Mamma mia! Family of 3 made to pay £463 for Venice lunch
EVERY holidaymaker fears being ripped off by tourist traps, especially if they don’t speak the language.
But as far as holiday horror stories go, this one surely takes the biscuit.
Luke Tang was shocked to be charged an eye-watering £463 for lunch with his parents in Venice. The university lecturer claimed waiters brought them dishes they hadn’t ordered and failed to tell them the cost.
He accused staff at Trattoria Casanova, near St Mark’s Square, of taking advantage of the fact he does not speak Italian and said they even marched him to a cash machine.
First waiters brought him and his 70-yearold parents a plate of 20 oysters – costing £96, or £4.80 each – which Mr Tang said they had not asked for. He said he questioned waiters about it but that his concerns were brushed off. Next they shared a £12.80 plate of squid ink spaghetti, a £4.80 side of chips and grilled vegetables for £6.60.
They were finally brought a ‘pescato misto’, or mixed fish platter – which featured 7lb 11oz of fresh fish including lobster, scampi and sea bass, costing a whopping £261.50.
Mr Tang, 40, from Birmingham, said there had been no price next to the dish. With drinks and service, the total came to £463.
‘When I saw the bill I just thought it was blackmail,’ Mr Tang said. ‘When their card machine didn’t work I was taken out to an ATM. You can tell from their attitude that they have done this before.’
He has written a letter to Venice’s mayor Luigi Brugnaro saying: ‘I do not expect there will be any refund, but I wanted to draw your attention to the behaviour of this business, which will ruin the reputation of Venice. It is disgraceful and the shame of Venice.’
In Italian restaurants, fresh fish and meat is often charged by weight not by dish price, often leading to confusion with menus.
Mr Tang said of the platter: ‘I ordered it by pointing at a picture, which showed only one portion without any name or price on it. I have to admit it is my fault I did not check the price, but I did not expect one and a half lobsters with other fish to cost 300 euros.
‘I didn’t want to get my parents nervous. My father has high blood pressure. I wasn’t going to make the situation worse. I’m not asking for a refund, I’m just saying it was just wrong.’
The restaurant receives damning reviews online and is in Venice’s 100 lowest rated spots on Trip Advisor. More than half the 534 reviews describe it as ‘terrible’. Other customers said it was ‘a rip- off’ and ‘disgraceful’, with many mentioning ‘hidden prices’. Another Briton said they expected the bill to be £220, but it came to £387.20.
The owners, Albanians who have lived in Venice for 20 years, insisted prices are clearly displayed, adding: ‘We gave them what they ordered. The prices of the fish, per 100g, are shown clearly on the menu. They didn’t send anything back. If there had been dishes they had not ordered then they could have refused to eat them and then they would not have been charged.’
Earlier this week it emerged a Japanese couple had been charged £106 for a plate of spaghetti and lobster, also in Venice, while in 2013 four Britons were charged £56 for four ice creams – £14 each.