Brio Tuscany Grill — Restaurant in Dana Point

I have dined with Brio Tuscan Grill in the past, but this time felt compelled to review.

I arrived at Brio Tuscan Grille just before noon on a Friday and to my surprise did not wait to be seated – the restaurant, albeit busy, provided immediate space. The restaurant is that of a large, open floor, high ceiling dining space. The “Tuscan” décor is immediately apparent and the high ceiling with streaming tapestry is a nice touch. Regretfully I felt as though I spent the entire meal yelling at my colleague as the roar of the patrons is stifling. The dining room rumbles with dialogue from the tables, each seemingly attempting to talk louder than the next. This may be the result of the large dome-like space.

The team serving us was friendly, not unlike the hosts, but did unfortunately need to be reminded of extra table flatware, indications for drink refills, and simple things like a spoon to stir my coffee, however, negating these oversights with accommodating pleasant demeanor.

I cannot speak on my friend, but I ordered the Mezza Chicken Limone and would recommend it to anyone that enjoys characteristic chicken. Aside from the elegant name, this lunch fare is simply Lemon Chicken with Campanelle Florentine. The chicken was flavorful, with lemon obvious with each bite, and the bed of greens accented the capers nicely; the portion size is perfect for a healthy lunch as well. I would also like to note the Campanelle Florentine was just a bit overcooked, but not enough for most to notice. Again, I recommend the Mezza Chicken Limone and Brio Tuscan Grille to all – we’ll see how things are next...

I came in here to pick up an order previously placed to be ready and unfortunately had to communicate with this hostess lady from hell. She's probably in her 50's or 60's and you can't miss her she runs around and looks like a chicken with their head cut off. She's panicking always and has this constant annoyed look on her face. I mentioned I'm here to pick up an order and she looks at me and says "what order we have an order"? And just turns away and walks away. Just no idea that I can hear her investigating the matter and I could clearly hear that they had not even started on the order. She comes to me and says that the order is almost ready and that the cooks won't tell her how long it would take. Knowing that obviously they have not started on the order I begin to ask her if I should just come back in 15 minutes but she had already turned and ran away from me rude as can be telling me to just have a seat. I start walking towards her and beginning to repeat what I had wanted to say and she just rudely embarrasses herself and tries to embarrass me they raising her voice in front of the whole restaurant I can meet you have a seat as if I'm some sort of child and she's an unqualified parent. Not only is she unqualified for her job but she is rude unprofessional and has no problem lying if it helps her cause. I don't know why she seems panicked all the time like she's on drugs or the only one working there but she is certainly below avg and I can tell she's comfortable with this type...

Disappointing Experience at Brio Tuscany Grill

We had high hopes for Brio Tuscany Grill on Saturday, July 19th, but our experience was a disaster. We drove from Aliso Viejo, excited to enjoy some great Italian food, but left feeling frustrated and disappointed.

The problems started when I asked to taste two wines and was told they don’t offer “tasters.” I ordered a glass of wine listed at $11 on the menu, but it was billed at $12. We ordered garlic bread, eggplant, and a salad to share, and when the bill came, every item except the garlic bread was priced higher than the menu—by $1-$2 each.

Adding insult to injury, we were charged a $6 split fee on a $9 salad and an $8 split fee on the $23 eggplant (which was also incorrectly billed at $24). The initial bill was nearly $90 before we complained and had the split fees removed. When we brought up the incorrect pricing, the manager shrugged it off and blamed the server.

The only bright spot was our server, who was sweet, attentive, and went above and beyond to make us comfortable. Unfortunately, the misrepresentation of pricing, excessive split fees, and lack of accountability from management have ensured we won’t be back.

Brio Tuscany Grill, how hard is it to reprint menus with accurate pricing? And as a manager, own up to your mistakes instead of...