Little Italy — Restaurant in Coos Bay

We decided to give this place a try for dinner. It was our son's 10th birthday, and I informed Dana, whom I spoke with on the phone. Unfortunately, they don't sing Happy Birthday, but they could give my son a free dessert. The restaurant has only been open for a week, so they are still working out kinks; plus, it seemed understaffed. When we went, they couldn't serve alcohol as they were still waiting on their liquor license. It's a quaint place and can get very loud. Our server didn't wait for everyone at our table to order their drinks before walking off. And after placing the food order, it took a relatively long time for our salads to arrive. I had the Greek salad and was disappointed it didn't have sliced red onions or kalamata olives. Instead, they used black olives. The dressing also didn't remind me of a Greek salad. My son's food was the last to arrive, and I've always found it customary for the kid's food to come before the adults at restaurants. I ordered the chicken piccata, and not only was it dry and looked like it was sitting for a while due to the sauce looking like it was congealing, but it was smothered in capers and had too much lemon juice in it. The marinara was flavourless. The pasta had a weird texture, and I couldn't eat it. I make homemade pasta, and I've never tasted pasta like that. My husband had the lasagna bolognese, and it was an incredibly huge portion. My husband agreed the marinara was flavourless but said the lasagna was good. My son had the kids spaghetti, and it was a good size for a kid. I wish they offered garlic bread with it or a side salad. I ended up giving my salad to my son. The owner did come to our table to see how our food was and to get feedback. They took the constructive criticism well and even pointed out the excessive capers on my entree before I did. The owner also engaged with my son and ensured his dessert was okay. He even went to find out what flavours the Spumoni was. Overall, I'm glad the owner is listening to the feedback and correcting mistakes. Once they are fully set up and have been open for a while, we may revisit them. My only hope is that they change their menu occasionally and offer...

Saturday night dinner reservation for 7pm. We walked in and saw only a few parties seated. There was only one employee working the front of the restaurant, and although he was personable and moved about quickly, he struggled to keep up and didnt seem to have a flow. He was greeting and seating, taking orders, making drinks, taking payment, and bussing tables.

We were at our table for about ten minutes before he came over. We had to ask for waters. He was in the middle of taking our order when he told us he needed to step away to deliver dessert to another table. We retrieved our own napkins and cutlery from a basket nearby, as a well as small plates for the appetizers.

The mozzarella sticks and bruscetta were very good, as was the calzone. Two of us ordered grilled chicken dishes with different sauces. Both pieces of chicken, although very flavorful, were overcooked and difficult to cut with the provided butter knife.

My wife ordered an arugula and olive oil pizza. It was embarrasing. The crust was so overcooked it resembled pita chips, had no sauce or cheese, and about 2 cups of arugula piled in the center. I wish we had taken a photo. I guess we were in shock. It went back and she was offered the house special chicken Alfredo.

The Alfredo had virtually no seasoning or flavor. There was no salt or pepper on the table and we were told that, due to a person who over-salted their dish in the past and complained, all salt and pepper was to be removed and offered upon request only per the chef. We asked for it as well as some grated parmesan which he provided. It made a huge difference.

The dessert was a lemon cheesecake with strawberries. The cheesecake was kind of tough and the strawberry was actually a drizzle the consistency of jelly with no actual strawberries.

The waiter/host/bartender made our drinks. They were very basic but tasted okay. He carried drinks to the table by grabbing the rim with all his fingers.

This place is...

First time ever eating at Little Italy tonight. Have been under the weather so husband thought it would be nice to take me out so I didnt have to cook. The waitstaff were good. They kept moving, and were prompt to take orders and fill water glasses. Thats the best part of the entire experience.

We each started with a side caesar salad and a bowl of the minestrone soup. The caesar dressing was decent. The croutons weren't made in house. The minestrone soup though, had the consistency and flavor more so of a chili.

I ordered the chicken picatta as my entrée. The chicken was so tough, it was almost impossible to cut through, and very much inedible. Also smothered in capers, but completely lacked flavor. The pasta was a strange rubbery texture, and the sauce was extremely underwhelming. It was so bland, it almost tasted as though it were just tossed in diced tomatoes. No Italian flavors at all. Husband ordered the chicken Parmesan. He had the same feedback on the pasta. 3 bites into the chicken, he started burping what he described as a plastic flavor. We were both unable to eat, let alone finish our meals. We did express our frustrations to our waitress, also acknowledging that she was not blame. She did take our feedback into the kitchen to their chef, who did not offer to make it right, but instead offered us two free desserts instead. We declined. We paid $37 for 2 small caesar salads, and two bowls of minestrone chili ?chilistrone? (which I did not eat, but husband did).

I guess the large table who had been there before our arrival, with their many plates of uneaten food, should have been a sign to walk away. Its unfortunate too. We have been hoping for a good Italian restaurant to pop up in the Coos. I guess we'll continue to wait. We will not be back to Little Italy, nor will we recommend...