Porta Marciana — Restaurant in Upravna enota Piran / Unità amministrativa Pirano

I have visited Piran with my girlfriend on our balkan-trip. We walked through the city and decided to go to a restaurant. I was very excited to try the seafood, my girlfriend not so much. Because of that, we were looking for a restaurant with mixed options. By the reviews for Porta Marciana and the menu on their website, we were sure that we want to go there. I reserved a place just in case there were too many people. The owner was very nice through the phone, as was the waiter when we arrived. First shock was the price difference between the website menu and the one we got, in which everything was ~5€ more expensive. We asked the waiter what was that about and were told it’s just the old menu and that we should write to the website person. We were pretty hungry so we just put it off and ordered the buffala pizza and the fried calamari plate. It felt like a century before they brought the food, but that was just the hunger doing its thing. When the food arrived, I knew at the first bite that the calamari was really bad and definitely not fresh. I tried the pizza and it was O.K. (for the price pretty bad), my girlfriend agreed. It is two days later and we are still carrying the disappointment and the lost money with us. We’re in Dubrovnik now trying more seafood, just wait for my new review....

Tldr: don't go there for dinner if you want pizza as they're forcing other menu items on you.

We love coming here whenever in Piran. It's the best place for pizza hands down. Fresh and delicious pizza ingredients. However, apparently management decided they want to push other menu items and reduce the amount of pizza dough the kitchen is to prepare (they ran out of pizza dough by 7pm on three consecutive days while we were there supppsedly because they didnt want to "waste" the dough?!). Unfortunately, the rest of the menu leaves a lot to be desired. If you want good fresh grilled fish or calamari/squid, you're better off going to the restaurant's along the coast (e.g. Pavel 2) - what I got at Marciana was overcooked chewy squid and about a third of a portion than the other restaurants at a higher price. Don't bother if they run out of pizza. Maybe they'll learn over time especially if the number of diners decreases. And to the imbecile complaining about foreigners in one of the reviews: even the staff isn't Slovenian so...

This restaurant was excellent from start to finish. Everything was nearly perfect. The service stood out the most. Our server was extremely friendly and professional. He poured our drinks, replaced a fork my cousin dropped without hesitation, and was helpful throughout the meal. Every interaction felt smooth and thoughtful.

The food was absolutely delicious, full of flavor and beautifully presented. The atmosphere was also lovely: stylish, cozy, and relaxing, which made the experience even more enjoyable. The bathroom was clean and well-kept.

One thing to note is that the portions aren’t very big, so if you're very hungry, you might want to order a starter or dessert as well. Also, the experience comes at a premium price, over 30€ per person, so it’s definitely more of a special occasion spot.

Overall, if you’re looking for great service, tasty food, and a beautiful setting, this place is well worth it despite the higher price and...