Ristorante Pizzeria La Girandola

I don’t usually leave negative reviews, I prefer to recognise places that provide a good experience. However, I feel it’s important to share this one to help other customers make an informed choice and, hopefully, encourage the restaurant to improve. We had a reservation for 8:45 pm, but when we arrived, the chairs were still upside down on our table, and we had to set them up ourselves before we could sit down. While taking our order, the waitress seemed very stressed and asked us to hurry because the restaurant was about to get busy. A few minutes later, she returned to tell us they didn’t have enough baccalà for mine and my dad’s starter, yet they somehow had enough for my brother’s and his wife’s main courses. I chose a different starter, while my dad asked to have his Margherita pizza served first instead. The service only got worse from there. Two salads arrived quickly but without any dressing. We had to repeatedly ask for the drinks that were missing. My brother’s starter arrived, then about 15 minutes later mine finally came. Another 15 minutes passed before my dad’s pizza arrived and only after we had asked for it twice. At that point, two starters were still missing. The waitress continued apologizing throughout the evening, and it was obvious she was under a lot of pressure, so I don’t blame her personally. The real problem seemed to be the organisation of the restaurant. When the main courses arrived, my brother’s and his wife’s pasta with baccalà had such a strong off smell that neither of them could eat it, even after giving it a try. The gnocchi alla Sorrentina ordered by my mum and my girlfriend were decent, but nothing special. My main course was another disappointment. I ordered the roasted octopus without burrata, but I received fried octopus with burrata. I sent it back, and after another 15 minute wait, I was served fried octopus without burrata. The waitress insisted it was roasted, even though it clearly wasn’t. By that point, we were still waiting for two starters, several dishes had been incorrect or of poor quality, and the whole evening had become frustrating. We decided to ask for the bill and leave. This was, without doubt, the worst restaurant experience I’ve ever had. Long waits, missing orders, incorrect dishes, poor organisation, and food that in some cases was simply inedible. I sincerely hope they can improve because, based on our experience, I wouldn’t recommend eating here.

We went out for dinner twice, and the bills included dishes we didn't order (extra pizzas, water, an illegible receipt with no printout). The house wine on the menu was €7.50, but we were charged €18. The billing process was unclear, so be careful and double-check when paying. We won't be back, which is a shame because the food was delicious.

Abbiamo pranzato al ristorante La Girandola a Nova Siri, a pochi passi dal mare, e l’esperienza è stata molto positiva. Il menù è un vero omaggio alla cucina locale. Abbiamo iniziato con gli Strascinati con polpo e peperone crusco, un piatto ricco di sapori autentici e ben bilanciati. I Frizzuli con cozze e mollica sono stati un’altra scelta eccellente, con un equilibrio di sapori che ha esaltato al meglio la freschezza degli ingredienti. Infine, la frittura mista servita su un cestino di pane è stata non solo gustosa, ma anche presentata in modo originale e appetitoso. La struttura, purtroppo, appare un po’ datata e necessiterebbe di qualche intervento di ammodernamento per essere al passo con l’ottima qualità della cucina. Tuttavia, questo dettaglio non ha inciso sulla nostra esperienza complessiva, che è stata davvero piacevole. Infine, i prezzi sono nella norma, soprattutto considerando la qualità dei piatti offerti e la vicinanza al mare. In sintesi, La Girandola è un’ottima scelta per chi cerca un pranzo gustoso e tipico, con un buon rapporto qualità-prezzo. Consigliamo di provarlo se vi trovate in zona!

Great Pizza - we loved it

Great seafood service and staff