Enoteca Il Pirun — Restaurant in Vernazza

Bit of a weird vibe at this place.. can’t say I’d go back.

Stopped in here with my partner as it was a chilly evening so we wanted to sit inside, and the restaurant next door was fully booked. Il Pirun has two floors, and supposedly upstairs was full (it didn’t sound like it) so we were sat alone downstairs. The owner and his friend sat in the corner watching TV the whole time, which I might add was on the wall right above our heads.

Because of this it took a while for us to initially be served, despite being sat literally 2 tables away from the owner and the only customers downstairs. They were just too busy watching TV!

Once we did get served the food was ok. Pesto pasta was nothing special, but my seafood pasta was delicious.

We didn’t stay for dessert, and upon asking for the bill at the bar were told it was cash only. Luckily we had cash, but this needs to be mentioned before hand, like before you even order anything, otherwise what happens if you only have card but have finished...

I don't want to be harsh, but I had both the most expensive and most disappointing meal here out of my two weeks in Italy. I only got the swordfish pasta, so I cannot judge the quality of the second courses. But this was basically a vegetarian pasta with some offending cubes of overcooked white fish in it. The taste was good, but with a lack of both fish and vegetables it was not at all satisfying the way other fist courses have been for me. Then came the fact that my water cost €2.50, while other places have it free. I have had wine for that price. Lastly, they do not include tax in their prices, so you have to pay 10% more than it says on the menu. This amounted to me paying €16.50 instead of the expected €12. As a backpacking student, that is unfortunately too much and not reflected by the quality of the food. The atmosphere in the restaurant was nice though. The music is good and the staff was very friendly (though they could not speak english). The decoration of the place was...

Booked a table for two at 8pm which the owner said would be okay. He didn’t ask for my name and I had to give it to him, but didn’t think much of it.

When we turned up at 8, the owner hardly greeted us and reluctantly walked upstairs, telling us to wait one second. When it became apparent no table was available for us, he just walked away and left us with the waitress, who told us the only option was to share a choice of two 4 seaters-tables with other couples. She never even asked them if it was okay, and I had to make her ask first.

When we went to take our seats, I also asked the customers if it was okay, and the guy reluctantly said go ahead, and it seemed like we were intruding on their peaceful night out.

The waitress was also clearly clueless in manners, as she took our orders speaking across the other couple, and she served our plates across them also. The couple seemed less than impressed.

It is such a shame the service was this bad because the...