La Sponda

The food and service are pretty good as is the atmosphere at this iconic Positano stomping ground. The live music is a nice touch. My rating is not higher than 3 stars for a couple key reasons. First, it's not right that they bury in the fine print a 150 EUR minimum per person and never remind you that it exists. If you don't book your own reservation you'll never know. Second, the food is good but disappointing versus the hype. The food is well made and tasty the portions are incredibly small. The service is good but they are pushy with drinks and wine (likely an attempt to push you above the minimum without referencing its existence....) I'm on the fence if I'd recommend this. On one hand, it's iconic, has beautiful views with tasty food and good service. The vibe is romantic, with that said I find the portions to be extremely small so eat something before you go and make sure you know the minimum exists.... The food: 6/10 (the crab app was delicious. The seared tuna was very average, I'd skip that if I were you. The calamari pasta was good but not great and the beef ravioli was tasty but small. The tiramisu desserts was below average. They give you a trio of complimentary dessert bites, none of them were good at all.) The service: 6/10 they are attentive but pushy with drinks (also nobody ever discussed a minimum or that it exists......I find it wrong since somebody else booked my reservation and didn't read the fine print. AKA if you have a travel agent you'll never know... The ambiance: 10/10 this is extremely romantic, the views are breathtaking. The ukulele player/singer is iconic as are the vine lined ceilings and perfect mood lighting. Overall, this is over hyped and was a B. If I were to recommend it I'd caution you to read this whole thing first. It's super expensive and the food is fine but small. You're paying for the name and views.

This dinner was more about the ambiance and the setting than the food. It was beautiful. I had asked to be seated on the terrace, but we were seated inside. As it turned out, I was happier with the inside seating. We enjoyed the musicians. Be prepared it's a very expensive dinner.

A great experience combining the warmest welcome from Vincenzo , ambience and food. Service was attentive without being intrusive, we didn't feel hurried and were able to enjoy our dinner to the full. We chose from the A La Carte Menu and every dish was delicious. We can't wait to return next year.

We were three couples traveling together for a month in Italy. And La Sponda wins the award from these well traveled folks. From the moment we arrived until we the moment we left we felt pampered and celebrated. We arrived early at the hotel planning on having a cocktail first,but we were met by the maitre d and he indicated our table was ready early so we were seated. The entire restaurant is lit with candlelight, bougainvillea climbs the walls and the views of Positano are breathtaking. Dinner began with a sea bream tartare on the house accompanied by breadsticks that were only 1/4 inch thick. We had excellent cocktails, prepared to perfection. Our entrees were diverse from lamb to red snapper. We also had a wonderful salute for each couple since we were celebrating our anniversary. Trust me more surprises await you. The staff was amazing and the whole experience was out of a wonderful screenplay.