Limoncello Ristorante — Restaurant in Metropolitan Borough of Solihull

Walking into Limoncello felt like stepping onto a movie set where I was clearly the main character. The staff welcomed me like I’d just saved their entire village from destruction. We were ushered to our seats with the precision of a royal procession. I half expected someone to unroll a red carpet and cue the theme music.

Our waitress came over immediately to sort drinks. Tap water for the table - yes, the free stuff but they didn’t just plonk a jug down and make us fend for ourselves. No. These legends poured it for us, like we’d ordered the rarest, most exquisite glacier melt known to humankind. Ice cold, crisp, refreshing - this was fine dining hydration.

As I was browsing the menu, I spotted one dish covered with a strip of mysterious white tape. No explanation, no clues. It was forbidden. Naturally, I wanted it more than anything. I begged my brother-in-law to order it anyway, he told me to go away. I tried my sister, but she was too busy giggling like she’d inhaled the dessert menu. Useless.

We ordered garlic bread, arrabbiata pasta, lasagne, carbonara, and chips. Moments later BAM it was on the table. Either these people have psychic powers, or they’ve bugged the salt shaker and started cooking before we arrived. I’m okay with either scenario.

The garlic bread… oh, my. The best I’ve ever had. Fluffy yet crispy, buttery yet garlicky enough to keep vampires away for decades. The waiter came to ask how it was, at that point, I was in a blissful carb-induced coma and could only stare. Seconds later, the waitress asked the same thing. This time I managed two thumbs up, which I believe is the universal sign for “best meal of my life.”

The staff genuinely cared. We had a spare seat at our table and I honestly wish they’d sat down so I could share my food and trauma with them. Who needs therapy when you have Limoncello?

Every bite was spectacular. The service? Faster than gossip in a small town. The atmosphere? Like a cosy Italian home where everyone wants you to eat more pasta.

If I could, I’d give them infinity stars. But for now, five...

Food was AWFUL! Their website and menu is a fantasy - the reality bears no resemblance to the descriptions. I went on Saturday night and sent the following email the next day - still no response from the restaurant 4 days later. They must serve good food to one or two tables - who give the good reviews - and everyone else gets the rubbish! This is what I sent:

“3 of us visited your restaurant last night - after reading the brilliant reviews. Although the service, atmosphere and wine were all very good, the food was awful. Maybe you had a different chef doing the cooking or were short of staff in the kitchen??? We ordered calamari - portion quite small, not very hot, nothing special at all - tasteless. Also ordered homemade breaded mozzarella sticks. These came out as about 6 little balls of deep fried mozzarella which probably came from freezer wholesaler - absolutely tasteless! My husband ordered veal in red wine and Gorgonzola sauce. Meat was very tough and hardly any sauce. Waitress brought more sauce - but it was just thin and salty - not nice. Took meat home for the dog. Myself and my niece each ordered ravioli with lobster and crab. It was so bad - tasteless, not hot enough. Waitress warmed mine up a bit. I had 3 tomatoes and my niece had about 12! Where was the filling? It was just like the old fashioned jars of cheap fish paste - quite unpleasant really. I expected bits of crab and lobster - not a tasteless mash. Anyway- that’s what we all had. When the lovely waitress asked how we’d enjoyed the meal we said it was very disappointing. She asked if we wanted to let the kitchen know but I said no - they must already know because they were serving it. My niece noticed that the waitress had a word with the manager - presumably telling him what we had said - but he did not approach us to discuss our concerns. Was this just a one-off bad night in your kitchen? I’m not a chef and I’m not Italian - but I cook much much better food than what we were served. Regards Jane Jones “

Sent...

On entering the empty restaurant, albeit early, the greeting was cold and unwelcoming. We were shown to our table, and it was quite obvious that the restaurant had received a minimal amount spent on the refurb following the previous Indian owners. The attempt to create a Mediterranean vibe was pathetic, hanging baskets filled with plastic flowers! The music,of a Spanish theme, ok it’s from the Med but surely a little Italian Riviera classics would set a better ambiance. The menu offered a varied choice, as it was our first visit we stuck to the Italian staples, which were good. The home made pasta, although slightly on the thick side tasted authentic. Our main gripe was that the main course arrived almost as soon as the starter plates were removed along with continual checking by various staff that our meal was ok. We pointed out to the owner that the main course had arrived without any break between courses. He said we only had the table until eight, as if that was the reason, but it was only 6.30!!! We were also charged for a bottle of red wine instead of a glass! The owner was scruffy in his appearance, disinterested, and unwelcoming. A Few tips… chill out, trust your food because what we tried was good. Don’t rush your diners, they spend money the longer they are there! Smarten yourself up Mr Manager and welcome people into the restaurant. Allocate one waitress to a table so that diners are not continually interrupted with checks on the meal, oh……..and ditch the pathetic plastic flower hanging baskets. Would we visit again?? I doubt it,...