4 Japanese tourists charged more than US$1,000 for Venice meal; mayor pledges investigation

ROME: The mayor of Venice has vowed to investigate after four Japanese tourists claimed they were charged €1,100 (US$1,349) for a plate of fried fish, four steaks and some mineral water, according to reports.

Writing on Twitter, Luigi Brugnaro said the owners of the restaurant would be punished if the incident was proven to be true: “We will thoroughly examine this episode and check to see if the complaint was made properly. If this disgraceful episode is confirmed, we'll do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice, always.”

Nei prossimi giorni verificheremo bene questo episodio, ci faremo inviare la copia della denuncia se è stata effettivamente presentata. Se sarà confermato questo episodio vergognoso, faremo tutto il possibile per punire i responsabili. Noi siamo per la giustizia, sempre! https://t.co/SgDDJWB3VP

— Luigi Brugnaro (@LuigiBrugnaro) January 21, 2018

Reporters identified the eatery as Osteria da Luca, located near Venice’s famed St Mark’s Square. It added that the four Japanese students were visiting Venice from nearby Bologna.

It was not clear if the Japanese students paid for the meal, but the head of a civil rights group, April 25, confirmed that a formal complaint had been made.

On travel website TripAdvisor, Osteria da Luca has a 1.5 rating out of 5 based on 329 reviews. 

Rodica E described Osteria da Luca as the "worst place in the world" and said she was charged €50 for three colas and a beer.