Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco were ‘absolutely amazing’ and ‘lovely’ guests, Italian restaurant staff says (exclusive)

The couple shared a meal at Trattoria della Santa in Bologna, Italy, the day before Gomez’s 34th birthday, members of the staff tell PEOPLE

NEED TO KNOW

• Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco dined at Trattoria Della Santa in Bologna the day before Gomez’s 34th birthday
• The pair enjoyed fresh pasta dishes and praised the restaurant’s food and service, according to the staff
• Blanco recently traveled across the Atlantic by boat to visit Gomez in England due to his fear of flying

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco are “lovely” restaurant patrons, according to the staff of an Italian restaurant that just hosted them.

Riccardo Lelli, the owner of Bologna, Italy, restaurant Trattoria della Santa, describes the couple as “absolutely amazing” as he details their July 21 meal at the restaurant in an interview translated by waitress Saria Ahmed.

Lelli shares that a member of Blanco’s team booked a reservation for the couple a few days before the meal. The pair came to the restaurant on July 21, the day before the singer’s 34th birthday.

While the reservation was initially booked for a private table, Lelli says, when the two arrived, they decided to sit outside under the Portici di Bologna, the arches around the city center under which the restaurant has tables.

“I think they saw that, and they saw how quiet our street is, even though we are in the city center, and they felt comfortable sitting outside because it was a lovely day as well today,” Lelli says, as translated by Ahmed.

“They were absolutely amazing, very lovely, good-hearted people,” he adds. “They showered us with compliments for the food, for the service, and they were just great clients.”

Ahmed adds, “As a waitress, I can tell you we had a good experience with them.”

Ahmed says, “Selena was very private and quiet” and said that she liked the food, while Blanco did a little more ordering and asking questions.

Lelli says that the pair ordered the eggplant parmigiana, an arugula salad, tagliatelle with mushrooms, buffala cheese ravioli, tortelloni with butter and sage and a bolognese lasagna, along with the “Balanzoni” pasta, which is a cream-filled pasta.

Per the staff members, the music stars knew pasta is “the dish” to order in Bologna, and they make fresh pasta at the restaurant.

Lelli says that Blanco, 38, got up to share the meal with his team “because he loved it so much,” Ahmed translates.

“I actually did a little faux pas with them,” Ahmed admits. “They asked for a couple of glasses of prosecco, and they asked for another round, and I recommended them the bottle because it was more convenient.”

“And 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,” she says. “So I was just laughing with myself…It’s my job.”

Blanco told the staff that his friend recommended the restaurant, the staff shares. They add that the restaurant is often frequented by members of the Italian music industry, which may have contributed to Blanco hearing about the spot.

Overall, “I think it was just a great experience,” Lelli says.

The owner shared a photo with Gomez and Blanco on the restaurant’s Instagram. Blanco threw up a peace sign while Gomez posed in front in a headscarf and sunglasses.

“Thank you so much for eating with us ❤️ @selenagomez @itsbennyblanco,” Lelli wrote in the caption of the post.

Ahmed says that Gomez “looked lovely.”

“She had this beautiful white satin dress,” she says. “And Benny, as usual, he had this streetwear style that he does, which was absolutely great and amazing.”

Gomez and Blanco recently got cozy in a post on Gomez’s Instagram, which shared images of the two spending time together in London while Gomez films Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.

Blanco revealed on TikTok on July 16 that he took a boat across the Atlantic to visit his wife because he has a fear of flying in planes.

“POV: ur traveling across the atlantic in the titanic to see ur wife bc ur scared of flying,” the producer wrote over a video of him on a boat in the ocean, which he captioned, “the things we do for love.”

Read the original article on People