Buongiorno — Restaurant in Scotland

After being a customer of this restaurant for many years, making many recommendations to friends & family we were disappointed in the quality of food served on a visit 2 months ago. Despite vowing never to eat there again we decided a second chance was in order. A poor decision that turned out to be! At 6.30 on a Sunday evening, once a peak time for this popular eatery, we were presented with 95% empty tables, no one even asked us if we had a reservation! Any regular will know that’s a standard question! Starters of garlic mushrooms (3 & a miserable side salad of peppers & cucumber chopped so small a fork could not locate them) and crostini dolcelatte (bread not toasted & more raw onion than mushroom with a watery sauce) did not instil confidence in our decision. Moving on to a main course choice of linguine carbonara Italian style & tagliatelle salmone both proved to be very disappointing. Whilst tasty, the salmon was chopped so fine it was invisible to the naked eye, once located it was tough in texture. The carbonara with the same half cooked onion and no sauce to taste of. Then followed a game worthy of any professional to catch the eye of a member of staff, as no dessert menu was offered, trying to secure the bill. When delivered to the table, we handed over a debit card, at that point we were advised the card machine was broken and there was a cash machine outside, no explanation no chat, just a quick exit from the waiter while we pulled together what cash we had. Obviously left a 10% tip as we’d had no opportunity to give our feedback, however thus once popular Shawlands institution has run...

I don’t recommend this place based on their appalling treatment of, and clear discrimination towards, my Deaf friends who were celebrating a special wedding anniversary.

The wine served was wrong, (house wine, rather than the wine they ordered), and the main courses were not as listed on the menu. (A single lettuce leaf with balsamic vinegar is not “vegetables”. Potato wedges is not “baby potatoes”. You get the drift…)

My friends raised these “mistakes” and “omissions” with staff several times but were shouted at and ignored. All of these incidents, on top of a cold and indifferent welcome, marred their evening.

At the end, my friends reasonably asked for a discount as they did not get what they’d ordered. They already decided against dessert and coffee and just wanted to leave.

The restaurant’s response was to lock them in the restaurant and call the police. That was a conscious decision by the staff member - a fire risk that the restaurant was knowingly, and illegally, undertaking against all its customers and staff. So unsafe.

The restaurant may have thought they could dupe, bully and discriminate against Deaf people. Humiliate them even by shouting at them. They will find they are wrong.

Don’t want unwelcoming staff? Don’t want to be duped with house wine or fobbed off with second rate food? Don’t want to be treated appallingly? Don’t want to be in a restaurant that’s a fire risk?

Simple…...

Come on, who doesn't like Italian like 'your mama' never made (unless she was Italian; of course)? The dinning area is beutifull, bijou and chic, the staff are 7 shades of wonderful, the food is bellissima and the coffee is as coffee should be (the best Italian this side of Napoli). Verdict? Come here to pig out on perfect pasta - drink with friends, dine with the family, have a romantic night with your SO - you'll come back time and time again. Visit Buongiorno for a good day and make it great - popular especially in the evenings and during the weekend be a "wise guy" and book ahead. Come on - be treat yourself and your family - enjoy a bit of 'la dolce vida' - better yet - you don't need to be rich as the Godfather to eat...