On October 11, 2020, my Italian family and I dined-in in Peppino A Mare Ristorante. Today, I would like to share our experiences in this restaurant.
My 2020 birthday happened to be on the day of Thursday. Everyone is busy during the week. So, we decided to book a table in the Peppino A Mare Ristorante at the weekend. It was my first time. However, some of my family members experienced already the service and the food of Peppino A Mare beach restaurant.
Peppino A Mare Ristorante is not just a restaurant. They have beach cottages that offer chairs and tables. So, you can enjoy your fresh seafood while diving and enjoying the beach.
Let us cut the story short. So, the question here is, how were our experiences?
Contents
Peppino A Mare Ristorante, my Review
Alright, so here is my review of the Peppino A Mare Ristorante. After booking a room for a table outside, we decided to seat inside instead. It was raining. We weren’t able to witness the beauty of the outside atmosphere. We arrived in the restaurant at around 1:00 PM. The restaurant was 80% full when we arrived.
The outside atmosphere of the restaurant is nice. However, it doesn’t convey that it is a fish restaurant although it is just approximately 10 meters away from the seashore. Due to social distancing, they only have limited tables inside.
And of course, as a blogger, taking pictures is a must. Plus, I was so excited to eat my food again that I even took photos upon entering. While taking photos, I was beside my nephew. Suddenly, a guy came and ask him if I am with them. Then, he answered him politely. But, wait. Wasn’t obvious that I am with them? I just ignored the waiter and stopped taking photos at the moment.
We sat and after a couple of minutes, a waiter came. Firstly, she gave us pieces of sliced bread. That is the traditional complimentary welcome food in Italy. Meanwhile, we took our own orders. We ordered mixed appetizers, pasta, then fish. In Italy, they usually eat 2 main courses. Italians have ‘primo’ and ‘secondo’. Most of the time, they eat pasta as their primary course. I like pasta. However, I felt that I wanted to eat fish for my primary and secondary plate. Moreover, I really missed my food. So, we decided to order crispy fried small squids, calamari, sautéed mussels, and octopus salad with boiled potatoes for our appetizer.
The timing was perfect. They served the appetizers as we were so hungry. Certainly, I love some of the appetizers they served. They were fresh and tasty. But, the bowls of sautéed mussels were too watery. I didn’t bother to complain as we were celebrating my birthday.
As the waitress clearing our appetizer plates, another waiter came and asked for our main courses. We asked if what fishes are available. He went back to the kitchen and brought the fishes they have and made us see the freshness of the fishes. I really love fish. So, I ordered mixed grilled shrimps and prawns for my first main course. After that, I ordered grilled fish (sorry, I forgot the name of the fish. See pictures below).
Honestly, the food were good. I like what I ordered. I just didn’t expect the serving amount though. Most especially to my mixed grilled prawns and shrimps. But, trust me, they were fresh and good.
After that, they cleared our plates. Then, the waiter came with my cake. (We did bring the cake from home.) I blew my cake and killed it. Meanwhile, some of us ordered coffees and amaro– Italian liquor.
On top of that, when asked for the check we discovered that we were charged 2€ each for the bread! A common practice in Italy but outdated.
The restaurant was not bad at all. The food were good.
However, they have to improve their service. The waiters are not welcoming. It was my birthday and not even a single staff bothered to come and greet me. They didn’t even come to ask if how was our food. Above all, ‘no thank you’ after dining in. However, there were 11 people dined in and we only paid €500 after the discount. They gave us a discount since my family has been dining there several times.
To Whole Experience
To sum up, the food in Peppino A Mare Ristorante were good. The fish are fresh. However, it doesn’t look like a fish restaurant inside although it is clean. Certainly, if we are talking about the freshness of the food, the 1-hour drive was worth it (since they gave us a discount).
If I am not thinking of the service, I will probably go back again because I like the location. Most especially they have an outside terrace which is handy for families as there is a small playground.
Anyway, I am a hospitality professional. I am very sensitive in terms of customer service value- which the restaurant doesn’t have.
Lifetime Traveller Notes:
I would even recommend Peppino A Mare Ristorante for its fresh food. However, if you are looking for good, attentive service, look again.
Location and Contact
Peppino A Mare Ristorante serves Italian, Seafood, and Mediterranean food.
See Also: Reasons to visit Rome
Hi! It’s me! I am a hospitality professional and a part-time blogger! I am a travel dreamer and world conqueror based in Rome, Italy.
