Toscana Northern Italian Grill — Restaurant in City of Oneonta

As a couple who eat out often, this was hands-down possibly the worst service I've ever experienced in my life. My fiance are still in shock of how poorly we were treated, and are not sure if they were short-staffed or because we didn't have a reservation (we were asked upon arrival, but were walk-ins, and honestly it shouldn't have mattered bc there were ample tables available for a 2-top).

I ordered a single glass of wine with my meal to drink with the bread (which was delicious but I'll get to the food in a moment), and had to wait almost 25 minutes before I received it. I realize they were busy & had several large tables, but they seemed to be falling over themselves to cater to those bigger groups, whereas we felt we were placed on the "pay no mind" list since we weren't a 10-top, "regulars" (who clearly received preferential treatment by the male waiter, who had a better handle on things than our friendly but very forgetful waitress), or the pseudo-bourgeois set. Mind you my fiance are always very polite and tip well. So after waiting for my beverage which I had to wave down the waitress for a 2nd time (barely received an apology, if that), we waited almost 40+ minutes for our meal. Funny how the 6-top next to us arrived 20 min after us received their main course (following appetizers, which we didn't order) before we did(!) We were asked by another server if we'd like more bread; it never arrived. Asked our waitress for more bread; she forgot that as well. I was so infuriated I was half-tempted to walk out, but we had already placed our order.

Never have I felt so snubbed or disrespected in an establishment. Although the food was quite tasty (the only reason I am giving any stars at all), between being mostly ignored, the very loud atmosphere (could be easily remedied by acoustic ceiling tiles), and the wanna-be pretentious atmosphere (um, you're located in a strip mall in upstate NY), I'll never return. Ironically, I was in a restaurant in Queens just hours before that, which probably had 2x as many customers during a busy brunch hour and just ONE waitress, and our experience was like night & day. I'm laughing to myself reading these other reviews; if this sort of customer service was practiced in the city, they'd be shut down in a week. Despite it I still left a decent tip because I'm not an inherently mean person. Believe it or not wait staff, sometimes smaller groups tip better than large groups (I've worked in restaurants before & know this for a fact )...but you lost my business. Here's a tip, Toscana: if you want to retain repeat customers, you need to address your staffing issues for a more cohesive experience for ALL of your diners, not just "regulars" &...

I need to point out things but first let me say this. The staff was great. The steak I ordered was perfect. I yet need to state my overall experience. When we pulled into a small plaza I was surprised to see that we were in a small shopping plaza. The restaurant was in the back corner of the plaza. I thought to myself that the location was challenged. After viewing the menu online, and saw the prices, I thought that it had to be excellent food.There were five of us. Our reservation was 6:30pm. The restaurant was empty and when we arrived, some items were no longer available. We ordered appetizers of cheese sticks, calamari, and escargot. The calamari was terrible. Small portion of calamari, very small. It was bland and very tasteless. The escargot was just WRONG. The basil sauce was nice, but the snails were the worst I have ever had. They tasted like they came out of a can because they were soggy and without taste. You are going to make someone sick if they are not handled correctly. When it came time to order our meals, we ordered the sirloin and was told that it came with mashed potatoes and broccoli. There were no options for sides since we were not offered that option. The chicken fingers were also terrible. They came out very dark on the outside and it appeared that the coating was peeling off. I also have to say that we ordered cannoli's for dessert. They were not cannoli's. They were cannoli shells that were filled with a very sugary filling. Cannoli's have a cheese filling in them and are awesome when the filling is genuine. With that said, I am beside myself on how expensive the food was for the quality it was. For what I had ordered, the cost was there but quality was absent. I always tip well and never hold the server responsible for the ills of the kitchen. There needs to be changes that are needed. TOO EXPENSIVE!!! Skip this and go where you already know there is good food with the...

First of all, I've learned that reviews for restaurants can't be trust without context from the reviewer. Someone who eats primarily fast food is gonna give any restaurant a good review. So here's the context: I worked in fine dining for 12 years - primarily in The Hamptons, some in Boulder CO, and some near Asheville NC. I know good food, drinks, and service.

Toscana is by far, without a doubt, the absolute best restaurant in the area. Every single dish was fantastic. The pork belly special was expertly done (pork belly ain't easy). The haddock was generously portioned and cooked/seasoned to perfection. The pasta toscana with vodka sauce was wonderful, and the meatball was perfectly seasoned. And the desserts were exceptional. Beautifully executed. Every course was a hit. And the food is very reasonably priced. Very little in my experience can come close to the quality they serve for the price they charge.

From the bar, the espresso martini was excellent. The wines were reasonably priced.

We had Jay as our server. Wow. Talk about a professional. Jay delivered exceptional service. He knew the menu front to back, he remembered our names, he was there a few bites in every course to make sure we liked everything, and he had great recommendations. He delivered service that was on par with food and drinks three times the price.

The only thing that would make the restaurant better is a more interesting bar program (interesting original cocktails and a better wine list). But for the price, the wine and cocktails I had were well worth the what they charged.

All in all, of you're looking for the best restaurant in Oneonta (and beyond), look no further. I reluctantly gave my money do Dazzos last time I visited, and I happily paid my bill at Toscana this visit. Well done,...