bar. We politely asked if an empty table inside was available (it was around 9pm and their posted closing time is 11pm). Without even a greeting, he snapped, “No! We are closed.”

This was confusing since several people were still seated both inside and outside with drinks and food — and there were open tables outside as well. As we walked away, we watched him offer that exact inside table to another couple.

We would have gladly sat outside again if he had simply said the inside was spoken for. Instead, the unnecessarily rude response left us feeling unwelcome.

Bottom line: If Carmen is working, you’re in for a great night. If the older gentleman is there, manage expectations — the vibe is...

We popped in here for a late dinner because it was close to our airbnb, the outdoor lighting looked nice, a few other people were there and some fun music was pumping out the windows.

It took a very long time to get their attention to order once we were sat down. When we ordered our food, a lot of things weren’t available- this was okay with us, we came for a late dinner so couldn’t complain if some things were run out. We had a caprese salad and a ragù each. Ragù was truly terrible. Bland, only just warm in temp, and the pasta had random patches that were crunchy, as if they’d gotten crunchy in a microwave or something. The rest was slop. The sauce had no flavour. I’ve included pics of the strange crunchy pasta.

The mozzarella in our caprese salad was decent, but I was disappointed with the dried basil sprinkled on top instead of fresh leaves.

Overall it was devastating to part with €15 for each plate after receiving this meal. We had had spaghetti at a place down the road - Da Dulin - for the same price only the night before and we were raving about the exceptional quality.

I would avoid old school unless you are desperate...

Wonderful place with a great patio and view. Pizza was actually best we had in Italy in 3 weeks- was super disappointed with most pizza and food in general in Italy. Sauce, bread, and cheese were all the best with very good flavor. Prosciutto and fungi pizza is what we had. Burger was also good but could use some kind of sauce to be perfect. We also tried tiramisu- was not too sweet and coffee beans gave an interesting crunch with caffeine, which I prefer; maybe not for sugar lovers with high-end taste. Service was good and owner was very kind and respectful. Several cool people working there. Margarita was strong with proper mix and proportions of ingredients... and STRONG; however using a shaker would make it perfect. I watched the owner (presumably) added up the check in his head looking at the paper and didnt add up the check correctly; but no worries, would have given a 5+ euro tip anyways;) Overall, fantastic. Wish these folks the best!!!...