Ristorante Gli Ulivi — Restaurant in Scala

High expectations after reading google reviews and prices… Because of the festival in ravello, there was planned a lot fireworks, so Gli Ullivi with its nice panoramic view had to be: “the place to be.”

The reservation option did not work properly, so we went there and luckily we found a table. 👍🏼 we didn’t know there was a Dress code, but they were so polite to give us a place to eat and sit. 👍🏼 It took us long to be able and order our appetizer👎🏽 the richer you look, the better service you seem to get. (Me: Flips flops/short/t-shirt ;) 👎🏽 one would think “the maitre” is the person who is polite, friendly, relax and in control. But well, that guy was annoying: unwelcoming, distracted (while taking he orders from his clients ordering his staff) giving no attention to the clients in front of him. 👎🏽 not recommending his own food but suggesting other meals from the menu-card. (Then take it off the menu!!!) 😃👎🏽 when my wife ordered a specific meal which he did not recommend… she indeed did not like it and left the food on the plate. he picked the plate without saying a word. 👎🏽

when i asked the maitre we wanted to pay, he told us it costed around € 2000,- . Maybe because we were both that dressed up like most of the clients or did not wear Rolex watches. Oof, that maitre was a strange guy and did not try to make good and gentle contact. 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽

free prosecco at the start👍🏼 nice live musicians 👍🏼 Bread being served without oil/balsamico. 👎🏽 after asking for it, we were given nice places at the side of the terrace, to be able and see the fireworks well.👍🏼 2 of the ordered 5 plates were just uninspired, unbalanced dishes/recepis and not worth the money at all. 👎🏽 for the rest, we missed a passion in most of the recepis. the both waiters with the name: Antonio were funny, helpful and tried to do their best. 👍🏼

In the end i told the maitre it felt like a chaotic evening. He blamed the fact that because of the fireworks they were too crowdy and busy and had not enough staff. (Apologize at least) 👎🏽 The only thing i could think of: why was Gliu Ulivi accepting so many clients? I would have preferred to be sent away, so i could go to another restaurant. 👎🏽

Conclusion: food not worth the money to us. the maitre was a disaster great panoramic view and...

It's hard to leave a review like this, but I can't in my right mind not leave one after our experience. I was really excited about this restaurant due to the positive reviews, but I left feeling very confused... The handful of negative reviews echo my experience exactly. Was the chef having a bad night? Was the usual kitchen team not there? Is it like this every night? I have no idea.

I'll start with the positives: Beautiful location. Sweeping views of the mountains and coast, and most if not all tables get to enjoy the view. Parking right out front was easy. Lovely staff at the front entrance.

Unfortunately, I have nothing positive to say about the food. In Italy, you do expect 'average' restaurant food to be above average - Italian food is just so good! And it has been at every place we have eaten. But sadly, the food we received was not only below average by Italy's standard, but one of the worst meals I have eaten at a restaurant...

Seafood didn't taste or smell fresh. Pasta was undercooked (not al dente, undercooked). Food lacked seasoning/flavour. Sauce tasted microwaved - piping hot and split.

I could say more, but I'll leave it there. Try this place at your own risk. When leaving, I actually did see a chef using a microwave in the kitchen as we walked past... can't be 100% sure that was for the restaurant guests, but based on the taste of our meals - it was.

The price is high. I realise you pay for the view in that, but you do expect good food with prices like that. It just wasn't worth it, and felt like a waste of a night on the Amalfi Coast.

I really hope some changes are made to assure quality for all patrons, this place has such...

I was so excited for this restaurant. I reserved a table many weeks in advance. They offered a free shuttle from our hotel in Ravello, which I was so appreciative and excited for. However, the driver did not come at the requested time. I called and they said they didn't have the reservation but would send someone. 10 minutes later I called again and they said there was a mix up, and someone was on their way. Because of this, we were late and did not get a table with the view I requested (it was given to the other couple from our same hotel that they got confused were us!) They could have offered us an open table with a better view but it was setup for 4 persons. We didn't want to be rude so we just accepted the table toward the back. Then 10 min later they split the table for 4 into two, and sat them closer to the view. I had to get up and walk outside to take the picture of the view. This is the main reason we booked this restaurant.

The servers were very pleasant, friendly and did great recommending wine. The food was good, but my experience had already been set back by the issues getting to the restaurant and our table. We were offered nothing for the trouble, except for an apology. I understand things happen and there are mix ups, but I feel more could have been done to accommodate the mistake.

Perhaps if we were guests of the hotel, it would have been different. We are considering returning and stay at Palazzo as it is such a cute little hotel with a nice pool and patio...