La Scala Ristorante — Restaurant in Mississauga

A truly disappointing experience. I've hosted so many events for work at restaurants before and never have i come across this before. We hosted an event at La Scala for the first time, we had a hard time finding a place available for the date we needed and the reviews seemed ok. We arranged to go in earlier to try the food...no one bothered to come talk to us while we were there, but the food was okay, just some minor issues I was assured would be fixed for the day of the event. They apologized for not coming to talk to us that evening and would throw in ice cream for free for the day. My senses were tingling, but we decided to go with them. People make mistakes and they tried to apologize. Well the day before the event, they told us to come set up at 930pm, they weren't ready and had me waiting around for an hour, as if I had nothing else to do. They had offered me decor, but when I saw it I said I didn't like it and they said they would take it off the tables and not charge me. Next day when we arrived part of the decor was still there and they charged me for it, but that wasn't the worst thing, it was minimal charge and I let that go. The food portions for the first three courses were miniature to the point it was so embarrassing, I wanted to crawl under the table, for intance, they served my guests a flat plate with 3 tablespoons of pasta on it, it was penne the cheapest pasta! Are you kidding me! The mains were all different sizes. In general, why wasn't I told I was getting the regular sizes we tried at the tasting. Then that free ice cream...it was a table spoon served to each person as well. By the time the party was done, I felt really sad, worst event I have ever invited guests to, presentation and food are very important to me. Got to the bill, and they were mischarging on the people, she argued with me and I insisted, then she admitted she was wrong. I just paid and went home. Then I looked at the bill and asked our family members if they all drank a thousand dollars worth of wine and they all said no way. Logically I thought about it and if I removed all the children, people drinking beer and water, pop, we apparently had individual people drinking more than a liter of wine themselves for lunch and then driving? Hmmm...told the restaurant that and they admitted there was wine not served that was left in the bottles on the table that they charged me for! Is that even legal? Does anyone know? I thought there was a law now, shouldn't I have been given the wine I paid for? Oh and they also tried to tell me they lost money on our party...sure you did, with that wine I was charged for right? Oh and the three tablespoons of pasta you gave my guests. I'm sure margins were above 50%. Honestly, try to do something nice and you have people screw you over. I learned a valuable lesson for sure. I will ask more questions or stick to restaurants I know. I get covid had an impact to restaurants, but don't screw others over, we have all been impacted in different ways. Know what you are getting with this restaurant and decide if it's right for you. Wasn't right for me, I don't do...

Restaurant Review

I recently dined at this restaurant and want to share my honest overall experience. To start, the food was truly excellent, and our server—a young woman probably between 20 and 25—was outstanding. She went above and beyond to ensure that our service was top-notch, despite another server shadowing her who seemed to be still learning the ropes. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch our server’s name, but her dedication was commendable.

However, my review shifts focus to the owner and the restaurant’s transparency and atmosphere, which I believe others should be aware of. During several phone conversations I had with the owner regarding pricing, there was no mention of a 20% automatic gratuity added to the bill. I had to ask about this, which feels like something they should have disclosed upfront. This lack of communication could lead to surprise charges for customers who aren’t expecting them.

Additionally, the restaurant’s ambiance was beautiful but also left much to be desired. They were using a small Bluetooth speaker for dinner music, which felt out of place for a venue that brands itself as fine dining. The party room we were in was said to accommodate 25 people, but it felt cramped with just 12. I wouldn’t recommend hosting a larger group in that space. There was also a TV that was covered up with a blanket, a broken overhanging light and a couple of pictures were propped against the wall instead of hung up, which didn’t contribute to a fine dining atmosphere in my opinion.

When I was discussing appetizer options for our group, the owner insisted on a large quantity of antipasto, bruschetta, and calamari, even when I felt that was too much and started prepping it before I gave the go ahead, I quickly spoken to the server and said I did not ask for that quantity. As a paying customer, I believe I should have the final say on what’s served. Furthermore, we ordered wine and champagne, but they poured it in the back rather than showing us the bottles or pouring it at the table, which is typically a standard practice in fine dining. I questioned some of the amounts that were in our glasses.

While the food and service were indeed good, I can find similar experiences locally at more reasonable prices. I also noticed that the prices listed on their website were not accurate; everything on the menu was $8 to $10 more than what was advertised online. This lack of transparency was frustrating, especially for my bridal proposal, as my guests had looked up the menu beforehand.

Overall, while I appreciated the experience, I don’t think I would return. It felt more like a one-time visit than a restaurant I would choose for...

Chose this venue because of the reviews….please don’t.

I am generally a very postive person and will always look for the good however I was simply disappointed in my experience.

I have been to many restaurants/venues to host different life events for family without incident.

Mariam was polite and considerate the first meeting. However during the day of the event, the forced smiles was noticed by all my guests. When discussed menu and drinks I made specific requests that were ignored. -the sitting area was initially in the large section to accommodate my large party. The day of the event it was crammed in the smaller side even though there were no other parties expected. I let it go and made the best of it as the tables were already set -I specifically asked for their house wine that I was told was 1.5 litre I made clear that I was bringing my own cake for the day and was told that would not be a problem. Lo and behold to my surprise to be charged a cutting fee on my final bill. Twice!! For a smaller birthday cake for someone in the party who was celebrating that same day. When confronted about the fee she said all restaurants charge this fee to cut and she had to wash PLATES for the cake insinuating her labour cost to justify. Also because I brought my own cake she’s not making money off her own desserts. I made it clear that should’ve been discussed prior to the event and it was NOT. She huffed and puffed and took it off the bill, having an adult conversation with this woman was futile. Just simply made excuses, angry that we even asked about it politely !! The cherry on top was her saying to one of the guests to let the kids play outside in the parking lot! And not to worry cars won’t come in?!?! The child in question was 2 and we were the only party in the restaurant!

Clearly they do NOT enjoy children.

The food is OK, for the cost and price there are much better options! I wish I took my business somewhere else.

I wish to save someone else the hassle.

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