Molinos Ristorante — Restaurant in Bonita Springs

Why does anyone who appreciates good Italian food eat here?? My husband and I are both Italian. We have been dragged here by friends more than once. We have never had a decent meal here. The last time we were here, I had the Eggplant and it was so tough I could barely cut through it and it tasted terrible. Who screws up Eggplant?! Husband's dish (can't recall what) was terrible according to him. Well, tonight we got dragged here again, only because Carini's (much better Italian food, if not "fancy") couldn't handle a party of 8, so someone suggested Molino's. Ugh.

I was determined not to order any kind of Italian dish after previous experiences. I ordered a chopped salad with shrimp on it. Thank goodness another lady in our party heard the waiter say that the salad was tossed in cocktail sauce, not a dressing, and alerted me. Who tosses a SALAD in cocktail sauce (even if it has shrimp in it)!! It wasn't shrimp cocktail!! When I asked the waiter if I could just get Italian dressing on the side he said they didn't have Italian dressing (in an Italian restaurant???), so I got olive oil and balsamic on the side so I could put it on myself. The salad was mediocre at best, but at least it wasn't some disgusting Italian dish.

Unfortunately, my husband (sitting at the other end of the table) ordered the veal saltimbocca. Guess he was a glutton for punishment after our last time eating here. The veal was SWIMMING in some sort of gravy. Husband mentioned to the waiter that he didn't see any prosciutto. Waiter indicated it was under all the gravy on top. So my husband scraped the gravy off and revealed a teeny, tiny piece of prosciutto stuck on top of the veal.

Husband took 1 bite of the veal. Then he took a 2nd bite to confirm his suspicion that the veal was either very old or possibly spoiled. Wanted me to taste... no way!! I wasn't going to get food poisoning. He eventually got the waiter's attention, told him about the weird tasting veal and asked him to take the plate away. He then ordered a bowl of pasta fagioli...a simple bowl of bean and pasta soup...for $18!! Ridiculous!!

Another couple in our group both ordered Bolognese with angel hair pasta. The Bolognese was like nothing I've ever cooked, seen or eaten at any other Italian restaurant...looked disgusting. The husband that ordered it commented that it tasted "watery". It was orange in color with what looked like finely ground meat in a thin sauce. It looked like something somebody coughed up. Personally, if I had been served that dish I would have refused to eat it. It looked so unappetizing.

If you want good, honest Italian locally (minus the ambiance), I would suggest Carini's. Simple, home cooked Italian style (and great pizza!) in a no frills restaurant. BTW, they were packed. Not a table available. If you want Italian with a bit of a flair, try Giuseppe and the Lion. We just went there for the first time last week with one of the same couples as tonight . All 4 of our meals were exceptional...and they have live entertainment!!! So you get great food, very nice ambiance and entertainment at a reasonable price.

All I can say is that Molino's must be relying on a very old reputation, as we have not had a decent meal there any time we've been dragged there, and we've had a place down here for over 20 years. Oh, BTW, another great place is Capriccio of Naples, on Pine Ridge. Very authentic.

Buon appetito, but not...

I don't think I have ever been to a more overpriced restaurant in my life. They did accommodate a party of 5 on a Friday night without reservation in less than 10 minutes. Service was okay, it was busy so I can't be too hard on them. The food runners were more attentive than the actual server. Ambiance was not on par with a restaurant that charges these kind of prices. Plastic chairs on the outside with cheap tables and no tablecloths. The inside is outdated to say the least, the chairs look like they are from the 90s, which most of the customers in Bonita Springs probably don't mind, since the average age is about 76. Two people in our group ordered Margaritas, which looked more like ginger ale. As an appetizer we ordered the grilled octopus and the smoked salmon for $18 each! The portions were so small I felt insulted. The grilled octopus was served as three 2.5 inch strips of octopus with a scoop of store bought mashed potatoes. The smoked salmon was three tiny slices of smoked salmon on a huge plate the rest was lettuce, they didn't even put a cracker on the plate for the smoked salmon. The entrees all looked appetizing and tasted okay. I ordered the tuna for $26, at this point I did not expect much, so it would have been hard to get disappointed. Yet this restaurant pulled it off again, what a sorry excuse for an entree. The "sides" on this dish are more of a garnish rather than sides. Less than a handful of arugula (no dressing) and a spoon of chopped tomatoes (no dressing). Two people in our group ordered pasta dishes, the sauces were good, but I would recommend to not use the cheapest pasta brand if you have the audacity to charge over $24 for a simple pasta dish, considering that in Italy Spaghetti Bolognese costs about half that. The other two people in our group got Sea Bass with a sauce that would have been more fitting for a steak dinner and Ossobuco with "risotto" that resembled vegetable broth with rice corns thrown into it. Don't waste your money on...

I've been here a few times and it's been on the decline the past few but Saturday was the worst and absolute last time there for us. 4 of our guests food was ice cold, talk about dying in the window, it was horrible. When I tasted my wife's cold food it had that excess grease taste on the veal, like it was fried a long time ago and hardened up in the air. But the kicker for me was when I asked for a beer, Miller Lite, which I had a few already and the server says, "Really? I only have 2 left". I said, are they not for sale? I do drink other things. She took all other drink orders, delivered them to everyone and completely disregarded my beer request. She was rushing us through dessert, didn't even want to give us menus. Her body language was telling us to hurry up and leave, just leaning on things and not paying attention. I know it's season and it's overwhelming, but do over book and never rush a big party. We are normally great tippers, this trip was the 20 Percent only. And the owner has zero personality and doesn't care how your meal is, he's rude like all of the other posts about him say. Go to Roy's or DeRomos if you want fresh food served with a smile. And let's not forget, a more than likely overflowing order of that impossible to keep in stock Miller lite. Only have 2 left..that DISGUSTED me!...