Avoid this place! Gelato by Spanish Steps

[audrey2580]

We were near the Spanish Steps and dying for gelato. Walked into Bar Ristorante Gelateria Antica Roma. We ordered each child a small gelato on a waffle cone. The guy says “I make it special for you”. It came out with a small scoop on a waffle cone with some sprinkles, a few waffle ribbon strips and a small piece of sliced fruit. We then went to the counter to pay and they were….15 EURO EACH! Yes we paid 30 EURO for 2 gelatos. The kids had already started in on them and the guy making them was now laughing at us. I now looked at the menu hidden away on a small table in the corner and it stated 15 euro for a “special”. We had been had. We paid and left. After that we always asked “how much?” and it was always 2-3 euros. Lesson learned.

 

I went to post on Trip advisor and found this place is notorious for this:

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1866143-Reviews-Gelateria_Antica_Roma-Rome_Lazio.html

[cruisemom42]

This has been posted here before also. The old Roman (Latin) saying still holds as true today as 2,000 years ago: "Caveat emptor" (Let the buyer beware.) ;)

 

Seriously, it's a good reminder to always ask the price before purchasing.

[cruiseluv]

That's outrageous! Thanks for posting.

[Langley Cruisers]

We hear ya. In Rome DH's gelato waffle cone was 8 Euros (11 bucks!) at one store, which I thought was outrageous enough. Sorry you were ripped off so.

[dln929]

I am so sorry you were rooked! We too have learned over the years never, ever, never, ever, eat anywhere near a famous tourist trap (and yes, the Spanish Steps in Rome are a huge tourist trap).

 

Don't worry though. This is not going to happen to you again. ;)

[eh2zed]

Some just don't respect tourists

[austinlw]

Thanks for the heads up. It's very helpful to know about these sorts of scams before a trip.

[agabbymama]

And another tip to be aware of. Ask as soon as you enter ask if you pre-pay for the gelato. We went to a gelato shop by Trevi Fountain (I don't know the name), but I waited in line for about 5 people to be served. When I started to order, the guy asked me for my receipt. Then told me I had to pre-pay, so I went to the register, waiting for about 3 people, then back to the ice cream counter where those 3 people were now in front of me. After a total of about 20 minutes, I finally was able to get our gelato. Which we only ate half of anyway, as we really wanted to sit, more than we wanted the gelato. The cost was reasonable for Rome at 4 EURO each.

 

And another SCAM at the Spanish Steps, a guy will come up and hand you a couple of roses "for you". Then won't take them back, but insists you give him 3 EURO per rose. I finally bought them, just to get rid of him, but then ended up throwing them in the trash after 8 hours sightseeing in the hot sun.

 

THEY DO TARGET TOURISTS!

[euro cruiser]

It is the custom in Italy, at virtually all food venues, to pay first and then go to the counter to order your food.

[wantocruisemore]

It is the custom in Italy, at virtually all food venues, to pay first and then go to the counter to order your food.

 

 

Actually at our favorite little gelateria on via serpenti you paid afterwards. If I remember right, 2 scoops was only about 1.4 euros. It was full of locals.

[Langley Cruisers]

It is the custom in Italy, at virtually all food venues, to pay first and then go to the counter to order your food.

 

^ This was our experience at only ONE of the venues we went to. All others were "pay when, or after being, served".

[agabbymama]

The only place we paid before ordering was the gelato shop in Rome and the buffet in Paris, in all of our 21 days in Europe.

 

At the one restaurant in Rome, I had a hard time finding someone to even pay the bill AFTER we had eaten. Neither the server, the bus boy nor the guy bringing the wine around, absolutely nobody seemed to want to take the money. I finally stopped on the way out of the dining room and asked a gentleman there where to pay the bill. Maybe we were supposed to have paid going in, I don't know.:confused:

[euro cruiser]

At the one restaurant in Rome, I had a hard time finding someone to even pay the bill AFTER we had eaten. Neither the server, the bus boy nor the guy bringing the wine around, absolutely nobody seemed to want to take the money. I finally stopped on the way out of the dining room and asked a gentleman there where to pay the bill. Maybe we were supposed to have paid going in, I don't know.:confused:

No, they probably just weren't in a hurry to get your money. I should have been more clear - I meant that places where you get food to eat either on your feet (coffee, for example) or to take away (pizza by the etto, for example). Everywhere else works as you expect: order, eat, pay.

 

No matter how much time I spend in Italy, I never get used to the long wait at a restaurant when I'm done with my meal. You can take the girl out of New York ...

[truffles68]

I also had a terrible experience at this place but I had asked how much before ordering. No one scooping the ice cream would tell me how much the ice cream cost. The people behind me kept on saying "Hurry up, just get it !". In hind sight I think they must work for them. By the time we got the ice cream cone, the ice cream was melting down the side of the cone & ran down onto the hand. My husband took one quick lick as I was paying for them. I almost flipped when I was told how much they cost. I was upset for I kept on asking earlier & no one would answer me. To make matter worse, the cone cracked & the ice cream cone fell onto the ground as I was walking out the door.

[Langley Cruisers]

No matter how much time I spend in Italy, I never get used to the long wait at a restaurant when I'm done with my meal....

 

Spain too! We waited and waited to pay our bill... finally the last night in Barcelona, we saw another customer get up from her table and go inside to pay. Ah ha! OK, we got it now!

 

Well... for next time we'll know. ;)

[cruisemom42]

I actually enjoy the leisurely dining that seems to be a national birthright in Italy and especially in Spain. Well........ at least I enjoy it at dinner time. Someone (a colleague who is Spanish) told me that it is considered rude for waitstaff to indicate at all that they are rushing you out the door. Apparently delivering the check and taking your payment are such indications.... ;)

[Karennella]

I actually enjoy the leisurely dining that seems to be a national birthright in Italy and especially in Spain. Well........ at least I enjoy it at dinner time. Someone (a colleague who is Spanish) told me that it is considered rude for waitstaff to indicate at all that they are rushing you out the door. Apparently delivering the check and taking your payment are such indications.... ;)

Absolutely; that is the same in Australia. My daughters have both worked as waitstaff when at university and if it is an expensive restaurant, they had to wait for the bill to be requested.

Also we are used to leisurely meals and I found the dinners on the Eurodam, though good, too rushed even in the second sitting.

[4774Papa]

I wonder what would have happened if you have put five euros on the counter and walked out?

[Langley Cruisers]

I wonder what would have happened if you have put five euros on the counter and walked out?

 

Pardon? :confused: Why would someone do that? Not pay their bill?

[cruisemom42]

Of course, 15 euro each for a gelato pales in comparison with this story some of you may remember from a couple of years ago about a Japanese couple that were charged 700 euro for a lunch near Piazza Navona. It's worth posting again to remind people: NEVER order something without asking the price first! Always ask to see a menu and if you order something that's not on it, be sure you understand how much it will cost.

 

http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/07/02/us-italy-restaurant-idUSTRE56147J20090702

 

Lest anyone think it was a one-time thing, other tourists came forward after this happened and said the same thing had happened to them at this restaurant (just not to this extremely outrageous level.....)

[Mines]

I got caught two years ago at the same gelato shop near the Spanish Steps.

 

The prices ARE clearly marked, for example 1 scoop 2 euros, 2 scoops 3 euros, special 15. You get the ice cream first with a ticket without a price and then have to go to the counter to pay. By the time you reach the counter, you have already taken a bite out of the gelato, so there is no turning back. You approach the counter with the intention of purchasing two scoops for (you think) 3 euros. The clerk asks you if you want a chocolate covered waffle cone and you say, yes, please. That is considered a special, so you are paying 12 euros for a little bit of chocolate around the cone.

 

This is a con that they have been getting away with for years.

[Langley Cruisers]

This is a con that they have been getting away with for years.

 

Gosh, this is so unfortunate. Oh well, perhaps the small percentage of tourists who are actually members here at Cruise Critic will remember this and know in future. How absolutely awful. Such a blemish on this beautiful city. :(

[CathyCruises]

We had a nice lunch at a restaurant we like near the Spanish Steps. Prices were reasonable. It was November and raining but they had a nice heated outdoor patio and we ate there. After lunch I said to DH, "let's not order coffee, let's stroll a while and then stop in somewhere." He either wasn't listening (:eek:) or didn't agree--when I got back from the Ladies there sat two cups of coffee. Only when the bill came did I see that we had been charged 7 euro per cup! That's one small coffee cup, no refills, almost $10!!!

 

The next time we ate there we ate inside, coffee was about 1-2 euro!

[Poconolady]

The gelato spot near the Spanish steps is by far not the only place in Italy that does this. I have encountered the same situation at several shops in Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan--you just have to be careful everywhere. Look for the signs and be very specific about what you want- and remember that carry out is one price and sit down carries a large surcharge-everywhere in Italy-in a lot more than gelato places. Coffee shops, sandwich shops, sidewalk cafes--this is just the Italian way.

In defense of the Spanish Steps place--their gelato is very good, and if you do sit down and order, the special dish of gelato is spectacular--several scoops, whip cream, cookie, fruit, it is far more than just a dish of ice cream. Worth the price, probably not, but really, how many times are you going to be in Rome this year? You pay for the experience and the memories.

[Karennella]

We had a nice lunch at a restaurant we like near the Spanish Steps. Prices were reasonable. It was November and raining but they had a nice heated outdoor patio and we ate there. After lunch I said to DH, "let's not order coffee, let's stroll a while and then stop in somewhere." He either wasn't listening (:eek:) or didn't agree--when I got back from the Ladies there sat two cups of coffee. Only when the bill came did I see that we had been charged 7 euro per cup! That's one small coffee cup, no refills, almost $10!!!

 

The next time we ate there we ate inside, coffee was about 1-2 euro!

Actually the gelato cost would have shocked me even more than the coffee, as we get charged about $7 quite often at upmarket restaurants in Sydney. And refills are rare. We found the standard price of coffee iin Italy dirt cheap.

The way that gelato is priced, it is obviously to trap people, and I hope it is also reported on Trip Advisor.

But we were in Venice in 1977, backpacking, and it was our dream to return one day and to be able to afford to sit at as restaurant in the square and have a drink. We returned last year and, well, we could have paid the price, but Venice was like a theme park, and I had no desire to pay that price now.

The worst Italian food we have ever had has been in the main tourist places in Italy, be it 1977, 1995 or last year. It is a shame.