Al Vecio Forner — Restaurant in Venice

Al Vecio Forner,672 Dorsoduro, Venezia, VE 30123, Italy During early November 2018 we were in Venice for a short break and had reason to visit the area around the Accademia Vaporetta station. During this visit we decided to return during the evening to enjoy a meal at what we hoped would be a more traditional Italian Restaurant. When we returned (on 5th November 2018) we decided upon Al Vecio Forner. Unfortunately this proved to be a very big mistake. Firstly when we were presented with the bill we spotted that we had been charged a 4 Euro cover charge. Secondly on offering our card for payment we were told there was a minimum spend of 50 Euro for card transactions. Neither of these things in themselves were significant, but nowhere that we were able to find was either of these two aspects made aware to customers beforehand and certainly nothing had been pointed out to us. However we did manage to find the cash to cover the bill. Thirdly a little more concerning was the attitude of the waiter. He was a very abrupt and rude individual, somebody who certainly had not gone ‘to charm school’, and somebody who has apparently forgotten that ‘it’s customers that make pay days possible’. His attitude is destroying the reputation that Venice is so carefully trying to build. Far more serious than any of these three problems was however the quality of the meal that my wife ordered - a Seafood Lasagne. Whilst she was eating it she suddenly became aware that in the very middle the food was completely cold. Needless to say it was returned immediately and was shortly brought back having obviously been micro-waved. We all know that improperly reheated seafood can cause serious health problems but in my wives’ case because of her Cancer drugs and reduced immunity this could have become a very, very serious problem indeed. Here in the UK we have Hygiene Regulations that require Restaurants to meet minimum hygiene standards and for the staff to be aware of the ramifications of un-properly prepared/reheated food. I would have thought and hoped that all member states of the EU would have similar rules. The first three aspects mentioned above can be begrudgingly overlooked, but the ramifications of the last aspect could have been catastrophic to me and my family. I am not therefore prepared to just leave this matter. As well as posting this on Trip Advisor and Facebook I am also forwarding copies to the Restaurant, the Venice Public Health Department and to a local Venice Newspaper. I sincerely trust that some action will be taken by somebody before a life threatening situation does become involved caused by the uncaring, rude amateurs at this...

Avoid the place!!!! I was just walking by and looked through the window, i thought it looked nice. I crossed one of the waiters who mumbled something which didn't sound Italian at all (my Italian was not good enough to understand if he was insulting me). So i took the chair and what looked to be the owner apparently (!) took the chair from my hands saying repeatedly and instantly "no, no, no" (i didn't even deserve a sentence in bad English at that stage), then, I tried to understand if at least i could have a drink and ciccheti (obviously displayed at the counter of the bar #onlyfordecoration) and the reply was "no, no, no". So I looked at the 3 tables around to see if other clients were having drinks as I thought his behaviour and replies were extremely impolite (if the kitchen was closed, which was impossible at 2.30pm on a Tuesday in Italy #comeon, he could have simply said the kitchen was closed)... so he said "not possible to eat" which I still thought was weird. He started to put the chairs in order, went to a table with clients to inquire if they were ok in an improved English (compared to what i got i.e. "no, no, no" and "not possible to eat"). I walked away few meters looked again at the place, he came to me, again, whereas i was out of his terrace, repeating "not possible to eat", and tried to push me away on which I said i was on the public space on the plaza (which is still allowed in Venice, correct me if I'm wrong dear Venitians). Conclusion, i couldn't figure out if it was because of the colour of my skin, if it was because he thought I couldn't pay the bill, or if it was because he wouldn't make enough profit out of me, in any case that was an awful experience in Venice but the sadest part of it is that Venitians will certainly say "oh don't pay attention", Italians will certainly curse him in Italian and say that's the way it is, tourists will sit there thinking it's normal to treat customers that way and continue to be ripped off (read all negative feedbacks and please note that most positive feedbacks are made by local guides, weird no ;) and he will continue his business while having the most rude and embarrassing behaviour, putting shame on restaurants in Venice. I was not the first one and won't be the last one to have...

You know, when it comes to rating service, food, and atmosphere, I’d really like to appear objective. For many people, objectivity means a balanced consideration of pros and cons. In this case, there simply were no cons. I understand it depends on the guest, the occasion, and many other factors. But here’s my case: evening, pleasant weather, my very first time in Venice. I knew that if you really want to try authentic local cuisine, you go to a restaurant for locals. We didn’t search for it online, just stumbled upon it, but judging by the look, I could already tell it wasn’t aimed at tourists, but rather about preserving its own, local atmosphere. We were warmly invited inside right from the doorstep. The place is small, yet cozy. The phrase “for locals” comes to mind. It doesn’t try to impress with flashy style; instead, it represents something I’d call “the soul of the city.” I simply cannot give such an atmosphere less than five stars, and at the same time I regret I cannot give more. Moving on. Despite the late hour and the kitchen already preparing to close, we were given time to choose our dishes, and everything was cooked in — I’m not exaggerating — about 8–10 minutes. We ordered three dishes. I can’t remember the last time it was this fast. Needless to say, service deserves a solid five stars. Logically, the next point is the food. Alongside my own shrimp pasta, I tried the other two dishes and can assure you that here, the word “food” is taken seriously, carrying with it the full meaning and weight that “food” not only can, but should have. Another five stars from me.

In the end, I was deeply impressed. But as I wrote before — this was my case. Go there yourself, and find out what your case will be. I can only say with high probability that it will be quite...