da Baffone Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Crystal Lake

We did not have the exceptional experience others have talked about and will not visit this restaurant again. In fact I have never been motivated to write a review until now. We spent $175 on dinner and drinks for two and overall had a disappointing experience at this restaurant. Spend your money anywhere else. It is all show without the substance - yet higher than average prices. From start to finish this was not anything like the other reviews have described.

They could not give us a 7pm reservation for 2 on a Wednesday night, so we made one at 630. We were not greeted by a host/hostess and stood uncomfortably in a busy area waiting more than 5 minutes to finally be acknowledged by a bus boy asking if we had reservations. He went to find someone in the basement. I was tempted to leave as the restaurant was barely half full and already seemed to be lacking the smooth functionality of a fine restaurant. But my wife had planned this dinner and evening out and the place had been highly recommended by her friends and we were eventually seated. Nice atmosphere and decorations.

We ordered drinks and then things went downhill. Limited wine list, no real Chardonnay, no real Cabernet. We were expecting the advertised "Italian piano music", what we got was an Italian boy lip-synching to Elvis and Jimmy Buffet with a karaoke machine practically next to us. Made conversation difficult.

We ordered the Quartetto appetizer which was $8.95 per person, advertised as four appetizers in one, but they must have gotten a good deal on their calamari this week as we actually got a huge plateful of fried calamari, (Bland Marinara sauce instead of cocktail sauce) two pieces of bread with tasteless bruschetta, two slices of tomato with a small piece of Mozzarella which served as the "Caprese Salad" and when our waitress delivered it she said the grilled shrimp wasn't quite ready and she'd have to bring it out separate. A few minutes later she brought a plate with 2 small shrimp and if you're still reading this you will probably have guessed correctly that it was overcooked.

When we were choosing our entrees, (priced about $20-$30 each), we noticed they were ala carte. On the salad side of the menu it says salads are half price with an entree. When I asked the waitress if we could split a salad she said our entrees came with a salad. I specifically pointed to where it said half price and she said our entrees came with a salad. Guess what. .. two salads at $4.95 each were on our bill. Both Gorgonzola salads were on iceberg lettuce only and had wilted , rusty lettuce underneath mounds of cheese and candied nuts.

My wife's Chicken Marsala was good, but my Frutta de Mare, was an enormous bowl of clumped noodles with a bland tomatoey sauce and rubbery scallops. The clams and mussels were good, so it wasn't a complete loss.

We ordered dessert, our favorite, Creme Brule, and it was just OK. Since it was my birthday, our waitress also brought a Tiramasu on the house. It was flavorless, the Tiramasu at Portillo's tastes better at 1/4 the price.

As we were leaving, several people stopped us to thank us for coming and asked us to come again, which was ironic as they were the same people who did not greet us or seat us when we arrived. We will not...

PLEASE READ, THIS IS MY WARNING ⚠️ I have always loved this restaurant for its authentic food and exceptional service from the waitstaff, who consistently go above and beyond. Unfortunately, our recent experience with the hostess, who I believe is the co-owner, has left us extremely disappointed.

As parents of two children under two, we often bring a stroller with us. While we fully understand the need to store the stroller to maintain space, the way this was communicated was shocking. The hostess not only yelled at me but also made an unnecessary scene in front of the entire restaurant. When I calmly suggested there was a better way to handle the situation, she raised her voice further, threw her hands in the air, and sarcastically yelled, "Enjoy your dinner," all while claiming her back hurt.

This behavior was humiliating, especially as we were hosting my Italian in-laws visiting from Boston. What makes this even more upsetting is that we have been loyal customers who visit regularly and genuinely love the food.

Accessibility concerns, such as accommodating strollers or other needs, should be met with understanding and professionalism—not hostility. Sadly, this experience has made it clear that families with strollers or those with accessibility needs are not welcome here.

We are deeply saddened by this, as we always enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. However, after this treatment, we are doubtful we will return. It’s disappointing to see such a wonderful dining experience overshadowed by unnecessary rudeness.

If you have a stroller or any accessibility needs, this is NOT the...

Great atmosphere, food was decent. In all honesty, if it weren't for the terrible service, I'd probably give them a 4 out of 5.

But at the end of the day, the service was so terrible, I had to write this review. And if no stars were an option, I'd give it.

It was a very busy night to be fair, however, I was there to celebrate my cousin's 9th birthday. As soon as we sat down, I told our waiter that she was turning 9. Shortly after, my party of 4 placed our order. Right AFTET we placed our order, the table next to us and behind us sat down (both also parties of 4). Now here's where it gets crazy. Both tables ordered, were served their dinner and had their leftovers packed to go, we were served! At that point, the manager was walking around talking to tables. I approached the hostess and asked if she could send over the manager. Very rudely she asked why. I gave her a brief explanation, and her response was simply, "well we've been very busy tonight." Nothing more. I returned to my table and the food was out a couple minutes later, however our waiter did not say one word to us. No apologies either. After we were done eating, our waiter took away our plates, (didn't offer to pack it up), the manager never came over and to add insult to injury, no dessert menu was brought out, and no cake/ice cream, etc was brought for my cousin's birthday.

One mistake is forgivable. Heck, multiple are. But the rudeness, and ignoring, and the manager not coming over after being requested is just unacceptable.

Will never go...