Abruzzi — Restaurant in Ontario

You know when they say it takes a long time to build a good reputation and one bad decision/night to ruin it. Here is proof.

I have regularly dined at Abruzzi and its sister restaurant Taverna. The food is usually good for London and service has been a mix of good and adequate, not great but never terrible.

Then January 27/24 happened and these restaurants not only lost me as a customer but the many people I recommend restaurants to in this city.

I emailed them weeks in advance requesting a reservation for 2 people on Jan. 27/24 at 7:30 PM. They emailed me back saying they had a seating for me at 8 PM. I emailed back and accepted that reservation. These emails all occurred in the span of an hour and a half. I still have them and can prove the accuracy of this summary.

My wife and arranged a babysitter, and took an Uber from the north end of the city arriving at 7:55 PM for what we thought would be a pleasant evening.

Upon arrival the hostess was unable to find my reservation in their book. This book, seemed very difficult to read, as she was staring at it for a good 10 minutes with a flashlight. I showed her the email stream, and she went back to the book, expecting as we did, that we had a reservation.

Another woman, working behind the bar, then came over and asked her if there was a problem. The hostess explained it and the other woman looked at the book. She then looked at the emails, and told me I didn’t have a reservation because no one sent me an email after my acceptance email of the offered seating an 8 PM sitting confirming it. My wife and I were told this was our misunderstanding.

I pointed out that Abruzzi had offered us the reservation and I accepted, and asked how I was supposed to know that I wouldn’t have a reservation unless they specifically sent me another email saying “okay”. I was once again told I had no reservation because that didn’t happen as though I needed to be told that twice.

I then stated that this was not our fault, it was their fault and that I made a reservation and travelled down to the restaurant for it. At this point the woman behind the bar stated “I guess I apologize then”. She seemed genuinely surprised I was still advocating this position. She then asked the hostess if she had a two top and she stated she didn’t and I was told that they “might” be able to “squeeze us” in at the bar.

I advised that I had booked a table reservation and we did not want to sit at the bar. I could sit at the bar by just walking in without a reservation. I booked a reservation for a table so that I wouldn’t be sitting at a bar. I don’t care to dine that way.

The woman behind the bar then asked “what more I wanted” and I told her “more than you are doing”. She told me that was all she could do so I told her we would be leaving and I intended to post my experience online to which she shrugged her shoulders.

I emailed the management and owners of Abruzzi the next day explaining this, included the emails and provided them the opportunity to address this with me personally before I posted a review. I received no response at all. Apparently they can’t be bothered. This tells me everything I need to know about their passion for good service and the care they have for their reputation.

I appreciate mistakes happen but it’s in how you handle it that you make or destroy your reputation. This situation was handled in an abysmal manner. I will never return to this place or its sister restaurant Taverna and I suggest that anyone else who cares to be treated well as a customer also avoid...

Abruzzi presents itself as a fine dining establishment, but my recent experience left much to be desired. With high expectations for a memorable evening, I was met instead with a cacophony of noise and an ambiance that felt more chaotic than inviting.

Upon entering, the atmosphere was far from the serene dining experience one might anticipate at a fine dining venue. The décor, while attempting to exude elegance, was overshadowed by the din of clattering dishes and animated conversations that made it difficult to hold a conversation at our table. It felt more like a bustling café than a refined restaurant.

As for the culinary offerings, I opted for the beef tenderloin, a staple in any upscale restaurant. Unfortunately, the dish fell short of expectations. While the meat was cooked to a decent medium-rare, it lacked the tenderness and flavor one would expect from a premium cut. Accompaniments were uninspired and did little to elevate the dish, leaving me disappointed and longing for the depth of flavor that fine dining promises.

Service, too, was a notable letdown. Our server seemed overwhelmed and inattentive, rude, leading to prolonged waits for both our food and drinks. A fine dining experience should be seamless, yet we found ourselves frequently glancing around for assistance, which only added to the frustration.

In summary, Abruzzi failed to deliver on multiple fronts. With a noisy atmosphere, lackluster food quality, and sluggish service, my visit was far from the exquisite experience I had hoped for. While it’s clear that Abruzzi aspires to be a fine dining destination, it currently misses the mark. I would recommend seeking out other establishments that can truly provide the ambiance and culinary excellence that fine dining...

I'll start off by saying the food was great! And would absolutely recommend. Now here's where my issues lie, my girlfriend and went to this restaurant to celibrate a birthday expecting a nice romantic quiet dinner...... it was far from all of the above. it took us unusually long to be seated for our reservation even tho as soon as u enter the restaurant ur next to the bar and in view of all waitresses. Next was the noise level was a solid 9 our of 10 i couldn't hear my partner 2 feet infront of my face.. or at least it felt like it since we got seated right beside a table of 6 drunk middle aged ladies cacling and shreaking in laughter and screaming over one another. Next our waitress was pretty much non existent and her eye contact was fractions of a second not even long enough to be waved down... witch I awkwardly tried to do several times. Now for the final issue is that they had an employee off the clock sitting directly behind us absolutely black out drunk, she definitely kept us entertained as we needed something to do while we waited for our waitress to return. But as being someone that's worked in a bar and seen people be fired for such actions I'm very surprised employees are allowed to conduct them selfs in such manner in house especially in a restaurant let alone in a bar. As for the food we'll probably just order delivery next time. And that's unfortunate because the restaurant is very nice on the inside they just seem to have gotten comfortable and are more concerned with hanging out and sitting down with drunk off shift employees instead of tending to...