I was starving and it was a Thursday night, about 7:15 at night. I was in the mood for lasagna so I called Uptown 101 who have really good lasagna to see if they had it (normally it's a special, not a regular menu item) and they didn't. I then called Milano's, a place I haven't gotten food from in years, but they didn't pick up the phone.
Then I remembered George's. Despite it always seeming to be a popular place I've heard good things about, I've never eaten there.
I pulled up their website and discovered they not only had lasagna, they had online ordering, which I prefer.
But I soon realized their ordering system on their website is their own. They don't use a 3rd party system like many restaurants. At first this seemed fine as the design was well done, but when it came to check out after completing my order I discovered I had to register for an account. This seems obsessive. Why not just allow guest check out? Every other restaurant does.
So I registered and went to login but it wouldn't let me. There was no error message. I went to re-register but it said my e-mail was taken, but that meant it did go through.
After a frustrating few mins I gave up and decided to call.
Note: Later I received an e-mail asking me to confirm my e-mail address to complete registration. Again, why is this necessary to order food from a restaurant? Regardless, it came way late.
When I called they answered promptly. I told them I wanted the lasagna and she said it came with a side salad and asked what dressing I wanted. I should note that on the website there were options to upgrade the salad and add a protein, both of which I'd done on the website, but she did not give me any such options. I was so hungry and over it by this point I just left that stuff off.
"It'll be about 40-45 mins" she said.
40-45 minutes!? Sheesh! I know this place is popular but wow. I can't think of another restaurant in all of Oxford that takes this long.
It was also expensive at almost $19 for some lasagna and a little salad!
Nevertheless, I waited 40 mins, showed up and it was ready. I will say the staff were friendly. I got my food and went home.
The verdict? The lasagna was... fine. It wasn't anything special. It was a good portion, but not worth $19 and waiting almost 40 mins to get it.
The side salad was fresh and...a side salad. Nothing special. Honestly, the best part about the meal was the balsamic vinaigrette. It was flavorful with a great consistency. I don't know if they get it out of a bottle or it's house made, but they should be proud of that if the latter.
I didn't try the garlic bread.
Would I go back? Probably not. At least not for the lasagna. If you want a really good lasagna, I recommend the one from Uptown 101. They don't always have it, but when they do it's on special. It's better tasting, the same or slightly bigger portion size and a lot less expensive. It also comes with a side salad.... and it won't take 40 minutes for it to be ready either. read more