Arazzi — Restaurant in Port of Spain

Summary: Mediocre food in a dressed up setting

Visited for the first time during Restaurant Week 2024 - since to us the entire point of restaurant week should be a good deal that showcases what the restaurant is known for/capable of. Making the reservation was easy, with the staff being very patient of modifications in party size and time. The restaurant was not particularly busy on the night of our reservation.

The restaurant is comfortable, with pleasant lighting, wall hangings and an overall aesthetic that makes it a nice spot to take pictures. Unfortunately all diners at our table agreed that "nice in pictures" seemed the only priority for the food. Items are served on interesting, trendy plates, platters and bowls, yet severely lacking in matters of actual flavour - the biggest offender for the night being a jerk pasta in which nobody was able to determine which part of the dish had received the jerk seasoning. Dishes were bland across the board. The dessert in particular stood out as being designed to look pretty whilst being both disappointingly bland and more difficult to eat.

There were other minor issues as well. We were informed that everyone at the table needed to take the same menu (350 vs 550) as it would affect the timing of the dishes due a varying number of courses. However in spite of all aligning to one choice, any one member of the table still often had a significant delay in receiving food for any given course. One course was even skipped entirely (quickly rectified by our server). Additionally, while made it clear to our server that we understood one beverage was included in the package, when we enquired about any other drinks that we might add to our bill, we were informed that given the nature of the package there was no other drinks menu available to us that night. Somehow, in spite of that, we were charged for the bottle of water consumed by the table - the cost not being the issue, but the discrepancy in reporting.

We were given a few baked good on leaving, which I can wholeheartedly say were comfortably decent, and yet substantially more tasty than anything we had for the entire night.

All told our experience with Arazzi was lacking - a nice looking restaurant with nice looking food that we found severely lacking in terms of flavour. I understand the concept of a restaurant having a refined setting and atmosphere, which they certainly achieve, I simply wish that the food was not so aggressively plain. Would not recommend a visit here - there are restaurants that can deliver both atmosphere...

SOCIAL MEDIA MISLEAD ME (UPDATE: I received a full refund and apologies from the manager)

Arazzi social media about their restaurant and food is top notch. Stunning professional photos and videos with classical music playing. VERY MISLEADING!

Restaurant week experience, Saturday night

Car park full, had to park in a compound over the road

Hostess was not nice. She didn't seem happy we were there. She said " Your table is not ready yet, sit and wait there."

Music wasn't too loud but was upbeat club music, we were expecting classical romantic elegant ( like their social media)

• Waitresses are extremely untrained. They made the entire experience trashy. They were ghetto. They shouted at eachother over our heads. -They were rushing back and forth, zooming through the restaurant all night it was impossible to be romantic or settled. They also sped along with their food trolleys like it was a hospital. -They placed our food and drink anyhow on the tables. -They removed our food before we were finished and didn't ask if we were done before taking away food and drinks. They removed my unfinished wine without asking They kept making mistakes and telling us about it No manager in sight complete chaos all night waitress made sure to ask for her tip when boxing food, she digs it out and drops it in the box. Handles food like it's dog food.

Food was not good. Appertizer (ajillo pork) came extremely salty (it was pork susage chop up, not actual pork) , everyone who got it complained and returned it. Main course took 45mins after Appetiser to come. bread was like kids vita loaf jerk Alfredo Shrimp : the shrimp was raw and fresh chicken Chipotle was fresh truffle salade was macaroni salade with Raisons -guiness gelato was like watery milk, no taste soup was ok Best food was watermelon juice and spicy alredo and cheesecake.

Décor nice

When we booked reservations, we told them we were celebrating an anniversary, they didn't even remember. Totally left it out and we didn't remind them because we just wanted to leave. 😢

😭Terrible experience. We lost our appetite and barely ate our main course and packed up everything, including the...

I visited Arazzi last week and, although the service was slow, the staff was polite. It was a busy evening, so I didn’t dwell on it. However, I decided to return today with friends for my birthday lunch, expecting a better experience. Unfortunately, the service was disappointing and far below the standard I would expect from a fine dining establishment.

When we arrived, it took an awkward amount of time for the four front-of-house staff to acknowledge us. They glanced at us but continued with whatever they were doing, making us feel like an inconvenience rather than valued guests. We stood there, confused and unsure if we had done something wrong. In hindsight, I should have walked out then, but I’ve dined here before and decided to stay, hoping the experience would improve.

I informed the waiter of my reservation, which was confirmed by another staff member in the back as being for four people. When I had made the reservation over the phone, I was asked if we were celebrating anything special, and I mentioned it was my birthday. Naturally, I anticipated a small celebratory touch, such as cake or candles, as is customary in many fine dining restaurants. Disappointingly, there was no acknowledgment of my birthday, leaving me wondering why they even asked in the first place.

We ordered simple meals, which were served promptly, but the waiter forgot our drink orders entirely. The service was impersonal and lacked any warmth. No one introduced themselves, and it felt as though the staff was merely waiting for us to leave. For a restaurant that markets itself as fine dining, the lack of attentiveness and professionalism was shocking.

What was meant to be a celebratory lunch turned into a disappointing experience that left me feeling let down on my special day. I had hoped for much more from a restaurant of...