Il Cortile - Wine & Dine — Restaurant in Saint John

We visited yesterday Sun 17/11 for lunch, we were a table of 7 and as starters we decided to share something whilst chatting and enjoying a nice glass of wine. I was the first one at the venue and me and my girlfriend ordered and aperitif and a bottle of water, the server had to come 3 times back at the table to confirm all of items over and over again. After all of this she also managed to get the wrong water.

When ordering we also asked the gentlemen in charge of the food order about the fries/roast potatoes since it is clearly stated on the menu that comes at extra cost and he confirmed that he will bring us an assortment and it can be shared. My sister and her husband ordered one of the meat plates that is clearly stated that is served with vegetables and fries. For starters we got the Cheesy Garlic and the Bruschetta whilst my grandmother ordered the fish soup. The Bruschetta and the Cheesy Garlic arrived well before the fish soup in fact we had finished the our starters. My grandmother had just put down the spoon from eating the soup one of the waiters swiftly came to clear the soup bowl from my grandmother and less than 60 seconds after the meats started coming out and being served.

All dishes were served and when the last dish was served to the foreign waiter we told him that we have the fries missing, he said “okay” and left. We are half way through our meal and we called one of the servers attention to ask where are the fries and he said he’s going back to the kitchen to check about them, after the food order guy comes again and he said there was a mix up and the fries are on the way, please note that by this time we are almost done he went to check in the kitchen and he came back to the table and he said that since he didn't even put them on the order he won’t be charging us for the fries. Please note that not even the fries that were mentioned with my sister’s meat dish never found their way to the table.

Atmosphere was also not great, we were sat in a dark corner of a red room in fact we asked maybe they can put up the lights and we ended up with rechargeable table lights so as we can see, there was a chandelier that had 2 bulbs not turning on.

This was our first time as it was recommended by a family friend but unfortunately our experience wasn’t the best as we didn’t get the...

Dinner for 10 with 3 children, safe play area for kids and a comfortable outdoor table in the quiet refreshening surroundings. The choice of food was adequate and well cooked and prepared. Ample choice of wine, though our first choice was 'out of stock'. The desert options where somewhat limited and only an odd portion of most items was available, otherwise well prepared and presented.

The host welcomed the party and positively surprising all staff consisted of Maltese personnel, a real luxury nowadays.

The only tacky matter is the temporary pool the management decided to place between the dining and the play area. Otherwise you will find ample adjacent free parking, another relief by today's Maltese standards.

All in all well priced and a positive night out. Recommended for couples and groups, even...

Unfortunately not the best experience. As much as they claim to be able to cater events, the service was extremely slow with the our first dish arriving 1.5hrs after we sat down; with the second dish arriving an hour or so after that one. The food isn’t the best either, the first dish (I chose the salmon pasta) was a bland mess of flavourless goop with overcooked pasta. The second dish (I chose the beef tagliata) was much better with the meat being quite enjoyable, although the mushroom sauce it came with definitely tasted off. From start to finish, which included platter starters, two mains, and dessert, the meal took somewhere around 3 or 3.5hrs. Maybe the kitchen is unable to handle so many orders? Overall, this place seems to have good reviews. I suggest going for a casual lunch/dinner and not...