I find that a corollary of Murphy's Law seems to apply. Book ahead: For restaurants that I am truly eager to try, I go ahead and book a table-at least at dinner.Then-especially at nicer (and pricier) restaurants-there is the menu degustazione ("tasting menu"), usually far more expensive (anywhere from €25 to €110) that is a showcase of the chef's best, or of regional specialties, and can make for an excellent way to sample the kitchen's top dishes. However, a menu à prezzo fisso ("fixed-price menu") is often a pretty good deal, usually offering a bit more choice than a tourist menu. With very few exceptions, tourist menus tend to live up to their name, appearing only at the sort of tourist-pandering restaurants that the locals wisely steer clear of. Some restaurants do offer a menu turistico ("tourist menu"), which can cost from €8 to €20 and usually entails a choice from among two or three basic first courses (read: different pasta shapes, all in plain tomato sauce), a second course of roast chicken or a veal cutlet, and some water or wine and bread. Tourist menus: The concept of a bargain prix-fixe menu is not popular in Italy.If il servizio is, indeed, already included but the service was particularly good, it's customary to round up the bill or leave €1 per person extra-just to show you noticed and that you appreciated the effort. (If it says " servizio non incluso," tip is, obviously, not included.)Įven if the menu doesn't say it, ask É incluso il servizio? (ay een-CLOU-so eel sair-VEET-zee-yo)-"Is service included?" If not, tip accordingly (10%–15% is standard).ĭon't be stingy about tipping, though. If the menu has a line-usually near the bottom of the front or back-that says " servizio" with either a percentage, an amount, or the word " incluso" after it, that means the tip is automatically included in the price. Find out if service (tip) is included: Don't double-tip by accident.This is perfectly normal and perfectly legal (though a few trendy restaurants make a big deal about not charging it). "Pane e coperto" is not a scam: Nearly all Italian restaurants have an unavoidable pane e coperto ("bread and cover" charge) of anything from €1 to €15-though most often €2 to €5-per person that is automatically added onto your bill.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |