Hostaria Sant'Aponal — Restaurant in Venice

Poor food and appalling service.

Be extremely cautious with this place—especially if you’re a foreign tourist. They seem to take advantage of language barriers and the fact that visitors may not be able to assert their consumer rights as confidently as they would in their home countries.

We were a group of five friends. Everything seemed fine when we ordered, but then we were served a lasagna with overcooked, soggy pasta, and what were honestly the worst bruschettas we’ve ever had—soft bread topped with chopped tomatoes, lacking any flavor or texture. But the worst was yet to come.

When it came time to pay, we were suddenly told that individual payments were not allowed. The bill could only be split into two equal parts, and this applied whether paying by card or even in cash—unless we had the exact amount, as they refused to give change.

Let me be clear: no one informed us of this so-called “internal policy” before we ordered.

One staff member—who later introduced himself as the “manager”—raised his voice and told us we had to “figure it out among ourselves” because they would not accept separate payments, even though we were paying with regular euros. He even mocked us, asking “What century do you live in?”, as if we were being unreasonable, when in fact, their rigid system is outdated and customer-hostile.

I speak five world languages and have traveled across all five continents. Never—not even in other cities in Italy—have I encountered such an unprofessional and disrespectful experience.

After the incident, I consulted my Italian lawyer, and he confirmed that while restaurants in Italy may impose limits on how bills are split, this must be clearly communicated beforehand—before the order is placed. If this information is only disclosed at the end, the practice may be considered unfair or lacking transparency, in violation of the Italian Consumer Code.

Furthermore, if there is embarrassment, pressure, or refusal to accept fair and lawful payment, the establishment may incur civil liability and be subject to formal complaint.

In fact, even the restaurant’s website says absolutely nothing about this specific payment policy.

I’m still considering whether to file a formal complaint with the country’s official tourism...

Disappointing Experience – Overrated and Overpriced

We had passed by this restaurant several times and it always seemed full, so we assumed it was a popular and reliable place. Eventually, we made a reservation and arrived right on time.

Unsurprisingly, all tables were taken, and it was extremely hot. We were left standing awkwardly until one of the staff members said he might figure something out. About 10–15 minutes later, he dragged a table from the neighboring restaurant and sat us on what looked like beach chairs. That was our “reserved” table.

We ordered food, and were surprised to find that the cheapest house wine was €25 – unusually expensive for something labeled as “vino della casa.” Both pastas we ordered were average at best – one was €17, the other €24, and neither was worth it.

Service was very slow and poorly organized. Our waiter was not Italian, and although trying his best, he kept bringing things late or incorrectly. He served white wine instead of red, then changed it, but every step felt chaotic. The smallest bottle of water cost €6 – clearly filled from the tap.

By the end of the meal, our waiter literally disappeared – we later found out he had gone home.

The whole experience was confusing and frustrating. I honestly don’t understand how this place has a 4.7 rating – either it’s artificially inflated or based on a different standard. The food was mediocre, service poor, and prices unjustifiably high.

Not...

We got the table immediately and the food was very delicious, but the whole experience there is not so good because of the waiters. Firstly, 4 different waiters had served us. They gave our drinks to the different table and when they brought them to us, because I sad that those were our drinks, they forgot one beer that we also ordered and also I returned two glasses because they were dirty. They apologized, no harm of course, but there were unnecessery comments, like "here you are, my love", which I found totally unecessary and inappropriate for a random guest. Thirdly, they offered us some water which we accepted but we were surprised when we saw it on the bill. We didn't think it will be charged since it was a tap water poured into the bottle. I believe that the whole experience would be better, especially, if only one waiter had served us. I think it looks really unprofessional to have several waiters for one table. They mixed up our drink order, I had to say two times that we want to pay with card because two different waiters came to ask us. Chaotic organization, really bad. The only thing that was okay was food but also nothing special for that price. Everything else should be improved. The price included the tip of 10% which was way too much for this dinner...