El Merendero — Restaurant in Territorio Val d'Adige

We were guests at the restaurant on December 25, 2023. The day started well; we were promptly seated at our table and spirits were high. Since it was Christmas lunch, the menu featured fixed dishes of either meat or fish. We ordered three bottles of champagne. The starters, both fish and meat, were delightful, with nothing to complain about.

However, problems arose when the main dishes were served. The meat dish, a roulade, arrived with an unexpected addition – one of our family members found an insect in it, as shown in the pictures. We informed the waitress, and she apologized and promptly took away not only the affected dish but all the other meat dishes as well. Understandably, we chose not to continue eating after discovering the bug; accidents happen, and we accepted that.

Surprisingly, the waitress did not offer an alternative to the roulade, leaving us with no main dish since four of us had ordered meat. The fish dish followed, and once again, we were dismayed to find it inedible – excessively salty with a foul odor. We informed the waitress once more, but unfortunately, no resolution was offered. None of us had a main dish to enjoy. Despite paying 55-65 euros per person for the menu, we couldn't consume any of the main courses on Christmas day – certainly not the experience we had anticipated.

We finish the lunch with some lame dessert and we go to pay. To our dismay, the situation took a turn for the worse. Never before had we encountered such a disappointing experience. The staff became rude and aggressive when we explained that we couldn't eat any of the eight main courses for obvious hygiene and health reasons. Despite our concerns, staff members insisted on charging us the full 580 euros and argued that "the bug was clean." Is this normal anywhere else?

This was not our first visit to the restaurant, but we had never encountered such poor and unpleasant service. Regrettably, we have decided not to return after this...

We found this restaurant on the way back from our trip to Italy two years ago and returned this time. We had a wonderful evening thanks to Alessandro and his attentive and truly excellent service. Thank you so much for the lovely evening and make us very happy! And the excellent food also deserves a special mention, which it is top-notch in both taste and appearance! We were all thrilled, especially me, because I've had by far the best salami picante pizza I've ever had! Highly...

Prezzi carissimi e porzioni minuscole. Ho detto tutto. Non ci andrò mai più. Aggiungo al commento che i titolari del locale non accettano le critiche da parte dei clienti, chiedono a fine serata se sia stato tutto di vostro gradimento per poi voler ricevere necessariamente commenti positivi, mentre è saputo e risaputo, da chi opera con professionalità, che il cliente ha sempre ragione. Vede, il problema non è 77 euro, perché 77 euro e aver mangiato sufficientemente il cliente rimane soddisfatto, ma 77 euro e il cliente riceve porzioni direi minuscole chiunque si lamenterebbe, poi se ci viene chiesto come ci siamo trovati direi a maggior ragione, non crede..? Per quanto riguarda il personale estremamente gentile e formata se per voi è professionale chiedere più e più volte al cliente in modo presuntuoso "allora siete sazi?" dopo che è stata lei stessa a consigliarci di annullare la seconda portata, dato che il branzino non allevato dal peso di 800 grammi sarebbe stato più che sufficiente per due persone, detto dalla stessa " se non volete pure mangiarlo a colazione". Se per lei è normale fare certe battute mi faccio da parte allora. Aggiungo che non siamo gli unici a lamentarci delle porzioni a quanto si legge dalle recensioni e che dalle critiche bisogna solo che prendere spunto per migliorare. Consapevoli che non tutti la pensiamo alla stessa maniera la salutiamo cordialmente...