Bar Foscarini — Restaurant in Venice

This is a very sweet bar on the very edge of the grand canal at Accademia. We were staying nearby and spotted the bar on the way home from a long day of exploring. One or two gondoliers were finishing off their afternoon with a couple of beers at the bar so we thought It must be a decent watering hole. The staff were very friendly – even turning a blind eye to the arancino slushy our daughter had smuggled in and was hiding under the table. We ordered Campari and Aperol Spritzes and they arrived with a very generous helping of salty snacks. The Spritzes were wonderfully cool and refreshing. The prices were reasonable and the view was marred only by the fact that the Accademia bridge is being restored and is currently swathed in scaffolding (August 2018). The following night we attempted to have the same experience at the Beccafico bar (opposite Bar Foscarini on the same side of the grand canal). Beccafico was much more expensive, not very friendly and the view much the same; so if you have a choice, we’d recommend...

We asked the host if a particular table by the canal was available, and before answering he asked if we wanted only beverages or if we wanted food. I guess if we only wanted drinks he might have said the table was taken. Instead we said dessert and he seemed to pause briefly before nodding and taking us to the table. Once seated, we saw other customers had their tables turned so that both seats faced the water instead of each other, so we turned our table the same way. Briefly afterwards, he came by and told us we needed to sit as the table was originally laid out. We asked why several times and he eventually pointed to a post next to our table that he said our chairs would block. But there were paths immediately behind the post on the opposite side that would have remained open that our seating would not have blocked at all. All the other tables by the water had chairs facing the water except ours. We didn’t feel like spending money at the restaurant after that, so we left. Great views, but...

Actually cannot believe what just happened. Walked to the bar outside area where there were plenty of empty tables, waited to be show to the table. After being shown, I say ‘thank you, can we just have 2 aperol spritz’. To which really weirdly, the waiter replied ‘no’ I’ll bring the menu. I then said ‘I’m fine I’ve eaten lunch, just 2 aperol’s please’. He then replied aggressively and said ‘no, I will bring the menu, if you want you can wait and order, if not, you can leave now’.

I’m actually in such surprise somebody with an attitude like this is working in hospitality. All the customers heard this and I did tell him in front of everybody, that he needs to research customer service. Needless to say, without sitting down, I left.

I am a business owner in Dubai who’s in Venice for vacation and I would never ever allow somebody to speak to a paying...