Restaurante Arena di Verona — Restaurant in Castelo Branco

Well...we are still laughing our heads off at our visit to this fantastic Italian restaurant. The place is clean, tidy and has a great feel to it and the staff are amazing especially the waiter that served us (we confused the poor guy so much he even forgot to bring our starters) While most people go for the pizza we went there for pasta dishes and we ate every bit. My partner had ravioli and I had the mushroom pasta dish both were cooked to perfection and we will be back but next time we will bring our Italian mates so that we know what is on the menu because google translate is rubbish for working out the menu. I cannot eat cream or dairy so my meal was cooked with out cheese and cream and what a great job the chef did and to make our night even better they had the football on YAYYYY and to put non footie fans at ease the sound was off so that they could have some lovely background music on. If its pasta or pizza you crave its this place you need to visit its lovely there but a little advice for those that cannot manage steps..dont go as the steps up are very steep..and if you dont speak Italian or Portuguese..bring people that can lol...give this place a try..we will be back...an English menu would be nice so that English speakers know what to order..we are not English although we can...

My son wanted an authentic pizza in Castelo Branco so we rocked up at opening time. There was a queue to get in so was a promising start. The maitre'd was busy and attentive initially but as the evening got busier he was rushed off his feet trying to do the work of the two younger front of house staff. We were served our mains with no cutlery and had to intercept a waiter as our apathetic server was nowhere to be seen and our food was getting cold. The food would have Italians crying in their pasta. With over 100 pizza choices it's no wonder the simple margarita was beyond the kitchen staff. I didn't think it was possible to cook a pizza both charred and anaemic but, guys you pulled it off. I was so disappointed by the bland "pasta njuda" I couldn't wait to leave. But there was nobody to contact for the bill. I ended up leaving the table and standing by the till for 12 minutes. Please visit if you have limited culinery experience and want to try something different but do not be fooled that you are eating true Italian fare. The bland offerings may promise exotic flavours but anyone who wants a good pizza will do better...

We ordered the four cheese pizza and the pasta with truffles. Everything was delicious, the pizza has thin crust and brick oven taste that I love, with very rich cheeses, the pasta was garlicky and creamy but I wish it had some greens in it (will ask for the add-on next time). The hosts and waiters were nice - Sometimes we had to call them but they were overall paying attention to the customers. It was pretty full (since is one of the very few restaurants opened in the area on Monday, thank you for being open by the way!) but the service was quite fast. Then we ordered a delicious tiramisu in the end. Recommend! Sorry the pictures... It looks and tastes way...