Venice restaurants in St Mark's Square: Outrage after tourists charged $1682 for meal

The mayor of Venice has vowed to investigate an alleged restaurant rip-off in which four Japanese tourists claim they were charged €1100 ($A1682) for a plate of fried fish, four steaks and a bottle of wine.

Luigi Brugnaro said that if the "disgraceful" episode was proved then the owners of the restaurant near St Mark's Square would be prosecuted.

"We will thoroughly examine this episode and check to see if the complaint was made properly," Mr Brugnaro wrote on his Twitter account.

"If this disgraceful episode is confirmed, we'll do all we can to punish those responsible. We are for justice – always."

The case came to light on Sunday when it emerged that the four Japanese tourists had made a formal complaint after they left Venice and returned to Bologna, where they are studying.

They said they had paid €1100 for a plate of fried fish, four steaks, a bottle of wine and a bottle of mineral water.

It was not clear why they agreed to pay the bill rather than kick up a fuss.

Telephone calls to the restaurant went unanswered on Monday but on Sunday, when asked about the bill, the owner told Italian journalists: "I don't remember having any problems with Japanese customers."

The case has been picked up by an association of local campaigners, called the April 25 Group. "Whoever jeopardises the good name of Venice harms all Venetians," the group said.