Alice Restaurant — Restaurant in Tropea

We came here with friends on a very hot humid summer night because we saw how high their reviews were on Google. When we got there we were a bit skeptical of the decor. It has hearts everywhere and red Christmassy decor to play on the "Alice" theme which I think is a bit strange since Alice I assumed meant sardines and not Alice in Wonderland. Also it was so hot and there was no breeze under they're umbrella in the courtyard so right off we were worried about our experience.

As soon as our food came though everything was alright. The seafood antipasti tartare platter was the best thing we are. Shrimp, prawn, tuna tartare, oysters, all fresh and sweet. The pastas were all wonderful and the final dish was the catch of the day grilled simply and served with lemon. Perfectly fresh and perfectly grilled.

The staff was nice but our friend who was with us is a sommelier and it became apparent as soon as our wine came that they we're not too knowledgeable about the wines as we asked for a white wine from Calabria that was not oakey and we got oakey. It might have been a language barrier? Didn't matter. We loved our meal. I would go back just to eat that seafood tartare platter. Next time just by myself...

Usually, I only give 5 stars if, to me, not everything was perfect, but there is also something special that will stay on your mind for good. Even though the food was not perfect, the way they handled it was. We had two different appetizer plates that both were exceptional and beautifully decorated. A main dish, we had swordfish (very delicious) and a seafood plate. Unfortunately, the prawns on the seafood plate hadnt been in fresh water for around 2 days, so they were not clean and that ruined my friend’s appetite, so she hardly ate anything from her main dish. The staff not only immediately offered to bring a new plate; when my friend rejected, they crossed it out from the bill without us having to ask for it. In addition, they didnt charge the two Limoncellos. To me – even if this should be normal – is a sign of high professionality to deal with mistakes. Besides, the service was very friendly, the wine delicious and make sure to have a glimpse inside the restaurant when you stay outside, since the decoration is just...

We stayed in this restaurant beginning of October 2020. We have opt for this restaurant as we noticed all the good reviews on it. People seamed to be very euphoric about the food and the service. But we learned better. The service was nice and attentive. The food was decorated in a special manner and for this you may assume it would be special food. However, the food was not more than average, the pasta e.g. was pre-cooked what you do not expect in a restaurant of a certain quality. Pre-cooked pasta gets offered in cheap restaurants on the high way. This shows that the owner assumes his guests do not understand quality food. I had the raw fish antipasta but the two oysters were not fresh anymore and therefore I stayed very bad for "two days" afterwards. Without this occurrence could give a 3 or 4 stars review but having paid a nice bill to stay sick afterwards justifies a...