La Leonessa In Chiari

03/08/2024: Very nice restaurant and excellent service, excellent food too, although I must say that the prices in my opinion are higher than other restaurants that offer the same

29/06/2024: We booked a dinner for 4 people to celebrate my birthday. The restaurant is located in the beautiful L’Albereta hotel. Unfortunately already at the greeting we faced the first disappointment. We specifically asked for a table outside, but we were told by rather unfriendly host that tables outside are reserved for hotel guests. He tried to accommodate us at some side table, not the nicest, but I appreciate the effort. We had to eventually move inside because of the rain and here again, we got a rather dark table at the back of the restaurant while other guests got the tables by the window. The food was good, but the mood was already destroyed by the poor hospitality. Also, the attention to service wasn’t great. We got our pre-dinner cocktails almost together with the starter. Totally improper for a restaurant of this level. The sommelier wasn’t interested at servicing us at all. Once we got our bottle of wine, together with the main dish (way too late) nobody was serving us anymore and we had to pour the wine on our own several times. Again, not a problem, but not acceptable at this type of restaurant. Since it was my birthday, I got a little candle in my desert. Cute. But I got disappointed when I saw 2 other tables also celebrated their birthdays and got an extra cake with a candle, which didn’t look like they specifically ordered. So I assume our table just didn’t get it. I think we were treated worse than others. Finally, when we were paying, the lady, who I assume looked like a restaurant manager, asked us how was the dinner and I said not really great, she just ignored it. To sum up, the place is nice, the food proper, but the service, specifically from a more senior staff, leaves a lot to desire. We planned to stay at the hotel next time when we visit the Franciacorta region, but after the visit at the restaurant, we will probably not come back.