Update “The restaurant owner personally called to apologize for what happened. My husband spoke with the owner, and we truly appreciated the sincerity and effort to reach out. It shows that they genuinely care about their customers and are willing to improve.
I still believe the service that evening was unacceptable, but I respect the owner’s attitude and hope the team can learn from this experience so future guests can fully enjoy both the wonderful food and a matching level of service.
We might consider coming back one day, hopefully to find that everything has improved since our first visit”
The food was honestly delicious — probably one of the best Italian restaurants in Alkmaar — but unfortunately, the service completely ruined the experience.
To be fair, I do understand the restaurant was very busy, and that’s not surprising because the food really is delicious.
Even though no one asked if we wanted to hang our jackets or at least pointed out where we could do so, we just ended up placing them on the back of our chairs.
Some mistakes can easily be overlooked when the place is full and hectic. We honestly tried to ignore them, but the same kind of service issues just kept happening again and again, and at some point, it became impossible to overlook.
We had dinner here with four people (my husband, his sister, and her husband) yesterday at 18:30. Everything started fine, but the service throughout the evening was disappointing from start to finish.
I was the only one at the table who doesn’t speak Dutch, so my husband politely asked if the waitress could explain a few things in English — she did. However, she ignored me every time she came to the table: no eye contact, no smile, no effort to include me in the conversation. It made me feel invisible.
When we asked for a drink list, she said there wasn’t one. Only when we specifically asked for a wine list did she bring one. We wanted something sparkling, so we ordered a bottle of Franciacorta, which was served properly with champagne glasses. However, the wine glasses from the pre-set table were never cleared. Even after finishing our Bruschetta, we had to ask them to clear the glasses before the starters were served.
When we shared dishes and asked for clean small plates, the waitress placed the new plates from behind me, stacking them right in front of me and spreading them from there. This was uncomfortable and simply unprofessional.
The most unpleasant part came later: while clearing the main course, another waitress accidentally dropped a piece of cutlery that hit my back and spilled food into my hair. She didn’t apologize or even check if I was okay — she just walked away. I had to call her back to say, “Excuse me, it fell on me.” Only then she said “Sorry, sorry, I’m really sorry,” but without sincerity. I asked for something to clean my hair, and she brought a pink tablecloth, which was totally inappropriate. I then had to ask for wet wipes myself — the ones they usually provide with seafood dishes.
When our first bottle of bubble was nearly finished, the waitress poured drinks for only three of us, leaving one person (my husband) without any. Then she took the bottle away without asking if we wanted another. My husband sat without a drink for a while until another waitress eventually came to ask if we would like something else. This shows a complete lack of attention to detail.
Also, when serving drinks, they served my sister-in-law first and me last, even though there were two women and two men at the table. Basic service etiquette suggests serving ladies first. This made me feel even more invisible.
It’s a real pity, because the food was wonderful — but I would never return after being treated this way. If management doubts what happened, they can easily check the CCTV footage from that evening.
In the end, I truly hope the owner can improve the service and train the staff properly. It’s not fair to the chef who clearly works hard to cook such beautiful food — only for the poor service to ruin the...
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