Robintino's - The Most Disappointing Return
Our recent visit to Robintino's was, unfortunately, a major disappointment. My wife and I, along with three other couples of our close friends, chose the restaurant for dinner based on positive past experiences. Given that Robintino's has been around for a long time, and several of us had positive memories of the food from years ago, we decided to go for an Italian meal, not having eaten there in quite some time.
However, it's clear the establishment has changed significantly while under new management, and not for the better!
From the moment we were seated, the service was unprofessional. Our server, a young woman, appeared somewhat overwhelmed, incapable and unprepared. Despite the restaurant not being especially noisy, she attempted to take our orders from one end of the table and repeatedly said she couldn't hear and kept asking us to repeat our orders. I had to ask her to move closer to guests to hear them clearly--something that should be standard practice.
When the food began arriving, the issues piled up quickly:
Of the eight people in our group, every single one of us had an issue with our meal:
1. Me (Breaded Chicken Parmesan with side of meat ravioli) - The chicken was dry and topped with an unmelted deli slice of cheese. The side of "meat" ravioli turned out to be cheese ravioli, despite being told I had received the last of the meat variety.
2. My Wife (Italian Spaghetti) - She described it as just "okay," though she noted the sauce was very watery, as if the pasta was not drained. It was so thin it resembled broth rather than a hearty marinara.
3. Friend #1 (Meat Ravioli) - Was served cheese ravioli without any prior notice. Only after asking did the server mention they were out of meat ravioli and had substituted it without permission or discussion.
4. Friend #2 (Breaded Chicken Parmesan with Side Baked Potato) - Never received the baked potato. When she asked, the server casually said they were out--again, no communication or offer of a substitute. The chicken parmesan also was dry and only ate a couple bites.
5. Friend #3 (Personal Pizza) - The pizza was doughy, undercooked, and lacked any real flavor. It clearly needed more time in the oven and better seasoning.
6. Friend #4 (Breaded Chicken Parmesan - with side of pasta) - Received grilled chicken with no breading instead of the ordered breaded version. On top of that, his side pasta dish was never brought out, even after mentioning "Where is my pasta?".
7. Friend #5 (Steak) - The steak was cooked far beyond what was expected, to the point of being dry, tough, and chewy. It also lacked seasoning and was described as extremely bland.
8. Friend #6 (Chicken Fettuccine) - The dish arrived without any chicken-none at all. When this was mentioned to the server, she looked confused and didn't offer any explanation or resolution.
To make matters worse, when the time came to pay, the server brought out a single check for all eight guests without asking if we wanted separate tabs. When we requested to split the bill, she seemed surprised and unprepared. One guest, frustrated with the entire experience, paid the full amount just to be done with it, and the rest of us reimbursed her directly.
Summary:
In total, eight meals were ordered--and eight meals were wrong. Every single member of our group had an issue with their dish, ranging from missing items to improperly cooked or substituted food, all without notice or accountability from the staff. The food quality was poor, the service inattentive, and the experience frustrating from start to finish.
Robintino's has received our lowest possible rating, and we strongly discourage anyone from dining here unless there is a complete overhaul of the kitchen, service staff, and management. None of the eight of us will be returning--likely ever--and we'll be sharing this experience with others to help them avoid the same disappointment. Would have given zero stars review if possible. read more