A colorful, casual Merano pizzeria with widely praised pizza and fair menu prices, but recurring reports of rude front-of-house interactions, unreliable reservations, and unexpected charges warrant caution.
357 Pizza and Food earns its standing through strong food quality, with repeated praise for its pizza, salads, and bruschetta. Inconsistent attentiveness, including complaints about rudeness and refused walk-ins, keeps it from a higher standing, while its central Merano location and informal, colorful setting add appeal.
357 Pizza and Food is a colorful, informal pizzeria in central Merano, with a cozy interior and a terrace that is pleasant but exposed to a busy street. The mood can be charming and easygoing—one recurring impression is of a relaxed stop where the crust steals the show—but the front-of-house experience is much less dependable, ranging from warm and attentive to abrupt or dismissive. The cooking leans classic Italian with some adventurous flourishes rather than plain, standardized pizza. Reviewers repeatedly praise the dough, wood-fired crust, summer pizza, salads, bruschetta, and selected desserts; the current menu backs that up with buffalo mozzarella, regional cured meats, seasonal vegetables, pesto, stracciatella, and unusual combinations such as kiwi with culatello. Families have accessible food choices—Margherita (€8.50), lasagna (€12), vanilla gelato (€5), and several simple pizzas—but the sample includes a stroller-related seating complaint and multiple reports of guests being turned away, so this is not the safest choice for a tightly timed family meal.
Area vibe: Historic spa resort town with a scenic alpine and Mediterranean mix, tourism and local commerce.
Safety: Generally safe, quiet streets with good lighting and comfortable evening walking in central parts.
What's nearby: Near Merano town centre amenities: promenades, thermal baths, cafés, boutique shopping and local transit links.
The safest bets are the praised crust, Summerpizza, bruschette, and vanilla gelato, while the kiwi-and-culatello pizza offers a more unusual choice
Expect a relaxed casual setting but potentially unreliable seating and service, with extra charges worth confirming before you order
Vegetarian and vegan choices are plentiful, but the menu does not identify any gluten-free dishes