3 Hints for Eating at Restaurants in Italy

I once got a piece of pizza in Rome that was so good it probably should have carried a warning for “pregnant women, small children, and people liable to faint when eating really good pizza.” Italian restaurants have great treasures to offer. However, their delights can easily be ruined by a few unexpected charges on your bill. To help preserve these culinary wonders here is a quick overview of what to expect from Italy’s havens of food.

1) Service Fee

It is not uncommon for Italian restaurant to charge for simply sitting at a table. In a sense you rent that little square meter of real estate. In my experience, service charges are around two euros per person.

Finding this on the bill has surprised quite a few Americans. Many of us are pretty used to the custom of paying “whatever I thought your service was worth.” But, in Italy many incredible restaurants are forced to operate out of small basement flats. The number of people they are able to seat (and thus how much business they can do) is limited by how willing drivers are to swerve around the tables they put in the road. These tables are only slightly less valuable than their reputation. By charging to use them the restaurateur is able to encourage people to watch where they sit and consider ordering to take away.

2) Drinks

You are expected to buy a drink. This makes less sense to me than the service fee. Complimentary water is about as common as alligator burgers and if you order water you will get (and be charged for) bottled water. If you want liquid, you must pay.

My attempts to order tap water were usually the beginning of a bad relationship between me and my waiter. I get a quick “no” and he gets the impression that he will be feeding a cheapskate.

3) Tipping

OK, so here is a part where you pay less at an Italian restaurant than an American one. The 15% or so tip that is common in the US is rarely done here. If there is a service fee, don’t tip. You already paid for service. If there isn’t a service fee, tips are sometimes left in the 5% range. All in all you usually just pay about what they ask you to.