Skipolini's Pizza — Restaurant in Folsom

Summary: Slow service. Many mistakes. Food quality is good, but taste varied from inadequate to solid. Prices are decent for some items and high for others. Portions were also good for some items, and insufficient for others. Likely wouldn't come back again.

Went here for lunch on the Wednesday after Christmas with a party of 10 in-laws. The establishment used to be a Tahoe Joe's, so inside are a number of booths and tables in the same layout with the same wood paneling, but a classier feel. Despite not calling in our reservation, at 12:30pm we were seated immediately. I guess that should have been our first clue.

Just before seating, we met the owner/manager, who joked around with us playfully and then wished us a pleasant meal. We were seated at a large table and met our server, who looked similar to Nathan Fillion. He was very friendly but seemed to struggle with the use of the iPads to take orders. We started by getting some waters, sodas, teas, etc. I ordered two glasses of Wente Chardonnay for my wife and I on his return and the arrival of our last two members. He only heard one glass, so I called out for him that there should be too, but he didn't hear.

He left, and returned again to take our meal orders, so I clarified that we needed two glasses while he struggled to transcribe modifications to our meal. This wasn't his fault. The ordering system required literally typing out entire changes to ingredients rather than being able to simply add or subtract. So when I asked for no red onions and dressing on the side of my salad, he asked me to slow down and took a minute to enter the changes. This occurred for others in our party as well.

After taking our orders, he went off while we sat and talked. Soon some food started to arrive. First, a caesar salad which had chicken, even though just a normal side caesar was ordered. Then some soup and salad combos with the wrong soup provided. Other food came out fine, but our first glass of wine was brought by a different server and she seemed unaware that there were two glasses ordered. Again, a sign that communication is lacking amongst the team. The second glass soon followed, but was noticeably lower in quantity than the first despite the first having been sipped at for a few minutes prior by my wife. Little details, I'll grant you, but noticeable ones nonetheless.

The food was ok. I ordered the lunch spinach salad for $9.50, which included a very large portion of baby spinach (which I appreciate, so portions were fine), but the dressing was incredibly bland and so the whole salad became very hard to eat since it really didn't have much flavor beyond the candied walnuts and saltiness of the bacon. My wife started with the bruschetta, which was actually quite good, but was provided without little plates to eat over. So we ended up passing the big plate with the baked bread and the bowl of bruschetta from person to person when eating it.

I will say that the macaroni and cheese, bruschetta, and caprese salad were all good. The creme brulee was strangely watery at the bottom. Possibly because of the berries, but we've had strawberry creme brulees before that weren't so watery. The total bill for everyone was around $141 and didn't include the standard large-party gratuity. We were re-visited by the owner/manager again while paying the check and made some conversation. He incorrectly referenced a line from Dumb and Dumber claiming it was from Liar Liar...I can't recall the context...but it was the "So there's a chance" quote. It was weird. Nice guy, but he needs to get his ship...

Skipolini's prides itself on being an inviting family restaurant. They have inviting booths, an outdoor playground for the kiddos, and outdoor dining with fireplace to bring your fur babies. The food is okay, enough to say it's better than your local Olive Garden.

On our LAST trip here, we had a guest visiting and brought them here. It's difficult to host guests and have a new one year old in the mix, so we decided to make life less stressful by dining at Skiploni's. It was nerve-wracking to dine out with a brand new toddler, but we did it.

I have worked in hospitality, retail, and the service industry. I believe in leaving a place the way you found it. I always stack the dishes/cups, corral everything, and wipe up the mess. Every little bit helps, been there, done that. IYKYK. #serviceindustry #customerservice #retail

This particular evening, December 4th, 2024, dinner was moving along, and the waiter and waitress were great. There were no issues with food or the servers that helped us. EXCEPT one wait staff person who worked there. He was walking around like he was the lead shift, floating from table to table. Tall, middle-aged male (probably in his 40s) , brown hair. As I was helping my toddler with dinner (we were seated by the kitchen) he glided on by like the almighty lead shift he was and made a comment, "Oh, he's a messy eater!" He eyed us because of the fallen food. My husband and I are new parents and do our due diligence to clean up our child's mess. That comment rubbed me wrong. A toddler eating will result in food on the ground. New parents have enough on their emotional band width to hear a snide comment like this. As a new parent, I am fortunate and blessed to have opportunities like this with my L.O., but to have that snide garbage made as we were having dinner ruined it. We finished dinner, cleaned up, paid, thanked our waiter, and left. We will not be returning.

Skipolini's, if you don't your guests to feel unwelcome with their family, then perhaps you find more compassionate folks to represent your brand. Thanks, but no thanks. One bad experience is enough for me and will not patronize your...

We recently visited Skipolini’s in Folsom with my wife and our five kids. We’ve been here a few times before—some visits were okay, others not so much. Sadly, this last experience was the worst so far, and we won’t be coming back.

When we arrived, the place was nearly empty—just two customers inside, nobody outside (understandable given the heat). We kindly asked to be seated at a round booth table, which comfortably fits our large family. But the server who greeted us—someone we’ve unfortunately had poor experiences with before—refused and told us flatly that seven people wouldn’t fit. Instead, he sat us at a dirty, cramped table where we could barely move. We had to clean the table ourselves using our own wipes and sanitizer because it was sticky and clearly hadn’t been cleaned properly.

We ordered two portions of fried calamari and specifically mentioned that in the past they came out overcooked. They arrived burned again. We also ordered two pizzas, a burger, and requested a high chair for our toddler. The server brought the high chair and practically tossed it next to the table with no care at all. His attitude throughout was cold, unprofessional, and honestly, rude. The only thing he did properly was refill my drink—everything else was a disaster.

The restaurant itself felt very dark and stuffy inside, with poor ventilation and a strong musty smell. It was not a pleasant atmosphere at all. We tried to give this place another chance, but it’s clear that this server, in particular, does not belong in a customer-facing role. Based on how we were treated—especially as a family trying to enjoy a meal together—we cannot recommend this place anymore.

We left no tip, and I don’t feel the slightest bit bad about it. Good service deserves a tip. What we got was...