Trattoria 'a Lanterna cucina Ligure — Restaurant in Saint Paul's Bay

Have to say the most dreadful service this evening that we have ever experienced in our lives! Despite high recommendations for which we chose this restaurant, the experience was absolutelt appalling. This evening, we spontaneously enquired about table availability and were asked to put our names down and return 30 mins later. Which we did. When we returned, the table as not ready and we were asked to sit outside on a particulatly chilly April evening until our table was ready, despite the fact that there were multiple tables free inside which could readily accompany our waiting. Exasperated I asked whether we could sit at one of these tables, which after a prolonged and unnecessary debate was eventually granted. My husband suffers from low blood sugar and the stress of the situation caused him to experience an extreme episode and we were forced to leave as a result. Have to say I am absolutely disgusted with the service here! I work in hospitality at the only World Class "Hospitality Assured" rated venue, so fully appreciate the situation. Can't imagine why this venue has achieved such high ratings! Whether or not the food is phenomenal...sadly we never got to experience if this is indeed the case! Simply...

In response to the restaurant’s reply to our 1-star review:

unfortunately, your version of events is simply not accurate and contains clear distortions of the truth.

We waited outside until a staff member approached us and asked whether we preferred to sit inside or outside. At no point did we behave arrogantly or ignore any signs or instructions. After being seated, we waited for nearly 30 minutes without being served.

It became quite clear that the reason we were ignored was because we only wanted to order a tiramisu. The waitress even hinted at this by saying, “at least order something to drink,” to which we responded — very politely — that we would just like to have one tiramisu.

Calling your guests “ignorant” and “arrogant” in a public response is not only unprofessional, it’s disrespectful. This attitude — where every negative review is met with denial, blame, and personal attacks — speaks volumes about how this business is run.

Instead of trying to discredit guests online, perhaps consider treating all visitors with the same level of respect — regardless of the size of...

I don’t really understand the positivity of the reviews of this place. We came 30mins before we wanted to eat and asked if we could return with a table outside. We were told we would have a table but no request was recorded. When we arrived 30 minutes later a table was being laid outside but we were told it was not ours and we were offered a table inside. Atmosphere was muted. The menu is limited, especially fish, where two of the three dishes available were cod. Similarly, no real shellfish. Ligurian specialities, focaccia with pesto we’re provided free on arrival, which is fortunate as the starters are relatively expensive for this resort, in particular the antipasti platters, when the Italians are known for giving generous gratis aperativo with drinks. Our main courses, lamb and squid with beans were quite tasty but not exceptional, of modest size and all vegetable side dishes were extra cost if required. It’s not a disaster here but I really fail to see what all the fuss is about. Judging from the other not totally positive reviews I expect the usual graceless response...