Our travel group stopped in Assisi for a walking tour of this cute little town and a visit to the…read moreBasilica of St. Francis. Afterwards we had some free time to grab a bite to eat and explore on our own. My boyfriend and I somehow ended up at Ristorante Minerva, which is actually connected to a hotel.
Atmosphere: Cozy, fancy rustic type feel. They had a lot of chickens everywhere. You know those kitchens that have cows, roosters, chickens, and stuff like that as decor? Yeah, that kinda feel but a step up. There were plenty of tables and surprisingly not so smashed together. My boyfriend and I actually had some privacy, although maybe that's because it wasn't crowded. It was very bright and light inside. White table cloths, light burnt orange colored napkins, yellows, light blues... There is a counter/bar up front that has a dessert case with delicious looking goodies. Fresh fruit as well. It was quiet and relaxing after our tour of the city.
Service: We were sat right away but there was no one else in the restaurant except one other group who was also on our tour. We were given menus but then had to wait awhile before we were approached (which was a little annoying because we were pressed for time). The waitress didn't say much, just took our order on her pad and walked away. I'm not sure if it was because she didn't speak English? Anyway, I will say that our food did come out pretty quick. They did bring a bread basket (free of charge-a miracle in Italy) prior to our meal arriving. It took forever to get the check. They had to figure it out between multiple people which was not comforting. I had my boyfriend triple check the cost of everything to make sure they weren't over charging. As we left there was a woman standing at the counter and she didn't even say anything....at least our food came out quickly????
Food: I wasn't super hungry so I just got a bowl of the vegetable soup. It was very tasty. Definitely a variety of vegetables with potatoes, and barley I believe. It amazes me how many Italian restaurants have vegetable soup but are all made very differently. The bowl of soup was a descent size and I was able to finish it. My boyfriend got a cheese and spinach filled ravioli dish that had a lemon sauce. He is still talking about it. He says the pasta tasted homemade and was stuffed full of the cheese and spinach. The lemon sauce/oil was super tasty, could maybe use just a smidge more lemon. The portion wasn't huge but he thought it was a nice "light lunch". The bread they served us was not very good. It had zero flavor-not even a sour dough type taste. They also do not provide butter or oil for dipping. I ended up using my soup and my boyfriend used some of the lemon oil/sauce from his pasta. If you're watching your figure-don't bother with the bread-not worth it.
Cost: Very reasonable, especially for a tourist city. Our meal was probably around $20 including a bottle of "stilled" water. I scanned the prices of the other entrees and they all seemed average too. I will say the portions aren't quite as big as some of the other Italian restaurants though, but maybe that's because it was lunch?
I would go back I suppose. I think if I were back in Assisi I would rather try somewhere new though. If you were looking for a quick, decent bite to eat, this place would satisfy that need but I wouldn't necessarily steer someone visiting Assisi to this restaurant.