Messalina — Restaurant in Aguadilla

Messalina is quite a nice restaurant, one of the nicest and more unique ones of Aguadilla and the west coast. It has a nice vibe, nice view from outside, sophisticated cocktails, decent service, and the food is pretty good. I have been here about 7 times now and I do have to say I have seen some improvements every time. However, there’s still room for more. Their hostesses are usually a bit rude - I don’t know if it’s the power trip of the role, but for example, they should be willing and able to assist a table with a quick drink order on a very slow night instead of walking away and sending the server, who is clearly busy with something else - and all with an attitude. Their ladies bathroom is like an oven and smells very strong - a smell that often carries into their indoor dining area. The food is good but could use some refinement in terms of flavor and techniques (i.e. sometimes bland, sometimes overcooked). And last, but not least…last time they charged us $2 for a tablespoon of red pepper flakes for our pizza, of which we only used about 1/8th. I have never in my life been charged for a condiment - especially one like that. They also charged for a side of marinara sauce but that’s not a first. Maybe they are pioneers in the red pepper flakes department, and maybe next time I’ll have to bring my own. $2 is not a lot of money, but it’s a ridiculous charge for a condiment. Some nice condiment shakers would be a...

Update: We visited 2 extra times! Service has improved and food quality is great. The salads arrived quickly! The tiramizu is amazing! Naomi is one of the best waitresses here. Loved the food! Sangría was a bit dry for my taste but Passion Fruit Mojito was good. Di burrata appetizer with focaccia was delish. The house salad was tasty and quite big but the dressing a bit too Acidic. The verdurat veggy pizza was really good. The lemon creme Brulee was good but will try something else next time. The tables inside have chairs and benches, which are a bit too high for comfort. There's also outside seating. Our server was corteous and professional but never came back with an answer about why my salad was taking so long while my wife's burrata had already been served to her 15 mins ago. My salad arrived 2 minutes before the pizza. Reading the menu is challenging since lighting is dim and the menu is printed on a dark colored paper. All in all it was a very good culinary experience and we will return in a few weeks. I have added this restaurant to my list of favorites...

Nice sourdough pizza. Only one in the west coast. I have been here twice now. I didn’t think I’d come back but my husband insisted we try it again. This restaurant is good but there is room for improvement for it to be great. The ambiance is nice, I like it better outside than inside. Inside it feels a bit boring. The service is good but sometimes our server would forget about us and we’d have to get the attention of another server (on a slow night). Overall, the food is good but lacking seasoning, for my taste. We’ve had the vegetable pizza both times. The dough needs a touch of salt and the pizza sauce needs something, although I can’t quite put my finger on it. Both times they substituted veggies without asking which I don’t like because I have my preferences and some people have allergies. I do admit I have very high standards for pizza and am comparing this to Fidela in San Juan which is above and beyond. Overall it’s good enough for sourdough and I hope they...