Cicciotti's Trattoria Italiana & Seafood — Restaurant in Carlsbad

Terrible food at a high price point with mediocre service. No idea how this place has a 4.3 star rating. The best thing about this place is it's location. In fact, that might be the only good thing about this place. To be fair, the guy who greeted us and showed us to our table was very friendly. Unfortunately, he was not our waiter and we never saw him again. Our "service," if you can call it that, was taken over by a woman who was extremely direct, unfriendly, and lacked any kind of warmth or personable qualities. It's okay if you hate people, lady, but maybe choose a different profession.

She-who-hates-people-and-should-not-be-waiting-tables came to take our order 20 minutes after we sat down. She brought, hands down, the most awful bread I have ever been served in a restaurant. It literally tastes like it was made with 1950's Bisquick mix: kinda crumbly in the middle with a weak, somewhat dampish "crust." This was served with an oily canned tomato concoction with some basil and garlic mixed in. Somehow this failed to disguise the depressing quality and bitter disappointment of the bisquick bread. What kind of Authentic Italian restaurant serves Bisquick bread?!!! Do they even have Bisquick in Italy? Next I made the horrific mistake of ordering the Gorgonzola and Smoked Salmon Bruschetta, not thinking for a moment that it would be served on, you guessed it, Bisquick bread! For $15.50 you too can have the most unimaginably anemic smear of watery Gorgonzola under a bit of store bought smoked salmon on top of bisquick bread. Step right up! The mixed green with beet salad was borderline fresh. The greens weren't rotten, but they weren't winning any awards for perkiness. Maybe they wilted in the presence of our fair host. I'm pretty sure the beets came out of a can and the rasberry dressing was most likely costco brand. Not very good. My recommendation: order this salad with no greens, no dressing, and no beets. Just ask for a bowl of candied walnuts and save yourself the disappointment. Next came the Gorgonzola Gnocci which, by comparison to the rest of the meal, didn't completely suck, though, the low quality of the rest of meal did lend itself to skepticism about whether the Gnocci and it's respective sauce also came from the freezer section at costco. We were too terrified of further disappointment to order dessert. Overall, the best part of this entire experience was leaving knowing we never have to repeat this experience again. There are so many fantastic restaurants in Carlsbad. This is not...

What was supposed to be a simple evening of Italian food and a few drinks quickly became an experience to remember for all the wrong reasons. It all started quite well honestly, the two of us were walk-ins after the dinner rush around 2000 (8pm). We were sat at a small table, good atmosphere and what started as a very promising dining experience began; oh how wrong we were! It began with waters and bread, no complaints there (perhaps the only thing that went right). We promptly ordered drinks and one of the calamari appetizers. Simple enough one would think... Our drinks arrived about ten minutes later and we ordered our meals. One Moscow Mule and one Margarita. The Moscow Mule was terrible, it was made with Gin... a Moscow Mule with gin... really? You’d think as it’s offered as a special the bar staff would have had it mastered, apparently that was too much to ask. The margarita was good so perhaps a win for the bartender there, until I reordered.... it was in a tall glass with three extra limes in what I’m assuming was filler to ensure the liquid met the brim of the glass. It also tasted heavily diluted the second time and not the same color as the first one. Class act. At this point the main course came out. Yes, before the calamari. We notified the staff that we would no longer like the calamari which they were somewhat understanding of. Somewhat. Our very young looking male server had an attitude when we addressed it with him. Then proceed to not come back to the table until 30 minutes after we were obviously done with our meals, plates cleared and we were trying to get is attention (without bothering other guests). Overall as a new resident of the area I would strongly recommended you seek another restaurant to have your evening out at. As someone who comes from a background in the food and beverage industry, I would be embarrassed if this were to happen in an establishment where I worked or represented. Again, foodies seek other eateries around town, not worth the time or money. Owner, consider new management, the manager appeared to be spending the majority of his time at a barstool rather than tending to the restaurant. (Note: my picture of the two margaritas don’t seem to be posting but it’s almost comical how...

My husband and I have been here a few times now. This last time, it was my birthday celebration, so we brought our kids after an event. We have purchased the groupon a few times over the years because we are locals, and it allows us to treat ourselves to an otherwise over-priced meal. The owner and staff have always been friendly and never given us any grief over using a Groupon, and that goes appreciated. However, this last time was disappointing. We had the same waiter we usually have. He is friendly but hardly understands what is being asked. I'm pretty sure this is the second time we ordered a caprese salad appetizer that didn't come. My drink was incorrect, and I had to get up to ask the bar to fix it after it sat for a bit. My husband ordered a $55 steak that, had I known it cost that much, I would have sent back after watching him struggle to cut the thing the entire time. My food was delicious, but everything was generally double its value. The waiter struggled to apply the discount to the order, and I had to get back up to ask him to fix it. He ended up coming over at the end to apologize for the service as we were the last guests in for the day. (We showed up 20 min before closing. Now, I work in luxury retail and understand that the last customer should get the same treatment as the first. Nonetheless, I wasn't bothered and still generally had a great time. What prompted this whole review is the fact that at the very end, after the waiter hands me the receipt, he points and repeats the total, then the tip given, then points at the "suggested tip" amounts and disappointed says "oh, I must have done a bad job". It was extremely rude to be called out in being of my family for leaving this man a tip for service that he acknowledged was below standard. That very moment was enough for me to regret giving them any business. My meal was the only one worth paying for, and I paid a fair tip for the service received. I didn't even complain, but the entitlement was too much. I'm disappointed and probably...