Golden Twenties - Munich

All in all, not terrible, but not good either. The staff were friendly enough, but the service was slack, to say the least. Despite our not ordering starters, the arrival of our main courses was pretty well spread out and some of our party had been eating for a good ten or fifteen minutes before the last meal arrived at the table. I had spaghettini with octopus at a little over €11 and at that price I felt a little hard-done-by, if I'm honest. The portion was very small, and the spaghettini itself was oversalted and just, well... fishy. To be fair, the pizzas looked pretty good, although once again they were on the small side, and the green risotto was nicely cooked, if not terribly flavoursome. This was by no means the worst restaurant that I've ever been to - but I'd suggest that there are MANY Italians in Munich that you should visit before this one. It's mediocre in every respect. -- Jeff

I would not go as far as to say that it is mediocre in _every_ respect. The layout of the restaurant is very pleasant and the food that I had there was good too. I agree with you, Jeff, about the service though. It's a real shame that the lack of service ruins everything. Yes there are better Italian restaurants in Munich: Vinaiolo and Masters Home, for example. You will pay slightly more at these two, but as the saying goes: you get what you pay for.

They give bad service only if they don't like you. If the staff decide that you don't fit their desired profile then they'll do their best to discourage you from visiting again. So if you're 40 years +, dressed to the nines, order a 5 course meal with a couple of expensive bottles of wine, then the service will be impeccable. If you're a scummy student type who orders a single bowl of Spaghetti Napoli and a beer, then they'll "accidently" forget about your order. You may not like this, but that's life. And it's their restaurant so they can do what they like. Schumanns Bar does the exact same thing.

I agree with William, I've observed the same exact thing regarding service. It's kind of like the hairdresser's trick- come dressed up and with your hair done well, you'll get a great cut. Come looking like a slob, expect to get a shabby haircut. I'd recommend getting dressed up to come to this place, at least that guarantees good service. Otherwise, order pizzas to go- they are cheap and absolutely the best I've ever had in Munich- vegetarian pizzas often have the vegetable of the day that is usually served with the more expensive meals on them.

I've been there twice with my partner. The interior is decorated with a mild sense of nostalgia and most certainly, like the food, has the unmistakable signature of attention and discernment. If the service is a little stiff or as some might gasp, pompous, it only adds to a gentle air of old world formality and should not be misunderstood. On the other hand, these people appear to take pride in the experience and atmosphere they profer and so, of course they don't want some flea-bitten student rocking in with his skateboard under his arm and munching on a pizza with his walkman on while slugging down a beer. Of course they will try to make him not come back... That's what makes such places what they are - that there is some standard of elegance and it's nothing to do with money or background but just about being part of it for those who value it. Those who don't, can just go to the other 90% of places out there and munch out on burgers and chips with loooaads of mayo and tommy sauce til the cats come home and ... no, I better stop. No, truly, a fine restaurant - my only complaint is that it is, nevertheless, a little (just a little) over-priced. I will still go there again however, because 'I'm Lovin it'.