Mario's Kitchen — Restaurant in Delta

It was the second time visiting Mario’s and both experiences were less than mediocre at best. The first time, the Gourmet Vegetarian pizza was so oily it was dripping; if you squeezed it, it would literally make an oil puddle on the plate. We never got cutlery and when we asked for napkins, it took our server over 15 minutes and she only brought them with our entree (because that’s when you need them…15 minutes after you ask for them, whilst your hands are covered in food). The Tortellini Di Casa was decent, nothing too special. The service was slow, painfully slow. It took over 10 minutes just to pay. The second time, we went as a group of 6 and we were taken inside to a section way off to the side that looked like a wine storage area. The host escorted us to the table and left. Shortly after, we noticed the table was absolutely filthy: water/drink spills, crumbs, food spillage, smudges…etc. We asked the server who bought the menus if she could clean the table and when I say she did a lazy job, even that’s generous. She sprayed a little spray and wiped the middle of the table and called it a day. The menus were really wet so not really wanting to touch those, most of us opted to use our phones. One of the water glasses was also filthy. Our server came over and took our order. Part of our order was 3 Baked Tortellini Monterey (2 with chicken, 1 without chicken). When the food came out, we asked which one didn’t have chicken and the servers were really confused, staring at the food as if the chicken was going to pop its head out of the cheese and say ‘hi’. Then our server came by and saw what was transpiring and said “what’s the problem?” and we asked him which ones had chicken and which didn't explaining some of us are vegetarians. He said he’ll find out and told the other server “don’t worry, it’s okay” (actually no its not, if someone is vegetarian, they don’t want to eat chicken, especially because of your confusion). Shortly after, he returned and told us there was no mix up and the pastas are where they’re supposed to be. Then, we ordered dessert, two of us ordered Mudslides, and one of us ordered the Crème Brulee. The mudslides were not as advertised, there was absolutely no chocolate pudding; it was chocolate cake with whipped cream on top. The Crème Brulee custard was actually lumpy and gross. Neither of these desserts were fully eaten. One of us asked for a box for her mudslide and the server said “oh you want a box for that too?” sarcastically, like it was unheard of to box dessert. All but two of us got sick…food poisoning sick; we believe it was Tortellini because everyone who had that got sick. Initially, we were somewhat concerned that we were the only persons of colour sat inside by the ‘wine storage’ off to the side, but kind of brushed it off. Then, another two patrons of colour were also sat in that section. Come to think of it, last time we were there, majority of the patrons inside in that section were all coloured…It was concerning to be honest, I’m not saying there’s racism afoot, but it raises the question of why? We witnessed what we are sure was the staff turning table cloths inside out, and judging from our table – general cleanliness is unheard of here – you would think there would be more emphasize on cleanliness during COVID? Overall, terrible experiences back to back, would never go back. Truly, despicable to turn table cloths inside out...

This place is busy. The parking lot, servicing multiple eateries, is packed, so be prepared to circle the lot.

The outside has gas patio heaters but being as it was chilly, we opted to eat inside. It is dark and loud, making it difficult to hear the waitress.

I appreciate thier well marked menu stating what is safe for GF. As someone who is celiac, I appreciate that.

They have a list of non-alcoholic cocktails under a heading called sober curious. The descriptions looked good. They are seve a piece, vs eight for the alcoholic version.

My partner had the rootbeer with peach and i took a sip. He said it was too sweet for him and he loves sweets. I tried it and gagged. It tasted like peach flavored, simple syrup straight from the bottle. I had the Growers hard cider. That was much better...nice and lightly dry, with a good apple cider flavor base and just a touch of caramel and pear notes. It is served by the bottle.

We opted to share a 10" bbq chicken pizza and a side of yam fries. The fries and pizza arrived simultaneously. Both were significant size and I could not finish it all. The yam fries are delicious. I hat yam cassarole, mashed yams, pretty much every way I have eaten yam. These were lightly crispy, with just a kiss of salt and a delicious dipping sauce.

The pizza crust was good, for gluten free. Only one place has ever wowed me as it was so akin to hand tossed, yeasty gluten dough and this isn't it. That said, it wasn't a cracker crust. The bbq sauce was sweet but good, with a touch of smoke flavor. The chicken was unseasoned, bland white meat. The cheese was nondescript and the pizza would have been better with half as much.

The waitress dropped the ball onchecking on our waters. She walked by three times without looking at us or checking on us. If we go back, I will simply ask for a water pitcher upfront.

I had hoped to have desert but eggs in uncooked or concentrated foodstuffs, such as ice cream, pudding and cheesecake is a immediate systemic, rejection for me, in addition to the gluten allergy, so I missed out on that.

The price for how much you get...

We called ahead to see if we could bring our dog and sit on the patio. Was told we didn’t need a reservation for our party of 8 for a 5pm meal on Tuesday, 16th August.

Mario’s was chosen by an out of town guest as we have been underwhelmed on previous visits.

Things started okay. We asked where it would be best to sit the dog to not be in the way of the server. They brought a water bowl for our dog (we had one with us, but it is a nice gesture). We were seated at a high table, which personally I hate as I am short. The table felt as if it was leaning, perhaps the patio is sloped for drainage.

Service was slow, they didn’t seem excessively busy. There were over half the tables empty on the patio & inside.

The server took our drinks order and when she returned she tripped and spilt the drinks all over the table and one of our guests. The server did apologize and make some new drinks. However, our guests had soaking wet clothes that were stained from the drinks. Our drinks were not comp’d and some of the drinks were under half filled and given to us. But we were not offered top ups or refills. Nor was the guest offered her dry cleaning to be paid for by the restaurant.

The food was mediocre. One guest was vegan and had the the pasta with tomato (we were told it was vegan). He noted that it tasted exactly like a tin of chef boyardee from 1986.

The salmon burger had fish that tasted canned. Perhaps it was farmed? The fries in the kids meals were over cooked. None of the food was particularly good. It was all okay.

We were not offered desert and had to request the menu. Service got slower and slower throughout the meal. Several trips inside to use the restroom did not show a packed restaurant.

At one point, despite placing the dog at the far end of the table as directed by the server, she stood on the puppy and made him whelp.

Overall a very...