Disappointing Birthday Dinner Despite a Great Atmosphere…read more
First off, I made a reservation a WEEK in advance for a birthday dinner with 10 people. Unfortunately, you wouldn't have known that when I arrived. The host and servers looked completely shocked, confused, and unprepared for our party. They scrambled to push tables together while the rest of us stood around waiting. Not exactly the birthday dinner experience I had planned.
To be fair, our server was very nice and genuinely seemed to be doing her best. We were told she didn't normally work there and had been called in as a family member to help because they were understaffed. I appreciate her stepping up, but staffing issues shouldn't come at the expense of the customer experience, especially when reservations are made in advance.
The drinks came out fairly quickly, but once we ordered our food, things went downhill. We waited over an hour and a half for the food to start arriving. And rather than bringing everything out together, the kitchen sent out one plate every 5-10 minutes. By the time some people were halfway through their meals, others at our table hadn't even received their food. Nothing says birthday dinner quite like watching your friends eat in shifts!
As for the food, the marinated steak tips were genuinely good, so credit where credit is due. Unfortunately, the pasta was a major disappointment. I ordered the shrimp and clam linguini in red sauce, and honestly, it tasted like tomato-flavored water poured over noodles. Two bites in, I gave up. Another person in our party ordered the chicken Alfredo, which was slightly better but still underwhelming in both flavor and presentation.
For the prices they charge, I expected much more in terms of flavor, quality, presentation, and portion size. The value simply wasn't there.
Now, I will give Eatalia credit where it's deserved: the atmosphere is visually appealing, the vibe is great, and the live music adds a nice touch. The pizza was actually pretty good, too! However, the music was so loud that having a conversation with my party was nearly impossible--which was especially frustrating when we were already sitting there for almost two hours waiting for dinner.
My verdict: I probably won't be returning for dinner anytime soon. Between the lack of preparation for a reservation made a week in advance, the painfully slow service, and the disappointing pasta, the experience just wasn't worth the money. However, I might give them another shot for pizza and live music, because those seem to be their strong points.
Great atmosphere, good pizza, and live entertainment--but if you're planning a special occasion or a dinner with a large group, I'd think twice before making Eatalia your choice.