Never Visit this Establishment
We would strongly advise tourists and visitors to exercise caution when visiting Privilege Cafe in Pompeii based on our personal experience.
During our visit, we had enjoyed many establishments throughout Pompeii and had found the local people to be welcoming and friendly. Unfortunately, our experience at Privilege Cafe was entirely different and left both myself and my partner feeling extremely uncomfortable and distressed.
Initially, the young waiter serving us was exceptionally attentive and accommodating. However, we soon noticed that many of the staff appeared to be very young and were socialising extensively with a group of similarly aged individuals who seemed to be regular visitors or personal acquaintances, as they were constantly laughing and interacting together.
While seated, we were approached by two young Italian men who appeared to be associated with this group. At first, they were friendly and engaging, making considerable efforts to gain our trust and make us feel at ease. One individual even recounted an extraordinary story about surviving a motorcycle accident while allegedly travelling at 450 km/h.
As the conversation progressed, the atmosphere changed significantly, and both myself and my partner began to feel increasingly uncomfortable and intimidated. We ultimately felt pressured into handing over money due to concerns for our personal safety while remaining in the area. This experience was extremely upsetting and has left us questioning the nature of the interaction.
What was particularly concerning was that a female staff member, identifiable by distinctive purple/blue hair and who appeared to hold a supervisory or managerial role, was socialising and laughing with these individuals throughout our visit, which only heightened our concerns regarding the situation.
We reported our experience to the local police; however, we did not feel that our concerns were taken seriously, which has left us questioning whether similar incidents may have occurred involving other tourists.
Based solely on our personal experience, we would strongly advise other visitors to exercise caution when considering a visit to Privilege Cafe in Pompeii, as our experience there was deeply unsettling and significantly detracted from our time in what is otherwise a beautiful and welcoming town.