08/10/2025: Great food, big portion, nice service
06/10/2025: This small restaurant in Servola, a medieval village near Trieste, occupies a house built in the days of horse-drawn carriages, mules, and carriages. Today, cars barely fit, while buses glide past the walls, never losing their momentum.
A first-time visitor is left feeling a bit incredulous, as if they've just stepped through a time portal: narrow, curving streets, stone houses, and "mules" savoring delicacies that nourish the soul more than the body.
The tables look like they've stepped out of the golden age of Italian cinema, the kind you'd expect from a comedy starring Alberto Sordi. An orderly line on the outdoor terrace, and a cozy indoor dining room that smells of authentic everyday life, albeit with an American name.
Here, service is quick and the food is quick, but not in a rush. No draft beer: only bottles, juices, and cold drinks from the dining room's refrigerator. There are a few main courses, such as chicken breast or steak, but the heart of the menu is spaghetti (or its short cousin), served still steaming hot and without too many frills.
Every now and then you'll find a solitary customer or patient, indulging in a psychiatric session of gastronomic self-care at a reasonable price, but more often it's couples and groups of friends who fill the tables, transforming a lunch break or dinner into a small shared ritual.
Servola has many views that tell the story of the city, but this place tells another story: that of simple, fast, and authentic food. Here, you don't dine; you participate.
Enjoy your meal.