Del Piacere — Restaurant in Ottawa

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and frustration with the abysmal service I received at your restaurant on 22nd May 2023. The experience was nothing short of a nightmare, and I feel compelled to share my feedback in the hope that you will take immediate action to rectify the situation.

First and foremost, I was appalled by the excessive wait time for our food. My party and I patiently waited for a staggering two hours without receiving a single dish. This kind of delay is simply unacceptable, especially considering that we had made a reservation and arrived promptly. It is beyond comprehension how a restaurant can fail so miserably in managing their orders and delivering food in a timely manner.

What's even more astonishing is the complete lack of communication and apology from your staff. We were left in the dark, wondering what was happening and why our orders hadn't been prepared. Despite politely inquiring about the status of our food on three separate occasions, we were met with indifference and an utter lack of concern. Not once did anyone apologize or offer an explanation for the egregious delay. It was as if our presence and satisfaction as customers meant absolutely nothing to your establishment.

To add insult to injury, we were eventually asked to leave the restaurant because our order hadn't even been started. This level of incompetence is simply mind-boggling. Instead of taking responsibility for their shortcomings, your staff decided to dismiss us as if we were the ones at fault. This kind of disrespectful treatment is unacceptable and speaks volumes about the lack of professionalism and basic customer service skills at your restaurant.

It is disheartening to see a complete disregard for customer satisfaction and basic principles of running a business. A restaurant should strive to provide an enjoyable dining experience, which includes prompt service, effective communication, and sincere apologies when mistakes occur. Unfortunately, your establishment failed on all accounts, leaving us feeling frustrated, disrespected, and hungry.

I strongly urge you to take immediate action to address these issues. A sincere apology and a thorough evaluation of your operational procedures are in order. Customers should not be subjected to such a deplorable experience, and steps must be taken to prevent this from happening to others in the future.

Regrettably, based on my experience, I cannot recommend your restaurant to anyone. I sincerely hope that you take this feedback seriously and make the necessary improvements to restore your reputation and provide a more satisfactory...

UPDATE: Went back for gelato a few weeks later, and as expected it was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!! All of the flavours were incredible and creamy and just wonderful. 10/10, will go back soon, and highly recommend. Best thing is the staff and management who aren't just lovely in person, but also take customer feedback into consideration. Thanks! This review is NOT about the food, or the staff, both of whom are great, but only the Gelato! Honestly, the first time I came here I got some gelato. Pistachio, vanilla, and raspberry and lemon. The last 2 were vegan. OH MY GOD it was so so so so good. Pistachio gelato was so authentic and tasted like creamed pistachios, the raspberry had chunks of fruit, same with the lemon. The vanilla was incredible, it was bits of black vanilla seed sprinkled in throughout. We couldn't help but go back and try their pizza and calzone, both of which were amazing. Already wrote a review for that, and it was a 5/5. This time (third visit) we biked all the way from Barrhaven for gelato again, which we recommended to all our friends. We got the raspberry and the pistachio again, and mango and lemon. The pistachio was strange this time, bright green...we asked if it was the same pistachio or different, and they said it was the same. But it tasted like the artificial flavouring you get in store-bought pistachio ice cream, it was awful...tasted too strongly of fake-ish almond essence. The raspberry was not a vegan sorbet, but actual ice cream (my fault for not double checking, so my dairy free gut suffering the consequences was on me). Aside from the fact that it wasn't vegan, it tasted like artificial store-bought stuff, with chunks of actual ice in there. The mango was actually ok, but too much ice shards in there, but i liked it. The lemon smelled like soap, and was just terrible. Not sure why this is the case, as the first two times their gelato was out of this world!!! Overall, the staff were great, but extremely disappointed in the quality of the "gelato". For a restaurant as expensive as this, which prides itself on high quality AUTHENTIC Italian foods located in the heart of Little Italy, i am a bit insulted to have been served artifically-flavoured store-quality ICE CREAM instead of the authentic GELATO that I had gotten before. They could have at least told us it had changed, or showed a list of the changed menu, and we would have been very happy to wait until they got their original amazing stock of gelato back. Nonetheless, we will visit again, and I am sure we will have several other 5/5 reviews...

I was at this establishment a few nights ago, and I was very disappointed with what we had ordered. I wasn't expecting to receive a julienne salad when I had ordered the Insalata Italia salad off the menu. It was bland and we weren't given enough salad dressing for the salad that was brought to our table. The appetizer that I ordered for the table wasn't great either. It was the Fritto Misto Verdura appetizer (deep-fried artichoke hearts, zucchini, and polenta). No lemon slices were on the plate since it did contain deep-fried zucchini pieces.

I've had calzones before and know that they should be filled. Our table had ordered a few calzones off the menu for the main course. My calzone was called the calzone al pollo. I have added photos to my review to show that not many ingredients were added inside the calzone I ordered. The photos were taken the next day. How do you charge $18 dollars for one calzone to a new customer, and it is empty? I wouldn't come again because all I was eating was fresh baked dough with tomato sauce, cheese, and less chicken pieces inside. It isn't worth the money. I would try another authentic Italian restaurant in the city.

If you want a filled calzone, then go to an Italian family home, and you will get the real thing.

The service was good, but that is the only good thing I can say about the restaurant. They didn't have someone at the front door to greet you when you went inside. We just went and sat down at an empty table, and then finally someone showed up with menus.

Parking isn't available, and you need to park on a city street (paid parking at the parking meters) or neighborhood street nearby. There are steps to the front of the restaurant, so anyone in a walker or wheelchair will have a hard time getting inside.

Also, I don't appreciate the owner of this establishment and calling his customers a liar. I have proof that I was at his restaurant in October. Please see the attached photo of the restaurant receipt. The photo of the calzone was taken the next day since we had brought it home in a take out container after we ate at the restaurant. This is why it wasn't on a white plate that his...