Disappointing Experience at La Trattoria - Birthday Celebration…read moreWe dined at La Trattoria on Saturday, August 22, 2026, to celebrate two birthdays. We made reservations in advance and arrived early, expecting a nice evening to celebrate.
Unfortunately, the experience started off poorly with the hostess. When we explained that we had reservations and had arrived early, she responded, "Oh, it doesn't matter, we're not busy." She initially walked us to a larger round table, placed the menus down, and moved a chair. She then said, "Oh, not there, but this table," and moved us to a much smaller table crammed up against a party of eight who were also having dinner and celebrating. What was especially frustrating was that the larger table remained empty for our entire visit. It would have been much more comfortable and appropriate to seat us there rather than have us practically sitting on top of another party.
Our waitress, Kennedy B., eventually came over and explained one special that wasn't on the menu. We ordered drinks and took some time to look over the menu. The drinks took quite a while, despite the fact that we could see them sitting on the counter. We decided to go ahead and order our entrees while waiting.
We ordered the Hero Sandwich with fries, Lasagna with salad, Frutti di Mare with salad, and Chicken Piccata. We were also asked if we wanted bread with our meal, which we did. Unfortunately, the bread that arrived was extremely hard and tasted as though it had been sitting around and was leftover.
The salads arrived before the entrees, followed eventually by our meals. While our waitress was setting down the entrees, she began picking up our salads without asking whether we were finished. I had to tell her, "No, I'm not done." Basic table service should include asking before removing someone's plate.
Unfortunately, the food itself was also disappointing.
The lasagna was bland and had very little filling. There was hardly any meat or ricotta, and it lacked flavor. It honestly tasted more like sauce from a jar than a properly prepared Italian lasagna.
The Frutti di Mare was just okay, but it was swimming in an excessive amount of liquid. More concerning, the octopus did not taste fresh and seemed spoiled.
The Chicken Piccata was another disappointment. We didn't realize when ordering that the dish came with a choice of salad or pasta rather than pasta being included with the meal. This was never explained to us. In my experience, pasta is commonly served with Chicken Piccata at an Italian restaurant, so this was an unexpected presentation. The chicken itself was dry, and there were an excessive number of capers--far more than necessary.
We ordered another round of drinks, and once again we could see them sitting on the counter. Approximately seven minutes passed before they were brought to our table, even though the restaurant was not busy.
We also overheard the table next to us trying to order different desserts. They eventually had to ask, "What do you have?" because it seemed there were very limited dessert options. That certainly didn't leave us feeling like we were at a restaurant prepared to provide a complete dining experience.
Overall, this was a very disappointing experience, especially because we were there celebrating two birthdays. The service was slow and inattentive, the food was inconsistent and disappointing, and some basic details that should have been explained were not.
The waitress was fortunate to receive the tip she did, considering the overall level of service. The restaurant is located in a nice area with beautiful homes surrounding it, but unfortunately, the restaurant itself left a lot to be desired.
For a restaurant presenting itself as Italian, we expected much better food, service, and attention to detail. Sadly, our birthday celebration at La Trattoria was not the enjoyable evening we had anticipated.
