Pizzalley's Chianti Room — Restaurant in Florida

Severely disappointed. I used to love the Chianti room. It was warm and intimate, the servers were reliable and the food was always great. After today though, I’m not sure i would ever return…

To explain, my fiancé and I traveled to St. Augustine for our engagement photoshoot, and being that I used to consider the Chianti room as an absolute staple of any trip to St. George street, I immediately thought we should make dinner there a part of our weekend plans and celebrations.

I talked it up for days. Even got excited walking through the hall between Pizalleys and the restaurant. Immediately upon entering the first disappointment hit. The Chianti rooms make over.

What used to feel like a rustic maybe even romantic and intimate space, has been made over into a bright, cheap feeling, dull blah of a dining room. There were several times I just wanted to get up to beg someone to just dim the lights. I felt more like I was in a Walmart than a restaurant.

The longer I stared at the walls, bright overhead lights and dingy floors the more dirty, uncomfortable and unsettled I felt; having recommended this place to my fiancé who was just experiencing it for the first time. Decor aside, what truly matters in a restaurant most is the food. Unfortunately the food was the worst part of the experience over all.

For one, the prices are outrageous. The Chianti room has always been on the pricier side but the old menu offered some value for your money. From crunchy, over baked breadsticks and mediocre, over dressed salads to possibly the most bland and crunchy arancini I’ve ever had, the appetizers seriously fell short and made me dread what was to come.

The entrees hit our table. Cheese tortellini in Alfredo with grilled shrimp and lobster stuffed ravioli. Sounds delicious. If done well it would’ve been.

My fiancés shrimp were definitely sautéed- not grilled and my lobster ravioli was drowning in a neon orange sauce that looked like something out of a Nickelodeon show.

Neither dish was seasoned at all. Thank god for table Parmesan, salt and pepper. My fiancé made it through half her meal before calling it quits. I made it through 2 of the 6 dry tasteless strangely crab tasting “lobster” ravioli, truly trying to give it my best. Ultimately, I just couldn’t stomach finishing the dish. I was embarrassed, I was let down, I was hungry.

We paid our bill. Our waitress was kind enough to take my entree off the bill- We still based our tip as if it was still on the bill- The decor and the food isn’t in her control ya know?

I will say she did seem let’s say less than apologetic and I did catch a few side eyes from her and her coworkers on our way out (without any acknowledgement).

I don’t post reviews. I don’t wanna harp on hurt or embarrassed feelings- This was truly just so disappointing I had to get it out. The brilliant always bustling always delicious restaurant that was one of my favorite spots, is now mediocre at best, empty say for a smattering quite elderly seeming folk and bland...

We’ve been here many times over the years but had a terrible experience recently. The manager’s response was inadequate. He basically said they have new staff and they are getting rid of those that don’t meet their standards but really offered no consolation for the experience.

Our communication is below:

Me:

Good evening,

I am sending feedback on my family’s experience this evening via email rather than Google review because tonight is not reflective of our past experiences and I don’t want to be publicly negative based on one poor experience. Our family comes from out of town annually for Night of Lights and for many special occasions throughout the year. Most of the time, we make Chianti Room a regular part of our itinerary. All of those times have been pleasant until this evening. We came with myself, my husband, our 4 children, my parents and my grandmother. My four year old knocked her drink cup on the floor. I asked for a mop so that I could take care of it. I asked this of the staff bringing out the food. About 10 minutes later, a staff member brought a role of paper towels. She was joined by 2 other staff who stood looking and discussing so I grabbed the paper towels and cleaned the mess myself while the staff stood as onlookers. At no point during this incident did the server return. The server was short in her interactions and seemed irritated despite the fact that we are not high maintenance and even clear our own table and stack our plates every time we dine out. She was not present but twice aside from taking our order and bringing the bill, which brought a sudden increase in friendliness. Maybe this was and “off” night but I felt it warranted feedback as it was much less than the experience we’ve come to enjoy at your establishment. Aside from the negative tone of tonight’s visit, the food was the same high quality that has kept us returning for years.

Our ticket number was 0095. My parents and grandmother has their own tickets.

Thank you for you time

Manager’s Response:

Hi Timothy, im so sorry for the experience. I just watched the cameras to see what was going on. The girl running the food is a new employee and took far too long to help or get a busser to help and ill be sure to talk to her about it. Im glad the 2nd person to show up grabbed paper towels and helped till the bus boy finaly showed up to help as well. I will also be speaking to the server about why she was not more present at the table. We have a ton of new employees the past couple weeks of which many will not be here after next week as they are not up to our standards with customer service. I hope this experience does not deter you from coming back again, We will be focusing on retraining any new staff that are kept and this should not be an issue...

Pizzalley’s Chianti Room is situated in a prime location in St. Augustine, and the atmosphere is inviting and pleasant. However, our dining experience was marred by several issues that left us feeling frustrated. Service Issues: Upon arrival at 2:55 PM, a time when the restaurant was not particularly busy, we expected a timely greeting and service. Unfortunately, it took an unacceptably long time for our waiter to approach us and take our initial orders. This delay was surprising given the number of open tables around us. As our wait continued, we found ourselves having to remind the waiter about our requests multiple times, which only added to our dissatisfaction. Children’s Experience: One of the most disappointing aspects of our visit was how our children were treated. While other families at nearby tables received coloring pages and crayons to keep their kids entertained, ours did not. After noticing this discrepancy, we asked for coloring materials but ended up waiting for quite some time without any response. Eventually, one of our group members took the initiative to retrieve the coloring pages and crayons herself, which should not have been necessary. This lack of attention to families with children made the experience feel less welcoming. Plant-based Menu and Pricing Concerns As a vegan family, we were initially pleased to see that the menu offered customizable options. We ordered a vegan pizza, and while our waiter suggested a vegetarian pizza without cheese, we were able to request different vegetables to suit our preferences. However, we were taken aback when we received the bill: $27 for a 10” gluten-free pizza that contained only tomato sauce, a sprinkle of broccoli, mushrooms, pineapple, and a few pieces of eggplant. In stark contrast, friends dining with us paid the same price for a 16” pizza loaded with an impressive array of toppings—pepperoni, sausage, cheese, vegetables, and specialty ingredients (they ordered half Garbage Can half Pig’n’Fig pie). It felt as though we were being penalized for choosing healthier options. Charging extra for a simple vegan pizza with minimal ingredients is not only unreasonable but also discouraging for those seeking plant-based meals. Conclusion: While Pizzalley’s Chianti Room boasts an attractive location and a pleasant atmosphere, the combination of poor service, inadequate attention to children’s needs, and exorbitant pricing for simple vegan options left us feeling dissatisfied. This experience does not align with what one would hope for in a family-friendly restaurant. We cannot recommend this establishment based...