L'osteria Essen - Werden

A group of 10 was well-fed here late at night. The pizza was big and above average. The pasta was also tasty. Also, a decent beer. A good late night place in es... read more A group of 10 was well-fed here late at night. The pizza was big and above average. The pasta was also tasty. Also, a decent beer. A good late night place in essen.

Service really slow. Waiters looked uninterested in customers or maybe they thought they were over-worked. We were a party of 10 and after waiting 20 mins to be... read more Service really slow. Waiters looked uninterested in customers or maybe they thought they were over-worked. We were a party of 10 and after waiting 20 mins to be acknowledged we did find a waiter who was friendly. The food that was served was excellent but one salad came when all others were almost finished and another salad to-go never came!!! Such a shame.

I was too late to buy something at the local Christmas market and opted for this restaurant as a consolation. The weather was cool and the alfresco seating on t... read more I was too late to buy something at the local Christmas market and opted for this restaurant as a consolation. The weather was cool and the alfresco seating on the large open square was not available. The service was quite prompt and the wine I ordered, an ordinary Chianti, arrived long before the food. The lasagna was clearly reheated and served hot, directly from the oven and tasted ok although the cheese was obviously not mozzarella. The Bologna style sauce contained meat, which one can no longer take for granted many restaurants are substituting minced beef for processed ham from a super market and it is stated in the fine print on the menu. So L'Osteria score positively for this. The portion size was adequate.

Long waiting times and unfriendly staff. The risotto was tasteless and it took 30 minutes to arrive. They refused to serve tapwater. read more Long waiting times and unfriendly staff. The risotto was tasteless and it took 30 minutes to arrive. They refused to serve tapwater.

Like a lot of the reviews on here we found the pizza was much better than average, but was let down by the service. We had just arrived by train from London and... read more Like a lot of the reviews on here we found the pizza was much better than average, but was let down by the service. We had just arrived by train from London and were looking for an easy meal before attending Spiele Essen the next day. The restaurant was very very busy which might explain why the staff were unfriendly. I wouldn't recommend it, only because of the service.