Pacino's — Restaurant in Queensland

0 Pending review Cram as many people in as possible A disappointing experience. Booked this restaurant 2 weeks in advance of my birthday. Upon arrival 10 people waiting at the bar to order takeaway meals. We squeeze by into the restaurant where 6 members of staff are huddled together behind the bar nobody pays any attention to us and now 4 more waiting to be acknowledged. After 5 minutes I approach and say we have reservations and was bluntly told go to the front bar where the place is crowded by those still ordering takeaways. I see by leaning over that we were 3rd on the list from the top meaning we were 3rd inline when booking. No greetings by the now rude girl checking us in, she shows us to a table squeezed in along the back wall where 10 other small tables are located right in the corner and next to a man already sitting there, who it seems would have been joining us. NO the tables are that close. Inside the restaurant only 2 tables are taken outside again only 2 table taken. We refused to be squashed into the corner and was told, we are fully booked, I´m not interested I´m not sitting there but made no comment, we were then taken to the outside on the pavement and next to a hole in the wall where the wind was whistling through from the waterfront. My wife now is freezing and this is not fine dining and the table was not even big enough to put the menus on, how could you eat a meal on a table so small as were the other 15 tables in that line. This immediately reminded me of Venice and St. Marks Square, where you know for sure you´re going to be paying a premium as it’s a tourists trap but hey, this is Rocky and this being the only Italian restaurant in town, one would have thought they´d not be such a rip off joint. We looked at the menu and immediately see the prices are higher than those on the Gold Coast and a cover charge is automatically added to the bill. What! A service charge and, I´m now guessing a card surcharge too no doubt. These small tables set along the edge are simply not suitable for dining at and be warned the staff here don´t give a dam about you the customer, I couldn’t spot any owners or managers before we made our exit. Avoid this overpriced attitude of a rip off joint. No wine glasses on the tables no napkins meaning they use paper one which with the wind would have blown away no cutlery laid out, tables not dressed for dinner. This was once apparently the number 1 place to eat in Rocky, take it from me, save your money and go elsewhere. Never again will I try and dine...

As a long time patron and general fan. This one star review is not something I thought I would be writing.

My wife and I ordered a takeaway carbonara at 6pm. Dragged the family into the car and drove 20 minutes to Pacinos, picked up our order, tiped, and drove 20 minutes back.

After getting home, we realised our order had been mistaken for someone else's. I called the store, only to be answered by "Hello?" Which meant I had to stupidly ask "is this pacinos?". So one star is deducted for this awkward unprofessional call answering.

After explaining to the business owner on the phone what had happened, I was told to return the incorrect order and it would be exchanged, end of call. This is understandable, I've worked in fast food. No apology for the inconvenience yet. I'm sure it will come later.

So again, hustle everyone out to the car, drive 20 minutes. As I'm served by the business owner, I explain who I am, why I'm here, all while be understanding that sometimes things go wrong. I hand over the wrong order, and explain that we did taste the food, to make sure our eyes weren't deceiving us, then, the owner said " well the seafood one is way better than the carbonara anyway" and it was said with just the right amount of tone to take me back a step. I'd like to see her try get my 4 year old to eat that. One star deducted for that unnecessary comment.

As I receive my replacement order, I am offered no apology, at all, not a sorry for the inconvenience of the drive or, apologies for that, here is a complimentary beverage. Just "Good boy for bring back the food, here's your carbonara". Minus two stars for zero remorse and compensation.

You get one star for the fact that I'm stuffing my face with your stupidly delicious carbonara.

I'd also like to send you and invoice for my time that was wasted. 40 mins of travel, 5 minutes of consult, vehicle ware and tare, child care and weekend call out fee comes to $182.

Im hesitant to return or reccommend due to this one below average...

Pacino's is a beautifully set out restaurant in a great location within Rockhampton. However my experience at this restaurant left something to be desired.

I dined at Pacino’s on a quiet Saturday night at 5pm. On arrival, I was met with an empty restaurant and a lengthy wait time to be seated as the staff were more interested in fraternising than serving their customers. Eventually, a polite young waitress found time to take me to my table, offering me a beverage immediately. This was a wonderful change in pace from the staff which unfortunately was not sustained as I was met with yet another lengthy wait time to order my food. Fortunately, both the food and drinks were exceptional and done to a high standard.

I was also told at the start of the evening that I had to leave the table by 7pm - a fact I had no issue with. However, by 6pm I was receiving uncomfortable glares from the staff trying to hurry me along whilst I was hoping to enjoy a refreshment and the ambience of the restaurant. I found this to be particularly disappointing and unprofessional coming from the staff. This certainly soured my already precarious experience at Pacino’s.

Overall, the restaurant and food were lovely, but the staff need to refine their hospitality skills to support the quality...