Pastanini — Restaurant in The Hague

I visited Pastanini recently to order food for takeaway. While waiting, I sat at a seat near the bar (not directly at the bar). A bartender, Mauro Salvatore De Luca, asked me if I was there for takeout, to which I answered yes. Immediately after, he raised his voice across the bar, made a few pointed remarks, and then started speaking about me in Italian, which I could not understand. His tone and body language were clearly frustrated, which made me feel quite uncomfortable.

After his little outburst, a waitress approached me calmly and professionally and told me that it was probably a miscommunication. She kindly explained that customers waiting for takeaway should sit directly at the bar.

That would have been totally fine if it had been communicated that way from the beginning. Unfortunately, Mauro’s reaction came across as impatient and unnecessarily aggressive. To make it more confusing, I noticed another group, a father and daughter with a dog, who sat in the same area I originally had without ordering anything, and they were not treated the same way at all.

After I moved to the bar, Mauro continued sighing and speaking loudly. At one point he said in Dutch, "Ik moet echt uit de horeca" which means "I really need to get out of the hospitality industry." While I understand that anyone can have a rough day, it is not acceptable to direct that frustration toward customers, especially in a language they may not understand. It makes it feel like you are being talked about behind your back.

He also spoke in a similar way, again in Italian, about other customers who had issues with their reservation. His attitude was dismissive, saying "It is not our problem" when a manager and a woman were trying to help resolve the situation.

The food I ordered was fine. It was not the best I have had, but also not the worst. However, the experience while waiting was uncomfortable and disappointing, and for me personally, it is not worth...

Stop creating stress for people who simply want to enjoy their meal! Beyond the quality of the food, the hospitality in the space is equally important.

Although we have visited this restaurant several times, on 09/05 we had a negative experience: We were 4 adults and 2 toddlers. Although we had our table reserved until 20:00, and we (the adults) had nearly finished our meals by around 19:10, the children had not. Suddenly, the waiters started coming to our table asking to clear our plates. We explained the first time that the plates still containing food were the ones the children were eating from, and we kindly asked them to leave them for now.

That would have been fine if it had stopped there. But they continued coming back every 5 minutes (literally), which put us in a terribly uncomfortable position (both us and especially our guests). We were constantly interrupted while trying to have a conversation, and it created a lot of unnecessary stress. We didn’t need to come to a restaurant and pay nearly €200 just to experience that kind of pressure.

You should take into account that children eat at their own pace, and once it’s explained that the plates are still being used by the kids, a short pause doesn’t mean they are done with their meal. It’s unacceptable to stress out your customers this way, especially when they have chosen to enjoy their dinner at your restaurant.

And all this happened even though we still had almost an hour left at our table.

The final straw: when we started gathering our things to leave, the waitress — before we had even fully stood up from the table — began quickly clearing the table, adding to the sense of rush and confusion. A minimum level of respect would require waiting for us to leave before...

Pastanini is probably my favorite restaurant in the Netherlands. I’ve been visiting since 2019, since I first discovered Pastanini with my mother, and ever since, even though I’m not a very regular customer, I have been celebrating every special occasion there.

I have tried most of the restaurant’s menu and every single dish never failed to amaze me. Traditional Italian pizza, handmade pasta, fresh salads, amazing wines, and of course the star of the show, the tiramisu 😍

Even though the specially hand crafted food is worth every single penny, this is not even the main reason to visit the restaurant. The main reason is its people. Honestly, the service is amazing every time and you can really see how hospitality is blooming in this place. I would describe it simply as “caring”. The waiters and waitresses are asking the right amount of questions at the right time, always checking in with us if everything is alright or if we need anything. Also, very very kind and smiley which creates a very friendly atmosphere.

I can keep going about this place and mention every detail that makes it special, but you should really visit and see for yourself.

Thanks Pastanini for the lovely food, service and atmosphere you provide! Hopefully you’re there for many many years to come so I can celebrate there...