L'arca Da Maurizio - FORIO

As someone who has not only been fine dining for over 20 years, has a chef in the family, and worked in restaurants of the highest caliber as a waiter for over 20 years as well, I can say that the amazing views and food of this restaurant are completely destroyed by the service. My friends and I have been coming to the island of Ischia for years and have our favorite places that have to be at and dine in but we also love to explore all the nooks and crannies that this incredible paradise has to offer. It was a Saturday in what seems to be the busiest year on the island yet due to a lot of great publicity and frankly, a ton of Americans coming to Italy this year in general after the pandemic. It was 4pm and we needed a place to eat so I called this restaurant because it looked fabulous. They were kind on the phone and offered me a reservation at either 8, 10 or even midnight. We chose 8 so we could watch the sunset over the Mediterranean. We arrived and the place was empty so we asked for a table near the window for the best views. The waiter said no it’s reserved, to which I responded for who? We are here and have a reservation as well. In the end, I lost this battle and the guy was really smug about it. So ok, we sat down at a table near the back (the place is small but these tables are surrounded by walls so not as nice a view, especially for me because I wanted my friends to have the better view outside. We take our time. We order cocktails, we are relaxed and having a blast. Then we go crazy in food, ordering three courses, all of which were perfection. The kitchen was definitely timed to have the courses ready as soon as we were done with the next and while we could’ve had a little bit of breathing room between them, we handled the food masterfully in addition to a lovely brunello. We just finish our last savory course of steak and are excited about the desserts we can see in a refrigerator next to our table. But before we could even ask, the waiter says “sorry but we need the table you have to leave.” Let me be clear, this is a direct quote. Again, I understand, I’ve been a waiter for more than half my life, and I’ve had to turn tables before, however saying it like this, to a table who’s spending money, enjoying your place, you don’t just kick people out. For instance, I would’ve said, “Excuse me, so sorry to interrupt. We are severely overbooked and we wonder if we could provide you with some Prosecco (or add in any after dinner drink and serve you dessert outside at our little bar so that we can help these poor people standing outside on line to get in.” In an instant, we’d have been like, “Absolutely, we’ve all been there. Blah blah blah”and I wouldn’t be writing this review. But to be so smug about it and say it that way and just shrug at us like f off next please was not appropriate and just bad business. My friends and I would never return despite the incredible views. They could’ve even told me on the phone, “We are fully booked but we could squeeze you in if you can be done by 10pm etc” I speak Italian, I made the reso in Italian nothing would’ve been lost in translation, not to mention the waiter insisted in speaking in English. Ok a minor detail that’s probably good for the average tourist but we were clearly attempting to continue the conversation in Italian. Guy just had an attitude problem. Honestly it’s really short sighted. We realized as he was asking us for our sh y table that also three other tables were empty that he could’ve sat people at. We also came to realize the table we wanted when we first walked in with the views from all seats, was originally occupied by what we can only assume we’re bloggers for either this platform or another because they had a drone flying around and were shooting photos everywhere etc. I do not recommend this restaurant and will never return which is sad as we come back every single year.

Lovely restaurant and lovely food. The meet was high quality. All the dishes were top notch but still a very friendly atmosphere, not at all stiff. We were a family of four with to teenagers. All of us loved it. A bit pricey but worth it. We had a table by the window at sunset. Stunning! Spectacular restaurant in a beautiful area. The young man who runs the place was very friendly and told us all about the history of the restaurant.

Excellent food , unbelievable views, great service and owner was present and active, reasonable prices. Rabbit is their specialty and we had great local wine and an excellent entrecote

Wonderful experience!!! While visiting the island on our Harlley we noticed the unique location and decided to try this restaurant that reopened June 7 ,2021 by the young owner Maurizio. All our senses were caressed during our visit; the soft jazz music in the background, the mesmerizing view of the valley and the typical menu made our lunch an experience we will never forget.

Fantastic view, cousine is normal, prices are average (we paid 62 euro for two main corses, side dish and house wine)