Zi'Ntonio Mare — Restaurant in Sorrento

Really wanted to give this place a 5* rating. The food was superb and to our surprise very reasonably priced as the portions are generous. The chef's clearly worked hard all evening as we could see them working hard when we arrived and then enjoying a well deserved break at the end as we were one of the last tables to leave this evening.

2 stars were lost due to service. We were served by 3 waiters. One tall chap and 2 shorter gents. Service from the 2 shorter guys was brilliant, happy and accomodating our requests to move table.

The taller guy however let the team down. Upon arrival we asked if it was possible to sit by the sea on the balcony and were abruptly told "no" whilst he walked away. A few minutes later another table arrived, a lady was seating them and they requested to be moved to the same table we requested - not a problem. When another table cleared we asked the shorter waiter if we could move, happily allowed to move, he helped us take our drinks and was extremely friendly. Thankfully we didn't encounter the tall waiter again until requesting the bill.

My partner and I discussed the gratuity over coffee and had decided to leave a €20 tip as the food was amazing value for money and the other servers were excellent and we wanted to leave enough to ensure the kitchen team recieved a good share. When the tall waiter returned with the bill he pointed at the amount and said "it's not with service". Now I know I'm not Italian but I am able to read a bill! This was the 3rd time we'd found the waiter to be rude. I don't believe he smiled at us once whenever he came over. I handed over my card and we decided to go up to the desk with the waiter to pay. We'd also decided to reduce the tip to €10 after the "not with service" prompt from the tall waiter.

After this I was still planning on leaving a 4* review however as I typed my pin code into the card machine my partner noticed the tall waiter slip one of the €5 notes into his back pocket and only put €5 in the tip jar.

All in all lovely place, most of the team were brilliant but the tall waiter let the side down. Maybe he was just having a bad day. In any case I can only judge on what I see and on this occasion his service made us feel unwelcome. Credit to the other waiters for making the effort.

A big thank you to the guys in the kitchen who made our food and to the...

Quantity over quality is the name of the game here. And I am not kidding!!! The biggest benefit of this place is the fact that they offer a free hotel pick up service and the ocean view, other than that do not waste your money and appetite on this place. Dinner for two, but could’ve fed at least 4.

Wine: a local bottle of Greco di tufò we had was ironically the best part of dinner.

Antipasti: -Sesame crusted tuna with balsamic dressed salad. Honestly this was the best tasting dish we had but was on the salty side. It is definitely something that should be shared because the portion is comparable to a typical second course cut of tuna. -Caprese salad. Pretty hard to mess up sliced tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. -Fried calamari and shrimp (listed as secondi piatti but we were craving something that was comfortable and safe)…. No. Just no. Unless you like chowing down on a couple of rubber bands and Goodyear tires just skip this. The shrimp literally tasted like dirt, but hey, we’ve already ordered our next course and still had half a bottle of wine so why not continue the abuse to our digestive systems.

Entrees: The theme of this course is overcooked AND undercooked. -Fusilli pasta with half lobster. The lobster was ok, a bit overdone, but the pasta was half cooked. I know I know, before anyone calls me out to say it’s “al’dente”, I am here to tell you that it was al’half cooked. All bite and no tenderness. Could’ve used another 5 minutes in boiling water. -Risotto di mare. Firstly, the mussels and clams were the tiniest I’ve ever had on a plate so no shocker were they extremely over cooked and more chewy than some bubblegum. The risotto, if that’s what they want to call it was crunchy and undercooked with barely any sauce.

The service was ok overall and there was a creepy older Italian guy sauntering with a guitar from table to table which was an awkward attempt to set a romantic ambiance, but the wine, and the complimentary car ride to and from the hotel are the only good things about this place. I’m actually sad that my wife and I wasted a meal here. The Olive Garden is a 2 star Michelin restaurant compared to this place. Please tourists and locals do yourself a favor and avoid...

We had an excellent dining experience. Booked through our Hotel Reception, we were picked up by the restaurant, taken down to the beautiful marina (fishing village) & then dropped off back our hotel. All included in the price of the meal, which was very reasonable. We had prawn and baby squid starters, mussel soup (which was an enormous portion), followed by sword fish and tenderloin steak mains, all excellent. Chilled white wine was excellent, a sauvignon collio. We finished with ice cream and chocolate profiteroles, then coffees. So we had a great spread, all for 133 euros (remember pick up & drop off included in this cost!). The staff had reserved us a lovely table for two beside the marina. Staff were kind & very attentive and we were never rushed. Lots of local Italians in the restaurant, which is always a good sign. We were very lucky on our night as there was a Fireworks Display in the marina to end the evening. At the end of our meal our courtesy car was already waiting for us. Superb night. We highly recommend a visit to Zi'Ntonio de Mare at the marina during your...