Sambuca Metrocentre — Restaurant in Gateshead

Hi    We booked our table for 27 guests for last night When we arrived we were seated and got our drinks After about 30 minutes we asked to order our food The waiter , who I assumed by the way he was with the staff, must have been a manager of some kind 4 of our guest had not yet turned up but I said we still wanted to order and they would order when they arrived He snapped at me and said the food comes out “Rapid”  they wouldn’t be reheating the food for the missing guests I explained the food would not be ordered for the missing guests until they arrived I then asked if we could order separately and he said no all items would be itemised so they could take payment individually when payment was required He started taking our order and when my wife ordered she told him the flavoured pasta she wanted and his reply was what pasta She again said the flavour and in a very snotty way again he snapped what pasta This immediately upset my wife who had told him twice so I told him again Again he snapped what pasta She then realised he meant what type of pasta She asked for one type and he snapped we do not have that type So she asks what time they have So the order was taken We then proceeded to wait an hour for our food which was not "Rapid" by any means of the wordThe food came out and most of it was lovely but the pasta my wife and son had halved was tasteless Very bland and watery Then came to the payment , we went up In our groups , myself first and paid for my four meals I had purchased I then left as I have just had knee surgery to both knees so needed my pain relief On the way home one of my daughters called me nearly in tears She had been the last person to pay and she ordered 1 kids meal and 1 pasta and 1 potato skins he tried to tell her there was still £102 to pay Shocked she said that can’t be right to which he replied it definitely was She then made him go through the bill again which he then said oh my mistake it’s £32 She knew her meal was not £32 but so embarrassed and feeling harassed by him she paid Upon looking at the bill for the whole party there were two puddings that no one in our party had ordered had been added to the bill 1 Tiramasu and 1 Brownie Sunday So she had paid for someone else’s pudding who must’ve been in Sambuca last night but not with our party This is ridiculous and his attitude was horrendous We will never go back to Sambuca at the  metro centre and will advise anyone else not to go This was not the experience we were expecting especially since this was a meal for all of my kids and grandkids to celebrate there brothers birthday who sadly passed away on August the 3rd Could someone please look into this and reimburse my daughter for the overpayment she had made I have attached the whole bill and circled the two puddings that were 100% not from our party As you can see we spent quite a bit of money and that was not including the money...

Poor from the get go.

Service = terrible Walked in with my daughter and we stood for over 5 minuets with staff walking by - no one acknowledged us. I said to my daughter 1 more person ignores us and we are going to the pub across the road. Waiter at the bar hop skipped over and gave us a seat. Scanned the drinks menu, scanned the food menu - still no one asking us for drinks so we scanned the desert menu - waiter standing right next to us cleaning cutlery. When I complained to my daughter that no taking our drinks, waiter then hop skipped over and took order. Time taken between courses too long. We finish our meal and choose our deserts. Time ticking by and no ones asking if we want desert. I ask the waiter if I can order desert he looks at me, walks straight on and shouts to another waiter to come and give me the bill! I said no sorry I asked to order desert, the waiter replied "he is absolutely useless and proceed to tell him He said desert not bill". We ordered ice cream & brownie sunday... We received tiramisu and ice cream.

Food = Below average I asked what the soup was and the response was Minestrone Vegetable. What I think he was trying to say is Minestrone OR vegetable. Either way it was not minestrone what I got it was a salty gloopy pulp. Pizza very poor

Music = Terrible

If i wasn't with my daughter I would have left on 3 occasions. Will...

First thing I'd like to address, what is the point of the staff wearing face masks if they continuously keep taking them off? There was one waiter who's mask was just hanging on to his top lip, two of the waitresses kept taking them off so they were hanging around their chins and another just didn't bother wearing one at all.

The service was absolutely atrocious apart from one blonde waitress who did serve us at one point, she was lovely and had a great personality. As for the others working, not a smile, no acknowledgement, nothing.

I had bruschetta to start which was nothing but a piece of soggy toasted bread dowsed in watery chopped tomatoes and onions with a tonne of vinegar thrown on top. Absolutely awful.

Throughout the evening glasses built up on our table which no member of staff cleared. It took 20 minutes for anyone to come and acknowledge whether we'd like desserts after our main courses were cleared.

Sure enough, when we asked for our bill the staff were quick on it and quick to take our payment. Perhaps they just wanted to go home a...