This was hands down one of the most frustrating and disappointing experiences my family has ever had at a restaurant.
On March 29th, we hosted my grandmother's 85th birthday here with about 30 people. This wasn't some last-minute reservation--we planned everything months in advance directly with Sal. From the very beginning, we made it clear that the entire reason we chose this restaurant was for their private room. My grandmother had attended another party there and loved that space--it's private, has its own bathroom, and was perfect since we had a lot of kids attending. Sal explicitly told us there was no minimum or maximum for the room and guaranteed it to us. Based on that promise, we booked the party.
As the date got closer, we even upgraded the package--paying extra per person for an additional course. Only then did Sal casually slip in that we would NOT be getting the private room. So if we hadn't called to add that upgrade, we likely wouldn't have found out until the day of the event. When we questioned him, he suddenly claimed there was a "minimum" requirement of people to secure the room--something he NEVER mentioned before. Then he tried to say there was a contract stating we weren't guaranteed the room... except we were never given any contract. No paperwork. No receipt for our deposit. Nothing. Completely unprofessional and shady.
A few days later, when my dad followed up, Sal finally admitted the truth: another, larger party booked the room. Fine--we understand businesses prioritize money. But don't LIE and promise something you can't deliver. Don't book us under false pretenses and then backtrack with excuses and made-up policies. We were then told we'd get the corner, semi-private part of the restaurant space with three tables. That didn't happen either. Instead, we were crammed into the front, basically in the middle of the restaurant. It was chaotic, loud, and completely inappropriate for a large family gathering--especially with young kids running around and my 85-year-old grandmother struggling just to get to the bathroom.
To make matters worse, when we calmly expressed our disappointment afterward, Sal didn't even have the decency to have a conversation. He literally put his hand up and said, "I'm done with this conversation," and walked away, leaving his waiter to handle it--despite the fact that he was the one who mishandled everything. The lack of accountability, professionalism, and basic respect was unbelievable. We felt completely taken advantage of and misled from start to finish. This was supposed to be a special milestone celebration, and instead it turned into a stressful and upsetting experience for our entire family.
We will absolutely NEVER be coming back, and I strongly advise anyone considering booking an event here to think twice. If they can do this to a party planned months in advance, they can do it to anyone. read more