Situated a mere stones-throw away from Rome’s famous Piazza Navona, a romantic meal for two Japanese tourists in the Passetto restaurant turned out to be such as costly experience that it probably left a bad taste in the two diners’ mouths.
The unlucky couple must have nearly fallen over when they were presented with a credit card bill which totalled a whopping 579 Euros! And that was not all, the crafty owner allegedly tacked on an extra 115 Euro tip! Talk about adding insult to injury. This brought the grand total to around 700 Euros. Quite a pricey bite to eat!
Obviously believing that they had been royally ripped off by the suspected sharp practices of this Roman restaurateur, and after having tried to dispute the bill, the Japanese couples’ next stop was the local constabulary (two unlucky Japanese couples! – see update below). The Roman police must have agreed that the price was rather on the steep side, and promptly brought charges against the owner for this probable con trick.
Not only has the owner of this pricey and apparently popular eatery been charged with fraud, but his establishment is also being investigated for hygiene regulation infringement, according to reports on the L’Unità and other Italian news websites. At present the Passetto Restaurant in Rome’s Via Zanardelli is closed.
UPDATE: January 2015 – the Passetto restaurant is now open once more and is, I’ve been advised, under new management and has new staff too. A commenter has stated that the food is good and prices reasonable – though bear in mind that the commenter could have a vested interest.
Note that the infamous rip-off incident happened in 2009 which is a long time ago.
Maybe an anonymous restaurant restaurant reviewer could pay a visit and let us all know how the ‘new’ Passetto is. I would, but I’m not in Rome.
——————
Back to the story about the roguish Passetto:
Want to know what the average Passetto restaurant price per head is?
Ten Times the Average Price
According to a couple of Rome restaurant listing and review web sites, the Passetto restaurant, which serves supposedly superior sustenance; when not ripping off tame tourists that is; charges between between fifty and sixty Euros a head, though this price does not include drinks, just in case you were curious. The Passetto does not seem to get the greatest of reviews either. One wonders why.
The tourist surcharge appears to have been somewhat excessive to say the least. One can imagine the proprietor’s explanation: ‘I’m sorry, but the risotto was made with real gold, and the lobsters were fished out of the Tiber just this afternoon.’, or something like that. Such excuses must not have held much water with the Roman police though. To find out what the Japanese tourists actually ate, see Rome restaurant in hot soup for 700-euro lunch tab on Reuters.
Have You Been Royally Ripped Off by this Rome Restaurant?
It is probable that these Japanese tourists were not the first to have been taken for an unappetizing ride in this Roman restaurant – indeed, and as I suspected, they were not – please see the update below. So, if you have eaten the Passetto restaurant in Rome, and were rather taken aback by the bill, maybe you should bring this to the attention of the Rome police.
The Commissariato Trevi-Campo Marzio police station in Piazza del Collegio Romano, 3, Rome, telephone: 0039 06 690121, Fax: 0039 06 46862957, would be a good place to start, seeing as the police there know a thing or two about the Passetto restaurant‘s allegedly overly inflated prices, as this is the very police station to which the Japanese tourists, who believed that they had been thoroughly ripped off, reported their sour tale.
UPDATES:
Another Japanese Couple Question a High Bill for Eating at the Passetto
After having written all about the allegedly dodgy business practices at the Passetto restaurant in Rome, details of another astronomic bill have come to light. Once again, it was Japanese diners who had to cough up more than they expected. This time the princely sum handed over to for eating in the Passetto was ‘only’ €352. Nonetheless, quite a price to pay for the pleasure of having eaten in this Roman restaurant. The allegedly inflated €352 bill included ‘taxes’, although just what these taxes were for is not all that clear. Probably a tax for being Japanese in Rome!
More here, in Italian: Spunta altro conto salato a Il Passetto – Another High Bill at the Passetto Comes to Light – Excite.
Another Update: 6 August, 2009
Reader, Ichiro, who I believe is Japanese, tells me that:
…After the rejection of the (first) invitation by Italian government, tourism minister, Michela Brambilla, invited Mr Yamada and his partner again, this time by money of private companies of Italy.
Mr Yamada declined the proposal, and said “Ms Brambilla, please come to Japan for campaign by yourself. We would like to have meal with you when you come.”
Readers of Japanese might like to read more here: Asahi News Paper
Good suggestion on down-to-earth Mr Yasuyuki Yamada’s part. Hopefully Michela Brambilla will take him up on his offer – travelling on finance provided by “private companies of Italy”, naturally.
Update: 30 July, 2009
I read that Italy’s tourism minister, Michela Brambilla, had offered the Japanese tourists, who had been fiddled out of the thick end of 700 Euros at the Passetto Restuarant, a holiday at the Italian taxpayers’ expense. Yasuyuki Yamada, the Japanese holidaymaker concerned, responded with a ‘thanks, but no thanks’ observing that ripping off tourists is something which goes on the world over, not just in good old Rome.
Yamada also wisely added that spending taxpayers’ money in this way was not really fair on the Italian population. And, as his vacation in Italy had not been at all bad, up until the Passetto incident presumably, this extremely reasonable Japanese gentleman said that he would certainly think about returning to Italy for another holiday – but at his own expense.
Let’s hope that the Italian authorities make a quiet note of his name, so the next time Yasuyuki Yamada or his partner set foot on Italian soil, either or both of them receive a subtle form of red carpet treatment!
Source: La Repubblica – Turisti giapponesi truffati a Roma: “Non torniamo a spese del governo” – Japanese tourists fleeced in Rome: “We won’t return at the expense of the Italian government”. – in Italian.
Today’s Italian Lesson
Learn this Italian phrase, written sort of phonetically: ‘Mee dah eel men-ooh an-kay in ee-tal-ee-aah-no, pair pee-ah-chair-ay’, and you should get a menu in Italian, if the eatery has one which is not in both English and Italian. This should help you avoid being given the ‘rip-off the tourist’ menu.
Funny this story should have come up, I recently wrote about how to avoid restaurant rip-offs in Rome, in a post about Rome’s Piazza Navona, too! See Rome’s Most Famous Piazza?
This post sparked a few negative comments on Italy’s primary eternal tourist destination as well: Italy Doesn’t Give a Damn about Tourists, see the comments.
Beware when roaming Rome in search of a succulent supper, or lunch, for that matter.
Here is Rome’s, currently closed, Passetto Restaurant website, it’s in English too.
Places to Eat in Rome – Readers’ Suggestions
As a result of this post and the comments it generated, I rustled up another based on Blog from Italy’s readers’ suggestions. So if you would like the names of some potentially reliable places to eat in Rome, please try here: Where to Eat in Rome, Some Suggestions
Should you be looking for somewhere to stay in Rome, then I suggest you have a look at my In Rome Doing Stuff post which talks about the charming Albergo Cesàri. I would recommend this well located hotel, which just happens to be a short walk from the Trevi Fountains.
Your Experiences – Please read
By all means tell Blog from Italy and its readers your tales of woe, but, unless you have won a law suit against any company or establishment, please do not mention its name, and only refer to it in general terms. Neither Blog from Italy nor its author Alex Roe wish to damage the good name of businesses, and note that management can change, meaning that previous episodes may not be repeated, and also thus render past episodes irrelevant.
The post above is based on a real case as reported in the Italian press, and note that the establishment concerned has been charged, but that a charge is not the same as a conviction. It is possible that the proprietor can justify the level of the seemingly excessive bill levied on the Japanese tourists concerned.
If you do want to name names, then please use the contact system on this site, and, the names of the businesses concerned will be passed on to the proper authorities who may then choose to investigate further.
I would welcome any informal advice from passing Italian lawyers on the potential legal liability of mentioning the names of businesses in connection with events which places them in a bad light on a web site such as this. Thank you in advance.
Avoid taxi driver rip offs, book an airport transfer and more through City Discovery:
Blog from Italy receives a small commission on any purchases made via the advert above, so thank you if you do make a purchase.
Sources:
Pranzo da 580 euro, a Roma chiuso il ‘Passetto’ – 580 Euro Dinner, the Passetto in Rome Closed – in Italian, L’Unità 1 July, 2009
Piazza Navona photo by pynomoscat: pynomoscato
olen says
well my web friends .. i got some news for you !!!! after 1 year of being totally close
a new management got this historical restaurant in Rome .. did a 3 month work on renovations and finally
is back in town .. OPEN..
same name but complete different style .. people .. chef ..
no more bullshit like the old rip off people that had it but serious italian crew
and i had two times the chance to eat and guess what : was great food and the price was normal
so spread the word.. if you want
Passetto is Back in town and it’s back for the romans and the rest of the world
olen
Alex Roe says
There are lots and lots of restaurants in Italy, Olen, though very few actually make it into the press for ripping off customers. The Passetto case was an exception but shouldn’t have happened. The problem for the new Passetto may be the old Passetto in that people might search the www, find stories about the rip off incident and decide it’s not worth visiting. A name change might have been a good idea.
I won’t spread the word, but will update this post to point out that the restaurant is now under new management.
Best,
Alex
Janice says
I completely agree with you. Tourists are cheated all over the world, not only in Italy.
Francesca Maggi says
I went by there the other night — the place is closed, but, I believe for restructuring! Obviously, they have a lot of excess cash in a down economy to spend…
But, it’s not just there — looks like something similar happened recently to a Japanese couple in Milan — perhaps instead of inviting the couples to Italy, the Ministry of Tourism can take out an ad IN ITALY stating, “The Japanese economy has been in the toilet since the 1980s. Please leave them alone!!)
Bravissimo. I look forward to more posts.
Francesca Maggi
Alex Roe says
I dare say the Passetto will reopen under another name – the current one is not exactly a good brand at the moment!
It will be interesting to see if the owners remain the same though.
I did not hear about any incident in Milan – have you got a link?
“…the Ministry of Tourism can take out an ad IN ITALY stating, “The Japanese economy has been in the toilet since the 1980s. Please leave them alone!!”
–not a bad idea! It might work!
Glad you liked the post.
Best regards,
Alex
Ichiro says
Hi Alex,
Here’s another update. After the rejection of the (first) invitation by Italian government, tourism minister, Michela Brambilla, invited Mr Yamada and his partner again, this time by money of private companies of Italy.
Mr Yamada declined the proposal, and said “Ms Brambilla, please come to Japan for campaign by yourself. We would like to have meal with you when you come.”
Ichiro
(URL of my name is that of the original article of Asahi News Paper)
Alex_Roe says
Many thanks for this, Ichiro – very interesting.
I’ll pop it into the main post – plus link – for readers of Japanese.
Sounds like a smart guy, Mr Yamada – what do you know about him?
Best regards,
Alex
david says
I no longer go to Italy due th constant attempts at rip offs, thievery, and scams. There is really nothing the Italians have that can not be found elsewhere without all the ripping off.
One would think that such a Catholic country would be a bit more civilized, but it is not.
Alex_Roe says
Sorry to hear this, David, but you’ve hit the nail on the head – Italy has something of an image problem.
It’s a shame, as it is a good country to visit, and not a bad one to live in either – but the news which get out does not do Italy any favours at all. And not a whole lot is being done to polish up Italy’s image. Very sad, but true.
As for it being a Catholic country, well, I’ve been here for many years and have realised that the fact the Vatican is here has little to do with the way Italy is. I know others find this paradox odd too.
Best regards,
Alex
Alex says
Hi David,
Once again, thanks for the tips. Very interesting to hear your opinion of the http://www.2spaghi.it site I shall take a look at it.
By the way, your comment on places to eat in Rome led me to putting this together:
https://italychronicles.com/where-to-eat-in-rome-some-suggestions/
“I look like Cruise but with a Gallagher long haircut, definitely.” – if you want to send me a photo, I’ll add it to the Rome post which you inspired!
Any more tips you might have are more than welcome.
Best,
Alex
david says
Hi Alex,
the new post is a good starting point if soemone else is going to
leave more tips and feedbacks. It can burn a new social network website
about dining out in italy.
I’m developing an event city guide here:
http://www.memoroma.com
anyone can write down event articles, i will let a pass to get into the backoffice
and would be possible to have an english side too.
the cruise-gallagher morph is here:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=2173657&l=ff2a1af325&id=542842014
have a nice day
david
Alex says
Hi David,
Glad you gave the post the thumbs up.
“the new post is a good starting point if someone else is going to
leave more tips and feedbacks.”
And yes, I agree, second opinions are required, only I’ll have to watch out for fake opinions. Restaurants which are unscrupulous enough to rip off customers will also be good at leaving comments sending themselves up. I’m trying to think up a way round this, and I have a couple of ideas…
Memoroma looks good, and if you do get any hot tips on good eateries in Rome, let me know, and I will subscribe to your rss feed to see what pops up too.
May I use your cruise-gallagher morph Facebook photo in the post about good places to eat in Rome?
Hope you are having a good day too!
Cheers,
Alex
david says
Cheers Alex,
Of course you can use the photo.
I will be keeping you with up to date tips if new ones
regards
david
david says
That’s why i’m not in use to have meals in city restaurants and within a short drive I prefer to have it in the countryside: good copious food, great table wine, healthy air. Anyway a friend of mine brought me to trastevere a few days ago and we were charged with a regular receipt for just 24 euros when the right bill would have been almost the double, it was not an error because the receipt reported two fixed menus but they do not serve fixed meals in the evening, maybe they thought i was an officer in plain clothes…
What sometimes I enjoy is a fixed 10 euros huge buffet lunch formula in a well known trendy restaurant, i’m not mentioning but it is located close to Ara Pacis monument. Food is daily fresh cooked and including a wine glass you can have whatever all the times you want using the same plate and not changing it. And at around 14:00 they start serving fish too coming from their kitchen restaurant service area next to it. So it is an example of a good service and a winning business model.
Alex says
Thanks for the country tip, David. And very true too. There are some fantastic places off the beaten track in Italy, as many Italians know very well. The food, and the prices are often unbeatable.
Do you look like a policeman??
And thanks too for mentioning good experiences. I often find that Italian restaurants can be generous, and if you have a hearty meal, they will leave a bottle of limoncello or some other goody on the table for you – and they do not charge for this.
Please feel free to mention the buffet lunch place, if you wish. I doubt whether any business owner would bring a law suit against anyone for saying nice things about their place! Sounds like a great place, must find out its name, so I can go there when I find myself in Rome.
Big thanks for being positive,
Alex
david says
Hi Alex,
It’s curious, I don’t look like a police officer.
The restaurant i was talking about is “Gusto” (Piazza Augusto Imperatore,9 – http://www.gusto.it), I just called them, they still have the lunch buffet at €9 including
a small drink or a wine glass from Monday to Friday. The food is
international/mediterranean style mostly cold plates. As I told you they have some meat plates and fish at a later time. Keep in mind they have 3 similar places around the piazza so follow the civic number. Definitely worth the try. Sat and Sun they have a brunch formula and you pay for the wheight of the food you choose. Never tried it.
“Canova” in Piazza del Popolo they have a self-service so the meals
are warm, to returning customers they let a 15% discount card
(you have to ask for it). Good food, fairy prices, there is also an open courtyard
in summer so you can have a smoke without going off the sidewalk.
The restaurant i was brought to trastevere from my friend is called “Carlo Menta”,
prices are still affordable, it was €5 for the first course and €9 for the lamb, around €3 for side-dishes (but we paid much less afterward), avoid the wine table which is horrible. She also brought me to a good gelateria in via dei Coronari called “Gelateria al Teatro”, so she was the local and me the tourist on that lovely night definitely .
“Tonino” is a very small family run trattoria I discovered a couple of years ago, it’s located in Via del Governo Vecchio, 18. Local food, light cool red table wine, very friendly and informal atmosphere and you can still get off this place paying €30 for two people if you didn’t have to much wine…
So this is my recent small experience.
David
Alex says
Thanks for all the useful information on places to try in Rome. Always interesting to hear! And the internet is a wonderful place to spread up to date tidbits of info like this too.
And thanks for actually calling the Guisto place. Local knowledge is by far the best. Indeed, it would be a good idea for Italians to write guides as to where to eat, and then have this translated and put on a website somewhere. Italians just will not eat in a place which is not good, and will not be happy if the table wine is sub-standard.
As for your looking like a policeman, I don’t know. Could have been your having very short hair – which once caused me to be mistaken for a cop. Someone actually showed me their ID!
On one other occasion, quite some time back, someone thought I was a TV personality. No idea which one, but because I looked well known, so to speak, I was treated well. Maybe you bear a passing resemblance to Tom Cruise or Robert De Niro!!
Sounds as though you know Italy well, or live here.
Kind regards,
Alex
PS if you have more tips, let us know!
david says
Hi Alex,
We have a way of saying here when we drive through the countryside: “If you see lots of trucks parked out, it’s a good place to eating out”.
Translated into the city environment it may sounds like: “If you see a lot of locals it’s a good place, but if a lot of tourists dining in, keep out”
A social network called “www.2spaghi.it” is sharing information about italian restaurants, but I do not believe much the feedbacks at all. Human being is interesting because it is composite and totally diiferent from me, some are always complaining and some others are completely the opposite and always saying their last vacation experience was great and their last dine out was gorgeous and when you get into that restaurant they mentioned you find out it was just a regular one like many others.
What I usually do is to check out the menu in if they’re not showing it up on the entrance, and I wish my guest to choose the table place when we seat and not the waiter (sitting next to the toilet door or on the waiters’ way is not a good experience), then I ask to taste for the table wine, if it’s not good I go ahead with a regular branded bottle. That’s what I forgot to do at Carlo Menta in Trastevere because I was completely blinded by my guest. Finally if they let me wait more than half an hour I usually leave a tip for the drinks and leave the table. It’s rare, but sometimes it happens on vacation seaside crowded places.
You guessed right Alex, I look like Cruise but with a Gallagher long haircut, definitely 🙂
and yes, I’m living here.
Talk to you soon,
all the best
david
Man of Roma says
Unfortunately it can happen of being cheated in a restaurant in Rome, but let us not make Rome, as usual, the scapegoat of all that is bad in Italy. There are thousands of good restaurants out there who don’t cheat their clients. Sometimes people from the Far East are often treated like that because people think 1) they are rich and 2) coming from a totally different world.
Alex says
Hi Man of Roma,
I completely agree with you. Tourists are cheated all over the world, not only in Italy.
And, as you say, there are many honest restaurant owners in Rome, and, I’m sure, lots and lots of great eateries too. This means that the alleged actions of one such place in Rome should not mean that all the others are tarred with the same brush.
Let us remember too that tourists should accept that misunderstandings can and do occur, and that even the most honest of establishments can make innocent mistakes.
Still, I hope that news like this manages to dissuade others from being unscrupulous and thus ensure that a holiday in Rome is what it should be: wonderful.
Thanks for commenting.
Kind regards,
Alex
Franco says
Boycott, is the word. Thanks to internet, consumer now have a chance to know better and avoid those fraudolent places. Boycott them!
Alex says
Hi Franco,
While I agree with you, we must all bear in mind that circumstances change, and that what was true once may not be true in the future.
It would not be fair, for instance, to boycott a restaurant which has changed management. Seeing as I do not want to damage businesses, and do not have a legal team behind me, I will not allow business names to be mentioned directly on Blog from Italy, unless there is substantial proof of malpractice, such as law suits being brought and won against businesses for fraudulent activities.
I may seek legal advice on this before I land in court!
Kind regards,
Alex Roe
Maggie says
While in Rome this May we picked a restaurant from our Rick Steves’ guide called (business name removed – Blog from Italy) about 8 blocks from the Vatican museum. Rick mentioned the antipasto buffet at a great value with a dinner sized plateful for 7 euro. We’d had a big lunch and the idea of antipasto cold wine and some gelato sounded perfect. It was a first trip to Italy for our friends, but a 5th trip for my husband and me.
The buffet was actually 8 euro— no problem prices go up after guides are printed. The plates we’re not dinner plates, but maybe six or seven inches. The buffet itself was rather heavy on things that had been drenched in mayonnaise sauces (which I never saw anywhere else in Italy) and cold fried vegetables which just didn’t seem very appetizing. There were some other choices and we each found a few things that looked interesting. When our bill came we had been charged for 5 plates rather than 4. When we called the waiter over to explain he had sort of a rat caught in a trap expression on his face and immediately refused to take the charge off of the bill. He claimed that on of my friends took “abundonza” from the buffet— a convenient charge to make AFTER she’d eaten the food and had no way to defend herself. SERIOUSLY how much can you get on a 7 inch plate? The waiter refused to remove the charge and said we must talk to the owner. The owner refused to speak to us— or even make eye contact. Fortunately we had plenty of euro cash so we marked out the “error” on the bill and left the exact amout of the correct amount we owed and left. We had a good laugh on the way home about our “dine and dash” .
In fairness to Rick Steves, while we don’t go exclusively by his recommendations, every other restaurant we chosen from his books has been simply wonderful— fun, friendly, fantastic service and food.
Ironically, it was the only place in Italy where I truly didn’t mind paying the coperto charge as they had this absolutely fantastic paper thin bread that comes to the table warm, and a little olive oily with a bit of garlic.
I do realize that times are hard for restaurants, not just in Rome but worldwide. (business name removed – Blog from Italy) was pretty empty when we were there— but I don’t think ripping us off is the best way to help with that problem.
Disclaimer: Please note that the example provided by Maggie relates to her personal opinion and personal experience, and Alex Roe and Blog from Italy have no way of verifying her claims, which it is believed are provided in good faith. The opinions of Blog from Italy readers do not necessarily represent the opinions of Blog from Italy.
To protect the name of the business concerned, its name has been removed and to avoid potential legal problems for what is a public site.
End of disclaimer
Alex says
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for mentioning this. And you are right, fleecing tourists is not exactly going to do much for the reputation of any tourist destination, and the stories which you may have told your about this to your friends may have put off some of them from coming to Rome, or Italy even.
Let’s see if any other tales of attempts to put one over on tourists in Rome emerge.
I hope this post does not end up with over 400 comments like my on my post on traffic violations in Italy!
Travel guides are generally reliable, but restaurant management can change too, meaning that what was once an honest eatery can become the devils kitchen! Or something like that.
Best regards,
Alex
Regina says
Sometimes I get the impression that once a restaurant (or small hotel) gets into the guidebooks, they think their work is done and start slacking off. That is why anonymous annual visits should be made to make sure these guys are still on the ball. I think the researchers identify themselves immediately when they come to do their book updates.
Maggie says
Hi Alex,
I doubt that the story of our one rip off restaurant would put any of our friends off from a trip to Rome or Italy, especially balanced against stories of our five trips there in the past four years and dozens and dozens of unforgettable experiences. I would imagine that none of our friends would visit that particular restaurant— but when you try to rip off your patrons in such a blatant fashion I don’t think you expect to get any referrals LOL.
I do hope it would remind other travellers to always check the bill and , of course, to never order anything without seeing the menu or asking the price.
In previous trips we’ve had a handful of bills that were incorrect, and in most cases the mistake was in our favor and we immediately pointed it out to the server. In one case we were charged for something we didn’t order— but found that it was for the next table and was easily corrected.
Alex says
Hi Maggie,
Thanks for chipping in once again. Luckily, it does seem as though these annoying incidents are relatively rare.
And it certainly sounds as if you have had some wonderful times in Italy, so the odd bad experience is not likely to put you off, nor for you to put off others from visiting Italy – which is lovely to hear.
Misunderstandings will always happen, so, as you say, it is always a good idea to check you bill.
Hope that you return to Italy – there is lots to see!
Kind regards,
Alex
Regina says
This gets me mad…Now I wish someone would write about the creepy abusivo taxi driver at the exit to Termini Station for about 2 decades now…he rips tourists off like you wouldnt believe. 80 Euro to go to Piazza Bologna! One of these days I’ll catch him in the act when I have my camera….
stay tuned readers 🙂
Alex says
Yes, Regina, it ain’t a nice tale.
At least the Japanese had the courage to act, and, in doing so, they have probably saved others from being fleeced in Rome by the unscrupulous owner of this and other rotten Roman restaurants.
Hope you catch the dodgy taxi driver. Wonder if he is related to the Passetto’s owner?!
Best,
Alex