Romano's — Restaurant in Saint John

I have to say i am sorely disappointed with this restaurant. I am a former resident of Saint John who moved away many years ago. As a kid i used to eat at Romanos regularly and we teenagers loved their big pizzas. Everytime i come back here i eat at all my old spots. Bob's takeout, Romanos, Grecos. Kind of like a trip down nostalgia lane. Well the last time i was here we ordered a pizza delivered and it was not fully cooked. Dough was raw in the middle and the pizza very greasy. We called in and spoke to a man who was extremely rude. He had no interest in our issues at all and dismissed us out of hand. Passing us off to a nice young lady who feverishly apologized. Explaining that he was the owner and she would take care of us. He was too busy apparently. She sent us out another pizza right away. Problem solved. Due to my soft spot for the place i chalked it up to a one off. Well tonight, after being away for several years, i arrived back in town with family for a few days and as usual, looked forward to eating some food from all my childhood haunts. I called Romanos and tried to order some food. I immediately recognized the voice as the same guy who was a jerk the last time. The owner. Right from the start he was impatient. When asked a couple simple questions about his menu and whether or not he still carried on the menu a dish from before, he became extremely rude. Stating that someone else would take my order. Passing me off and leaving his staff to assuage the customers ruffled feathers as it were. I guess he looked at the phone, saw the out of town area code and decided being a dismissive jerk was ok. Well i can tell you, as a business owner myself, never assume you can treat people like garbage and they will keep coming back. This is the second time. There will not be a third. I will never order here again and thanks for ruining a hometown memory. You are lucky your staff has manners and professionalism. Because you...

Our first visit to Romano’s. Came in hungry, leaving all 6 senses full. :)

We had fried mushroom for appetizer. Not your run-of-the-mill deep fried mushrooms but delicious sautéed in red wine mushrooms. I also had a tossed salad. Vegetable were fresh and crunchy. Unlike most (especially franchise) restaurants, my request for a lemon wedge and olive oil instead of salad dressing was received as normal. Bonus points :)

For main dishes I had Fettuccine Alfredo Polo and my wife had Chicken Creole. Both dishes looked and tasted so good, first time in 23 years my wife and I swapped plates halfway. :)

Polo: Pasta was cooked just right. Generous amount of chicken pieces smothered in alfredo sauce.

Creole: Chicken breast was butterflied and cook well. Generous amount of Rice (which we found out was their own mix) cooked just right; grains were not left wet. Plate comes with a mound of Caesar salad which would be easily enough for two.

Our waitress Corinne was very attentive. We mentioned her that it was our first visit. So, while we were having our food and she was serving other tables, she showed us pretty much each plate she served. I though it was very thoughtful of her. So, now we know what to order next time we visit.

Delicious food. Superb service. A must try experience.

Food:...

We stopped overnight in Saint John on our way to Halifax, and the staff at the hotel we went to recommended this place. I’m here to tell you that I don’t quite understand the 4.5 stars. The wait staff was interesting, and kinda rude. They seemed confused when my mom told them she didn’t need silverware because we were eating pizza, no quite sure how else you’re supposed to eat pizza. First of all, the Caesar Salad has bacon on it, which was not on the menu, and I’m not particularly fond of bacon, and didn’t expect it on Caesar Salad. Next we were served Garlic Fingers, which didn’t actually taste like there was much garlic, and more like sweet cheese. When the pizza finally came out and we were hoping something would finally be good, the pizza sauce tasted like there was nutmeg in it, and a lot of it, which was pretty off putting. We didn’t intend on taking the rest of the pizza with us, but the waitress packed it up without asking, and it ended up in the dumpster outside when we left. They also don’t take debit cards, which isn’t very clear when you walk in the door. Needless to say, if I ever end up in Saint John again, I will not be returning...