Simonetti Gelati - Santa Margherita Ligure — Restaurant in Santa Margherita Ligure

Review: Disappointing Customer Experience Despite Good Gelato

I very rarely write reviews, but after my recent experience at this gelateria, I felt compelled to share.

I’m a frequent traveler and often spend time in Italy. I don’t usually ask for samples because I know my go-to order is half chocolate and half vanilla. This time, however, they had a flavor that really caught my interest, so I politely asked for a small taste before placing my order.

To my surprise, the man behind the counter responded with a blunt “no.” Not a polite, “I’m sorry, we don’t offer samples,” just a flat refusal. I even explained that I fully intended to buy gelato, I simply wanted to try this one flavor first. Again, he said no—this time with a dismissive attitude and a shrug.

I ended up ordering my usual flavors, but the interaction left a bad taste in my mouth. It wasn’t about the lack of samples; it was about the lack of courtesy. A simple, polite explanation would have gone a long way. Instead, the experience felt unnecessarily rude.

Out of curiosity, I later checked other reviews and, unfortunately, I wasn’t surprised to see how many people had written about the same poor service. It’s disappointing that in a town so centered around tourism, this gelateria allows such behavior to continue, damaging its reputation and leaving visitors with a negative impression.

The gelato may be decent, but when the service is consistently rude, it’s hard to recommend this place. I won’t go back. I’m looking for another place...

It’s such a shame, because the ice cream at Simonetti Gelateria is genuinely good. I even returned a second time just for a flavour I particularly enjoyed. Unfortunately, both visits were overshadowed by the incredibly rude service.

On my first visit, I witnessed a staff member start serving a customer only to abandon the task mid-way to empty a bin. When the customer politely pointed this out, she responded in a surprisingly rude manner.

The second time, I ordered and sat at one of the outdoor tables, not realizing that by agreeing to a takeaway cup, I wouldn’t be allowed to sit. The place was nearly empty — only two other people seated — yet the staff member still asked us to leave in an unkind, almost hostile tone. The portion size also felt quite small for the price, which didn’t help the overall impression.

After checking other reviews, I can see I’m not the only one who’s experienced this kind of treatment. It’s really disappointing, especially when the product is good. A bit of basic customer service training — or frankly, hiring people who actually want to be there — would go a long way in improving...

To be honest, if you are searching for a place where you want to end your night in a such a weird AND rude way then you should visit this circus. The staff was in ONE word horrible. If you want to experience rude staff who role their eyes at the costumers then you should definitely visit them😍🤪. Secondly they deff know nothing about hygiene. And third and the best part about all is that you can not sit wherever you want. Which seemed so funny to mee🤣. I couldn’t sit wherever I wanted just cuz I bought a “take away” ice cream. It is NOT writen on the doorway NOT where an average costumer can see it…however the staff told us that it was written on the tables. But we noticed it AFTER we bought the “take away” ice creams and sat on the chairs. Well I told her that I would get a beverage instead if that was a problem. But still she told us to get up… (the area where you could enjoy your ice cream was empty) so why was she like that? NO idea🙃. The ice cream itself wasn’t as bad as the comments say, however I don’t think it was worth the money and...