A restaurant without a menu
By Porcospino
@Porcospino (31366)
Denmark
April 18, 2019 7:13am CST
When I went to language school in Italy I was friends with one of the other students and we often had lunch together. One day we decided to visit a new restaurant.
The waiter showed us our table. We didn't receive a menu and my friend asked him for the menu. The waiter said: "We don't have a menu. Your food will be ready in a moment" He asked us what we wanted to drink and returned to the kitchen.
A moment later he came back. He was carrying two large frying pans which he placed on the table. The frying pans contained different kinds of meat and vegetables, but I am not sure what the dish was called. It was delicious, but there was far too much food for two people, so we weren't able to eat all of it.
Have you ever been to a restaurant without a menu? How you would feel about that? Would you enjoy the surprise or would it bother you that you couldn't choose your own food?
15 people like this
15 responses
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
I didn't know that some of the other small restaurants in Italy do the same thing. My friend and I didn't know anything about the restaurant when we decided to visit it. We had only seen it from the outside. We got a big surprise when we discovered that we didn't get the chance to choose our food.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Apr 19
@LadyDuck Here they all have menus and many dishes. In most cases it is possible to see the menu outside. Most of them have websites, but not all of them.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457412)
• Switzerland
19 Apr 19
@Porcospino Also here in our region small restaurants do not have a menu. They often have only three or four choices, they write what is available on a little blackboard on the restaurant door.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129379)
• Israel
18 Apr 19
@Porcospino
I guess it would take less off my shoulder to decide what to eat with a menu but yet someone else deciding for me I am not sure I would like it. I have only been to places where they have some kind of menu.
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Apr 19
@Hannihar Yes. If we had received some food that I didn't like I wouldn't have enjoyed the experience.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
All of the other places I have visited had a menu, so this was a different experience. We were surprised when they didn't have a menu. Fortunately we liked the food we received.
1 person likes this
@Hannihar (129379)
• Israel
18 Apr 19
@Porcospino
You were lucky you liked the food.
1 person likes this
@mayka123 (16584)
• India
20 Apr 19
Its a tedious job at times to decide the menu when I visit restaurants. At the same time I would not like to be surprised like this. If I am paying for the food it should be something I like. I dont eat many veggies so may be I would not have enjoyed the dish.
1 person likes this
@mayka123 (16584)
• India
21 Apr 19
@Porcospino I am not sure how I would react if I reached such a restaurant. As it is when I go as a guest to someones house and they serve me food that I dont like I have to force myself to eat it because good manners say you should not hurt or insult your host so I eat quitely what is served. There have been times when I have had to eat food I did not like so to please the host I had a little quantity saying I am not too hungry and when I got out from there I went to a restaurant and had something to eat!!!!!
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
21 Apr 19
@mayka123 I do the same. When I visit someone's home I eat the food they serve. They spent time cooking a meal and I would feel impolite if I didn't eat some of it, but if I don't like the food I usually say that I am not very hungry. I eat some of their food, but not a lot.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
20 Apr 19
I understand what you mean. I also like to choose my food. It is not nice to pay for something I didn't enjoy at all, and that could happen if I don't know what they are going to serve. We thought the restaurant was a normal place when we saw it from the outside, and we were surprised when we didn't get a menu.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Yes, exactly. They only serve one type of food, so if we visit the place it is not possible to buy other kinds of food. Fortunately we liked the food that we received 
Do you have that kind of places in your area? (places with only one type of food)
Do you have that kind of places in your area? (places with only one type of food)1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Apr 19
@wanghui I was very adventurous when I was younger I still like to try news things, but I am probably more careful today.
I still like to try news things, but I am probably more careful today.1 person likes this
@wanghui (894)
• China
19 Apr 19
@Porcospino i think it must be have,but i haven't that spitit of adventure like yours,i don't go into whatever place that i don't know well.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
18 Apr 19
does that mean they only have one dish and one portion size and one price?
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Yes, they only have one dish and one portion size. There was a lot of food, one frying pan would have been enough for two people but we received two. The price was pretty much the same as other restaurants in that city (not cheaper and not more expensive)
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
18 Apr 19
@Porcospino were there many diners?
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
@hereandthere No, there were few people in the restaurant while we were there. We were there around lunchtime, maybe there are more people in the evening.
2 people like this
@responsiveme (22926)
• India
18 Apr 19
I suppose that r restaurant has become famous for that...No menu...A type of speciality.
While traveling on a holiday we had gone to an island for the day...There were many tiny shacks serving food. While they did have a menu and we were looking through it,our guide suggested not to follow that and let the owners decide to give us the ...meal of the day...So we agreed and it was delicious...Lots of fish dishes
2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
I think that restaurant was quite famous. We didn't know the place, but we told one of the teachers from language school about our experience and she immediately knew which restaurant it was.
I might have done the same as you and chosen the meal of the day. I am glad that the dish was delicious. It reminds me of an experience we had in Bangkok. We visited one of the local restaurants. The waitress didn't speak English and we couldn't read the menu. We just chose something and fortunately it was delicious.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Apr 19
In my country the restaurants also have a menu. We can see what kind of food they sell and how much it costs. The restaurant I visited in Italy was a different experience, and it is the only time that I haven't been able to choose my food.
1 person likes this
@Aquitaine24 (11653)
• San Jose, California
18 Apr 19
I have never ben to one without a menu
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
19 Apr 19
I have been to many restaurants, and all of them except this one had a menu. In my own country I have never seen a restaurant without a menu.
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Yes, it is possible that we don't like the food. Our experience was positive, and we received lots of delicious food, but there some kinds of food that I don't like. If I had received that kind of food I don't think I would have enjoyed the experience.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
19 Apr 19
@Porcospino I don't think I would have enjoyed it if I received food I didn't like.
@janethwayne (5193)
• Philippines
18 Apr 19
Well it will be a shock at first and then wonder what they will serve you for you to have.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Yes, exactly. When we were waiting for the food we were curious what kind of food we would receive. We didn't know anything, but fortunately it was a delicious meal.
@Spontaneo (14703)
• United States
21 Apr 19
Basically Italian places that you order either red or white.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
That was our first thought as well. My friend asked for the menu, because he thought that the waiter had forgotten tp give us the menu, and we were surprised when he told us that they didn't have a menu at all.
1 person likes this
@Janet357 (75656)
•
18 Apr 19
@Porcospino am just wondering what was their reason for not having a menu, if it’s a marketing strategy, well, no idea if it does any good.
@LowRiderX (22907)
• Serbia
18 Apr 19
The first thing that comes to my mind is that this restaurant is oriented only to one type of food. You know what I'm talking about, for example if the restaurant is called 'Gyros El Greco' it can be assumed that you can only get it here - Gyros (not a meatballs in the sauce)
I do not remember being in a restaurant for a diverse cuisine without having menu
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Yes, I think that the food we received was their speciality. I don't remember the name of the dish. There was a lot of food and we were surprised when they placed all that food on our table. We ate some of it and left the rest of food. It is the only time that I have visited a restaurant with a menu.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
Welcome to myLot 
I can see that you just joined.
I understand what mean. We decided to take it as an experience and eat what we received, but we were very surprised when we discovered that they didn't have a menu.
I can see that you just joined.
I understand what mean. We decided to take it as an experience and eat what we received, but we were very surprised when we discovered that they didn't have a menu.1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
25 Apr 19
@missN19 Yes, that type of restaurant is not very common. In my own country the restaurants usually have more than one dish.
@missN19 (98)
• United Arab Emirates
23 Apr 19
@Porcospino has I do thanks for welcoming me and I liked your topic it is rare to find like these restaurants
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
18 Apr 19
I usually prefer that as well. That restaurant was a different experience. We thought that it was a normal restaurant when we saw it from the outside, that is why we asked for menu.
1 person likes this
