Osteria Antico Giardinetto — Restaurant in Venice

Wanted to try an osteria while in Venice and found that this place had good reviews. Took my wife there for a nice evening, but ended up leaving disappointed. Maybe it's because we are American, maybe it's because her skin color is darker than theirs, but for whatever reason we were treated differently from the other guests (mostly white British people) We were the first ones to arrive shortly after they opened and the waitress was short with us, and we were told that we could only sit at a couple of tables (but everyone arriving after us was told to sit wherever they liked). She handed us menus and left without saying much. We asked a question about a mixed seafood dish and she told us the type of seafood didn't matter (huh?) I ordered a couple of dishes hoping the night would turn around but I noticed her explaining the dishes to the other guests, making eye contact, and generally being friendly with everyone else. Food was decent, but I've had better mussels, clams, pasta etc. After finishing our food I was ready to leave. After asking for the check (in Italian) we waited forever for her to return for the payment. Tldr: avoid if you're not their "type of people" I guess. If you see the lady in the pic RUN!! Edit: in response to the owner - We came in with a smile that was quickly wiped away. We greeted Larissa with a hello and gave an audible thank you everytime something was brought to our table (even when she brought that hard bread that felt like it would crack my teeth). I don't want to call you a liar, but when you spout lies on your reviews then I guess that's what you show yourself to be. Whether it's nationalism, racism, or just plain rudeness, you are guilty of bad service and as a highly educated, successful business owner (with a 140+ IQ) I find it deplorable that you run your business like that and respond to criticism with insults and try to disparage my intelligence. Yes, I left without any thank yous, but why would I thank someone for treating us as if we are lesser than others. If she is the owner, then she should definitely adjust the way she interacts with people that try to patronize her establishment. I've spent a lot of my life in Europe and always find it odd when someone isn't welcoming of foreigners; even in my own country. I attempted to thank her in Italian, ask for things in Italian etc, and while my Italian isn't as good as my English, German, Spanish or even Greek, it doesn't make me unintelligent, but your response shows you to be lacking something in that area. I wish nothing but success for all small business owners and hopefully you can learn from this (if YOU are smart enough)🤣🤣 Side note: not once did you ask anyone if they had reservations (except us) and nothing in my statement is made false by her being the only employee/owner/waitress etc. Maybe you should look into hiring someone else if she isn't capable of treating everyone with a mutual respect. If I felt like writing a 5 page dissertation on our experience I could outline where none of what you said really addresses the issues I had, but good luck to you. We should've gone with the personal recommendations rather than Google reviews....

Avoid this place at all costs. Unbelievable experience. If you have ever seen Gordon Ramsay's "Kitchen Nightmares", with owners who can't cook and can't take constructive criticism, this is it. 2 of our party ordered gnocchi scampi. Came out cold. Very politely and quietly told the waitress/host/wife of cook. She went ballistic, ranting and raving on how I didn't know what I was talking about. She asked another customer who ordered at another table and she also confirmed was not hot. (note I didn't mention that the whole dish was fishy and not fresh). This is when the real fun began. She stormed away. In a few minutes she returned with my plate and was mashing the gnocchi in her hands, screaming how it was hot. Then in a fit of rage, she spun around and hit another customer in the back with the cold, fishy, oily plate and ruined her jacket as plate contents flew all over her back. Then, to top it off, the chef/husband then came out with a frying pan screaming about his 40 years of experience. My biggest mistake was not getting this on video. Would have been a youtube viral star for sure. Was so worried about the totally irrational behavior that we paid the full bill (140 EURO's) and left as soon as possible. Would never have believed this behavior was possible if had not witnessed it. AVOID...

Ah, to say this was special is an understatement. Tucked away from all the touristy spots, this is the perfect spot for a dinner date. Me and my husband were traveling for our honeymoon and after a week and a half, we began to catch ourselves comparing the restaurants to this one. This one just is the winner every time - especially if you want a true seafood risotto. They’re very gracious with the amount of seafood as well within it!! Do keep in mind, a true risotto takes time to make and the owner - she warned us about it. We ordered the mixed seafood (a venitian classic I believe) and mussels/clams (super flavorful) which were great starters to hold us over for the risotto. Then the risotto came out shortly after and it stood no chance (we used the bread to clean up the left over sauce, flavor was amazing). But what really won over is the chef and his wife. They’re both such great, down to earth, hospitable people who truly want to bring a great venetian experience to you through food. They were so kind to us, and I was very happy to have left this special place being able to give my thanks to the chef/husband for such a great meal. It was our first meal of the honeymoon adventure, so this place holds a special place in our hearts. Their panna cotta was also amazing, so it’s a...