Ristorante Apollinare — Restaurant in Spoleto

4.4/5 (5/5 food; 3/5 service; 5/5 atmosphere). Was attracted to this place thanks to the michelin guide. We came for dinner with my wife. Whilst it started off quite awkwardly, it did get better thanks to the food. We came in twice into the restaurant - first we thiught maybe it was closed, nobody was there, no staff or people. So we walked around came back and still no one there but it was already 8pm. We walked all the way in the kitchen, where we met the chef! Who then said someone body would meet us till finally staff came and mentioned that we should have gone through the other way...anway not a great start.

We opted to sit inside where aircon was on as it was super hot, and so did a few other guests later on. We ordered and absolutely the food was great. Good ingredients, including the amuse bouche. Each plate was certainly carefully thought through and presented, including the desert. The wine list was extensive and including a good variety. Although again service was awkward - i asked for the difference between 2 bottles (the years were very different) the waiter mentioned she would call the sommelier, who then came and blurted out just the 2 years. No explanation - just said the 2 years as if those were the only ones available. As we already had an awkward encounter i just picked one. I could hear then inside the kitchen, the waiter yelling at the sommelier saying that I wanted an explanation...anyway the wine was delicious. Waiting time is extremely long. We came in at 8 and left at 11pm (2 appetizers 2 mains and 2 deserts), but prices were very fair

Atmosphere was good! The inside was well decorated, beautiful interiore and included an beautiful patio in case people wanted to stay outside. Despite awkward service we had a...

The 3 stars were a difficult choice, but I have to report an uneven experience, given the highly touted reviews and perceived desireabily to dine here.

I came alone and there were 4 people dining when I arrived at about 20:00. The restaurant has a warm ambiance, and the tables are close together.

It started like this : I ordered water, but they forgot. I waited patiently for bread for over 10 minutes, but had to ask.

They finally brought the bread and water with great flourish and importance. Pictures on the wall of famous people that had dined here looked down on me.

The pasta con tortufo arrived and it was beautifully plated but unfortunately overcooked and very far from al dente.

The pork loin wrapped in fat that arrived next was delicious as hoped for, but really, this is not really a rare commodity in Spoleto, as there are many restaurants of good quality.

Finally, with great flourish, I was offered a gratis glass of red and it was illuminated specifically to me by the waiter that it was a 2006 vintage. I didn't catch exactly what wine it was, but I was grateful to be offered a glass. Unfortunately, this bottle or vintage was past it's prime: the depth was gone and the acidity and flavors strongly indicated it was already going downhill.

Pictures on the wall of famous diners continued to look down on me as a I skipped dessert and paid the bill. $$

Perhaps my experience here was an exception, but I would also suggest that there are many other good restaurants to...

The food was excellent! We had the beefsteak and pork with pear for mains, and they were outstanding! We also had a great raw fish carpaccio, and the much talked about truffle pasta, which was good but nothing to write home about... I would encourage them to change the breads and its accompaniments, which were not up to the standard of everything else...

An additional bonus was that for a couple of euros more we were able to share the mains, which they divided into 2 separate plates, which were beautifully set out, but because none of the waiters spoke a word of English, we thought they had accidentally brought us the wrong order twice, which created quite an embarrassing moment until we realised what they had done...

As regards the atmosphere, it's a small quaint restaurant, a bit too cozy for comfort, especially as they allow people to bring in toddlers and babies for dinner, and I don't mean just at...