Salvatore D. Fine Italian Cuisine — Restaurant in Florida

I agree with other reviewers; beautiful decor and delicious food BUT be aware of hidden charges... We were two couples, both ladies ordered the Osso Buco (by the way it is not on the menu, therefore you don't know the price unless you ask), the gentlemen ordered Fruti de Mare pasta. When placing the order the gentlemen asked if the pasta could be switched to whole wheat pasta, and the waiter said, yes, no problem. The Osso Buco comes with Risotto and one of the ladies asked if there was a choice for something else; the waiter quickly reply that she could choose pasta or vegetables; angel hair pasta was chosen. All delicious but when it was time to pay, we noticed the charge for the Fruti de Mare was $33.95 instead of $31.95 (as recorded in the menu) and there were two additional $2.00 charges and a $2.45 Service Fee. We asked the waiter what was all these about and he said it was $2 for each plate with whole wheat pasta and that switching the Risotto to pasta was another $2 (they charged twice as only one plate switched the Rissoto). The Service fee was for homeless and some other charity. We told him, you never told us about these charges, it is not about the money but about being polite with the customer, it is our choice to say yes or no... we asked to talk to the owner "Mr Salvatore" who is always walking around the restaurant. He came and did not give in, he said that's the way it is. Never offered an apology but in the contrary had an arrogant behavior. We told him we will write this incident on a review and he said "do what you have to do, my restaurant is full"... does he know the power of Social Media? Believe me have the waiter asked us if it was ok to pay the $2 extra for the changes, we would have said yes, but we definitely don't like a restaurant hiding charges from customers. Well, now you know... if you go be aware of the hidden charges and the poor attitude...

What a horrendous experience! I’ve frequented this establishment many times before, but after the last visit I believe the place has gone downhill. We showed up about 20 mins before our 8:45 reservation. Once we’re seated (on time) we ordered a couple anitipasti dishes which were decent. Very standard fried calamari and fried mozzarella. Not bad, but definitely more what it once was. Everything was fine until we had to wait over an hour for our main entrees. The server, James, a bit flamboyant, never checked in with us and when I DID mention how long the food was taking literally just said,”Hey, it’s not my fault. What can I do?” The food finally came out and it was awful. You jay asl what amazing dishes takes that long to be served? Clams & Linguini, Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, and Chicken Fettuccini A La Carbonara. Yup! You get to wait over an hour for three simple dishes and get attitude from the “eccentric” server. I decided not to tip him at all and tried to explain why, but instead he cut me off and said,”Don’t worry. I know you need it more than me.” Was it his fault the food came out super late? No. Could he have made more of an effort to refresh our drinks, offer us something on the house and have the manager/owner come over and speak to us about the experience? Yes. When I tried to flag down the owner to speak to him he said,”I don’t have time to talk right now.” He didn’t have time to speak to his customers for less than five minutes and do something to make it right. I’ve had better service and food in Olive Garden unfortunately.Steer clear of this place unless you have tons of time to wait for...

My fellow diners, let me be clear: this restaurant offered one of the most disappointing dining experiences I’ve had in recent memory. From the start, the service was not merely inattentive but borderline disrespectful. The waiter displayed a relentless insistence on upselling the wine, despite our clear lack of interest. Both he and the owner repeatedly asked if our final guest was arriving—at least half a dozen times—making us feel more like intruders than valued customers.

Then, there were the fees. We were charged an astounding $40 to cut a cake we had brought in ourselves. On top of that, they added a $4 sharing fee, a $12 supplemental fee, and various ambiguous taxes. When a business chooses to nickel-and-dime its guests like this, it reflects a lack of integrity and respect. It’s simply unacceptable.

As for the food itself, it was subpar at best—mediocre flavors, uninspired presentation, and certainly not worth the cost. To add insult to injury, the atmosphere was far from inviting. Situated next to a subway in a drab, nondescript shopping plaza, the setting did little to elevate our experience.

Despite all of this, we still left a 15% tip out of respect for the industry. But rather than showing gratitude, our waiter—Juan Carlo—confronted us, expressing dissatisfaction with our tip. It was the final note in a symphony of poor service and poor taste.

This is not a place I would recommend. And it is certainly not one I...