Ristorante Pizzeria Dolfin — Restaurant in Venice

Definitely the worst food we’ve had in Italy so far, was very disappointed we spent our whole first afternoon in Venice here. The service was very slow and unfriendly, we were in a group of four and ordered two starters and four main dishes. The starters came out slower than any of the other restaurants we’ve been to in Italy, and when it arrived it was about the quality you would expect from a low grade Italian restaurant in the States.

The bruschetta was fine, but the calamari was overcooked and rubbery. We were criticized by the wait staff for not finishing it (there were 3-4 small burnt pieces left), and not in the joking and friendly way we’ve experienced at other places here. We then waited over an hour for our pasta. At some point (about 20 minutes before our pasta arrived) they brought out bread but then heavily criticized my wife when she started eating it. They seemed affronted by the idea that we might ruin our appetites with the four tiny slices of bread they provided, asking her why she would even want to eat the bread when she knew the pasta was on its way. I guess they didn’t consider that we might have been hungry waiting so long for our food. Waiting for so long seemed unique to our table, but not to the dishes we ordered. We watched several tables around us be seated and served their full meals while we were waiting for the pasta, while many of them ordered the same thing we had.

The pasta was very mid grade when it came, nothing really remarkable about any of it. The carbonara was very bland and mushy, the bacon in it tasted like it came from a precooked package and that was microwaved. The ladies in our party (both of whom are pregnant) didn’t finish their dishes because of the poor flavor and bad texture, which the waiters were very vocal about as they cited the bread incident again.

Overall spent nearly 2.5 hours in there, walked out with most of our group hungry and disappointed. The prices were low, but I would rather pay more for quality food than eat here again. The free shots at the end probably help you forget about the bad food and long wait (which would explain the good reviews), but if your party doesn’t drink alcohol then be prepared to leave...

The food, quality and service of this restaurant is good. I have a huge issue with them in how they handled my bill. I paid the bill through TheFork. I got a confirmation that it process correctly and received a confirmation email receipt before we left the restaurant. BTW I had made the reservations through TheFork, and I had confirmed with them that my reservation was made through TheFork when we arrived. They even showed me on their iPhone my reservation to confirm it was me.

I had happened to mention to our waiter, which hotel we were staying at. When we got to hotel later that evening at 11 o’clock after a concert our keys would not work to our room. We went downstairs to get another set of keys, and the man at the desk refused to give us a key until we resolved our bill with the restaurant. Apparently the restaurant called them and said we had not pay our bill. I do not know why our hotel would get involved like this. They should simply have informed us of the issue and left it at that Obviously I have a huge issue with our hotel as well (Hotel Papadopoli). Even when I showed the man at the desk, the email receipt he refused to give us our keys and insisted on talking to the restaurant. After several minutes on the phone with the restaurant, they admitted that they found the receipt and confirmed that we had indeed paid. Only then would the man at the Hotel Papadopoli give us keys to our room.

As I wrote, I have a huge issue with the hotel as well, but this restaurant should be very, very careful before they accuse a customer of...

My visit to Ristorante Pizzeria Dolfin in Venice was unfortunately one of the worst dining experiences I’ve had. I asked the waiter for a recommendation—a bestseller, something popular that most guests enjoy. To my surprise, he suggested two most expensive dishes on the menu but then said I should go for the UFO pizza with egg and sausage inside. The dish arrived burnt on top, completely unappetizing, and clearly not the “bestseller” he claimed. It felt like a poor attempt to upsell rather than genuinely recommend a customer favorite.

The experience went downhill from there. The bottle of wine we ordered was presented to us, but not poured into our glasses after that. This lack of basic service was baffling. The waiter, instead of addressing our concerns, was defensive and dismissive, with a poor attitude and little understanding of what the problem was. His lack of attentiveness only made the meal more uncomfortable.

The vibe of the entire restaurant felt off—unwelcoming and unprofessional. At the end of the meal, the supervisor offered us a complimentary limoncello as an apology for the inconvenience. However, this felt disingenuous, as it’s something they give to every table by default.

Overall, Ristorante Pizzeria Dolfin failed to deliver on food, service, and atmosphere. It’s disappointing to encounter such poor hospitality in a city known for its rich culinary culture. I would not recommend this place to anyone looking for an authentic and enjoyable dining...