I always wonder why I get sucked into eating at Strings. Maybe it's the convenience of it being there or can seat 8-10 people or is kid friendly. It's certainly not for the authenticity of the Italian food or the cleanliness. If you're up here and don't want to eat fast food and the other restaurants are closed, you gotta do what you gotta do. On certain nights, kids eat free, so great for families on a budget. Think of Strings as a step below Olive Garden and Macaroni Grill, another half step below Buca, and couple of steps below Visconti's in Folsom. Service is hit or miss. A majority of the wait staff seem to be high school kids. Some are great, engaging and attentive. Other times, it's marginal at best. There was even an instance once where a server was busing plates back and had dropped a fork and didn't notice. Another server eventually saw it and pushed it with his foot against the wall. For the entire meal, no one bothered to pick up the fork that was visible to everyone within 10 feet of it. Food: 2.5 stars P/C: 3 stars Service: 2-4 stars read more

I've eaten at many great Italian restaurants before, and knowing that Strings was a chain, my expectations were low, however this place didn't even meet my expectations. I ordered ravioli but what I got instead was a bowl of cheese drowning in salty sauce. I am not even exaggerating, there had to be a good quarter inch of melted oily cheese on my bowl. The people I came with ordered a pizza, which again, piled on with cheese and what seemed like dehydrated mushrooms. The crust was TERRIBLE. Thin, soggy, and gross. If you love excessive amounts of cheese, then you'd probably like this establishment. I barely saw any of the staff smile, and they aren't welcoming or warming either. Our waiter was nice, but we spent quite some time trying to look for him or get his attention for help. Not really a good look especially when there were only 5 other tables occupied that evening. I am the kind of person who doesn't like to bother other staff members for help, as they are not waiting on me, so I prefer to find my own waiter for help. I gave this place two stars because its in a small town so what more could I expect. read more

I just placed an order for office party delivery for a new office, people and location I am not familiar with but Jared at Strings was exceptional. He went above and beyond helping me out planning the menu and everything and taking care of the order. Great customer service. Thank You read more

This particular occasion was my Birthday. I wanted to give a special thank you to our waitress, Ciera (I'm sorry if I misspelled your name!). She served our entire party of 14 on Sunday evening. We weren't the easiest group; very talkative and distracted as we were catching up on family things. Even among the chaos of our chatter all the food and drink orders came out perfect. She was so patient and pleasant with us. She was very attentive, continually checking on us and bringing bread and water and all the delicious things Strings has that I love so much! I absolutely appreciate all her efforts. She really made my birthday dinner so lovely and I am grateful. I cannot thank her enough, she was just wonderful. read more

Yesterday at about 2pm we went to Strings in Martell/Jackson. As always Great food. Our meals included a chicken marsala, prawn fettuccini, salmon, calamari with shrimp, bisque, salad. All was excellent. If you have one little problem or special request, it is taken care of quickly and exactly as requested. Our server Alyssa made our meal wonderful. So attentive. We greatly appreciated her service. I love their menu and beverages they offer. read more

Did take out and it was great. Had the Tuscan Steak, Myer Lemon Chicken and the Seafood in Vodka Sauce. All were great and held well for the 15ish minute drive home. Love the bread! read more

We are from out of town, staying the night in Jackson, and decided to go here for a nicer dinner. As we were sitting down, the table next to us were receiving second plates because of an issue with their food. The waitress apologized five separate times regarding the matter, explaining that there is a new chef. Having read the reviews of the bad food, we were very apprehensive to continue our dining experience. We looked at each other, "oh no". But there isn't too much in Jackson in the means of fine dining so we decided to continue on There are a ton of reviews on here on how awful their food is, but the food is the only thing that got this restaurant a three star in my opinion. The bread was fantastic, although they only give one small roll, 4" round, for the two of us. Their menu is very different that any Strings chain I've been to, but still a nice, traditional Italian menu. Minestrone Soup- 7/10 good flavor Seafood Bisque- 5/10 more like tomato bisque with a fish sauce All meat calzone- 8/10 thin crust, meatball halves were a bit too much, but overall good Calamari dinner- 9/10 great calamari steak, too much lemon, but yummy. Service was okay. The waitress was incredibly sweet, but we rarely saw her once we got our food. Which I though was weird, since we were the only people in her section at the time. James Taylor station on Pandora. As a 30 year old, the first few songs were okay, but by the end, it was practically mild torture! Lol! The restaurant is clean and was decorated nicely. I would eat here again, but not dressed as nicely as we were. This is definitely a restaurant that has no dress code. There were people in sweatpants, and men in over exposing tank tops. Even the manager was running around in jeans and a tee, drinking a glass of wine. Can you say unprofessional?! Two meals and an appetizer, no drinks, our bill was well over $50, meh! read more

I was here last Sunday & I was quite disappointed. I ordered the calamari steak & shrimp which was recommended by the server. The shrimp was good but the squid, I couldn't decide whether it's ok, there's an after taste I couldn't point my finger to. Maybe it's the oil they used, maybe it was used too many times. And the spaghetti that came with it, good heavens!! I wish the manager or the chef would taste this. I tried my best to eat this because I was hungry but I really couldn't. I'm sorry. read more

Strings is a great go to restaurant in the Jackson area. They've always had a wide variety of choices. I love that they now have a gluten-free menu. Their service is friendly and fast. read more

The owner was so nice and accommodating for our birthday party for 14 people. The food is great!

Our first time at this restaurant & it was very good. The sangria was amazing & a nice size glass. My husband loved the artichoke dip we got as our appetizer. Everything we ordered was amazing & the service was good. We will definitely be coming back. read more

I went to this location with my family over the weekend. Great food and service. Jackson doesn't have tons of restaurants to choose from, but Strings is good. The waitress was one point great humor and friendly A+++ for her! I think her name was Michelle?? read more

Pretty good Italian food for a great price, especially during their lunch hours since you get a free soup with your meal. The service here was some of the best I've received in quite some time, which pushes this place to a 5! read more

We ordered take-out. All three entrees were good - Chicken Lombardi, Meat & Cheese Lasagne, and Salmon Pescatora. We requested double veg on two of them to replace the starch. The vegetables were cooked perfect. Soups were also good - Minestrone & Lobster Bisque. Everything was ready in 20 minutes, as estimated. Michelle, who took our order over the phone went through everything when I picked up. Friendly staff. read more

Prompt and friendly service. I was traveling alone and found this place on Yelp. The food was tasty and hot when served.

Strings in Jackson has the friendliest staff, nicest atmosphere and best food in Amador County. I was just there today and had the Peach and Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin. It was amazing!! read more

My wife and I decided to eat at this restaurant one night, and had the best waiter we have ever had. His name was "Luke" he was the best server, very friendly, took the time to insure that we were happy with our food. he was knowledgeable with the menu,, and looked out for an elderly couple that walked in the restaurant. I will return to this restaurant because of this waiter. Thank you Luke you are the best. Because of you I'm a lifetime customer. read more

Really great service ! Yummy bread and salad !!! Loved the huge calzone stuffed with meat

Good morning: Update: I received a call from the Owner (Sharon) my mistake on the name below. I spent in excess of 15 minute on the phone with her trying to convince me they did everything correctly. I finally told her I had to go because she was wasting my time! I wish I could lower the rating.................... On Saturday July 6th. My wife and I returned to your restaurant. We have dined in your establishment on many occasion as we have a vacation property in the Jackson area (Pine Grove) and are up on most weekends and holidays. Most of our experiences have been good until yesterday. Our server was Luke. A mistake was made with our order mistakes happen. My wife had ordered the Trout Dish, me the Short Ribs. The Short Ribs were mistaken for a Combo of some sorts. Here is where the problem began. Luke chose to keep the Trout Dish under a warmer while the Cooks prepared the Short Ribs, needless to say when the meals were served the Trout was more like a "jerky". My comments; any person working in a restaurant should know a fish-dish will hold. Needless to say it was sent back. My wife asked to have the dish replaced, with Artichoke Ravioli. the next mistake, Luke leaves my dish on the table while the new dish was being prepared. When my wife gets her dish mine is slightly warm. Luke checks back in with us after a few minutes with the most arrogant tone; "Now that I have the problems corrected, everything is going good"?(paraphrased) This clown didn't even notice or care about the dish he left behind while the replacement dish was being prepared. This is BAD Training and BAD practice. In delivering the Check, he brings me a card and a message that HE is authorizing a 15% discount on my next visit due to the issues. Once again delivered with an unusual arrogance and swagger or nonchalance; can't really tell due to its fake delivery. I'm already pissed, to say the least. I pay for the meal with my CC and a Debit Card (Some sort of VISA Reward Card from my Bank, value $15.00). Luke proceeds to tell me he cannot process the full-value of the Card because your system "over-charges the Transaction" by 20%. I told Luke to find a way because I was ready to walk out and tell him to f-himself. He finally found a way to charge $12.00 of the $15.00 of the Debit Card. Luke gave me a business card with the number of the Owner-Donna. I stated would take this higher than the Owner, to a Corporate Level ; I was told by Luke there is no one higher than Donna (Again delivered with a weird arrogance). There is always a higher audience, the PUBLIC (let Luke know there is ALWAYS someone Higher in Power. Donna, a couple of things: 1) Train your Staff on dealing with food mistakes. 2) Serve Both meals at the same time freshly prepared. 3) Future discounts for Today's-mistakes is telling me to spend more money for ANOTHER mistake. 4) Fix you POS System. (I will be mentioning to my Bank your practices with their Debit Card. 5) Consider this, a $2-3 dollar piece of Fish will cost you at least $600.00. (we eat at your location at least once a month 12 mo. @ $50.00 per visit = $600.00 yr.) 6) One Complaint nullifies One-Hundred positive Reviews! read more

What a wonderful lunch/dinner. It's my birthday and I got the artichoke dip and zoodles with shrimp. Was spot on! So much food that we had enough left overs. read more

Come on guys -- this place has such great potential! Let me help you out: When a customer walks in (hungry) and wants to eat, he expects you will stop chit chatting with your boyfriend on the company phone and acknowledge that he is there. Okay, Cy and the rest of the male crew: I get it. Your fellow female co-workers are kind cute. But when my salad bowl, water and bread are gone, and I have been sitting there for 10 minutes since the last time you came by to check on me, I just ask that you pause the game of grab-ass and feed me. Is that asking too much? There was only one other table that was seated. Please guys, it's not like it was busy and there must have been 5 wait staff hanging out gossiping about their love life. So, if you would just step up the customer service and attentiveness a notch, you might just increase business. Now for the food, I have had better. The pasta seemed bland compared to other Strings I have patronized. You could step up the flavor a bit in some of your dishes. The vegetarian pasta was mostly mushrooms and olives -- I thought I was eating a pasta pizza. All in all this is a quick place to stop in and eat for around $12-15 per person; personally I only chose it because of the all you can eat salad and bread -- that's jus the mood I was in. read more

Very good. Had the Tuscan (?) steak which was cooked to perfection and very flavorful. Our 7 year old had the spaghetti and my wife had a vegetarian dish. All were very good. Much better than that other Italian place that starts with a T. read more

We had been coming here off and on for 3 years. The first visit was great! After that, each visit something has been off. We went yesterday and quite frankly was th e worst meal I've ever had. I started with a "Minestrone Soup". The soup itself was oversalted and burnt tatsting. It clearly came from a can or bag. There was no meat in the soup and no minestrone! This was an oversalted veggie soup! Because the last few times when I ordered the Chicken Parmesean it was horrible, I decided to try lasagna. I mean, who can mess up Lasagna right? Strings can. This is NOT a traditional lasagna although the manager tried to assure me it was. It was served in a bowl like a gravy boat only shallower and had few noodles. The ground beef was minced so it basically was hidden in the sauce...ohhh the sauce. Out of a bag/can. This was not hearty. It was greasy and bland. This was a frozen dish that was placed in the microwave or convection over to get to heat then they put a pound of mozarella on top and nuked it again. How do I know? Because the way the cheese was melted and stuck to the dish. If this was an oven dish, you would be able to get it off #1 and #2 it would not have had an after taste. When questioned about the taste..I told them it was freezer taste...like freezer burn. On the side was fettucine alfredo. The alfredo sauce was lukewarm and simply watery. Anyone who has ordered it knows what I'm talking about. Lasagna should be thick and hearty and firm. Alfredo sauce should be thick and creamy. Minestrone soup should, at a minimum, have minestrone! Our waitress was graciious and pleaded for us to speak to the manager (I simply wanted to pay and leave). I waited another 5mins for the manager to come over and we discussed it at length. The manager was very nice and gave us a coupon for a free meal. To be honest, I probably will never use it. I explained we didnt want anything free, we just didnt want to come back until the food standards went back to fresher food. In conclusion, the place was clean and the staff very friendly and accommodating. Howeveer, the food is horrible. Owners, I realize that times are tough and you aren't getting the business you used to so you cut standards...but um..that's why you are losing business. You need to cator to locals not tourists. We are the ones here everyday. read more

Stopped in to grab a snack before hitting the road home. I received a big smile from a passing server and a hello, yay! All around experience was very good. Fast service and tasty food. Thanks. read more

Called ahead as we were a large party of 9. We were sat in the rear of the restaurant where they must not have heat as we wore our coats during the meal. We ordered two artichoke dips as appetizers, for which we got 6 small pieces of bread. Upon delivery, we asked for more as it clearly was not enough to feed our entire party. The server responded kindly but was clear to point out that "it would be added to our bill." I didn't speak up but thought, WHAT? You didn't bring enough to feed everyone and you want to charge me? Then, two in our party requested additional salad dressing....again, "there will be a charge for that." Lastly, when the meals finally came out, one in our party was served after everyone had already finished, so his wife offered him some of hers while he waited. Upon seeing this, the server reminded us of a fee for shared plates. IT WAS A COUPLE OF BITES, NOT A SHARED PLATE YOU IDIOT. My favorite part of our entire ordeal was when we got the bill. Yes, they charged us for extra bread, and a shared plate, but my favorite part was they included the gratuity. Now I understand why everything was so CRAPPY. Why work hard with a large party, they know they're going to get the tip anyway. I really can't complain too much though. Because we refuse to return, we have found another place, The Pizza Factory. There, we get a 10% discount for a "party size group." They give us free drinks, and all the salad dressing we need. read more

It's no wonder, in a small close-knit community like we have in Amador County rich with multiple generations of Italian families, that a place like Strings ostensibly seems like a can't-miss business prospect. It has recently been awarded by tourism sites as well as the local paper sponsored publicly voted list of favorites as best Italian Restaurant. That's a biggy around here, considering the community's long standing loyalty with some of the oldest businesses having stayed in the families even until the present..I remember thinking when Strings first opened a few years ago they will make it or break it on the merits of the food and the experience, but without the benefit of...tenure. The shopping center location makes it very convenient (close to where highways 88 and 49 intersect/merge) and right off the bat, the appearance from the outside is very clean, meticulously primped, and free of blemish. However (it must be said) it is a rather unromantic rectangular beige shoe box of a building (no outdoor seating) with little to prepare you for anything culturally significant to Italy whatsoever... well, aside from the Italian flag colors wrapping around the shoe box like a ribbon, which has the effect of making it look like something one might find under an Italian giant's Christmas tree containing 2 fantastically stylish gargantuan dress shoes.., and that impression you get is not brilliant... nor will it last very long, because everything is about to improve dramatically . The moment you enter the door the smells of PROPER Italian cuisine hit you like an avalanche of freshly-made-marinara-sauce-scented down feathers (only much more pleasant than that image now seems on second thought). Of course, they have traditional Italian pop favorites at the "just right" volume level for relaxed conversation over an eclectic and diverse wine menu. The décor is superbly appointed and in sharp contrast from what one might expect coming in from the parking lot. It is very comfortable and you can tell someone went out of their way to carefully pick the colors and the art and overall style of everything else in sight... and that heavenly aroma permeates the air. The hostess, waitresses, kitchen staff, all VERY professional but not short or cold... How else to say it? Service was as nice and attentive and helpful as could possibly be expected and desired. Not to be outshined, the food was stellar beyond anticipation. Honestly it was the kind of Italian food you would find in a little mom & pop restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco (this is a serious compliment).The salad was served family style (i.e. in one large bowl) along with a basket of fresh bread. Our entrees arrived hot and fresh and beautiful... My calzone was big and meaty enough to feed me for two separate meals and absolutely delicious with such authenticity like the calzones you get in New York City. Actually, even better! We (my date and I) traded samples, She got the salmon which was exquisite as well. She must have been moved by the experience as well because when I asked her opinion of the calzone she did her best New York accent and replied "fuhgeddaboudit!" I don't know how the other franchises are doing in the "Strings" constellation of stores throughout the land, .The Jackson store is the only one I've been in - though I understand the chain is expanding. When I asked for the salad dressing recipe, my server told me they get it from a common source with the other Strings franchises (for uniformity). So if all of the other Strings restaurants are offering the same menus and same attention to detail, then they'll be a stock to watch if they go public (but I digress). So the approach to the store all the way up to the entrance is nothing to remark strongly about plus or minus, but once you're in it's just delightful and STAYS that way all the way through... even the bill is easy on the eyes. You just can't go wrong. My family has added Strings to our "HOT" list of places we love to eat and we WILL be back there soon! read more

Sorry, long-time locals, but Strings is my favorite Italian restaurant in Amador County. Yes, it's part of a chain, but it's a northern CA chain confined to cities and counties all around Sacramento. It's a freestanding building near the highway but in a large shopping center just west of 49 on 88, so there's tons of parking. And no worries, it's not an Olive Garden clone. Please, not that. Besides excellent food well prepared, Strings has a wine list featuring Amador wines. Last time I was there I went with a local friend and she and I split Frutti di Mare and Calamari & Shrimp, which came with salad and bread, and we accompanied it with a bottle of Sobon Old Vine Zin. The room is quiet and pleasant, the service is friendly and attentive, and I like it. read more

We came late, tired, and hungry; left with happy tummies!! Nicely done Italian food with distinctive flavorings. Frankly a surprise. Artichoke ravioli, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp scampi appetizer, and a beef short rib/chorizo dish--everything nicely and tastefully prepared. The server, who also was the manager was friendly, thoughtful, attentive. We'll be looking forward to returning to sample other things on the extensive menu. A good find for Jackson, irrespective of location. read more

I am Definitely a foodie! But this place was definitely not the experience "everyone" cracks it up to be.. Although our waitress Percilla was fabulous, energetic and attentive to what we needed... The chef should be ashamed of himself.. Food was Bland, to much sauce and cheese to drown out the " frozen food" taste.. Over priced for the quality and effort put into making the dish. The cost of $25 a person for cheap frozen tasteless food.. Bust!! Step your game up LAZY dude in the back or shall i say "chef" not really... ew! read more

Good addition to Jackson. We had mussels and fish both were great. Unexpected in Jackson. Very good concerned service. Only down side is it is not in the historic district. read more

Let me first say the food was very good, the waitress Michelle was very nice and attentive. The issue we had was with one entree out of our party of four. My husband ordered the pan fried ravioli (which was really good) but the MEAL had only 6 ravioli and the price was $16.99. My meal was also $16.99 but I received veggies, spaghetti, and 2 chicken breasts. When my father in law brought it to the managers attention the manager gave some lame excuse about the "all you can eat soup, salad, and bread". That would have been a viable excuse if my massive meal hadn't had the same deal. $16.99 ravioli = $2.66 a ravioli. The manager needs some customer service lessons since he wouldn't take suggestions, offered lame excuses and said condescendingly "well I value your comments". read more

Very good food good service fast and easy. Reasonable prices for what you get. I had the chicken saltimboca delicious.

Very good food. Service was excellent! Had the cheese artichoke ravioli with tomato sauce and Alfredo sauce, nice size portion it was yummy. Bread was good salad was a little garlicky for my taste but my dinner mates liked it a lot. My brother had the Seaford copping and he loved it, couldn't believe all the goodies in it. read more

I think the staff is very friendly. They offer great specials on Wed night. All you can eat pasta with soup or salad and bread. Can't beat the chicken parm on Thursday night. I really enjoy their pizza too. Large enough to split with a friend and order a second salad. read more

After a day of adventure in the gold-country we decided to have some dinner. Strings sat us right away. The service was terrific, attentive but not overbearing. Fun was had be all. read more

UPDATE 03/17. As promised to a fellow Yelper, I went back to Strings and gave it another try. The salad was good (I would rather put my own dressing on) and the shrimp fettuccini was very good; and again the service was excellent. I will update to 4 stars, but this place is in no way a 5 star experience. Don't know if I would ever go again, but I can comfortably recommend it for a quick and casual dinning experience. read more

We've been coming for years - Good for families, but recently they've really dropped their standards - It's bland, frozen glop - I sent back my chicken piccatta, it was covered in gelatiness glop, which the either ignorant or deceptive waitress said was made fresh - it was disappointing - the artichoke raviolis were frozen, tasteless mounds of mush with two equally bland sauces atop - I will spend my time and money in Jackson at Rosa's where the service is questionable, but the chef is actually trying to make quality food - read more

Food is good but they are bad about honoring discounts that are advertised. Today was the second time they wouldn't accept the Yelp discount. They also wouldn't use kids eat free discount (Sunday and Monday) since it was mothers Day. No exclusions were listed so we expected them to be honored but weren't. read more

OMG!! The best pasta I have ever. My manager called in our order for out party at work. It arrived hot, organized and delicious. I ordered the Pasta Siena without shrimp because of allergies to shellfish. AMAZING!! Excellent bread and salad accompanied the meal. Thank you for a great experience. read more

My favorite thing about this restaurant is the service. The staff is so dedicated. They're friendly, they remember what your favorite drink is, they give the best suggestions, they're just ON IT! The food is excellent. I would recommend the cheese cake, the seafood soup and the spinach dip. All favs of mine. Something important to me is cleanliness and this restaurant is always spotless. I love that. It looks brand new. I'll post some pictures next time I'm there! read more