Moretto Bar, or otherwise – Caffe Moretto, located right at the Vatican, offers a variety of dishes, including pizza, sandwiches, coffee and desserts. Customers who have visited this establishment accuse it of “robbery in broad daylight” and write dozens of dissatisfied reviews on TripAdvisor. They claim that the cafe charges extortionate prices for food that tastes “terrible” and also forces people to pay tips.
“Classic waiters stand outside and try to lure guests inside and then charge more than 100 euros for two servings of crappy pasta and two colas. Outside, there were prices on the menu, but the waiters escorted us so quickly that we couldn't see anything. And inside the menu there were only pictures,” complained one of the clients of the Roman cafe.
Out of 1,511 reviews on TripAdvisor, 648 were left with a rating of “terrible”, the lowest on the site. The café does no better than Google Reviews, where its average score is 1.5 stars out of 5.
One visitor from Warsaw complained about a “disguised scam” that resulted in more than 50 euros or 4,000 rubles being extorted from him for a few sandwiches. “We wanted to have a quick breakfast and coffee. Ordered two triangular sandwiches with toast and ham with mozzarella, as well as cappuccino and ciabatta. The waiter brought us a bill for 53€. This is a disgusting scam that is happening right next to the Vatican. We were charged 14-16 euros for each sandwich,” he wrote.
The second added that it would be better to go to Mac. “I wouldn't give this restaurant one star! It was terrible, it really was a scam. Wanted to treat a friend to what I thought would be an Italian dinner, but it's not. Actually would not recommend. I should have gone to Mac. Stay away! Overpriced and the food was terrible. The waiter made us tip, which should not have happened, and when we said that we had no change, he started to argue and told us to pay him in English money, although the service fee was included, ”shared a cafe customer.
A tourist from Saudi Arabia shared a snapshot of his check for 143 euros, that is, more than 12,000 rubles, and noted that the prices in the cafe are much higher than visitors think. “To all the tourists visiting the Vatican… beware of this restaurant. They have a special scheme to defraud customers. They will show you a menu with a lower price, and after you eat and ask for your bill… You will be shocked by the prices on your orders… 2 times higher! Indeed, we were disappointed despite the holiness of the place,” he commented.
Despite the fact that the reviews are overwhelmingly negative, there are those who found the cafe good. “Absolutely amazing burgers, great, fast and friendly service by an amazing waiter named Alexander. Desserts are divine, beautiful fresh food, great coffee…can’t fault this cafe/bar…5 stars,” wrote one such person.
“We visited the Vatican Museums, it was raining heavily, so we decided to have lunch here to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Our waiter Alexander was charming and when we said we were celebrating he and the other waiters sang “Happy Birthday” to us which I found very funny. My starter, bruschetta with tomatoes, was delicious, my husband ordered a cheese and meat platter, he was unhappy to see pieces of melted cheese on it at a price of 18 euros! We shared steak, french fries and salad as the main course. The steak was excellent, melted in your mouth and was very tasty. We enjoyed our tiramisu and pistachio cheesecake desserts, all washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio. All in all a wonderful holiday dinner, the bill was big. Yes, it was expensive, but you are in Rome, you have a choice, and if you want to eat cheap, go to McDonald's,” a couple of tourists from the British city of Hull told about their experience.
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