Aliano's Ristorante — Restaurant in Dundee Township

Yesterday was a special occasion for the Misses and myself. We decided to change our dinner plans and come here instead. It was recommended by a friend a few months back. We got there, the host was nice, and it was a Tuesday, so it was quiet in the outdoor area and we were seated in the main restaurant which was quite cozy. The table was not washed but that was quickly addressed as we were seated. The young man and the person he was training were quite polite when they came to the table. The warm bread was delicious and the olive oil had a great unique flavor, but it would have been nice to have been offered the fresh parmesan without asking, but again they were younger gentleman and not really that important. Here is when things took a turn, there was only two other tables, which had a different waitress, so not please when we waited a considerably amount of time to place our drink order. As we waited and decided on what to order, our waiter came back and we started to ask a few questions. It seemed he was not to familiar with the menu, and had to go back and ask a couple times which is fine, except he was the one training the other individual. So we ordered the prosciutto and spinach pizza with the Chicken Picatta. Waiting is an understatement at how long it took, since there was only 6 other people in the restaurant and they were already served. It started to feel uncomfortable when this worker kept coming out of the kitchen, stare at us then go back in several times. It was not only upsetting waiting for the food, but also when our drinks were empty there was no one in sight to call and ask for a refill and when I turned to ask the guy creeping from the kitchen he turned and went back into the kitchen. I am not sure either about the hostesses outside, or what seem to peak their interests about us having dinner but you could feel the eyes watching you. We finally got our dinner, and a refill, the pizza looks amazing, as to the chicken dish that is a whole different story. It looked like a bowl full of soup, the noodles were mushy to say the least, the chicken looked grey and like it was boiled. The misses said it was not very pleasant I figured we could split the meals and I would eat hers, well that was not the case cause it was quite awful. I would have told the waiter, but again he was no where to be found, I tried to ask the young lady that was serving the table behind us, but she looked right past me (ever though are eyes met) and the person that means so much to me gave a stare to. So when the waiter finally came back 30 minutes later, he asked how everything was, I explained the pizza was great but the chicken was not very pleasing, he did not say anything in regards, no I am sorry, just do I want a box for the chicken. I gave another chance saying no thanks, the dish wasn't good. He just said you pay your check out the door with the hostess. I do apologize as I thought when I put the credit card in the holder like most places you would grab it and bring it back with a slip. To say the least I am definitely not coming back, nor will I recommend this place. One if I said it twice that the food was not delightful I would just have been happy with an I am sorry the food did not meet your expectations is there anything I can do? No i got a check and pointed on where to pay. In conclusion, I never have felt so out of place somewhere until last night, at first I thought it was the way we were dressed, but soon realized that was not the case as the same time the other table was leaving they had a whole different experience when they received their check. Maybe I have over looked this issue or maybe I have never experienced it before, but the way I left feeling so uncomfortable and made to feel as we didn't belong, left a bad taste in my mouth, especially in times of acceptance I never thought of being in or even use the phrase bi-racial relationship but you made me and especially my better half feel like last night.

In closing, mistakes happen, we are all human but that feeling we had lasts...

We were initially impressed by the ambiance of the restaurant, but unfortunately, the rest of the experience was extremely disappointing. We ended up paying over $200 for a meal where none of the three main courses and one of the two kids’ meals were eaten.

Things started off poorly with warm water served without ice, followed by bread that was clearly a day old—hard as a rock. We asked for fresh bread, and while the replacement was warm and soft, that shouldn’t have been necessary in the first place.

When we ordered appetizers, we were informed the antipasto board was unavailable. Not a big deal—we ordered calamari and artichokes instead. However, when it came time to order our main courses, we were told they were out of pizza. At an Italian restaurant, this was shocking. Pizza is a staple item—being out of it raised a red flag.

We shifted the kids’ orders to chicken tenders. When we asked for ketchup, our server brought over an empty bottle. We asked for another and were told, “Sorry, that was the last one.” It’s hard to believe a restaurant couldn’t source basic condiments, especially in a bustling restaurant district.

When the main courses arrived, things went from bad to worse. My chicken had a terrible aftertaste, and my child wouldn’t touch the spaghetti and meatballs. I sent both dishes back. Looking around the table, I realized none of us were eating. And yet, our server never came to check on us—not even once—despite a table full of uneaten food.

At the end of the meal, I politely expressed our disappointment as I handed the bill and my credit card to the server. No manager came by, no one followed up, and the only adjustment made was to remove my meal—the one I had returned. That was it. The rest of the uneaten food remained on the bill.

Dining out is a luxury these days, and it’s extremely discouraging to spend that kind of money and leave hungry and frustrated. I don’t expect everything to go perfectly, but I do expect basic service, fresh food, and some acknowledgment when things go wrong—especially from a restaurant positioning itself as a nicer Italian...

We went to this restaurant knowing it will be pricey and we were ok with that. The food itself was delicious. The chicken Alfredo was to die for yummy. We ordered chicken strips and fries for my son but 5 minutes before our food came the server informed us that they ran out of French fries. And then we were informed that we were not going to get a discount for the lack of fries. We waited for our food to be ready for over 30 minutes even though the place was totally empty. The table that we sat at was wobbly and literally shook with every move we made, which we asked to change tables when we got there however all the other larger tables were the same. At one point the server asked if everything is ok, we didn’t want to make a fuss so we just asked how a restaurant runs out of fries. Than a few minutes later another staff showed up and started explaining away how the deep fryer functions and that there mechanic was there fixing it and than he will check to see if the fries could be done and than disappeared and never came back. He also promised gelato to help but never delivered on that promise. He also started explaining about getting a Walmart fryer and not working and blah blah (10 minute excuses but no actual apology), but giving us no way to remedy the situation. They refused to discount my son’s meal even though it was incomplete and French fries were replaced with carrots. What 6 year old wants to eat carrots instead of promised fries. Mind you it was a $10 kids meal that they refused to discount. Overall, the food was delicious but unfortunately we have to judge based on our full experience and we will not be dining there again. Unless they do grubhub. Also, just so you’re aware that this is one of those restaurants that break the contractual agreement of menu pricing with an end of experience loaded surcharge pricing to your bill of additional 3% with an excuse of rising prices instead of printing a new menu. Just a heads up! Thanks...