Not sure where to start here. The whole experience was disappointing and frustrating. We had a reservation for two, there was no one in front of us when we got to the restaurant. There was plenty of empty tables (inside and out), the restaurant wasn't too busy, and not short on staff. It took about 15 minutes just for someone to get us seated. more than 45 minutes for the waitress to take our order, and total of one hour and 48 minutes to get our food. The waitress didn't even fill up our glasses with water except for once (20 minutes after we sat) and another time when we got our food (one hour and 48 minutes later). I couldn't understand what's been taking so long especially when the restaurant wasn't too busy. There were only 2 other tables (of 2) out side and 2 other tables inside (one of 4 and one of 2). Several entrees on the menu were NOT available, and will no longer be served again (according to our waitress) so we were disappointed that both of the meals which we wanted to have are no longer served. I believe that the restaurant should update their online and in restaurant menus to reflect these changes. We had to rush eating our food since we had a show to attend after dinner, I couldn't even eat half of my food. After we paid, we realized that there were an extra charges and here's the breakdown: both meals were over charged from what they actually are on the menu, and there was another extra charge of 4% credit card fee. Neither of these two extra charges were deloused anywhere before we paid. Here's the most interesting part, we called the restaurant to express how we felt about our experience. The surprise was that the owner and chef in the same time, was unapologetic, defensive and rude. He said and I quote: "Well, we don't serve fast food here, at least was the food good?". When we mentioned that we missed the show, he said: "You guys are cutting it pretty close". We got to the restaurant 2 hours before the show. The show venue is only 4 minutes away from the restaurant. When we complained about the two extra charges for each plate, we got no comment rather than another question about the second extra charge. The owner/chef only explained the second extra charge and said "The credit card fee charge is standard, if you go to a car dealership, or a mechanic they will add it without letting you know". The food was alright, it was not bad but nothing spectacular either. My recommendation is if you'd like to have an Italian food, do yourself a favor and go to Limoncello, Lucano or Polizzi's. I'm sure there are more good ones that I haven't tried or forgot about. read more

Rizzi's used to be on my top 10 list of restaurants to patronize in Rochester. After last night, I will not return. On the positive side: Good glass of wine. Fresh, warm bread. Small dinner salad for $6.00. Service was good. However, the star of the experience - the entrees - were very disappointing. I ordered bacon-wrapped filet mignon with Bearnaise sauce. Lesson learned: an 8-ounce filet mignon for $44 is not a high-quality steak. Better to go somewhere for a 5-ounce filet mignon for the same price because the smaller servings are usually made with a higher quality beef. The steak was not nicely seared. The bacon was a raw, disgusting slab of fat. The steak was not cooked to order. It was very rare. Bearnaise sauce? Where?! The broccoli that was served with it was almost raw. Not enjoyable at all. I can make a much better filet mignon at home for 1/4 of the price. My partner ordered Tuscany chicken. As with all 6 of their chicken entrees, boneless chicken breast was the first thing mentioned in the description of the meal. Have you seen a chicken breast? I have. Our first thought when we saw the meal was that they forgot the chicken. Then we found bite-sized pieces of chicken placed throughout the pasta. It was more like a chicken casserole than anything else. The few bites of chicken that we saw didn't look like even half of a chicken breast. There is a restaurant in East Rochester that will be my go-to restaurant from now on. I have never been disappointed there. Rizzi's? Never again. read more

Very happy with our dining experience. Arrived just after opening and the bar area was already very busy. Enjoyed the atmosphere of regulars hanging out and watching a game on the tv. We were seated in the adjacent dining room which had a wall separating the spaces. We liked this detail as it kept the noise out of the dining area. The booths were large and wide, very roomy. Absolutely loved the food! We ordered the bacon wrapped scallops as an appetizer. The scallops were delicious and buttery. You are given bread with olive oil prior to dinner. Our server offered to get us more multiple times. I ordered filet diprosa, listed as a house speciality. It came with a soup or salad, veggie side, and pasta side (I was able to choose from rice or potato as well). Very impressed with the amount of food offered with an entree. The steak in marsala sauce was perfect. I savored every bite. Our server was wonderful. She did a great job explaining all of the available options and stayed on top of our drinks throughout our visit. We left feeling full and satisfied. You get your moneys worth. read more

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Wednesday is chicken or eggplant parm night $20 includes choice of pasta and soup or salad. Dinner is huge enough for 3 meals

Ordered veal saltambocca which was chicken not veal that's ok but it came out with so many mushrooms all I tasted and smelled were mushrooms. When I sent it back they then asked me if I wanted to take it home. I said if I'm not eating it here why would I take it home. It wasn't supposed to be Marsala with mushrooms. Then they charged us for a dinner I didn't eat or want. What is that? Even if they charged me half because it went to waste. Bad customer service. I wasn't looking for a free meal I was looking for a good meal with balance. It had no balance only mushrooms. read more

Rizzis has been on my map for a while and Ihad heard good things. Wife and I found ourselves baby free so we decided to finally give it a try. I made reservations and if you decide to get you will need to do so as well but they still had openings they morning of the day we went. It's way smaller inside than you expect, maybe a little uncomfortablly small. There is no server station so ALL drinks go through the bar. It's slow, inefficient and will make it likely you do not get drinks quickly if at all. Several requests were forgotten or misplaced? They never made it to the table. The server was friendly but seemed like their was only 2 for them whole place. So things were slow. We fried the calamari which were oddly thick and came with a red sauce. I prefer something more like an aoili but they weren't bad. Bread came with really good olive oil. The fish fry was ok but it was breaded and they will always be subpar to beer battered right? Last up was chicken Parm which was pretty awful. The sauce had separated into paste and water, the chick was soggy. Pasta was over cooked. Attached a picture. All in all hype was a let down. read more

Rizzi's Restaurant - Soggy chicken Parm with a separated sauceq - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Wondering if Rizzi's has changed hands? Tonight was the second time I've been there in last few months and once again was very disappointed. The service was very slow, the fish fry , which used to be great, was not even close, scallops remain on the menu yet they have not had any the last three times I've been there. I think this might be my last time there. read more

The linguini with white clam sauce was good after the second shaking of spices. The meatball in the meatball and marinara was superfluous. The sauce needed three shakes till it tasted like anything other than meat. Glaciers moved faster than our waitress and she never answered my question about whether the Brazilian lobster came from Brazil, was cooked by someone from Brazil, or cooked like they cook it in Brazil. However, I would go again because there's plenty else on the menu, what's the hurry, and why do I need to know? read more

I am in town visiting family and wanted to have dinner with an old friend from 40 years ago who I have kept in touch with since we were in kindergarten together. Her family and mine have been friends for so long, any time I'm here in Rochester I make time to try and catch up. It was a Monday night and she chose this restaurant-----what a lovely surprise! Our server was Julie and she was kind enough to keep us supplied with drinks while we caught up and kept chatting away for so long. She let us take our sweet time, and I felt bad we basically hogged the booth for almost 3 hours. But she never rushed us- and the restaurant did get busy as it was the national championship for NCAA Division 1 football that night. My friend had a glass of cab, I chose the "Apple Pie" which is essentially an apple flavored bourbon Mule. It was too tasty to just have one! On special that evening was the Chicken French- she got that with a side of pasta (angel hair) and a side salad. I ordered the Chicken Guida and it came with a side (I chose rigatoni with red sauce) and I chose to get a side bowl of the beef soup with lentils. The dinner came with bread service- warm, crispy on the outside and just soft and chewy on the inside. The sauce that came with it can only be described as "crack". It was butter, with garlic, some chili flakes and a hint of lemon...I could be wrong but it definitely had a lot of garlic and butter. You can dip the bread in this and I wanted to inhale the entire plate but I held back, amazingly. My soup was delicious. It was hard not to ask for another but the dinner showed up and my chicken breast was rolled with cornbread sausage stuffing, with sun dried tomatoes and a Mornay sauce (cheese). Side of roasted squash accompanied my entree. HOLY JESUS MARY MOTHER OF GOD the sauce and stuffing alone would knock you off your feet. I prayed my friend would keep talking so I could just shove the meal in my face LOL. Her dish looked awesome too, and she was pleased. Julie offered to pack up some bread and sauce for me to take with me when she heard I was loving that- but I was going to a poker game at someone else's house that I didn't know...so I figured that would be super strange to bust out bread and dipping sauce when everyone else is munching on Doritos and pretzels haha. I read that the peanut butter pie was something not to be missed so we split it as we wrapped up a three hour visit together. I miss being home here in Rochester, and friends like this are what keep me grounded and happy to keep coming back. The pie can be described as almost fudge like in texture and taste- it was certainly amazing in itself. I'm leaving Friday morning to head back to Chicago...I told (basically threatened) Julie that I would most likely be back with my brother's family so I can enjoy the same exact meal once more haha. What can I say? When I like something, and it's a small business, how do you not keep supporting it? Look, people are going to like what they're going to like. Some folks may have had a bad experience but mine was great. Our service was tremendous, the food was excellent- and I can't be happier. The one thing I royally screwed up on was NOT taking photos of the food and only the pie when I remembered. Therefore, I have an excuse to come back tomorrow night before I leave town. I'll see you soon Julie! Thank you Rizzi's! I'm a fan and will keep spreading the good word. read more

Rizzi's Restaurant - Peanut butter pie. Legendary! - Italian Near Me - Rochester, New York

Food top shelf. Service great. The owner took the time to talk with us when we noticed high end woodworking. Specialty cocktails always appreciated. Thank you read more

Sat at the bar - no problem. Sat at 7pm. Ordered drink, salad, entree - drink and salad came reason all quickly. 60 minutes went by - no entree. 75 minutes - decided to leave. Explanation was that it was a new POS system. No free drink, entree, etc. won't be back read more

The staff were very friendly any restaurant was clean and inviting. The service however was very slow. We waited a very long time to receive our food and when it did get there it was not hot, except my meatball. At least 3 of the 4 meals were not hot. I know everyone is experiencing staff shortages but it didn't seem like there was one there even so food should be served hot.y read more

Our dinner group of 7 people dined at Rizzi's on September 27th and each of us cleaned our plates -it was that fabulous. The owner, Steve, was gracious and checked on us through dinner. Danny, our waiter, was wonderful. He did not impose himself on us, yet carefully served our myriad selections in a timely manner and noticed our needs as dinner went on. Perfect . We enjoyed the Artichokes French served with fresh bread as well as a melted Gorgonzola cheese bread made especially for us. Of special note were the Chicken French and Shrimp Rizzi both served with the lightly seasoned fluffiest angel hair pasta ever. There were raves as well about the Bacon-wrapped scallops. Thank you for a wonderful dinner Steve and Danny ! read more

I wanna still love this place but the food is not where it once was. Maybe good chefs and cooks are hard to find. And very pricey.

We had a 6:15 reservation and arrived a couple minutes early. They seated multiple tables ahead of us and we didnt get a table until 7:10. Ordered at 7:20 and didn't get our entrées until almost 8:30. The food was OK, seemed to be homemade raviolis and meatballs. Clams linguine was just gross. In the end, two drinks, one appetizer and two cheaper entrées ended up over a hundred dollars. Two and a half hours for a mediocre, overpriced dinner. Don't bother. Staff was friendly but disorganized. read more

Came here with a Groupon- it was hopping on a Wednesday night! I ordered the ravioli and meatballs, my boyfriend had the chicken parm. We both had a perfectly sized side salad to start. The bread was good and fresh, the dipping oil was a nice touch. It had a definite neighborhood feel and you could tell there were a lot of regulars there. Service was on point. Overall the food was good, but had a truly homemade flavor that was both comforting yet just satisfactory. There are so many different variations of homemade Italian food. The quality was there, but it definitely wasn't my favorite flavor profile. The sauce wasn't quite sweet enough, and I like my meatballs a little more moist and decadent. The portions were notably huge! That being said, for a mid- week meal, it was a nice change of pace- a cozy, neighborhood place with some homemade-tasting touches. read more

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Zero stars. Towed my car from the restaurant parking while I was eating without asking me at all, as the owner had profiled me and my car as someone who would not be eating at this establishment. When I asked him for my car he wanted me to pay until I proved I had eaten there. He claimed he had asked everyone in the restaurant, however when he approached our table in the middle of our meal we were only asked how the food was. The towing damaged the park gear of vehicle, but the owner simply laughed at me and claimed it wasn't his fault or responsibility. On top of this, the food and service were quite mediocre; the zucchini that was served as a side to my chicken Marsala had a strange almost metallic quality to their flavor, and the calamari had the thickest breading I have ever seen. On top of this, it all took forever to come out. Pretty unbelievable, and it's not cheap either. Neither I nor anybody I know will ever come back here again. read more

The bread was good and warm with excellent dipping sauce. The homemade dressing for the salad was delicious. My daughter got shrimp French and it was the best I've ever tasted. My chicken parm was very good. We topped it off with homemade frozen peanut butter chocolate pie. I'm not a fan of either of these ingredients....but I loved it!!! Jeff our waiter did a great job. read more

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Every time we have gone there it has been amazing. It was chicken French nite and that's what I had. My husband had the steak salad that was also delicious. Daily specials M,T,W, and Thursday. And on Friday there is a fish fry. The other fish dishes are amazing as well. If you want a delicious cozy neighborhood restaurant this is the place to go. We also went there during this corona virus shutdown for take out. The fish fry was amazing. Everything was packaged meticulously. It literally was the best fish fry my husband and I have ever had. The staff was very polite even during a super busy time. We highly recommend!! read more

Incredible! My family and I were just blown away last weekend when I chose Rizzi's for my birthday dinner celebration. None of us had ever been, but I wanted to try something new. The service was fantastic, the wine was fabulous, and the food was incredible!! A small locally owned restaurant has a bar and dining room as well as a patio for the warm seasons. Conveniently located on merchants rd. Service was very good - charismatic, fun staff who enjoy what they do. We started off with a bottle of Malbec from Argentina, so smooth and tasteful. Bread was placed on the table with a delicious dipping oil we all raved about. Artichoke French, calamari and Sicilian calamari were ordered for appetizers. The artichoke French was the best I ever had! On special, 3 of us ordered the ny strip special with grilled zucchini - I forget the type of wine/dressing went in too but it was accompanied with mushrooms. It was the best steak I ever had!! Perfectly cooked as requested and came with a side of pasta or potatoes. I opted for pasta with bolognese sauce (an additional fee for the sauce) the sauce was hearty and flavorful. Easy to say we will be back, and we look forward to it! I love that the menu is so different, with many unique dishes that all sound amazing! read more

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The title of this review is crapshoot. We went there for the first time three weeks ago and it was excellent ,5 stars. the drinks I ordered were really good and the only charged us $10 apiece. the service got a B+ good. 2 days Ago we arrived at 6 o'clock and didn't have our dinners till 730. And the chicken guida was grossly overcooked. The drinks this time cost 14 instead of 10 And they were the same drinks. My wife's food haddock French was gross and it wasn't even a hot. The service was horrible. Seems to not be trained. We are sorry to be so blunt and hope that they can get things worked out so that they have and consistently good level. read more

I hadn't been familiar with Rizzi's and came here after buying a Groupon. We called on a Friday night and asked if we could still make a reservation. The woman on the phone said she could fit us in between 7:30-8pm. We arrived there right before 7:30 and sat at the bar. The bartender wasn't very personable and I was getting a little nervous about the service. Then, a couple walked in without a reservation and they sat them before us saying that since they gave us a range, that really meant 7:45 pm. I was very annoyed by this. We did get seated shortly after and everything changed for the better! Our server, Christopher, was extremely personable and knowledgeable (he even gave us directions on the best way to heat up our leftovers). We got the lobster arancini with a cheese sauce for an appetizer. It was a strong start to our meal. For dinner, my husband got the chicken alfredo and I got the chicken french. Everything is made to order (nothing is sitting around premade) and the food was phenomenal. We were so impressed that we ordered a homemade dessert to go (the portions are large and there was no way we could eat more). I ate the peanut butter pie for breakfast this morning and I wish I had ordered more than one piece - it was that good! The overall atmosphere is what you would expect from a family-owned small Italian restaurant with booths and table. I heard multiple Celine Dion songs while I was there which was totally fine by me. Some potential drawbacks are a small parking lot and a wine menu that is on the cheaper side. Initially, I thought I would stick to GrubHub to eat from them again, but once I got over the initial annoyance, it was truly a great experience! read more

Mediocre service, inept bartender (also, why are the terrible cocktails here $15?!) mediocre food. Only one vegetarian option on the menu, fettuccine alfredo, and it was practically drowning in butter and oil - gross. There is way better Italian food in Rochester. Not going back. read more

I waited almost 2 hours for dinner. I watched others receive their food and they were seated after me. I decided to leave after I was given a salad with Apple cider vinegar and oregano. Seated to the very back of the restaurant. Racist establishment!! read more

The four of us had a great dinner at Rizzis. The food was great and our server was wonderful. She anticipated our every need. We had a great experience! The atmosphere was friendly and inviting. read more

My husband and I ate at Rizzi's for the first time last Saturday evening. The staff was very friendly and attentive. The food was delicious. Good choices and portions. The courses were timed perfectly and we weren't not rushed. I would recommend this restaurant and plan to return. read more

Wow what a great place Locals bar really friendly Bar tender really great fresh drinks kick ass Apps were great Stuffed shrimp with horse radish Yum Bread and Oil tasty Can't believe we have not been there in such a long Time Very comfortable Chicken French brown sauce rich rigatoni with red meatball Chicken lemon soup excellent Excellent the locals keep on coming My meal was fabulous Mark and Jennifer Foodie read more

So Rizzi's! What a neighborhood gem! Been there forever in our little North Winton Village. We live right around the block. We've gotten takeout from here during Covid. Last night we decided to venture out and enjoy their patio, and we're so glad we did! They were slammed and running a little behind, but no matter we waited with cocktails (Best Cosmo!). Elizabeth was our server and she was so gracious and accommodating... Their artichokes french is probably the best I've ever had-and consistently so. I had the Scallops Richard and it was perfection. Looking forward to going back and sitting outside again soon! Thank you Rizzi's. read more

I placed an order through Grubhub and recieved a message stating that the order was confirmed by the restaurant with an expected delivery within 30 minutes. The ETA came and went and after several attempts to call the restaurant and two conversations with GrubHub customer service still no food! One hour later I recieved a message that the order was canceled unexpectedly. We are getting a refund from GrubHub but we are extremely disappointed. Im not sure if its the restaurants fault or GrubHub. This reflects poorly for both. read more

I don't even want to give it one star! We started at the bar and it took 20 minutes to have our order taken even though it was not busy. We saw the bartender take a shot with other customers, and wait on others that came after us. We waited over 1/2 hr for a table even though it was not busy. The waitress seemed rushed and disinterested. Once we have our order, we finally got salads and bread @ 1/2 hr later. 2 hrs after we placed our order, still no food. We saw others come and go that were seated after us. When we vocalized our complaint, we were given a vague excuse about a new system that wasn't working. Well why did it work for all the other people? No offer to compensate for anything. Finally we left. We paid for the drinks we had. Owner acted like "Don't let the door hit you!" We were very patient and polite. May I add that we had a few minorities at our table. . Can't help but think that added to our misery at this place. Just be forewarned. read more

Absolutely delicious meal! Largest ravioli I've ever had! Large flavorful meatball! Fettuccine alfredo creamy and delicious. Artichokes french so tender and yummy broth! Italian bread that had body. Chocolate chip cookies an added treat and oh yes! The flavorful mushroom soup. This was all to go and packaged with such care and it was hot upon arrival home. Thank you so much! Not to mention the friendly staff on the phone and in person. Merry Christmas...... read more

I had an excellent dinner with my Dad while he was visiting Rochester. He loves great Italian food in a casual environment (as do I!) and this for exactly what we were looking for. I had a really nice breaded veal and eggplant dish. It was extremely flavorful and fried right, not greasy in the slightest. The side of rigatoni were cooked perfectly and the red sauce was clearly fresh and tasty. Rather that oil, the server brought out an awesome garlic butter to dip our bread into. We both loved it but it was definitely on the strong end so non-garlic lovers beware! We also had a great fried calamari starter and good soups with our meals. I would definitely come back. Our server was great and a gentleman who I believe was the owner went out of his way to thank us for coming in and welcoming us back on our way out, as well, which was a nice touch. read more

It's a strange thing when you visit a place you've normally always liked but then you get that pang that things have changed. It's not really quantifiable and not anything to complain about and maybe not just 1 thing you can put your finger on, but it's still there. Rizzi's to me has always been a happy medium between the basic mom and pop Italian place and the more ornate ones where all the menu is listed in Italian. It's Chicken Parm. Calling it "Pollo Parmigiano" wont make it taste any better. Today it seemed it was slipping more to the former. There were little things. The blade on my knife was wobbly. Our table and the table next to us were wobbly. And the food. My favorite dish- the Veal Dipasquale- just seemed not as good as i remembered it. Not as fresh and nothing remarkable about the red sauce. I'd go back to see if i get that sane pang again. Service was fine. It's just sad when your favorite places seem to decline. read more

Great Italian restaurant. Has fantastic service, amazing food& large portions, and lovely atmosphere.

My first visit back to Rizzi's after many years was thoroughly disappointing, as their veal Parmesan might have been the worst I've ever eaten. The breading was bland and flaking off the tough, overcooked meat. Their pasta sauce was nearly flavorless and tasted void of seasoning. I would have preferred jarred sauce from Wegmans. Although the price was affordable and the portion size was large, there are far better options for Italian food in the area. read more

Okay so you just stepped out of a time machine and it's 1976 this is the vibe I got at Rizzi's...Now by this I mean booths, chipped paint and the over all set up of the room...But the food and the service was pleasant enough...The prices are modest and a tad high for the quality and given the atmosphere of dated furnishings and more white hair patrons than not this is the perfect place to bring your parents and grandparents...This is NOT the place to celebrate any special occasion such as an anniversary or that first date...I'm approaching 60 myself but I'm NOT ready for this type of place yet, but I'm not hating just saying I can afford a much higher end dining experience when the occasion calls for it...Good food, average and dated atmosphere makes it average at best...Limited parking but it's okay.... read more

I almost never trash a restaurant but Rizzi's reminds me of one of those awful family Italian restaurants you might have gone to about 30 or 40 years ago. Low quality food at high prices loaded with garlic and not much else. We tried it only because we had a groupon. The service was awful (they never even told us about the specials) and my meal - the veal saltimboca - had an awful inedible flavor to it. When the server asked how the food was I very politely indicated that i thought it tasted bad. She offered me another dish but at this point I had pretty much lost my appetite. The host was very defensive about it too. My wife's dinner was at least edible - but only because I love garlic with which it was flavored with very heavily handedly. Do yourself a favor - there is much better Italian to be found in Rochester at similar or lower prices. read more

I was invited to go to this restaurant by friends and happened to look it up on Yelp beforehand. I was actually a bit apprehensive about going after reading the reviews that were recommended by Yelp. What I found was that the harsh reviews weren't very warranted. We arrived at 8 and had reservations. We last minute, asked to be seated outside which they quickly accommodated for. There were 5 of us, and within short order the waitress came and started the process. There was a large party that had been seated before us, which she eventually made us aware of. This became important for us to know, when she realized we wouldn't be getting our food as soon as maybe most people would like. So overall the service was slow, but it was a nice night out and my friends and I enjoyed our conversion which distracted me a lot from the actual amount of time it took to get our food - if felt much sooner than maybe it might have felt if I had been sitting there waiting with a quiet group. That being said, this restaurant is clean looking, and has a generally nice atmosphere, especially when taking into account the outdoor seating. The waitress we had was engaging and read us well enough to know she could joke with us. That made the end of the evening and getting the check fun. I paid $30 for my meal (included tip) which is of course on the pricier side, but it was a large plate with more than enough food, and included Chicken Pepperoni as the main dish, large pieces of soft fresh bread as a starter, water and a piece of Peanut Butter pie to die for. Overall it was a good night with good people and good food. I didn't at all experience what the other reviewers here had to say, who seemed to dislike the hawk like approach the owner had, and the subpar food. It seemed to be a normal restaurant with a little above average prices, and expectedly slow service given the volume of clientele that night. I felt informed though of what I was going to experience, and in the end what I received on the plate met my expectations. Anyone who feels the need to complain about a restaurant shouldn't do it based on their expectations of what they imagine the place should be, but instead should do it based on what they actually experienced. I hope I've done that in this review. Its by far not a complaint - its actually just what I experienced. read more

Food very good but does not seem to be able to coordinate payment method for over 4 people My group was assured separate cheques if we agreed to not be in a hurry and when going on a Wednesday slow evening was told by the waitress absolutely not. Caused quite a commotion Group will not return read more

Food was excellent and serving sizes generous. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Like other restaurants they were experiencing staffing issues due to the pandemic but did a great job. Will definitely return. read more