Unfortunately, this was by far the worst dining experience of our honeymoon throughout Italy.
We decided to splurge on the paired food and wine tasting menu, expecting an unforgettable Michelin-level experience. Instead, we left deeply disappointed.
The service was absolutely terrible from start to finish. More often than not, our water glasses sat empty, and several times they were refilled with flat water despite us ordering sparkling. Not once did anyone stop to properly check on the table. By the end of the evening, I was stacking dirty plates at the edge of the table myself in hopes someone would remove them, yet servers continued walking past with empty hands without acknowledging them.
The wine pairing was equally disappointing and incredibly inconsistent. The wines did not complement the dishes well at all -- nearly every pour leaned overly sweet -- and the timing was chaotic. At times we received wine pairings 30+ minutes before the corresponding course arrived, while other courses came out with no wine at all until staff scrambled to correct it after noticing.
Table maintenance throughout the meal was almost nonexistent. Crumbs from the opening cracker course remained on the table for the majority of dinner and were only cleared once. When dishes were explained, the waiter felt rushed and short, often standing tableside long enough to clearly see empty glasses, dirty plates, and crumbs, yet choosing to ignore them and move on.
Ironically, the only staff member who asked how we were doing all evening was the woman pouring the wines, likely because she could visibly tell I was upset. Even then, nothing changed.
We ultimately left before finishing the final courses, though we still paid the full price. On our way out, the manager asked how things were, and when my husband politely explained the experience had been subpar, his response was: "Oh, we've had a rough holiday weekend." Completely unacceptable for a restaurant operating at this level and price point.
Because I did not want to disrupt the experience of the surrounding diners -- many of whom appeared to be dealing with similar frustrations -- I chose not to escalate the situation publicly in the dining room. Instead, I reached out afterward to the manager who had originally responded so promptly to our honeymoon reservation inquiry. I expressed our disappointment and asked whether there was any opportunity for reconciliation. I have since followed up twice with no response whatsoever, despite her initially replying within a day when booking the reservation.
This is especially unfortunate because the venue itself is beautiful, and you can absolutely see the chef's artistry and talent within the dishes. However, when course timing is inconsistent, wine pairings feel completely disconnected, and service falls dramatically short, a restaurant proudly carrying a Michelin star should be reevaluated for whether it still deserves that distinction.
After dining at many Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Italy -- and even several non-Michelin restaurants in Sirmione that greatly exceeded this experience -- I would strongly recommend skipping this extremely expensive disappointment. read more
