Restaurant in Rome sparks outrage over exorbitant bill.

Below is a photo of a receipt from the Antico Caffè di Marte restaurant from early September. It clearly shows that the two customers had to pay a total of 9 million VND (350 euros) for food and nearly 2 million VND (80 euros) in commission.

After being posted on social media, the photo attracted the attention of many people, including those who had experienced similar situations at the Antico Caffè di Marte restaurant. Bui Minh Ngoc, a Vietnamese woman living in Germany, was one of many who left a complaint on TripAdvisor about her bad experience with the restaurant.

Specifically, Ngoc and three other friends had lunch at Antico Caffè on August 27th. The waiter suggested that her group order the "seafood and various fish" dish on the menu, priced at 6.5 euros, or approximately 165,000 VND per 100 grams.

"We agreed immediately because we thought paying an extra 6.5 euros for a dish suggested by the restaurant wasn't a big deal," Ngoc shared. "But they presented a plate full of various types of fish weighing up to 2 kg."

"We were surprised when the food was served because we didn't think 100 grams of fish would be that much. But since it was our last day in Italy, we all told ourselves it was okay. We estimated the dish to be around 130-150 euros. And honestly, we didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

But when one of Ngoc's three friends asked for the bill, he was astonished to be asked to pay 315 euros for 4.8 kg of various types of fish, which is over 8 million VND. Adding 40 euros (about 1 million VND) for service charge and 40 euros for commission, the total bill came to 476.4 euros (over 12 million VND).

"My friend complained, saying the bill couldn't possibly be that much. He also disagreed with paying the high service charge and commission. They didn't mention that this was a rule in the menu. But the restaurant insisted that the service charge and commission were standard and that we actually ate 4.8 kg of food," Ngoc continued. "My friend complained a lot, but in the end, they still forced him to pay the full amount."

When Ngoc discovered the real amount on the bill, she suggested to her friend that they go back to the restaurant together.

"When we returned, I specifically asked the server about the 4.8 kg of mixed seafood they had served us. I insisted it was completely unreasonable and that they shouldn't have done that to us. But as expected, they refused to explain and claimed they didn't have time for it," Ngoc added. The group reported the incident to the police but were advised to report it before paying.

Following a series of negative reviews, TripAdvisor has disabled the review section on the Antico Caffè di Marte restaurant's page.

A representative from the restaurant responded to the criticism by saying that their menu was "clear".

"Everything is clearly stated. Look at the price: 16 euros for a portion of seafood spaghetti," replied Giamoco Jin, the restaurant owner. "To pay that price, the two Japanese female customers ordered not only spaghetti but also fish. Moreover, our fish is very fresh, selected right at the counter. We weigh it precisely before preparing it."

Regarding the tip, Jin said that it's voluntary and customers should choose to tip between 10% and 20% of the total bill.

Hannah Nguyen