Cena Trattoria — Restaurant in England

These stars aren't a reflection on the food. I will start by saying if we fancy an Italian then Cena is our 100% go to place, me and my wife have eaten here lots of times, the food is always excellent, the service always good too, the place is cosy and always welcoming. But after my recent visit 14th July I was a little let down, I booked a table there as it was my wife's birthday, everything was great food service etc, until I got the bill,..it came to if I remember about £112 for 3 people we all had starters mains and desserts plus few drinks each, which going off previous experience seemed a little excessive price wise, then on the bottom I noticed "optional gratuity £10" !!.. This at no point was made optional it never appeared on the card machine when I paid which afterwards I questioned the young girl serving, she asked if I wanted it taking off I had already paid and said no but it was never made optional and if is gonna be then why does it take it automatically. Now....we eat out alot and I ALWAYS tip unless the service and food is terrible, the problem I have is optional gratuity is tips for the staff...this I have noticed started appearing on most restaurants bills..why???..due to covid I am guessing to try and get money back into the restaurants?..so not only have places put their prices up they now putting gratuity on their bills...so if I am now paying gratuity is it going to the staff?..probably not or at least not all of it which again is wrong....£10 per table of 3 so if its about 50 covers per day which is easily done plus the weekends which is more so they are pulling roughly £700 per day in "gratuity" ....times that by 6 days £4200 a week times 4 weeks of the month £16000 ...see where this is going????.... so a place of cena's size maybe 15 staff?...do I think that £16000 is getting splitting by their staff..£1000 a month extra from "gratuity"???....absolutely not...probably the owners are taking 75% ....this is just greed, yes covid hit businesses badly...but it did other people too and alot didn't get furlough including me!...so u ramp up the prices and hit them with "optional gratuity " which it isn't optional is a disgrace...the waiters and waitresses work hard and the tips should go to them not to the owners to fuel.their range rovers!... If the service and food is good then I will.tip not because your receipt says so. Like I said Cena is a good restaurant serving good food in really nice comfortable surroundings and I have never had a bad meal or experience there until now which has left a sour taste...

This was my first experince at your resteraunt after being recommended it by one of my friends. The resteraunt as a whole was great, loved the deco, open kitchen and pizza oven looked brilliant and the gusto menu had some nice ideas for a great price. I came today (21/07/19) with my girlfriend and I had my expectations set relatively high, unfortunately for my part I felt slightly let down. The table we were sat down on (single table next to the till infront of the kitchen) was uneven and kept rocking and also felt that the waiting staff were standing over me by hovering at the till. The main negative comment I have is the meal I ordered, the classic Italian ciabatta. The summary reads, a selection of Italian meats and cheeses. This was far from what I received. I got a very hard ciabatta which was quite difficult to eat discretely, with 1 type of meat (3 very thinly sliced pieces of salami) and a very thin layer of what I think was mozzarella cheese. I had to put my fries in the ciabatta to not feel like I was eating just bread. I know I only paid £7 for this but still felt it was not as advertised. On the other hand, my girlfriend ordered the salmon and pea risotto and I tasted it and I'm not afraid to say how incredible it tasted. So much so, I wish I had ordered it. Hope the constructive criticism is taken on board by the management.

I hope it was just a one off in my case and took my girlfriend's comments on board. I'd happily come back and try my luck again and maybe give it a 5...

We had an exceptional dining experience at Cena in Yarm. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm smiles and impeccable service. The staff made us feel right at home, ensuring we were comfortable throughout our meal.

One thing that stood out was the timing - we never had to wait long for anything, yet we never felt rushed. It was a perfect balance that allowed us to savour every moment of our dining experience.

The food was nothing short of outstanding. In fact, I can confidently say it's some of the best food I've had in a long time. The flavours were exquisite, and each dish was a testament to the culinary expertise of the chefs at Cena. Despite the exceptional quality, the prices are decent and reasonable.

Furthermore, I must commend Cena for their commitment to cleanliness and freshness. Everything felt and looked so clean, and the ingredients used in our dishes were incredibly fresh. It added to the overall positive impression of the restaurant.

Cena offers not just a meal but an unforgettable culinary journey. The exceptional service, delicious food, reasonable prices, and commitment to their customers make it a top choice for anyone looking for a memorable...