Restaurant Charged Japanese Students Over 1000 Just For Steak In Venice Italy

After enjoying a relatively modest meal of four steaks, a plate of fried fish and water, a group of Japanese students were shocked to receive a bill for $1,143 from a restaurant in Venice. The mayor, Luigi Brugnaro, has called it a ‘disgraceful’ episode and vowed to investigate.

The group of students, who were on a trip from their home in Bologna, had dined at Osteria da Luca near St Mark’s Square when the incident happened. It’s not clear why the four men waited until their return to Bologna to file a complaint but to add insult to injury the three women they were with decided to dine at another restaurant to save money – only to end up paying €350 for three plates of pasta.

‘We will thoroughly examine this episode and we’ll make sure the complaint was made properly,’ mayor Brugnaro, said on Twitter. ‘If this disgraceful episode is confirmed, we’ll do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice – always!’

The case caught the attention of an association of local campaigners called Gruppo 25 Aprile, the April 25 Group. Their spokesperson, Marco Gasparinetti, told Venezia Today it’s yet another case of this kind in Venice.

Restaurants close to tourist attractions often have higher prices

Osteria da Luca, which Italian media have reported as owned by Chinese investors and managed by an Egyptian, has a 1.5 rating out of five on TripAdvisor with a whopping 83% of visitors calling it ‘Terrible’. Reviews describe the restaurant as ‘rip off central’, ‘the worst place in the world’ and ‘full of scammers’.

With Venice Carnival kicking off on Saturday 27 January, the April 25 Group are planning to publish a ‘user’s guide’ for tourists with advice on how to avoid falling victim to these eye-wateringly expensive scams. A seal of approval for local businesses is also being considered.

Whether from Italian-owned businesses or otherwise, this is just the latest in a number of reports of tourists being ripped off in Venice. In November, a British tourist branded the Trattoria Casanova – also near St Mark’s Square – ‘horrible and disgusting’ after being charged €526 for lunch.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.