The staff of a Bologna restaurant have spoken warmly about their experience hosting Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, describing the couple as “absolutely amazing” and “good-hearted people.”
Riccardo Lelli, the owner of Trattoria della Santa, told PEOPLEin an interview translated by waitress Saria Ahmed that the pair dined at the restaurant on 21 July, the day before Gomez’s 34th birthday, after a member of Blanco’s team made a reservation a few days earlier.
Though the booking was initially for a private table, when the couple arrived they chose to sit outside under the Portici di Bologna, the city’s iconic arched walkways.
“They were absolutely amazing, very lovely, good-hearted people,” Lelli said.
“They showered us with compliments for the food, for the service, and they were just great clients.” Ahmed added from her own perspective: “As a waitress, I can tell you we had a good experience with them.”
The couple ordered generously from the menu, choosing eggplant parmigiana, an arugula salad, tagliatelle with mushrooms, buffalo cheese ravioli, tortelloni with butter and sage, bolognese lasagna and the restaurant’s signature Balanzoni cream-filled pasta.
Staff noted that the couple were well aware that pasta is the thing to order in Bologna. Blanco, 38, apparently enjoyed the food so much that he got up to share it with his team.
Ahmed also confessed to an unintentional misstep.
When the couple asked for a second round of prosecco, she automatically suggested they order a bottle as it would be more economical, before immediately catching herself.
“While I was going to get it, I was like, ‘What did I just say to them? Why did I say this?’, as if they need something more economic. So I was just laughing with myself.”
On the style front, Ahmed noted that Gomez “looked lovely” in a white satin dress and headscarf with sunglasses, while Blanco kept to his signature streetwear look.
Lelli shared a photo with the couple on the restaurant’s Instagram, Blanco throwing up a peace sign, Gomez posing in front, captioning it simply: “Thank you so much for eating with us.”
2026-07-22 04:10:00
