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La Galleria is a restaurant that is really situated on the the busiest part of the Boulevard on the Scheveningen beach... so, it is going to get some heavy traffic regardless of how good the food actually is... that is the way of most tourist places!

If I have to choose for between Pasta or Pizza... most often, I will choose for Pizza. However, that doesn't mean that all Pizzas are all equal... there are many that are just stuffed with too much in the way of toppings... and have terrible dough... or are just dripping in cheese... I have pretty particular tastes when it comes to pizza.

So, how does the fare at La Gallera, an Italian restaurant on the tourist beach of Scheveningen fare? (he he....).

The Space

The front of the restuarant is a large expanse... in fact, it appears to be a touch larger than the surrounding eateries that are on either side... so, it is hard to miss....

The inside is really quite cosy in the colder months... with real fires and comfortable chairs and lounges. However, most tourists will visit this area in the warmer months... we only happen to visit as we are in this particular area... well, not quite that close, but in the warmer months I would prefer to go elsewhere!

The seating is quite well spaced and the ambient light is really quite comfortable in the daytime, there is a great amount of easy on the eyes lighting... I'm not quite sure how it fares in the evening, but definitely during the lunch hours, it is a pleasant atmosphere.

The Menu

Everything on the menu is an Italian sort of meal... with everything from appetizers, soups, pastas, main meals and of course, Pizzas!

You will notice that this being a tourist area, everything can be found in Dutch, English and also German... apparently, Scheveningen is a popular area for Germans to come to during the warm months... not entirely sure why, I guess it is a close drive... but I would rather go to the south of Europe!

The Food

To start off our meal, we ordered Calamari... lightly fried with a nice light batter. This was pretty decent... and so we had high hopes for the food going forward! Perhaps this wasn't going to be your usual overpriced tourist trap...

A Pumpkin and also a Tomato soup followed for the adults... I have to say, the Pumpkin was pretty decent, but the Tomato soup.... nope. Sometimes, it can really feel like it came from a can or something like that... I'm sure that it didn't (probably...), but it really wasn't that great.

Finally, the main event... the pizzas. This was a huge dissapointment.... Look at the toppings... the ham and salami in particular... this is not really acceptable for a restaurant. Go and get some decent meats and toppings to put on your pizzas, not something that looks like it was pre-sliced and from a supermarket.

Still, the kids love having their pizzas served in the shape of a rabbit... the story of our times, looking good is better than any real substance....

I have to make a special mention the bread and the herb spread... oddly enough, this was really really very good! I'm not entirely sure why it was so great, whilst the rest was so ordinary.... but it deserves a mention!

The Experience

La Galleria was a decent looking place, and a more than comfortable place to relax and sit down to have a coffee or a drink... however, in terms of the food that was served and the prices on offer... it is a definite pass.

There are much better places to eat in the area, and I'm afraid that this particular restuarant followed more along the lines of capturing an unsuspecting tourist who will be looking for a quick and easy restaurant that is along the beachside...