Easily the most disappointing, overpriced meal I have had in the past five years! The $13 Caesar salad was small, bland, and had little dressing; the three anchovies for an extra $3 were tasteless. But compared to my entree, this salad was the highlight of my meal. After a rather long wait, the pasta dish I ordered arrived at the table cool - not spotty (I.e., microwaved), not warm, rather truly cool. The embarrassed wait staff apologized for the error and said the kitchen would prepare a new dish for me (as opposed to heating it up). The second dish arrived and was cold. The sauce was tasteless. All in all, a complete disaster. A worse dining experience would be hard to imagine. read more

We had an amazing experience! The food was fantastic, very flavorful and fast service. The best part was our server Finn, he was honestly the best server we have ever experienced. So attentive and kind. He went through the menu with us and gave recommendations. We chatted with him and it was great, he is so good at his job! We will definitely be back. Truly incredible service! read more

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The drinks were absolutely amazing. 10 out of 10. However, I wasn't the biggest fan of the steak, especially for the cost and the cut. I think it could have been a little better. Besides that everything else was amazing. read more

The ambiance is remarkable and the service is top tier. Prices seem a bit much for the area, definitely not a every weekend restaurant more for a special occasion. read more

Toscana - Limoncello drink is amazing! - Bars Near Me - Lansing, Michigan

Went in for brunch on Feb 1st. for my bday with a table of 10 and it took over 1.5 hours for the everyone to get their food. We couldn't eat together because everyone received their food at different times. Our food was just ok. The female server gave us the worst service and blamed the unorganized kitchen. This is the second time coming to this restaurant and both times have been a bad experience. read more

They need better management and better food. It was wonderful when they first opened. The ambiance is nice.

Lack of cleanliness and freshness. There were hairs in the dressing and browned lettuce. Disgusting. It was $21 for the "large" portion caesar salad pictured. So many of the wines on their wine menu were not even available. They should hand out a list of daily wine offerings that ARE available instead... Does not reflect the level of dining they advertise. Do not waste your money here. read more

Toscana - Bars Near Me - Lansing, Michigan

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The waitress was pretty uncommunicative, we had to ask for the information regarding their special for restaurant week. The atmosphere was nice but the food is overpriced for what you get. Our food was borderline bland, I could have made the dishes better at home. read more

Ambiance: 5/5 Very nice dining area. The whole place looks so fancy and we'll put together. No complaints! Service: 4/5 We weren't greeted by a server and had to go ask for one after waiting about ten minutes. From then on, the service was spot on! Everyone was very apologetic for us having to wait. We understand this was the first week or two of opening and there are kinks to work out. Food: 2.5/5 We started with the gnocchi and mussels. The gnocchi was phenomenal. The mussels had a very intense flavor of lemon. That is all we could taste. For entrees we had the filet mignon, lasagna, and side of parmesan risotto. The filet was perfectly cooked and tender but had NO seasoning. It truly tasted like there wasn't a speck of salt on it. The parmesan risotto was nearly inedible. I don't know how to explain the flavor but it was just... not good. At all. The lasagna was okay but very underwhelming based on the many layers within the description of the entree. Gelato trio: delish! We will give this restaurant another try being that it's just starting out but based on how much we spent, we expected this place have excellent cocktails and food and that is just truly not what we experienced. read more

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I ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and it was terrible. Absolutely no taste whatsoever and the meatballs were dry. $26 and a complete waste. My husband had the steak and said it was good. Wine was good but way overpriced per glass. Overall very disappointed and will not return. Employees were very nice, just need way better food of they want to charge such high prices. read more

This place was awesome! The restaurant is beautiful and so well thought out. There's so much texture and depth to the design from the tables to the lights to the decor. The service was also amazing, our waiter was so attentive and friendly (thanks Matthew!). Now for the food. We ordered the mussels & clams appetizer from the specials menu and it was great! This was my first time having the dish so I was skeptical, but I was pleasantly surprised. My boyfriend is super into seafood and also thought it was great. We got a good amount of the mussels plus a slice of thick bread in the middle, all soaked in well seasoned sauce. For our meals, we got the Alaskan halibut (also a special) and the gamberi. Both were also spectacular! We really enjoyed how flavorful all the food was--each one had a good variety of different tastes while staying well balanced. This restaurant is obviously more pricey, but you definitely get what you pay for! I would highly recommend visiting. read more

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We visit Toscana twice in last few months hoping our first experience was a fluke! Feels like a corporate restaurant without much soul or heart! The decor and ambiance is exceptional, although the food and drinks disappoint! Food feels incomplete with very spotty exceptionalism! ! Seems like something someone designed far away with no connection to the ppl of mid Michigan! Not even resembling Italian American food in the Midwest! Think of it as hotel rests with very little creativity!! read more

I am going to be very hard on Toscana but at this price point i expect better. The Great: Elliot was an amazing server, a true professional. The cocktails were excellent, mixed perfect, creative and strong. The bartender deserves a high five and a pat on the back. The Caesar salad was good. The Bad: All the rest of the food. Meatballs - coldish and dry; frozen meatballs at costco taste better. Octopus - should have known better, a better method of pre prep needs to happen to make them more flavorful, and less chewy, yes finish on the grill but sousvide them before maybe, if they were boiled, lesser heat and for another hour. Serving them with a soft cheese mousse !?! No. It would have been a better dish with caviar mousse such as a greek taramasalata...a drizzling of a lemon/olive oil emulsion, while keeping the Cannellini Bean Peperonata Salad. The Steaks - NY strip was sitting on top of what looked to be a rough cut spaghetti sauce. That was a Pepperonata? Yea right. Steak was a dry charred med rare. I didnt finish it, first time in my memory i didnt finish a steak. It was gross. I would not order a steak at this place, they are not set up to provide an enjoyable experience. Bowdies down the street sets the gold standard in the area if not the region. Toscano steak is like ordering a tbone special at Dennys. DO NOT DO IT. The filet was equally as lackluster. Anytime you are taking a steak and dousing it in wine sauces or tomato stuff its to cover the flavorless or bad quality of the meat...which it isnt if its Creekstone Farms. They are doing a disservice to Creekstone by absolutely destroying their fine cuts of beef and not knowing how to prepare them. Mushrooms - all we could taste was salt. The Weird - runner bringing the steaks out threw them down on the table but we had to ask, which is which, and he didnt know, left for a minute then came back saying oh thats the filet, thats the strip - runners should know what they are serving and to what guest the plate goes too. Sides didnt come with the steak and came to the table about 3 minutes later, unacceptable. The same runner had his thumb in the pasta he was serving to the table next to us, awesome! The same runner also didnt clear the plates when we ask him to take one away. He said ok, and just walked away....without the plate. And that same runner came out with a 3rd steak to drop off at our table and we were like, bro we already got our steaks, thats not ours LOL. Sure enough, table next to us. While still eating dinner a different runner brought us a Panna Cotta dessert...at this point we thought we were on some secret TV prank show..umm we still eating the main and never ordered dessert...yep that was for the other table next to us. The Sad - The price of the bill for such a lackluster meal. The only thing worth it was the cocktails, salad and interaction with Elliot. The rest was pathetic. The bar looks great for having some cocktails and i will give the food another try but im hoping i dont get a thumb in my pasta. read more

Excellent service, very welcoming. Enjoyed our meals, especially the appetizers. Liked the shareable portions in particular! There were 5 of us and we had plenty of food. The entrees were also delicious. We ended our meal with a Taste of Toscana dessert plate. It was a perfect way to end our meal. Looking forward to trying the Brunch menu. Thank You read more

Disappointing. We went for a long awaited birthday dinner. The restaurant is visually appealing -- modern sleek with nice lighting, lots of windows, upscale. Our server was very nice, solicitous and accommodating . But... the food: overpriced and not well prepared although nicely plated. Out of four of us, only one really enjoyed their meal. Two of us had to send food back: one because they really didn't like it, and the other because the meat, ordered medium, was bloody rare. The desserts- vastly different serving sizes and one slice looks borderline burnt. All in all, to spend the amount we spent, we would want to like it enough to want to try it again. But...nope! read more

The service was awesome, it's the first thing i noticed. The wine sommelier picked us out a great Chianti. We had a wagyu steak and the lasagna. The steak was exceptionally prepared and cook to perfection. The 26 layer lasagna was so delicious, and tasty, the best I've ever had. read more

Fabulous service and food! Went to celebrate my nieces birthday and there was a big party seated before us so we did have a bit slow service but the staff was incredibly attentive in keeping us up on the status. It was actually very nice to slow down and chat and enjoy the cocktails and each other! Will definitely be back! read more

The atmosphere is great, also it looks well maintained. The shocking thing was my food and that of my guests was very disappointing. The salmon was NOT fresh. It had a distinctly unpleasant smell. The person who ordered it wanted to return it but the waitress was non compliant. I ordered Parmesan chicken dish with angle hair spaghetti. The dish arrived so dry as if it had been sitting out for to long. It was awful even the sauce was dry. The wine is delicious, but very over priced a 3 oz glass, which I ordered, was 15.00 or 27.00 for 6 ozs's. Usually you get a standard 4 oz's per glass. We did have dessert, tiramisu which I usually love . Unfortunately the one I got at Tuscana was meh. Finally my bill was a grand total of 87.00, for just myself. I'm ok with paying for anything I order but not when it's unsatisfying! No I'm not recommending this place if you're looking to get what you pay for. Also upon leaving the valet couldn't find my car keys. I had to find them myself by rechecking his key box. read more

Heard great things about this restaurant when it first opened and you could hardly get a reservation. Finally went there today for brunch and while the restaurant is beautiful and the service was OK, food was not up to par. Missing ingredients in both the cocktails and the entree items and they didn't let us know until after they were served. Would have had to send them back to be remade. Not sure the cooks knew how to prepare the recipes. Asked for eggs to be cooked lightly and they were overcooked. Other items just bland. Food came to table cold. Expensive and current quality not worth it. Would maybe come back for happy hour on the patio but not for a meal anytime soon. Hoping they can turn this around. read more

The food, atmosphere, and our server were all great. However, it was my birthday and my boyfriend approached the host stand to ask what they did for birthdays, as they specifically asked when we called to make the reservation if it was for a special occasion, to which he informed them it was a birthday. The host was incredibly dismissive and rude and said they need to know days in advance if we wanted something done. Our server saw and when we told him about the birthday he immediately went back and brought out complimentary gelato. Not sure what the miscommunication or attitude from the host was, but other than that I would recommend eating here. read more

Great atmosphere with beautiful interior and patio. Wasn't necessarily impressed with the food given the price point, but we will be back to give Toscana more tries. Great wine and cocktail selection. Excellent service. read more

Very nice atmosphere, some cool design features. We had a party of four for dinner. Our server was awesome, you rock Elliott! I ordered the veal dish and my husband had the rack of lamb(delicious but much smaller than we had expected). We also tried several of the shareable sides, broccolini, eggplant parmigiana and the calamari, all fantastic!!! Only constructive criticism would be to add some bread or rolls (warm would be exquisite), just something to enjoy while waiting for the meal! We will be back, we wish them much success! read more

The server was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and courteous. Place was beautiful. Unfortunately the food was flawed and some was inedible. The Brussels sprouts were burned and the apple compote (which was good) which was supposed to coat them was barely present. The chicken Marsala sauce tasted like diluted brown gravy mix, the asparagus was stringy, and the chicken was burned. The scallops themselves were ok but the creamy red pepper sauce was kraft Mac and cheese color and had split into oil and imitation cheese remnant. It was unfortunately inedible. The calamari was ok. Everything was plated beautifully but unfortunately it didn't match in flavor. read more

Went out to try this new restaurant but on arrival was told they were not serving any non reservation customers as they had two big parties and their kitchen was swamped. Observing the restaurant it appeared half dead with minimal activity. My guess is they were badly understaffed. If that's the case then just say it but don't try to blow smoke up my ass please. read more

We ordered 3 entrees for pickup yesterday: chicken parm; chicken saltimbocca; and chicken spring risotto. First of all, the website menu doesn't include any listing for salads, soups, or bread options. I had to call and ask about them. Then the food was pretty poorly cooked. The chicken parm was dry and overcooked. The saltimbocca was really salty. My son said the risotto was good, however. I realize ordering to go isn't the best way to order a dinner from a nice restaurant, but I had just had surgery and couldn't go out. Disappointed. read more

Food was ok not great. Service was fair. Ambiance was pretty good but not inside. Outside was nice by the water.

Service was fine. Had a Gorgonzola, pear salad. I finally found one bite in which I could taste gorgonzola. Pear slices were amazingly small. Lettuce was dry with minimal dressing. All in all a poor effort. Had the egg plant parmigiana. Tasted and looked like purchased from Gordon"s foods. Eggplant was deep fried plopped on a plate and covered with sauce that must have purchased by the bottle. Wine by the glass had a poor wine list and high prices. Wine by the bottle had some better wines but also seemed to have excessive mark ups. Decor was urban and attractive. Won't go back. read more

I made a reservation for a table at Toscana for a Sunday dinner. I had requested a booth and was told that would be fine. When we arrived Sunday for dinner, I noticed we were the only guests, all the tables were empty. I let the hostess know we had reservations and she proceeded to show us to our table. It was the tiniest table in the room. A two top big enough for maybe a coffee and a bagel. It was situated at the end of a long bench with other larger 4 top tables. So I said to the hostess , can we sit at one of the larger tables and she looked right at me and said with a calm voice, no I'm sorry I can't put you anywhere else. Then she said I know the the area is poorly designed but this is all we have. But I said, all these tables are empty and there is no one here. She simply said I am sorry and walked away. I was extremely disappointed with her attitude and service. When our waiter arrived we asked for a larger table and he said of course and we moved down to the four top right next to us. He continued to take excellent care of us and the food was good. As I looked around the room before we left only one other couple had arrived and the remaining tables were all empty. Your hostess should be attentive and strive to have your guests feel welcomed and valued. She did not set a very good tone for the remainder of the evening. This review is for Toscana Restaurant in Lansing Mi read more

I ordered the Capresante entree and was pretty disappointed for my birthday dinner. The pasta was WAY over-cooked and was presented as a giant yellow volcano of stuck together noodles. The scallops circled the pasta in a way too salty sauce that had no flavor. Lots of over wilted spinach that had all of the green cooked out of it. Otherwise, the Fried Green Tomato appetizer was delectable but the presentation was 'meh.'. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable but we had to get up and have someone go get her to come to our table. If you are looking for good classic Italian, you might want to check out another place. read more

I heard wonderful things about this restaurant on a Foodies Facebook page. Either they are all lying or have no idea what good food is. This restaurant is horrible! We started with the meatballs. They looked and tasted like they came out of a can and were popped in the microwave. Then we had the Lobster Linguine (54$) you could tell that the pasta was made from frozen pasta and no flavor, topped with a mediocre poached lobster. We also had the tuna steak. I ordered it rare. It was so dry and had absolutely zero flavor. We opted out of dessert as we just wanted to get out of there and saw the 'flavors of Italy' at the table next to us. It looked like a combination of single desserts they popped out of a Sara Lee box. The decor is a basic hotel bar. Nothing special. I can't stress enough how horrible our food was here. Our bill was $300 for 2 people. This is absolutely insulting. Lansing really needs some better restaurant options unfortunately this is not one. read more

This Restaurants Reputation Surpassed my expectations , the Customer service is what stood out the most , great bartenders , live and energetic atmosphere!! Fynn and Summer served me and made sure I enjoyed every minute and had great laughs while dinning on the best lasagna that a foodie can hope for. I highly recommend this restaurant if you want a refreshing meal with excellent dinning experience! read more

Hayden was the best server I've had at a steakhouse, very charismatic and recommended me the best things on the menu. Because of him this has been by go to steakhouse to take my parents to as well as my to to date night! read more

Hope our server was amazing and knowledgeable. Great attitude. Such a pleasant and delicious dinner after tough Michigan State loss.

There for a midweek birthday dinner with my wife. Anna was our very able server who advised us on drinks and food choices. My wife had the Ahi Tuna, ordered rare but was slightly overcooked but still red in the middle. My beef was cooked as ordered, and delicious. The sides (potatoes and broccolini) were very good - and are very shareable. The restaurant is still working out kinks as is expected. We enjoyed ourselves and will return. Valet parking was seamless, located on the West side. read more

Wanted to take my wife someplace special to celebrate her birthday. Thought I would try TOSCANA on Michigan Avenue. Was glad that I did! Brand new building, sparkling, and has a great menu. The appetizer Pane di Casa (bread, oil and sweet butter) was a good way to start. The Roasted Brussel Sprouts side dish was the best I have tasted in my life. My entre was the Pasta with salmon as an add on. They grilled the salmon perfectly. For desert, they had real gelato. Three scoops on a plate with two spoons. Romantic. Great waitress took good care of us (Thank you E.) Only negatives were, the music was a bit loud, and parking was hard to figure out and a long walk on a cold night. Otherwise, Toscana's is my new favorite restaurant. read more

We went Toscana for a team dinner to celebrate the year it was fantastic in every way. Emma was helpful and attentive and really guided us through the cocktail and dining experience. The food was so special. Similar to food you get other places but elevated to a level that that makes you appreciate all the care the went into the preparation and presentation. And it was the perfect atmosphere in which you feel comfortable but also special. Thanks to the Toscana team for a great dining experience. read more

We have been waiting for a higher end option in Lansing. I'm in town often and it's nice to have a restaurant like Toscana. With that being said I was actually disappointed with this restaurant. To start we had a reservation for 6 and they were trying to move us to a table that wasn't as nice, I don't know why. My only guesses were the people behind us wanted it and my group was younger (but obviously all able and willing to pay, also not lacking class) The staff wasn't so nice, at least not at the level they should have been. It was a bit slow and scattered like they didn't really know what they were doing. To the point where it was a bit irritating. I am very forgiving with service as I had worked in the industry many years. But for the price I expect at least decent service. We had a member at the table who is vegan (their dietary choices are not any of my business) there was quite literally not a single thing on the menu that could be made vegan even with subtractions. The chef was not willing to do anything to accommodate her. Eventually said the pizza could be made vegan but it had egg in it and did not let them know until it reached the table. I expect at least one option vegetarian with the option of being vegan seeing as 16.5 million Americans that are either vegan or vegetarian (thank you google for the info). This member of the table literally did not eat a single thing (we had assumed the pizza without cheese would be vegan seeing as 95% of pizza doughs are not made with eggs or dairy). The chef did not come out even though we were told he would. Nor did anyone even apologize that they could not eat anything. Now some people may say that is our fault but we have NEVER been to a restaurant that didn't have one single option that couldn't be tweaked a bit. Besides that, the food was average. For the price I was expecting better than what I could make at home but everything I tried I really could have made at home better. Don't think we would come back. It was to the point where guests at my table were talking about Bravos and Olive Garden and how they hoped to be there instead (they aren't even good restaurants). I'm not picky when it comes to food. To me everything comes down to service. If our service was better we really could have looked past everything else. Don't think any of us would come back. Edit: because I forgot this detail. The server was half way thru taking out appetizer order and just walked away to help another table. Literally mid sentence no excuse me or anything. That has NEVER happened to me before it was honestly so surprising. I don't understand how the other table couldn't wait. With all that being said. I don't know if I fully blame the server. She maybe was inexperienced I'm not sure. She did treat the other tables with more respect. I don't know if it's because we are young. I don't have a reason for any of the service we got. But we didn't tip as well as we would have because the service and we are a 20%+ family. read more

Server was awesome....problem was I believe the manager. Everything was fine....then my wife left her purse at the restaurant and we had to come back to get it. I walked up to the door after closing (around 11:15pm) and could see all the employees still walking around inside. I knocked on the door and the employees looked at me and looked like they were going to help me...when they were stopped by a gentleman dressed like either the bartender or manager. He looked at me as I was trying to get his attention...then just turned and walked off. With that, I tugged on the door again and it opened...so I walked inside. I was greeted by one of the employees who I then let them know my wife had left her purse. She smiled and grabbed my wife's purse. I thanked her..and as I turned to leave...the gentleman screamed "OMG why can't we keep the doors locked" and then gave me a stare like I wasn't welcome there. So guess what...I'll make sure that nobody I know patronize this restaurant. And BTW my daughter lives next door at the apartments.. read more