Il pirata

Excellent restaurant in Praiano. Affable and helpful staff. Good value for money. Will return

My daughter and I were really excited to eat here because the photos online looked absolutely amazing. Unfortunately, the experience was very disappointing. We paid an additional €40 to book the “special” seating section, which we were happy to do because we expected the beautiful waterfront seating that was advertised. Instead, we were seated at the very back, beside the beach umbrellas, not along the water as shown in the photos. There were 3–4 tables available right along the edge when we arrived, and several of them remained empty for most of the evening, so I’m not sure why we weren’t seated there. We ordered drinks and were given stale bread with just oil, while every other table seemed to receive balsamic as well. We were planning to order a bottle of wine with our meal, but no one ever came back to check if we wanted another drink. The service was extremely lacking. The food itself was just okay. There are so many better places to eat, especially for the price. Unfortunately, the evening got even worse because we were absolutely swarmed by mosquitoes. My daughter seemed to attract them, and they circled around her head for most of the night. Toward the end of our meal, we were also joined by some lovely little bugs that started crawling everywhere, including in our drinks and on our food. Thankfully, our drinks were never refilled, because I’m not sure we would have wanted them after that. It was honestly gross. When I mentioned that the seating was not what we had paid the extra €40 for, they took €10 off the bill. That really didn’t feel like they understood or cared about the issue. If you’re looking for somewhere special to eat, save your money and go elsewhere. Franchino's, just above, has a beautiful view, amazing food, and staff who go above and beyond to make the experience enjoyable. In comparison, Il Pirata seems to be relying entirely on its cliffside location and no longer seems to care about the food, service, or overall experience. The location is beautiful, but unfortunately, that’s about all it has going for it.

First and foremost, you need to reserve a table. When making the reservation, I also ordered flowers, for which I was going to pay an additional €80. Upon arrival, we were given a different table, while the table I had specifically reserved remained unoccupied for the entire evening. The bouquet of flowers was nowhere to be found—fortunately, I had not paid for it in advance. We were then served as if we were on a high-speed train. Every three minutes, someone came over to check whether we had finished eating or to ask if they could clear our plates. It was extremely irritating and made us feel rushed throughout the entire meal. To make matters worse, my blue lobster spaghetti tasted strange. Later that evening, it became clear that something was indeed wrong: both my girlfriend and I were ill throughout the night. Finally, after paying the bill, I overheard the waitress making a comment because, on top of the €10 “table setting” charge, we did not want to leave an additional tip. Unfortunately, I do not think we will be returning. It is a real shame, because the location itself is absolutely beautiful.

Location is lovely. Popped in for a glass of wine overlooking the sea. My only criticism would be that we ordered drinks and they came with complimentary snacks, which many of the restaurants/bars do it Italy. However the snacks were stale. This put me off eating at this restaurant.