Previously reviewed this restaurant & raved 5 star- this past visit, not-so-much. Brought a group of 18 and reserved the table 2 weeks in advance. Unfortunately, the service was abominably SLOW. We arrived at 7 pm and were seated quickly and drink orders taken. Food orders weren't taken until 7:45. By 8:30 pm, the group was begging for just some bread at the table. Appetizers weren't out until after 9 and hot dishes were cold. By that time no one complained. Seemed like a staffing issue as our waiter was also serving several other tables Having said that- this place has such fabulous potential; an extensive wine list, delicious food and fabulous desserts. The waitress offered Prosecco on the house which was nice. If they can address this issue of enough wait staff (which has been mentioned before by others) Nundini's would be right up there with Coltivare read more

Updating review ... came back after my 1st experience and again this place amazes me. Really good Italian food and a really good and big wine list! Bruschetta is very tasty and delicious! I had a lobster linguine and it was very very good! They were presenting an organic wines from Argentina and gave some samples, we went for the Malbec and it was a good one! Do not regret! We had tiramisu for dessert and it was again delicious! Do recommend a reservation if coming on Friday or Saturday night read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Lobster Linguine - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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This is my favorite Italian restaurant. I love coming to Nudini's and the flavors and everything is perfection. Our server Isabel was really good and so friendly. I got the mushroom risotto which I've gotten before and it never fails always amazing! If you don't come here you will regret it for sure! More people should know about this place! read more

What a great place to come and meet friends for a Happy Hour glass of vino or prosecco. The food is delicious, the ambience is inviting, and Graciano, the bartender, is professional and attentative. Two Thumbs Up! read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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I love this place!! It's a hidden gem in the heights and can easily be missed when driving by. Their Italian food is authentic. It's a small sit down restaurant with a deli when you first walk in. Every time I've come, it's always been packed! Service is friendly and prompt. Food is amazing! I've tried their mussels and calamari. Robust flavors and everything tastes so fresh. Hubby gets the pasta or their special which consists of a variety of meats. You can't go wrong with any of their menu items. One of the best Italian restaurants in Houston! read more

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My beloved I made a Tuesday date night trip to Nundini's and had the most amazing time. We arrived at around 6 pm and sat down right away. We started the night off with prosecco as we placed our order and once we settled on the whole red snapper, we ordered a bottle of Antinori chardonnay. Roberto was very helpful in guiding us on our food and wine pairings and checked on us often and made sure our glasses were never empty ....water or wine, that is The meal, well if you have seen the pictures, you get where I'm going with this. Delicious, fresh red snapper baked with Italian spices and curved table side by Chef Nundini himself! The fish was then drizzled with olive oil and served with bottega di sicilla---one bite and you are in heaven!!Talk about making our dining experience special! Its acts of passion for people and food that makes us regular customers. We have been coming back and have never been disappointed. Our amazing dinner aside, here are the reasons we love Nundini's and why you should visit; 1. The food is great, authentic and as close as you are going to get to Italy without the long flight and $$$$ 2. Service is top notch!! 3. It's not only a full service restaurant but Nundini Enterprises carries a wide variety of authentic Italian products, notable Italian wines and cheeses, gelato, homemade pizza--yes it is wood stone and baked fresh. 4. I had no Idea they deliver!! 5. Amazing deserts---was so tempted to get a cannolo all Siciliana but will have to go back for that later 6. Yes, the bathrooms are clean, that important The only con I might say is that I can see parking being tricky on a busy day, but that's nothing new when you are located in the Heights, after all, a little exercise is great for digestion!! read more

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I drive past this restaurant almost every day when I'm coming back from town off Shepherd, however, using I'm zipping by as this place is the bottom of the fun hill. But on this Saturday afternoon, instead of stepping on the gas pedal, I decided to press on the brake and stop on in. When you enter it's a bit confusing. You start off in the marketplace, where you can get meats, pastas, and cheeses that you can take home along with gelato. However, in the back is the actual sit down restaurant. I ordered the Fettuccine alla Uovo Papalina per April C's recommendation. I trust her taste and boy was I glad. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the sauce was spectacular. The sausage slices on top put the whole dish together. I don't usually go out for Italian but I must say this dish will have me coming back. The bread here is amazing. There was three types in the basket and 2 of the three was so soft, there's a thicker sliced bread that comes out really warm and I could eat this one all day. There's another type that's sliced more thinly, I dipped this in the olive oil and the third type was a breadstick. I believe the manager/owner was working this day and he was on top of everything. He came by a couple of times to ask if everything was alright. It was great service. read more

I've driven by this place a number of times going up Shepherd, just past the freeway, on the right. The outside is pretty unimpressive...until I checked out the reviews on Yelp I wasn't sure it was open to the public. A wholesaler or something? Walking in, you realize that the lack of windows hurts the appearance of the place on the inside. Then again, the sun isn't good for anything you find there. I was most impressed with the deli and the lunch counter. They have a reasonably large selection of italian olives, meats, and cheeses, both cut to order and pre-packaged in the case. They had a selection of olive oil, vinegar and other things Italian. The pressed sandwiches will cause me to come back! They are of the usual Italian variety with an added bonus of a muffaletta called the "New Orleans". The bread was fresh, delicious, and authentic Italian bread round like you find on the better muffalettas. What they served was the traditional "half" size for $7, which is reasonably priced and reasonably portioned (though you can get a whole at Napoleon House in New Orleans with table service for $10). So when you get the craving and don't feel like going all the way to the Big Easy, this is where I would recommend you go. This is also a wine shop, with a reasonable selection of Italian wines--however if you're a true Italian wine connoisseur you would be better served going to a purveyor of wine. They also had a selection of gelato (which I didn't try). Some of the elements are 4-star, but the overall place is 3-star. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

We loved the pizza. It was delicious and authentic. The seafood risotto was also amazing. Highly recommend. They didn't have a bartender while we were dining but made me an espresso martini and it was terrible. But I don't hold this against them; I just wish they had not made my martini and just given me the other drink I asked for instead. The gelato was also amazing. We loved how quiet the restaurant was. We dined early and it was filling up around 7. Definitely will be going back! read more

I love this place. It's quaint, romantic, and beaten off the path of hustle and bustle in Houston. Nice for lunch and dinner. I had the Parma panini which was pretty good but when the table next to me ordered pasta, I knew I should have gone that route instead. They have a wine dinner which I am very curious about. Oh ya, FYI, the restaurant is towards the back. The front part is the italian market, gelato, and meat deli. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Parma panini - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

I went here the night before Valentine's to try it again. I am giving it 3 stars because the food was very good. The service was awful. Our waiter came by and left water a few minutes after we were seated and then never came back. The hostess did her best to take care of us but service was so slow. We were there for 3 hours only had a salad and 2 entrees no drinks and no dessert. I have been here two times in a row and had bad service I just don't think I can go back a third time. read more

So disappointing. The food was great but the service was terrible. There seemed to be only one waitress and she was trying to do everything but cook. It took forever to get drinks and I never got mine because she said it was going to take too long to make! One of our orders didn't get put on the ticket. The Chef came over and apologized for the mistake and did not charge us for that meal. It's probably the worst service I've ever experienced, which is a shame because the food was very good. read more

True Italian Naples pizza and pasta ! Don't miss this Italian secret in Houston! I will be coming back for more! This restaurant would be $$$$ in another location! Homemake gelato made daily!!! read more

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Went to lunch with my girls and everything was fabulous I truly LOVED THE BUFULA pizza. Also the wine selection is top tier!

Overall had a good experience here. We had a 4 course meal and enjoyed most of the dishes with the gelato and the pasta being the best. Ambience: quiet and authentic Italian feel with open kitchen viewing Service: quick and accommodating Food: overall good. The pasta dishes were great and so was the gelato. We didn't see anything that interesting about the pizza or the scallops. read more

This place is more of a grocery store that has a little restaurant built in the back. When I first walked into the place, I was a little sceptical about what to exect from eating there. But I was really impressed!!! The food was excellent and very flavorful. I went with the Penne Arrabiata which was cooked to perfection. The sauce was very flavorful and the pasta was cooked to tenderness. The grocery store is mainly a deli that serves all kinds of italian meats and cheeses. They also have a great selection of wines that you can buy from the bottle. But be warned, that their wine prices are a little more expensive than what you can buy from other places. One thing I was a little disappointed with was that their selection of Italian groceries was lacking. I am assuming that their main focus is on meats and cheeses and not on carrying various other Italian food products. Overall, this place is worth checking out if you are looking for a place to eat that serves great Italian food. read more

It's been years and has changed alot. Excellent food and drinks. Owner came around and introduced himself which was nice. Want Italian (authentic) this is the spot. read more

I found the greatest sandwich of my life in the form of the Parma at Nundini's. This is a sandwich that is the epitome of the idea that less is more. Perfectly toasted ciabatta bread, with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and salt and pepper. That's it. No fancy spreads, no fancy seeds or nuts studded into the bread...just pure good ingredients coming together into a marriage so beautiful that it makes you wonder if the folks at Nundini's have unlocked the secret to finding love in life. Or they just unlocked the secret to making a damn good sandwich. The prosciutto has all the great salty and meaty flavors you would expect, with happy little strips of fat occasionally running through the slices to remind you that this is more than just store-bought ham that you're eating. The mozzarella is soft and mild in flavor, and it cuts through the saltiness of the prosciutto. Tack on the perfectly toasted bread, and you're in a for a treat. When you take a bite, crumbs of the crisped bread crust fly out in various directions. You get the saltiness of the prosciutto paired with the mozzarella. Then when you pull away, strings of melted mozzarella trail from your bread, where you make a spectacle of yourself while trying to catch these precious little threads of deliciousness (think about eating uber-cheesy pizza and you get the idea). Bite, expel crumbs, catch mozzarella strings, repeat. Happiness between two slices of bread. Then there's the gelato. They make theirs fresh on site, and it shows. They're always light, creamy, and authentically flavored...as in strawberry will actually taste like fresh strawberries, and not some vague candy-flavored junk. This is what gelato should be. The flavors change on a regular basis, and they always turn out amazing, but if they've got it, the dark chocolate is always a winner, and the nocciola (hazelnut) is ridiculously good paired with it...think frozen Nutella on steroids. Ohhh mama. Oh, and the sandwich + gelato = under $15. Is that amore? I think it is. :) read more

Nundini Chef's Table - parma panini - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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The food is ok but they can't handle large groups. We had a party of about 20 people, and they only gave us 1 waitress. She was nice but she was no super waitress. She was clearly overwhelmed by our party. She tried but it was just taking her so long to do any task. Waters, slow. Orders, slow. Food, slow. Refills, slow. Checks, super slow. The checks were probably the worst part. For some reason they only brought out 1 or 2 checks at a time and it took them 5-10 minutes to process just a couple of credit cards. After we realized how long this was going to take, it began to feel like a lottery to see who's check was going to be next. It got so bad that we weren't even waiting for each other. Each person started leaving after they paid and wished everyone luck as they left the table. I couldn't even pay cash b/c my check had not arrived yet so I trapped there like a prisoner. I was so happy when I got to leave the restaurant. I felt like Tim Robbins at the end of The Shawshank Redemption. It's unfortunate things had to go down like this because the workers seem really nice. Our waitress was very apologetic for the slow service. The chef even came out to see how the food was. There's no reason this dinner should have taken as long as it did. We were seated immediately and they weren't busy, yet it still took over 2.5 hrs. Actually it could be more because about 1/3 of our party was still waiting for their checks when I left. I don't know, maybe I'll give them another chance when it's just me and another person, but I'll never come here with a large party again. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

We have wanted to go and support this place, after the reopen from Harvey. We never stopped in, before, but we drive by, all of the time. They did not have a host on a Friday, but we were quickly greeted by the chef. It's basically two open rooms with an open kitchen and shelves with their wines by region. They also had large Italian style sculptures around the space and dividing the rooms. It was quiet, but didn't quite have the ambiance of some of their competitors. Their wine list is pretty extensive, but the wine by glass is much smaller. I felt like having a traditional Italian red, while my boyfriend did a Pinot Grigio. The first was a Montepulciano, which was good, but not quite what I was looking for. The second was the Nero d'Avola, which was the fuller bodied wine that I was looking for. The chef recommended it, after I asked to see the wine list, for something different from my Montepulciano. The food, they don't have gluten-free pastas listed on the menu. So, I was prepared to just order a minestrone, as their menu is mostly pastas, pizzas, and panini's. The chef said "what's going on? What keeps you away from other options?" I told him that I can't have dairy, gluten, or shellfish. He told me they had gluten-free pastas and recommended two dishes that were dairy-free, as well. I went with the San Marino, which had mushrooms, artichokes, garlic, and tomatoes. My boyfriend had the spaghetti allo scoglio, which was a tomato sauce with clams, mussels, shrimp, and calamari. We both were very impressed! We were so full, that when we were offered their homemade gelato and sorbetto, they sounded good, but we couldn't do it. We would definitely check it out, again! One recommendation is either a host or have servers constantly check the front. They are very centered around the food and kitchen forward, and I get that! But, it felt a little disconnected in that area. read more

The food is really great. My favorite is the spaghetti with marinara -- simple but cooked right with a really great flavor to the sauce. Everything we have had has been exceptional except for the asparagus risotto has almost no asparagus in it, which was disappointing. I also really liked the cold cuts appetizer, but it's overpriced. They have a nice wine selection, and the atmosphere is very nice with wine bottles lining the walls of the restaurant. The service in general is slow. They're also really bad at seating you quickly or even talking to you when you first come to the host stand. Also, absolutely DO NOT order online. There is some ridiculous system where you can order online, but it is NOT through them directly. Definitely do not pay online. Whoever takes your order online has to call or fax your order in, and this restaurant is terrible about picking up the phone, constantly letting it ring. They did not get my to-go order until about 45 minutes after I placed it, and it took a lot of convincing on my part to explain I ordered from their website. read more

Our first lunch here was awesome so we came back. This time the food was terrible for 2 of the 3 of us. 2 of us ordered the panini. My friends sat in the serving window at least 20 minutes and was served when one other order was served. Hers was cold and fries were so terrible. I had yet to be served. We asked to warm the sandwich and was told can't do that so I asked them to make another. She got the original back when I got mine. Fries were cold and terrible. Panini was overdone. We both left most of our food behind. Very disappointed. Service was lacking. Think she tried but obviously not much experience. read more

Believe it or not, but despite the name, this is the place to go to find authentic Italian goods -- sandwiches, gelatos, and imported Italian products. They serve lunch from the deli and also homemade gelato that probably is the one of the best in Houston. I love the zuppe inglese gelato but they don't always make it. This is the closest thing to a true Italian market in Houston. read more

I came here for the first time today. I parked at the self parking on the right side when your turn in on the fence. I just prefer not to have strangers in my car. Walking in I saw that they had a ramp for wheelchairs and a separate stair. I passed the store part of the restaurant before getting to my table. I ordered calamari for appetizer and for dinner the risotto with shrimp and margherita pizza. The risotto tasted good but the jumbo shrimp looked so good I gobbled down a whole shrimp before realizing that something on my plate smelled fishy. I asked the waitress to smell the shrimp and she said pick something else from the menu and she proceeded to take the risotto plate away. The pizza was delicious. Usually I like a little meat on my pizza but I know traditional Italian pizzas are mostly cheese and veggies with a little herbs like basil. I was hesitant but I gave it a try anyways. It was delicious. From my table, I was able to see my pizza being made. I would definitely try other pizzas here next time. I ordered spicy penne with pancetta to replace my risotto. It pasta and the sauce was good. The pancetta was a little weird for me in the pasta. The waitress that we had was really slow. Since she took forever I decided not to try the desserts they offered. Who knows how long it will take for it to arrive at my table!!! It took forever for me to pay and leave. I think the water boy was more on top of it then my waitress. He came by to refill my water 3 times!! We had to look for our waitress when we needed something. She didn't come by and ask. Fyi: they had a separate male and a female restroom. The female restroom was a large room but only ONE toilet. read more

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The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is for the food and the staff. To the owner of this restaurant who was bantering and drinking with his friends at the back corner table, you should be ashamed of yourself. We came here with my parents and grandparents for my husbands birthday lunch and I've never been more disgusted by the lack of care/pride of taking care of your customer. Our waitress had only worked there for two weeks and she was basically running the restaurant by herself. She was completely lost and had no support, and only until my husband waited 30 minutes for his food did the cook come over and say sorry because it was never put on the ticket. Meanwhile in the over two hours we were there another couple who were clearly regulars, sat down and immediately were greeted by the owner, given a tour of new wines that had been brought in and immediately served drinks and salad while the owner brought Parmesan and bread. This was absolutely no fault of the staff, they were doing their best, but to the owner, you will never get my business back. Before the other couple came in we were the only guests in your restaurant and you couldn't bother to even help your staff or apologize for mistakes that were made. You're a disgrace, and quite frankly you don't deserve to run the place if this is how you treat your staff and your customers. read more

*Review is for restaurant portion only* Dining here on a weeknight was an interesting experience for my husband, who doesn't know anything about this place. As we pulled up, he asked "where are you taking me?" Yes, it looks rather sketchy since the building is nothing but a big warehouse off Shepherd and I-10, with Mercedes cars parked up front. Houstonians know Nundini as the Italian food import store/deli, but as of a few months ago, Nundini added a full service dining restaurant to their space. I was curious. Here's the low down... Upon entering the warehouse, we were greeted and seated promptly. Our waitress introduced herself and took our drink order. The main dining room wall was surrounded by rows of Italian wine. You may purchase a bottle and open it there to have with your meal. There is a corkage fee. Basically if you look at the wine prices, there is a take-home price and a dine-in price. They also have a small wine bar located in the corner of dining room. We weren't that hungry that night so we shared a pizza, a side of asparagus, and side of spaghetti with marinara sauce - Chef Pizza: wood-fired, loved the crust but the topping was rather bland. Too bad! I had high hopes for it (combination of arugula, pear and taleggio) but I could barely taste the taleggio. - Side asparagus: topped with pesto. It too was rather bland but worse, overcooked! - Spaghetti with marinara sauce: was just ok. I've had better marinara sauce. Overall cute concept but they definitely need to improve on the food flavor. I'd probably be back to give the other pizzas a try. Restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, with a siesta break in between. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Chef's Pizza - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Lamb chops were delicious, but the plate itself wasn't filling even with a house salad and I left there still hungry. The Scaloppa Milanese was very greasy. See pics. On the service side, our waiter took our order and just disappeared and left us begging for more water and the check at the end. Go figure. I don't think I'll be back anytime soon. Not sure what the hype was all about. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Lamb Chops $35 - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Yes! Nundini's is now open for lunch & dinner. Great Italian food back in my restaurant rotation. Enjoyed panini for lunch today. Genova - salami, provolone, spring mix, & tomatoes. Try "Tagliolini al Reggiano con Tartufo (truffles)". Ask for Timothy. Great off- menu dish. read more

Nundini Chef's Table - Timothy fired up! - Italian Near Me - Houston, Texas

A very charming place with great food and personality. Not too busy during lunch. I got to meet the chef and he was very kind and helpful.

We always like the food here and they make some great wine recommendations. Can't go wrong checking Nundini's out.

stopped by for the first time to grab lunch on a Friday. no more than 5 customers in the restaurant. I ordered just a panini sandwich and after waiting for 40 minutes and watching people who have entered long after me getting served. I asked my waiter about the status of my food and it turns out they haven't even started on it and requested 10 minutes to make my sandwich. I walked out. fuck this place read more

We, a group of 20 with a reservation, had a bad experience here. It took a long time (2.5 hours) to get our order of mediocre food. We ordered the carnivore pizza and there wasn't much more than one piece of each of the meats listed on the menu. Several in the group had pasta dishes, some with pretty small servings. The infrequent wait staff was polite/friendly but the kitchen evidently was having trouble getting food out and the owner was very surly as he expressed, with profanity, to at least one of our group. We won't be back. There are lots of reasonably priced Italian restaurants with great waitstaff in Houston without you having to darken the doors of this dismal establishment. read more

Weird dining experience. Stopped in on an early Saturday afternoon. Seated promptly with menus not lunch menus so we assumed that being a Saturday there wasn't one. Our hostess/waitress disappeared. Finally after an excessively long wait a different waiter came and took our order. Several minutes later our hostess/waitress came with lunch menus??? We advised that we had already ordered. Food was delivered to each of us at different times. We were finished before the kids got their paninis. Never got water refills or follow up to order another round of drinks. Service was awful, but food was decent even though it was a bit overpriced. read more

Let me start with the end. The waitress apologized and said "the chef is an as$." Says enough actually. I made dinner reservations for a group of 7 over the holidays and this crappy place refused to adjust any of their food so a pregnant woman could eat it. Honestly i was hardly being demanding. I asked if they could just make me pasta with olive oil . I just wanted my family to enjoy a meal out- i have nausea and acid reflux preventing me from eating much of anything. Oh I had checked before going that this menu amendment was possible. Go here if you don't mind being treated like junk. Also it took them 30 minutes to seat and another 15 to come by with water. It was only then that they told me they would not make me pasta and oil. I've also heard they lost the pre Harvey chef and that is what has caused the change. read more

Things have changed since my last visit. Meal was just good. So I won't complain. But on previous visits, I was pretty impressed. Truth is I'm not sure what keeps this place open given their awkward location and lack of advertising. I think we were the only people in the dining room at noon on Wednesday. Still, there is a lot to like about the place. It's nice to browse the authentic Italian food stores and gelato. read more

I had the parma caprese panini - i absolutely loved it! the mozarella - OMG - i've only had what they sell in regular stores - try real mozarella and OMG, you'll never want the Kraft kind again. i wished they had put more prosuitto, but i supposed i could've asked for extra. i also had a coupon for a free scoop of gelato - OMG again... soo sooo good. I had the italian neopolitan (chocolate, pistachio & strawberry)... so creamy and so good. I also bought a bottle of extra virgin olive oil ($29 for 750 ml), so i can't wait to try it at home. I will definitely be back to try one of their other sandwiches & pastas (though the pastas were in containers in the cooler section, where the cheese/sausge is). Honey - if you're reading this, don't be mad because I went without you!!! LOL.. i'm going to take you there with me next time ;-) read more

Unfortunately I have to say stay away. Hurts to say so about locally owned restaurant. However, placed a pick-up order and was told it would be ready soon. Waited at restaurant for 40 minutes snd then was told it would be another 40 minutes. Really? read more

This restaurant is so delicious!!! My boyfriend and I keep this in our regular rotation. The experience and service is authentic, and they always make us feel at home!! The risotto is absolutely divine read more

I've been wanting to come here for years! I finally got the chance on a Friday night. First of all, it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought they were a counter service deli so I was surprised when we had to be seated at the bar in the restaurant side in order to take food to-go. The counter service side appears to be for desserts and other things that you'd purchase at an Italian grocery store (meat, cheese). I tried to order the Genova panini with mozzarella instead of provolone, and my husband got the New Orleans panini (basically a muffaletta). I say tried because when I got home, there wasn't any salami on the sandwich; it was simply mozzarella, tomato slices and some spring mix lettuce. Good, but very plain, and not what I ordered. My husband's sandwich was tasty. We also got a cannoli with pistachio to-go, and it was polished off in a few bites. Yum! My qualms with this place were mostly awkward service in ordering at the bar, but apparently they were missing two servers that night, so that might explain the strangeness. Getting seated originally was awkward as well, as there were no open tables, and they acted like "okbye!" after pointing out that none were open. I'd come back and check out the rest of the menu and eat there, but I'd have lower expectations for service. read more

I wish I could give this place a no star review. My boyfriend and I weren't greeted at the door but eventually a waitress sat us and brought us waters, that's literally the only service we got. We sat for 10 minutes while waiters walked right past us, bringing bread and food to the few other tables that were in the building: No one wanted to take our wine or food order. I'm in the industry and this was very a unprofessional and an unorganized restaurant. What kind of business (that's empty) are you running where no one wants to give you any customer service at all? Never coming back and telling EVERYONE I know never to come here. read more