"As related in another review here, we had been going to the neighbouring pizzeria for years and had always had the best food and very congenial service. However this year we discovered that the gentleman who owns that restaurant retired and leased the place to others to operate. These folks retained the excellent pizzaiolo so at least the food remains very good, but unfortunately the attitude and actions of the service staff, especially the person who takes the orders, has suffered a terrible decline. We decided we would not go back, but we wanted to have another dinner in town (we generally self cater in our small hotel further south along the coast. So, in looking for an alternative, we decided to take a chance on the next place along in the piazzetta, Spadara Bistrò, and we are quite glad we did. From the beginning the service was friendly, welcoming, and attentive. The menu is quite interesting and innovative, and it turned out the food was excellent. The restaurant sources at least some of their ingredients and wine from their own properties and the attention to their quality was evident. We had a mix of crostini and antipasti to begin, including the CBMT crostino with prosciutto and buratta, which was heavenly (though the bread was a bit tough to cut even though very tasty , the yellowtail carpaccio (crudo di ricciola the swordfish carpaccio, and the grilled octopus, all of them delicious, especially the last one. For mains a couple of us had the Genovese di Polpo which is an interesting take on the traditional slow-cooked Napolitano onion-based sauce made with tons of beef and typically made at home for Sundays and holidays, but here made with plenty of caramelised onions and lots of octopus; original and satisfying. Others had the cuttlefish board or tuna steak, both perfectly cooked. (And it is possible that a couple of croquette potatoes were also orderd... All was washed down with their own-made Enaria Biancolella, dry and refreshing. We could easily have gone on to dessert, which looked great, but several of us had already expressed an interest in the superb affogato from the Fratelli Scalise gelateria just nearby and so we headed there for afters... So, despite our ongoing deep disappointment in the loss of favourite pizzeria here in Forio, we managed to make up for it and then some with an evening at Spadara. Give it a try!"
