Garnì Al Laghet

I don’t usually give one star, so I’m going with two, partly because the tall, bald guy was kind and said a couple of nice things after I accidentally spilled my beer and asked for napkins to clean up. The rest was a really awful experience. We waited 20 minutes for anyone to help, went to the bar to ask, and were told to sit down. After another 10 minutes, we had to insist before anyone took our order. We couldn’t swap the white wine in the combo for an Aperol Spritz, even though the prices were the same, so we ordered two combos anyway. Then, after we’d ordered, a young blond woman told us to stop playing cards with our five-year-old son. We did, but I was shocked and my child almost cried. When I paid, the woman just stared while I waited for a receipt, which she never gave me. The lasagne was okay, and it’s hard to mess up tomatoes with mozzarella, but they showed no feeling for children. That will come back to them.

We had a lovely lunch on the outside terrace while staying at the campsite next door. The prices were great for the quality, and there are lovely distant views of lake Garda. The staff were friendly and helpful, and we could bring our dog in.

I left Al Laghet feeling embarrassed and disappointed. I’m more than eight months pregnant, and after finding a public toilet that wasn’t working, I asked the staff if I could use their facilities. I explained the situation politely, but the woman at the bar rudely refused. I’d have been happy to order something, but the way she spoke to me humiliated me in front of other customers. It was upsetting to be met with so little understanding when a simple kindness could have made a real difference.

We stopped for a quick drink and snack, but the hot dogs were awful: cheap, chewy sausages buried in so much sauce that the buns fell apart. When I complained, the woman I assume was the owner shouted abuse at me and threw my change after threatening to call the police to make me pay for the food. All that over two overpriced hot dogs. Avoid.