"My parents and I went there after a theater show on a rainy Monday night, and didn't expect this to be such a popular, cozy place, steps away from the deserted pedestrian mall on a dark, tree-lined street. Well perhaps there isn't much of a...choice in Bad Godesberg these days. A formerly diplomatic, posh part of Bonn, that neighborhood went down the most after the government site was moved to Berlin. So you can never quite go wrong with a neighborhood Italian, right? The atmosphere was nice, the service friendly, the wine selection good, and, as the owner told us, 90% of his customers are regulars. The food, however, wasn't impressive. Things looked good on the menu nicely handwritten on decorative blackboards hanging from the brick walls. I ordered a tagliata di manzo, something that requires freshness in the meat and the cook's congenial ability to grill it to perfection, then slice it quickly and somehow manage to get it to the table in no time, served still hot. The meat was decent, but the salad wasn't. In fact, the salad was swimming in a watery dressing, more lemony than olive-oil-y, too much, too sour. Ugh. And the plate was cold. Next my dad had asked for a pizza salami napoli, which came with Italian sausage instead. Not that he minded much, but it wasn't what he had ordered and it could, in theory, have been changed but wasn't. My mother had ordered the pasta special from the black board, short tubbettoni with a white veal ragú. It sounded truly delicious. Instead she got the pasta from the regular menu paccheri. Again no big deal but it wasn't what she had ordered, and she got no proper explanation or apology for the swap. The plate itself was huge and could have fed two people easily. Decoration was pretty with a rosemary branch pinched onto a garlic dent, but the taste was a bit on the shy side. I ordered a Parmigiana because the waiter said it was a small plate with three little pieces listed as a starter, actually. It turned out that both the salad (also a starter) and the eggplant dish were enormous. No starters at all. The parmigiana tasted alright although not particularly yummy. Compared to our dishes my dad's pizza wasn't as large and thin as you'd expect, and the dough and toppings didn't look convincing. So what did we find? A friendly, casual place, where people are seated at three long community tables a nice, sociable treat, good for groups and families. If you're in for a casual experience and care more about the vibes and the spirits, less so about the food, then go for it. Do not go if you're looking for a great dining night out or if you wanted to impress someone. Are big portions a good thing? I actually think they're gross. Particularly if you ask and make it clear you'd like to have a starter plus a primo piatto, you should be warned that they serve generously sized plates, best to be shared, among two or even three people with a normal appetite. Oh, the place also operates an enoteca, so if you like the wine as we did you can take it home at affordable prices. A nice treat. Now if you know of a better Italian dining place this part of town, would you please let me know?"
Bonn
