Babbo Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Four Corners States

I want to begin this review by saying that for years, we’ve genuinely loved Babbo. My father, a 71-year-old retiree, has been a loyal customer at this location—dining alone once a week for five years. The staff has always been kind, often going the extra mile to show appreciation for his consistency, occasionally comping his $3.50 soda as a small gesture of gratitude. It wasn’t about the money—it was about respect and relationship.

Unfortunately, recent interactions with the owner’s son, Brandon, have completely soured what was once a positive and reliable dining experience. My father has shared that Brandon has gone out of his way to state they will no longer comp his soda—fair enough if that’s a new policy. But what happened tonight crossed a line of both professionalism and decency.

After a team member comped the drink, Brandon returned to the table, reprinted the receipt, and pointedly informed us he had corrected the bill to include the drink charge. The tone, the delivery, and the unnecessary act of “setting the record straight” over a $3.50 drinks was petty, demeaning, and frankly embarrassing—for him and for the brand.

Let’s put this in perspective: five years of weekly business, countless referrals, and the goodwill of a customer who never asked for a thing—undermined over what likely costs the restaurant less than 50 cents. Worse than the act itself was the attitude behind it. It wasn’t about policy—it was about power.

The staff here is wonderful. They’ve always made my father feel welcome and valued. But good service can’t outrun poor leadership. When management treats customers—especially long-standing, elderly patrons—with such disregard, it speaks volumes about the culture they choose to create.

Scottsdale has no shortage of excellent restaurants. Choose one where people are treated with kindness and respect, not where a small act of generosity is punished with ego...

I received a gift card to this restaurant, so it has always been on my mind to try out. However, it is out of my neighborhood, so it has been sitting in my drawer for over a year. However, I realized that I would be going to this neighborhood a couple of times in a closely related time period where I could finally use my gift card. One random issue is that you can’t deduct a tip off the gift card, which is a mild inconvenience. For my first meal, I had the superfood pasta with whole wheat pasta. This dish was really good, with generous helpings of all the toppings along with a solid portion size of pasta. I could discern that each of the ingredients were carefully crafted and assembled for a pleasant presentation. For my second meal, I had the sweet roasted pear and grape pizza. I’ve never seen pears or grapes utilized on pizza before, so this caught my eye. Despite this, these ingredients didn’t do too much other than add a subtle crunch and sweetness to the pizza. Besides that, the pizza was fine and satisfying enough, but nothing special. It was a bit more thin than I was expecting, which is probably for the best to eliminate unnecessary bread intake. Speaking of bread I was personally unimpressed by the complimentary bread. While I could discern effort placed into the bread, between being freshly baked with a little crunch along with being topped with basil and onions, all it ultimately only is standard focaccia bread. With that being said, the service was very good (especially in regards to their awareness to removing nuts off my dishes due to allergy) and genuine. Prices are also quite reasonable considering the quality, and there are ample options available on the menu that can make an ordering decision quite difficult (but will fortunately be able to please just...

These reviews are far from accurate. Google was the reason we picked this place and I can honestly say it was the grossest meal. I went in at about 730 last night and my wife got a Buffalo Chicken Salad and I got some rotini dish with basil, tomato and spicy Italian sausage. I had a feeling right at the start but thought I would give it a shot. The bread was under cooked and doughy that they give you. Nobody ate it not even my kids. My dish was literally boxed pasta, with a sauce that had zero flavor and grey looking sausage. My wife's salad was so salty she stopped eating it. My kids pizza was so under cooked and doughy and packed with just a crazy amount of cheese that they didn't eat it either. I rarely get upset for lack luster meals but this actually irritated me. I paid over $40 last night and ate basically none of it. Server of course doesn't seem to notice or care. I mean come on when we order a kids meal for 2 kids to share and not 1 slice is gone....not hard to figure out. Honestly feel robbed for food that was so bad. Was pretty easy to see the kitchen was doing pan change out, cleaning out coolers etc....I understand trying to have your staff stay ahead of closing duties but food should always be #1 priority. The fact that all out plates were well over half full and our kids plate 100% full and we told them no boxes....come on. With food like this I don't see this...