Casa Monte

We stopped in for a meal and had such a nice time. The woman working there kept smiling, which made the whole visit feel really pleasant. If you’re nearby, it’s worth stopping in :)

The setting is lovely, with a forest clearing and shade from the spruces, but seating is limited. There are only three or four wooden tables with benches, a couple of plain picnic tables with chairs, and a few more under cover. We were already seated when the owner chose to chase guests away instead of opening one of the covered areas. I can’t understand all the positive ratings, especially the ones praising the staff. We left feeling completely humiliated, one of our worst experiences. Maybe it was because we weren’t foreign customers, or maybe it was just a bad day, but I can’t say for sure. The place seems to show up when you search Google for pizza near Bovec, but the drive to Casa Monte may be wasted. We read the reviews and tried to reserve as suggested, but the published phone number was unavailable the whole time. A huge disappointment.

We waited an hour for our pizzas after ordering at 6:40, despite having a 6:30 reservation. The pizzeria seemed unhappy to see us when we arrived, and the explanation for the delay was that there were lots of takeaway orders. If takeaway gets served ahead of people sitting down, I wonder why run a restaurant at all. A food truck would make more sense. The location is wonderful and the pizzas are very good, which makes it such a shame. They don't take credit cards, and of the four beers listed on the menu, only three were available. This place might have been good once, but it isn't anymore.

If you’re thinking of going, call ahead first. I didn’t see any notice saying a reservation was required, and I don’t know whether they were having problems that day or the waitress was simply having a bad day. We hadn’t even sat down when I politely asked if they had room for four or five of us without a booking. Several tables were empty but had reservation signs. She didn’t greet us, and immediately shouted in an aggressive tone that they wouldn’t serve us because there was a market inspection and they couldn’t serve people without reservations. We were stunned and left. It felt like she’d just made up the reason. Normally I wouldn’t review a restaurant without trying the food, and I’d understand if they only accepted bookings. I’d even like to believe the pizzas are good and give them a try, but the way we were treated put us off going anywhere near the place again, even if the pizzas were the best.