I was so pleased to find another review on this restaurant albeit written two years ago. I have been to Venice four times now and probably won't go back. We stayed at Mestre this time as it was too expensive to stay in the city. I recommend everyone on a budget to do this or go into the city for a day on foot then move on.

At the end of our first tourist day we wanted to eat and we discovered most restaurants in the centre were closing by 8.30 so we headed back to Piazzale Roma. Close by the Piazzale and opposite the railway on the side of the canal we spotted Ristorante Roma and were so hungry we were compelled to eat there. They obviously can spot suckers! Like Ed Hahn said in his journal they charmingly ushered us to a seat. We were quietly outraged by the prices but decided we had to eat there because Venice is so expensive. We ordered an omelet and a bowl of hearty soup and bread.

I asked emphatically for the house wine and we couldn't afford any other. Another waiter brought our food whilst our original unlovely bored waiter hovered in a back room watching the diners. The wine we received was in a small bottle. There were many waiters and service was efficient but supercilious. Our bill was $56+ euros for soup and omelet and a bottle of what was supposed to be house wine which was 26 euros, which in NZ dollars is over $50 - a rip-off considering we could buy glorious wine at the supermarkets for 3 to 4 euros.

Of course we didn't tip at all and showed our displeasure when the original creepy waiter came out to grab the money. The next night we had a picnic in our hotel room.

This was the most expensive meal we had in Europe apart from one at Monacao which was infinitely better.

I realise the Venetians have a problem with tourists and have tourists menus and local menus and charges but the way they are going and their downright rudeness and arrogance will only turn people away. I for one will not go back. It's a shame for the city has so much to share. Shame they cannot do that with grace and charm.

We choose it because the maitre d’ is very friendly and, as we look into the dining room, it seems pleasant with candles on the tables and uniformed waiters. We check the menu, and while the prices are high, they are not totally out of sight and the location is such that we expect to pay more for our food.

We are right about the view; it is fantastic, but everything else is, at best, pedestrian. I’m not an expert in Italian wines, so we order an expensive Chianti. When I taste it, I think, well, it’s a little acidic, but it just needs to breathe a little. Unfortunately, breathing doesn’t help. The wine never mellows. Our surly waiter keeps hovering as we try to enjoy our overpriced wine and decide whether to stay or leave. We decide to stay, and with much sighing, he takes our order and keeps asking us if we want to order an antipasto as we keep saying no.

We never see the waiter again until he delivers the bill. Another server brings our food, and when I start to eat, I realize why the original waiter disappeared. The food is horrible: fatty veal, frozen vegetables that have had all the life cooked out of them, and oily roasted potatoes that look and taste as if they had been waiting all day for us to arrive.

The evening’s denouement comes when our original waiter, on only his second appearance, delivers the check and announces that he wants to be sure we understand that the service charge is not a tip. It is the only time that we see him attempt a smile. Tom and I have problems swallowing our laughter. After I pay the bill and get my change, I deliver an old insult remembered from my days as a traveling executive by leaving him a few small coins, maybe 10 cents, and insuring he sees me doing it.

On our way out, the maitre d’ asks most solicitously and seriously if we enjoyed our meal. We finally break out laughing and tell him it was not only the worst meal we have had in Italy, but that it may be the worst meal we’ll have in Europe. Turns out that we are right!

Do not go to this restaurant.