San Mauro Sistiana - Duino-aurisina

We were first ignored for quite a while by the waitress. Our food came with a time difference of 15min, by the time my husband's pizza was finished my food arri... read more We were first ignored for quite a while by the waitress. Our food came with a time difference of 15min, by the time my husband's pizza was finished my food arrived. For a restaurant this is a deadly sin. The food was uninspirational and we weren't given any bread as the only clients in the restaurant.

We stopped for lunch here, parked our bikes and surveyed the wide range of meals on the menu outside the door. Before we had even gotten close enough to read th... read more We stopped for lunch here, parked our bikes and surveyed the wide range of meals on the menu outside the door. Before we had even gotten close enough to read the menu, we were told... there are no pizzas . With that welcome, we took a table and waited a few minutes before we retrieved menus from inside. Eventually we ordered some pasta dishes and some fries. Our waitress brought paper place mats for the table (an interesting comparison to other tables that had linen tablecloths). Our meals arrived (which were actually very nice), but what was amusing was the amount of fries we received in comparison to guests on the table across from us. Our plate had a pitiful amount compared to the 'overflowing fries on the other guests plate. Whilst it 's not about the quantity, one had to laugh about the difference. I 'll state for the record that we were not rude and we also tried speaking a little Italian to fit in. In summary the food was nice but the service was a little wanting.

If you liked the big, busy, 70’s Italian restaurants with their antipasti, primi and segundi piatti, full of local families with their children and their dogs,... read more If you liked the big, busy, 70’s Italian restaurants with their antipasti, primi and segundi piatti, full of local families with their children and their dogs, you'll love the San Mauro. Excellent fresh produce, especially fish, very dood value, really excellent pizzas, great beer and cheap and cheerful house wines. The restaurant has a a big dining room, which was full when we were there and probably always is. There's a quieter bar area and lots of tables outside. Great fun and very good food.