On a month’s vacation in Albir, Spain, my parents and I were celebrating a family special occasion. Not wanting to eat at our hotel, we decided to have dinner at Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano, a new Italian restaurant in Albir.
In all actuality, it wasn’t a difficult decision as so many people gave us rave reviews about Mastroianni, we’d have been crazy to choose somewhere else. So, last night, we left our hotel and walked the short distance for dinner. From the minute we arrived at the door of Mastroianni, we knew we’d made the right decision and later, rolling home after eating so much incredible food, we were already vowing to eat there again.
Location of Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano – Located on a small side street just a block back from Albir’s lovely promenade and around the corner from the Hotel Kaktus Albir, Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano is next to the Aussie Bar and directly across the street from a large Chinese restaurant on Avenida Oscar Espla 16.
Delightful Atmosphere and Wonderful Staff – Of course everyone eats at a particular restaurant for the food. But, before you even try the food at Mastroianni, what makes it immediately memorable is the incredible welcome you receive as you appear at the door. Greeted by the owner himself, who is loud, warm and effusive you feel like you’ve arrived home for dinner with family and you’ve never even met the guy before.
The waiters too are just as lovely. Friendly, smiling and joking, everyone speaks a little English and the owner himself is fluent. In fact, so fluent was he with English and British culture, he even joked about typical British desserts (Spotted Dick and Jam Roly Poly) that few non-Brits would ever know about.
Our waiter for the evening was Cuban and, even though his English was not as fluent as the owner’s, he still managed to tell us a little bit about Cuban politics (my father asked!), and joked with my parents and I all through our meal, which made our meal truly enjoyable.
Food at Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano – Like most restaurants in Albir, Mastroianni has a menu of a la carte options. But, also like most restaurants in Albir, what just about all their customers go for is the Menu del Dia (Menu of the Day). Consisting of three courses, with a variety of choices for each course, and a half bottle of wine, the entire meal per person at Mastroianni was only 10 euros ($13.90). For Italian cuisine of this caliber, and this much food, there’s no better deal in Albir.
After our lovely waiter had taken our drink order (a bottle of red wine to be shared by my parents and a glass of Spanish beer for myself), told us that evening’s specials, and left us a tray of antipasto (bread, olives, diced ham and olive oil and balsamic vinegar – yum!) we were left to peruse the Menu del Dia menu. For appetizers, there’s choices like paté with toast, stuffed mushrooms, melon, prawn cocktail and a number of other dishes. My father and I decided on two orders of stuffed mushrooms (breaded, stuffed with paté and fried) and my mother ordered the paté and toast.
Onto the main course and, after a long time deciding between various pasta dishes, pizza and fish, all three of us ordered pasta, with my parents choosing pasta with tomato and basil, and pasta with cream sauce, chicken, bacon and mushrooms. I went with the spaghetti bolognese, something I haven’t eaten in years. Dessert was tiramisu for mum and dad, and a slice of cheesecake with cream for me.
When the food arrived, there’s not much else to say except, if you love home-style Italian food that’s flavorful, tasty and perfectly cooked, don’t walk to Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano – run. It’s really that good.
Mastroianni Ristorante Italiano in Albir, Spain opens for lunch at 1pm every day except Wednesday, when they are closed. They finish serving at midnight.