Al Porto — Restaurant in Antigua

We tried for two days, unsuccessfully, to order take away food. Your restaurant does not seem to answer the phone. We decided to eat at your restaurant instead. Your very first impression of a restaurant begins with the look of the restaurant and then of course when you are greeted by your host/server. Unfortunately, we were met with such negativity by our hostess/server Schienelle. I explained to her we had some difficulty reaching the restaurant and she responded: "We are busy." Looking around your restaurant and listening to the phone ring constantly and not being answered was rather odd. We asked for a table of two which your server quipped back: "Do you have a reservation?" Pretty laughable question since we could not reach anyone in the restaurant to make a reservation. The negative and unpleasant service continued throughout ordering dinner. Then, I found a toothpick in my pizza--UGH!!!! Schienelle was like a deer in headlights not knowing what to do. Any trained server would have taken the pizza away and offered me a new pizza but she had no clue what to do until she conferred with her manager. Then she came over to the table and took the pizza away and told me I would not be charged for it . Well, duh--if you take my food away, I should not be charged for it. I finally told her I was hungry and wanted a new pizza. Should the customer really have to tell your server how to do her job??? Finally, I am told the pizza is on the house and if I would like a complimentary glass of wine. Honestly, I usually do not say no to a free glass of wine but Schienelle had ruined our dinner by that point, all I wanted to do was get out of your restaurant. I let Schienelle know that from the moment we walked into the restaurant she treated us very poorly and created a very negative ambience from the start. When her rude behavior was pointed out, much to the surprise of my son, she began to apologize. Too late. We will not come back to your restaurant. This is our second time in Antigua and our experience at your restaurant is the first negative experience we have had on this BEAUTIFUL island with BEAUTIFUL Antiguans. In spite of her awful behavior we still tipped her because this is...

We reserved a table for five to celebrate a birthday dinner, and unfortunately, we encountered two issues: one concerning a specific dish and another regarding the attitude of the waitstaff.

Initially, our waitress appeared warm and friendly. She attentively checked on us to ensure our comfort, but matters changed after our meals arrived.

While the overall quality of the food was acceptable, one dish, ordered by the birthday guest, was notably bland and lacked flavor. Understanding taste is subjective, each of us sampled it and unanimously agreed on its deficiency in flavor. When we tried to address this with our assigned waitress, she was unavailable, prompting us to seek assistance from another server. This substitute server seemed perplexed by our dissatisfaction with the dish, recommending that it be "fixed." Regrettably, upon its return, the dish was overly oily and excessively salty.

Frustrated, the substitute server openly discussed our concerns with our waitress, insinuating that our comments about the dish's lack of flavor and subsequent saltiness were unreasonable. This conversation lacked discretion and left us feeling disregarded. Eventually, our waitress suggested selecting an alternative from the menu, which we did, concluding our meal.

Despite our celebration, we did not receive any birthday acknowledgments, apologies, or expressions of empathy. While not obligatory, these gestures significantly influence our decision to return. Overall, our experience at Al Porto was...

I stay in Jolly Harbor frequently, so I booked a reservation in September for November for their Monday night live music. I arrive to find that we are among the first to arrive. I was greeted and asked if I had a reservation, which I confirmed, they proceeded to show me the table at the edge of where the dock is, so I asked to be seated at a different table since the place was empty and I was told those were reserved and this was the table assigned to me, not to create any issues for me and my friend, I sat down. Two guys walk in after us with no reservation and asked if the restaurant had room for two and they offered them two options, the table I requested or another table with bar stools, they chose the bar stools. I said to my friend, we weren't even offered an option, they had no reservation and she offered them the table we requested. If I was alone; on principle, I would have walked out and not given this establishment my money, but again I kept quiet, not to cause problems, but you don't treat a repeat customer like that. You don't tell a customer they can't have a table and offer it to the next person who didn't have a reservation, I booked two months in advance, this should not have been the experience. The owner should pay closer attention to the women he has...