The biggest Italy restaurant scams is an important thing to know if you plan on doing Italy travel. In this Italy video I will discuss how to avoid a restaurant scam in Italy, tourist traps and tourist scams, Italian food to try and more.
I’ve been living in Italy for many years and have lots of Italy travel tips to share on scams to avoid in Italy, be it a restaurant scam in Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, eating near tourist attractions in Italy, tipping in Italy, how to recognize a tourist trap restaurant, and restaurant scams in Italy in general.
I’ll give you travel advice on biggest tourist traps and scams in Italy, Italian tipping culture, Italian dishes and more. So next time you plan on traveling to Italy, you feel fully prepared!
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For more ITALY TRAVEL TIPS:
10 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE ORDERING IN AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT I Italy Travel: https://youtu.be/EymuIruAyJE
ROME TRAIN STATION – Everything You MUST Know Before Traveling to Rome I Roma Termini I Rome Travel: https://youtu.be/Az0DCWt58wc
HOW TO SEE FLORENCE IN ONE DAY – Your PERFECT Travel Guide! I Florence, Italy I Italy Travel:
HOW TO PLAN YOUR FIRST TRIP TO ITALY – EVERYTHING You Need to Know! I Italy Travel: https://youtu.be/EprXlQhyTag
MUST HAVE APPS FOR TRAVELING ITALY I Best Travel Apps I Italy Travel: https://youtu.be/JCoQawQ_hlc
HOW TO TRAVEL ITALY BY TRAIN – The Best Way to Travel in Italy! I Italy by Train: https://youtu.be/GpZtYQRf8Y8
ROME: HOW TO USE ROME SUBWAY- WATCH BEFORE You Travel to Rome! I Rome Travel Guide I Rome, Italy: https://youtu.be/9IP4ZYOHB58
HOW SAFE IS ROME IN 2024 – Watch Before Traveling to Rome! I Rome Travel Guide I Rome, Italy: https://youtu.be/N_IujrVRTpM
THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU TRAVEL TO ROME – TOP 10 Local Tips! I Rome Travel Guide I Rome, Italy: https://youtu.be/Cd8DMfdwWys
ORVIETO, ITALY – Your Perfect Day Trip From Rome! I Italy Travel: https://youtu.be/58pel0ejpoI
MONTEPULCIANO, ITALY – YOUR PERFECT Travel Guide I Tuscany, Italy I Italy Travel: https://youtu.be/_Iq8dGVJRY8
15 AIRPORT HACKS YOU NEED TO KNOW! I Flying Tips for 2024 I Travel Tips: https://youtu.be/lJtMeZFx4Kc
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#italytravel #italy #italyscams
Fabulous people welcome to my channel and welcome to Italy the country of many things incredible architecture perfect weather the best food culture but unfortunately numerous tourist cams from Milan to palmo every few weeks social media and newspapers share yet another successful attempt to rip a foreign customers in bars and restaurants so to
Make sure sure you don’t fall a victim to one of the numerous tourist traps today I’ll make you aware of the biggest Italy restaurant scams please make sure to share this video with anyone who plans on traveling to Italy soon and of course before we begin please remember
To smack that like button and if you’re new to my channel and my vibe and the vibe of this Channel resonates with you I invite you to subscribe all right fabulous people let’s get started the first restaurant scam that I see happening over and over again throughout
All the major cities in Italy including Rome Florence Venice Milan Etc is A well-dressed waiter standing outside inviting you to dine at their restaurant sometimes even showing you the menu guys just think about it for a second if the restaurant is truly authentic and popular do you really think that they
Will need to ask clients to come in first of all all this kind of places are always packed with locals second they will have lines for miles outside of the restaurant people just standing and waiting to get inside some of these restaurants are so busy that you have to
Make reservations weeks in advance if not months sometimes they don’t even take reservations at all so you have to come in and actually stand in line for hours so if restaurant is begging you to even look at their menu it’s an obvious tourist trap restaurant now another way
To tell if a place is a tourist trap is if you see a menu outside with lots of different pictures of the dishes or Worse the actual Italian dishes just standing there outside chilling disgusting now I know in some countries it’s actually customary to have plates of food being played outside but in
Italy it’s a sign that you’re about to walk into a tourist trap so avoid at all cost now here I want to mention that it’s quite different than seeing someone in the window over restaurant making pasta not always but often these restaurants actually do have really nice authentic Italian food but again not
Always now here I want to pause for a second because I’m sure sure by now you’re wondering Anastasia so how to avoid tourist traps in Italy of course I will go into many different ways as we proceed with the video but one of the best ways is to hire a local travel
Agent who will organize plan and book every single thing for you from accommodations to Transportation tours activities and of course restaurants something that my travel agency has been doing for years for clients from all over the world that will save you countless plan in hours and help you to
Avoid disappointment when you get here to Italy and of course I will make sure to leave you a link to my travel agency in the description down below and please remember no matter what travel agency you decide to go with you want to work with a local agent who actually lived or
Lives in the country you are traveling to because you don’t want to work with an agent who does exact same research online as you would you want to work with a travel agent who actually goes themselves to those local authentic restaurants and who knows personally accommodation hosts drivers
Tour guides that they will be planning organizing and booking for you probably one of the biggest tourist trps in Italy are restaurants near tourist attractions in every video where I share Italy travel tips I practically beg people to avoid these places and yet every day when I pass by the pantheon Piaza naona
Kisum Etc I see them packed with tourists eating most of the time microwaved average at best overpriced lasagna or carbonara so let me just say it again with hope that as many people as possible will hear me please avoid restaurants near the popular sites in Italy at all costs of course you’re more
Than welcome to grab a drink there because let’s be honest it’s hard to ruin sprits but please avoid eating at those places I don’t want to see any member of The Fabulous Community sitting in front of the pantheon enjoying lasagna which by the way does not even
Belong to this region if you want the best lasagna in Italy you have to go to bolognia and in Rome stick to traditional Classics like carbonara amanae Kara Romana okay now I’m getting really hungry now my next travel advice for the restaurant camps in Italy has to do with
Carefully checking the menu at a restaurant even before you sit down one read carefully the small print like cover and any service charge for larger groups number two if you can ask for one menu in English and one menu in Italian to compare prices sometimes no actually
A lot of times in touristic places the menu in English will have higher prices yes it is unfair yes it is illegal but unfortunately it happens all the time number three one of the tricks that I learned after living in Italy for over a decade is that in tourist menu
Restaurants the menu is less likely to include seasonal produce for example Arch chokes or rikio are seasonal and because of this you are more likely to find this ingredients in dishes in good authentic traditional tras the same cannot be said about a tourist restaurant most likely you will find
Standard Italian dishes on the menu in those restaurants like spaghetti bolog or lasagna when you receive the bill I always recommend double checking to make sure everything is correct if something isn’t right like an extra glass of wine or terisu for example don’t just pay and leave because you don’t want
Confrontations you have every right to question the bill if something that you see isn’t right be polite but firm and you will see how quickly that bill is going to be changed to the right amount unfortunately most of the time when they do bring you the bill with extra charges
Most likely they know about it and they’re just testing the waters but if they notice that you noticed that bill will be changed to the right amount without questions asked finally let’s discuss tippen in Italy and I go into more details on this subject in my video 10 things you should know before
Ordering at an Italian restaurant and of course I’ll make sure to leave a link to that video in the description down below first please know that Italians don’t have an obligatory tip in culture but they know that Americans do this isn’t a scam so much but an attempt to take
Advantage of the fact that you are not familiar with Italian Tippin culture so by the end of your meal you might feel pressured by your waiter to live a tip sometimes they will tell you that the tip is not included it always is included sometimes they will insist on
The tip in rare cases they will tell you that their shift is about to end and you should pay the bill and of course leave them the tip in rarest cases they will literally chase down the street American tourists insistent on the tip the bottom line unless your service was truly
Superb and you want to thank your waiter for Extra Care and attention by giving them a few Euros do it otherwise stay firm please remember that tipping in Italy be it at a restaurant a cab or anywhere else isn’t obligatory if you feel like you’re getting scammed be at a
Restaurant a taxi a store or anywhere else make sure to stand up for your yourself and if you feel like you’re getting nowhere with your waiter or a taxi driver call the police I don’t want for anyone to feel that just because you’re a foreigner you don’t have the
Same rights because trust me if Italians get themselves in a situation that gets out of hand they will not hesitate twice to call the police so know your rights always stand up for yourself and here is the police phone number for you just in in case all right fabulous people thank
You so much for watching this video on how to avoid a restaurant scam in Italy of course it wasn’t meant to scare you or talk you out of traveling to Italy but simply for you to be aware of any unpleasant situations that might happen when you’re doing Italy travel and of
Course before you go please remember to smack that like button and if you’re new to my channel and my vibe and the vibe of this Channel resonates with you I I invite you to subscribe and I truly hope to see you all in my next video
28 Comments
Your videos are so helpful, I hope I can avoid these types of restaurants on my trip this Fall!
Good Video. Mumbai Indian.
I once ate there at Piazza Navona. That wasn't that bad, by the way. Was too tired walking to look any further. But the food was decent (saltimbocca alla romana). But I agree with you. It is cheaper and better to go just a few tiny streets away. Small trattorias, sometimes barely visible from outside. Best food there. 😊
Grazie
Thank You again for all of your information. See you in May
When we went to Osteria da Fortunata and were ready to settle our bill, we were forced by the waiter to pay a tip, not only that, we were asked to tip 10% or more. This resto was the only one that forced us to tip, not sure if this is a typical practice at this resto. Service was rushed and food was ok not great. Don’t think i’ll be going back as there are tons of other amazing restos all over Rome.
I ate at Da Enzo, waited 1 hr and was second in line. Has the carbonara…it was over salted ! my god…salty as hell. but the rest was good.
We were just robbed in metro Station in Rome 😅
Wonderful tips! Thanks so much!😊
I'll be visiting Rome and Florence in April and I really appreciate your tips.
Don't forget, Inventors of the World.
Italians must marry Italians.
✝️🇮🇹🇺🇲✝️
Great advice – Thank u again
Just go where the locals go! There you won’t find waiters that… let’s say… aren’t really italian, like you can see in the video! Stay away from those places, they are traps for tourists and the food is absolutely 💩 compared to real Italian food!
I’m brazilian and never have I ever wanted to visit Italy.
Lei ha proprio ragione! Grazie per questo video!
Aah! Carciofi alla Giudia! Buonissimo! – But I'm not sure everyone will enjoy your suggestion of trippa …
We have travelled from Sweden to Italy yearly for many years, and only been scammed once, more than 20 years ago.
We got an extra day in La Eterna because of a train strike. Not really knowing what to do, by lunchtime we went to a restaurant right by Foro Traiano, and ordered two simple green salads, – with a huge prize tag. – Explore the back streets! That applies even to Trastevere.
1. NEVER enter a restaurant with pictures of their dishes.
2. Never choose a restaurant with 50+ dishes.
3. Preferably don't choose a restaurant with a menu in English on the outside.
4. NEVER visit a restaurant with a "Menu turistico" …
We made another mistake when visiting Genova, following a sign proclaiming "Cucina regionale". It led to a street from which we more or less ran away when we saw the "menu" offered there (aptly named Via Maddalena) …
Do your diligent research and try to learn some "restaurant Italian". You will be MUCH better off then.
And BTW: When in Rome, we always want to have a caffè at Piazza Navona, well aware that you hardly could choose a more expensive place for that in Rome. But just to have a view of the most beautiful square in the world …
(And if you want to buy toys for your children, at the north end of it, there is an fantastic albeit rather expensive toy store. If you long for a 1 meter tall wooden Pinocchio to take home, here is the place to go!).
And – sorry to say, but apparently everybody is treating you much better if they realize that you are not American, at least not in a big tourist group. In northern Italy, that apparently applies for Germans as well. We are often mistaken for Germans because of our native language, and when we explain "Siamo Svedese" everýone lightens up!
I love this channel, always the best info
Another brilliant video, thank you. Your hair looks different, and the style suits you 😊
Can anyone recommend a restaurant near the trevi fountain ?
Just in Italy in December- Rome local high quality restaurants are vicious to Americans – if you are lucky enough to get seated
However we had good quality food even at touristy places just not right near the top sights and good service no problem with the bill – of course need to be careful and check the bill always
Best food in Florence and Venice – wouldn’t wait in long lines for any meal
I've read that Italy is sensitive to gluten-free needs. Are there gluten-free options in all restaurants? Are there special gluten-free restaurants?
Hello! I have been looking at your videos preparing for our trip in April!
My main question is, we are a family of 6, and will be traveling from Munich all the way down to Naples over a 3 week time frame. Going a lot of different places,
would it be cheaper to rent a car or take trains everywhere?
The biggest scam in America is the tip (I was threatened by a waiter who told me that tipping was mandatory and 15% minimum) that as a client you owe even when the service has been awful. That is a real rip off.
When went to a "non-tourist restaurant" recommended by one of the youtube channels, and it was honestly shocking. It was super busy with many locals, so I thought we were safe. We were not. They definitely targeted the tourists, and we even saw multiple tour groups be seated WITH their guides. We were never given a menu, the owner was running around asking "appertivo?" or "meat or fish?" and ended up serving us a nearly 4 course dinner, for lunch. when we said we didn't want something he looked offended so we said okay. By the end of the lunch it took over an hour and a half, we were stuffed, and we paid more than any other restaurant that we went to in Rome. We were looking at a nearly 120 euro bill just for lunch. I was appalled. So if anyone sees this comment, if you go to a restaurant that doesn't give you a menu right away, either ask for it, or leaves, so you don't end up like us. I am still bitter about this.
Problem in Rome is they all have people standing outside around all the main sites. I was there 4 days never seen a restaurant with a giant line. In Florence I had to reserve a spot at this steak restaurant. I think I spent 90 bucks for this giant t bone. It wasn’t worth it. Actually their french fries were great. If u like steaks from America DO NOT BUY STEAKS in Italy. I had 2. Both swing and a miss. This lady is right about the restaurant s around the sites were not that great. Food much better in Venice. No doubt but free bread in Italy sucked
Thanks for the tips and useful info
An Italy tourist scam restaurant is still better than 90% of American Italian food.
What I didn’t get – should I tip the waiter or not (because it’s always included)?