Ernesto - L'AQUILA

Great. Located next to one of the lovely church buildings (currently under re-construction after the devastating earth quake), and serving excellent food. We ha... read more Great. Located next to one of the lovely church buildings (currently under re-construction after the devastating earth quake), and serving excellent food. We had two types of pasta, each of them prepared fresh and perfectly ‘al dente’ — plenty of fresh ingredients, and full of flavour. Same for the starter, a local specialty made to great taste. The interior of the place is beautiful, sitting outside on the terrace even better. Service is super friendly, much recommended.

We were saddened by our visit! More especially as this restaurant in its previous premises : before the earthquake of 2009, was one of our ‘go to restaurants’ i... read more We were saddened by our visit! More especially as this restaurant in its previous premises : before the earthquake of 2009, was one of our ‘go to restaurants’ in L’Aquila. I raced in to ask for a table for two, guessing we would be lucky to get a table on a Friday night. As it was we found ourselves to be one of three tables occupied. Well, why 3 stars? The staff were most pleasant. But, when it comes to pouring good wine on the table! And no apologies… guessed she simply didn’t register it… The food: my partner had a quarter round of a frittata: what happened to the rest? Was it freshly cooked? The bread in the basket was interesting… my starter : see photos was tasty. (Wine marks too! I ordered a pasta which whilst tasting good wasn’t quite cooked! I am mature enough these days when not happy to state so, but, eat it. When the waitress took the plate, I informed her that the pasta wasn’t quite cooked there was a mutter… Couldn’t really bring ourselves to explore Dolci : though we would like to have tried their Zuppa Inglesi. And the real rub… no effort was made or acknowledgment made to a customer who felt things weren’t up to standard! I really do think some basic staff training is in order a little more attention to detail: as we won’t be returning; not with so many other restaurants to explore. A saddened memory for us, for this restaurant once had a fine reputation.

Had a very nice meal with family food was delicious read more Had a very nice meal with family food was delicious

This is a lovely quaint, very local restaurant serving only traditional Abruzzo dishes. The menu is only in Italian, a bonus, as we love playing ‘Russian Roulet... read more This is a lovely quaint, very local restaurant serving only traditional Abruzzo dishes. The menu is only in Italian, a bonus, as we love playing ‘Russian Roulette’ on the menu and this means it’s not a touristy place. The food was delicious, good for the soul and the cold weather outside, we order the jug of house red wine and we were not disappointed. The restaurant is petit but beautifully decorated; while we were having our lunch, there was a large Christmas party, and it was lovely seeing how Italians celebrate it; there was singing, lots of laughs, speeches, charming atmosphere. Lovely team and well located in the centre of L’Aquila’s old quarter. We had a recommendation from Alessandro (Thank You) at Sextantio Albergo Diffuso Santo Stefano do Sessanio, located on the top of the mountains. Still, we’ve enjoyed driving to L’Aquila not only for our meal but to explore the city, the capital of Abruzzo.

First let me point out that the restaurant is no longer Piazza del Palazzo as it collapsed in the 2009 earthquake. It is now located via Lussemburgo, 38 in l'Aq... read more First let me point out that the restaurant is no longer Piazza del Palazzo as it collapsed in the 2009 earthquake. It is now located via Lussemburgo, 38 in l'Aquila, zona Pettino. The location is not so nice anymore but the atmosphere of the restaurant makes up for it! But it is the same owner, same cook same everything. The food is formidable... it is fresh, light, a mix of mediterranean flavors... it really is a pleasure to eat there, from antipasto to dessert! Their menu is week dependent, but there is always a choice between 4 or 5 dishes. The restaurant is very well made, very warm and familial, very nicely decorated, a very nice ambiance whether you're in 2 or in 10. The only problem we found was the waiting time, we didn't take a primo (as the portions are really big) but just antipasto and secondo and we had to wait 30min between antipasto and secondo. On the other hand, the secondo was so good that it was worth the wait. They have very good wine but the young waitress was incapable of advising us... good thing we knew what to take. Another plus for this restaurant, they are dog friendly!! So you can bring your little companion with you and he will be very welcome. Prices are acceptable not too expensive but not cheap. We paid 58 euros for 2 people with antipasto and secondo and including a 13euros bottle of wine. All in all, if you want to be sure to have a nice evening, then this is definitely a place to go