dulcisinfundo — Restaurant in San Gimignano

We visited this restaurant today and it was a very very poor experience. I walked in to ask for a table outside and got a shrug and a cold response from the manager/waitress lady. There were three occupied tables inside and only three tables outside so it wasn't particularly busy. After about 15 minutes of waiting, she seated us very reluctantly when one of the tables outside became available. We reviewed the menu quickly and put in an order for one appetizer, wine and two pastas. The wine arrived after a few minutes and the appetizer arrived after about 30 minutes. It was 3 walnut sized dry meatballs with a tiny smear of cheese on the plate for 10 euros. They also left 4 tiny slices of bread and none of the olive oil we saw the other tables receiving. It wasn't tasty or sufficient for that value but fine, we were starving. As the waitress cleared our tables, she noted that the pastas would be arriving shortly. But the wait continued as another pair of diners were seated next to us, their (same) pasta order taken, and after 10 minutes delivered. At this point we were an hour in and still waiting so I asked the waitress when our pastas would be arriving given that we had arrived and ordered so much earlier. She replied that the kitchen was in a state of confusion and they'd be arriving at some point. We continued waiting. By this time the diners next to us had already finished their pastas. So I walked in and inquired with the initial manager/waitress. She looked at me and said they should be arriving at some point and that they were busy. I asked "but it's been over an hour for two pastas" and she just shrugged again. Offered no "I'm sorry you've been waiting so long, let me check on your order, let me see what I can do" etc. I walked back super upset. My husband noted that at this point the time was approaching 3 pm and soon there wouldn't many restaurants remaining open and we should wait. We waited another 15 minutes and watched two other tables that arrived an hour after us receive their plates of pasta. We were really hungry and upset at the treatment so we put down the cost for 1/4 liter of house wine and the super overpriced meatballs and just walked out. Mind you this is a restaurant that only has 3-4 appetizers, 3-4 primi and 3-4 mains on their menu so it's not like there's anything complicated. Everyone essentially ordered the same thing we did. This was the worst experience I had in Italy in the month that we have been traveling here (as well as all the previous times I traveled and even I lived here in the past). The tiny portion of meatballs we ate weren't particularly good. Also when people talk about the view, they're refering to the view from the street where the restaurant is, not the restaurant itself when you're eating there. The entire view is blocked by the wall (and the constant slew tour groups sitting on the wall eating their sandwiches and drinking wine) when you're sitting at the restaurant. All in all, if they only tried to make it right by checking on our food, offering an apology and making sure our order was the next one coming out at the first or even the second follow up, I'd be fine. But the rude attitude isn't...

The Worst Lunch Experience in Tuscany We planned to visit San Gimignano on Saturday and found a restaurant with a 4.6 rating on Google in advance. However, it turned out to be a huge disappointment. The restaurant wasn’t particularly busy at the time, yet we had to wait quite a while just to be served bread and water. The three of us ordered two appetizers, a plate of pasta, a steak, and a bottle of red wine. To our dismay, the steak was served lukewarm, and to make things worse, we found a strand of hair in the accompanying vegetables. What was even more frustrating was that when we informed the owner, she showed absolutely no sign of apology—she simply said, “I’ll get you another plate”, without offering any explanation or expressing any regret. Her attitude was extremely unprofessional and unpleasant. When it was time to pay, the total bill came to €176.50. Upon seeing that I was paying in cash, the owner initially issued only a non-fiscal receipt (Scontrino Non Fiscale), which allows them to evade taxes. Only after we insisted did she reluctantly provide the official fiscal receipt (Scontrino Fiscale). Overall, this experience was incredibly disappointing. The food quality, service, and business ethics were nowhere near what a 4.6 rating suggests. Absolutely not recommended.

Grazie per la vostra risposta, ma vorrei chiarire alcuni punti.

Innanzitutto, il nostro feedback è reale e ragionevole, non si tratta di “accuse insensate”. Abbiamo trovato un capello nelle verdure, il che rappresenta un problema di igiene alimentare. Il fatto che abbiate insinuato che “solo noi lo abbiamo visto” è deludente. Come ristorante, di fronte a un problema igienico, ci si aspetta un’indagine seria e una soluzione adeguata, non una semplice negazione o messa in dubbio della nostra sincerità.

In secondo luogo, menzionare la nostra nazionalità non ha alcuna relazione con l’esperienza che abbiamo avuto nel vostro locale. Questa osservazione non è solo non professionale, ma lascia anche trasparire un pregiudizio che ci ha fatto sentire molto a disagio. Ogni cliente, indipendentemente dalla sua provenienza, merita rispetto e un trattamento equo.

Inoltre, avete fatto riferimento al fatto che abbiamo scattato foto e sorriso all’interno del locale, suggerendo che fossimo soddisfatti. Tuttavia, fare foto durante un viaggio è del tutto normale e non contraddice in alcun modo il nostro disappunto riguardo alla qualità del cibo e del servizio. Usare questi dettagli per screditare le nostre lamentele appare decisamente forzato.

Speriamo che in futuro possiate prendere sul serio i feedback dei clienti invece di usare toni sarcastici o pregiudizievoli per evitare il problema. Come ristorante in una città turistica, migliorare la qualità del cibo, del servizio e dell’atteggiamento verso i clienti dovrebbe essere una priorità per ottenere una buona...

An Unforgettable Experience – A Must-Visit in Italy! If you ever find yourself in this town, do not skip Dulcisinfundo! Seriously, this place is something special. The moment you step in, the view alone will take your breath away—but just wait until you try the food. Every dish is made with so much love and attention to detail. The flavors are out of this world, and you can truly taste the quality of the ingredients. I still can’t stop thinking about the meal I had there—it was that good! On top of that, the atmosphere is cozy and inviting, and the service makes you feel like family. It’s one of those rare places where everything just comes together perfectly. If you’re in the area, do yourself a favor and go. You won’t...