Gustoso & Gustoso By The Beach — Restaurant in George Town

Always make it a point to pop by here whenever I'm in Penang. So far the best pizza I've had in Malaysia, always order two pizza ortobella when I'm here. Great flavour. Same can be said for their lasagna, pastas. I always look forward to ordering their ravioli al funghi- pasta texture, the flavour, all thumbs up. Their lasagna comes in a very big portion even if you order size S (was enough for 4 of us), and can be considered quite "plain" but as mentioned, really great flavour. Even the appetiser bread given was served with good quality, fruity olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Overall, food quality here is top notch.

They're often packed so be sure to reserve in advance. Can be short staffed but otherwise, the service is quite good. Can see that the waiters and waitresses are hardworking. The manager Mr Jelani has been very attentive and friendly. It's hard to find good service at restaurants nowadays so I'm very pleased. Overall, I would rate the food and experience here 9.8/10.

Edit: Restaurant is run by a new chef now so the menu has changed slightly. I had the gnocchi with pistachio & crab and that was wonderful & unique. Do recommend it. The chicken dish was great too. Pizza Ortobella is still being offered and is still just as good.

2024 update: restaurant manager Mr Jelani is no longer with the restaurant and imo the quality of the food has dropped. Was there in Dec 2023 but food quality seems to be on a decline. Over the few times in 2023 that we visited, the dishes we wanted eg gnocchi was not available. Not sure why they don’t make it a daily special instead rather than continue keeping it as a permanent menu item if it seems like it’s not often available. Risotto was...

Worst Dining Experience at Park Royal Penang

We stayed at Park Royal Penang to celebrate our anniversary, but unfortunately, our dining experience was extremely disappointing.

We had booked the Romantic Indulgence By The Beach package at Gustoso By The Beach, which included a four-course dinner for RM428 with decorations. The booking process was frustrating, as the package could only be reserved via email. Despite reaching out a week before our flight, we only received confirmation after five working days due to slow responses from the hotel.

Due to weather conditions, we understood that our dinner had to be moved indoors. However, there were no decorations at all, and the staff seemed completely unaware of our pre-booked package. Instead of a special setup, we were randomly assigned a table and handed a regular menu. To make matters worse, they provided us with a different price for the same four-course meal than what was originally quoted via email. The miscommunication was frustrating and unprofessional.

What was most disappointing was that we noticed another table with a decorated setup. When we inquired about it, the staff told us it was reserved for their regular customers. This was completely unacceptable and made us feel undervalued as guests.

This was by far the worst dining experience we have ever had, especially at a supposed five-star hotel. It completely ruined our anniversary celebration. I strongly urge Park Royal Penang to take this matter seriously and improve their service. Otherwise, I would not recommend this hotel for any...

For a restaurant in a 5-star hotel, this place misses so many steps of finer dining. I'd give 2.5 stars if I could, but the facilities are very accommodating. They serve fresh bread at the table, but it was rubbery and doesn't break apart easily. Why? Because they use a microwave to warm it up which I watched them do.

We ordered a Gnocchi, Veggie Lasagna, and a baked Eggplant and cheese appetizer. I don't know why they serve a baked eggplant and cheese without any crustini or crispy bread like brushetta. We are it with spoons which is a little weird. We almost finished our appetizer which was so hot we had to let it cool when our server asked us if we were ready for our second course. We were puzzled as to why they wouldn't bring it out as soon as it was ready. And we were hungry.

The vegetarian lasagna was almost the same as the appetizer -- same size bowl, same cheesy and oily taste, same copious amounts of eggplant, only with noodles and a few other veggies. It was good, but they shouldn't have 2 very similar menu items. The gnocchi had a great tasting cream sauce, but the the actual gnocchi was like eating dough. It was either undercooked or too much flour. I couldn't finish it because it was so heavy eating all those dense carbs. We were disappointed and will not return here. I have to believe there are better Italian...