Giordano Trattoria Romana — Restaurant in Carefree

Unprofessional and irrational owner/manager Adele. From other low reviews, it seems to be the common complaint and underlying theme. Despite a noticeably snobbish and condescending attitude by our hostess from the beginning, who we later learned was in fact the owner, we simply overlooked her initially perceived uninviting conduct and remained concerned with simply ordering and enjoying our night to celebrate my father’s birthday. Initially from when we first stated we were vegetarian, Adele had uninterested facial expressions when asking her for suggestions. Shortly thereafter, my mother mentioned that she wasn’t hungry or particularly looking to order anything but may just enjoy the forthcoming appetizers and share a sample from my father’s entrée, upon when Adele stated there would be an automatic split charge. However, upon becoming aware of this condition we reconfirmed that the entrée was not to be split and would be served as a single entrée for one individual. She continued insinuating in a loud and disrespectful tone that my mother was guilty of admission of some sort, and it would be too late to recant her words and would be charged, repeatedly and demonstratively stating that was how they did it at her restaurant. Regardless of any supposed policy, once we clarified our position that my mother wasn’t planning on eating there was no need for Adele to continue to harass or indict us on a split charge in belittling and arrogant fashion while indoctrinating us on how we will plan to eat our dinner. As Adele continued to become more belligerent over a seemingly trivial matter, I respectfully asked her to change her tone upon when she walked over with a hostile mannerism, having the audacity to say she wouldn’t while attempting to deflect accusations in personal fashion. Ultimately despite any nominal split charge, we were certainly not going to patronize or condone such condescending etiquette from any staff at any restaurant, especially an owner serving first-time customers with such unwelcoming and conceited unapologetic behavior. Thus, we simply decided to leave and proceed with our evening elsewhere at the many reputable and familiar options with personable environments throughout the Carefree/Cave Creek and greater Scottsdale area. Based on our initial experience, hopefully future visitors will not only be prepared, but the owner will professionally attempt to handle such matters humbly within her role and industry standards with every and...

I would first like to mention that if I was reviewing based solely on the flavor of the food, the rating would be much higher.

However, we all know service is a BIG part of any experience..... and this was one of the worst I've encountered.

After working in the hospitality industry for 15+ years, I have seen and excused a lot of different hiccups, mistakes, bad days, you name it.... but there is no excuse for the way your server Adele (name on ticket) treated me today.

I always tip well, even on Togo orders (like I said, I've worked in all positions from GM to consultant, and I know servers work hard!), but today I could not.

Your hostess answered the phone first, and she was absolutely delightful. She put me on the phone with the server to order my Togo food, and immediately, the tone changed. She was less than polite, to say the least. She interrupted me after my first two orders and actually aggressively said, "How many items are you going to order?". What?! Training opportunity alert! When I arrived at the restaurant, the hostess (I believe? Young lady with dark hair and beautiful lashes) greeted me with a smile, let me know where to wait for my food, and helped gather my check and things from the kitchen. The server approached me and literally glared me up and down. I was not dressed up in a cocktail dress, but I was getting a Togo order (that was over $100 mind you!). She did not say one word to me. She did not reciprocate my hello or a smile. She picked up my card, swiped it, and turned away.

At that moment I thought, this is the same rude woman from the phone. And she could've made such an easy $25-$30 tip for bagging food if she could just muster up some form of hospitality or at least be polite and not glare at me!

I decided not to tip tonight because of how I was treated. I walked to the door, the server said nothing. The bartender (guy) told me to have a good night, I thanked him. As I opened the door to leave, I hear Adele yell to the bartender "She didn't even leave a tip!". 😂 I couldn't believe it. So I figured I would do her a favor, and let her know why she didn't, and how she could improve the next time.

If it weren't for her, I really would be excited to dine in person and bring friends and family.... the food was great. It's not worth being demeaned by servers, though.

Tell your hostess she did amazing, as did the cooks/chef! I hope you do some heavy...

Tried Giordano’s Trattoria Romano for the first time and had such a wonderful experience from start to finish. The owner, Adele, was absolutely lovely. As soon as we mentioned it was our first visit, she took the time to walk us through the menu and made us feel right at home. The vibe inside has a warm, New York-style charm—exactly the feel she was going for—and you can tell the place is truly family-run. Even her son helps out, and the chef has been there for 20 years, which says a lot.

We started with the Caesar salad, which was super fresh and crisp with a nice peppery kick. I had the Giordano with chicken and angel hair pasta—light but packed with flavor—and my fiancé went with the veal marsala over linguine, which was rich and comforting. We shared a bottle of Montepulciano that was very reasonably priced and paired perfectly with the meal.

For dessert, we tried the chocolate gelato that came thinly sliced and dipped in chocolate. I’d never seen it served that way before, but it totally worked—light, cold, and just enough sweetness to end the meal.

We’ll definitely be back. It’s rare to find a spot that feels this welcoming and...