Amoré — Restaurant in Fort Wayne

A Disastrous Dining Experience from Start to Finish

I want to preface this by saying I've spent 21 years dining in top restaurants across New York, Los Angeles, and beyond. I judge restaurants based on their location and price point, not by Michelin-star standards. When I saw Amore's menu and pricing, I was eager to try it. Unfortunately, from service to food, the experience was appalling.

From the start, the setup made no sense--menus were leaned against the table on the banquette, meaning they fell to the floor as soon as we sat down. Who wants to start dinner by reaching under the table or stretching across a long banquette just to grab a menu? This bizarre design choice set the tone for an afternoon of frustration. Service was chaotic. Appetizers arrived midway through our entrées. Servers awkwardly reached over banquettes to serve food, asked guests to hand plates to each other, and generally lacked professionalism. Worse, we witnessed restaurant staff eating fries over the kitchen expo pass--unsanitary and a major red flag.

Every dish disappointed. The burrata and beet salad was flavorless. The meatballs (which oddly resembled falafel) were dry, with no fat content. The sauce was equally bland. The hanger steak was completely inedible--tough, low-quality, and lacking the crust and tenderness that should define the cut. It tasted like a food-service product rather than something prepared with care. The shoestring fries were cold and hard on every entrée. The chicken sandwich was unevenly cooked, with some pieces undercooked. Despite the long wait, everything tasted as if it had been sitting under a heat lamp for too long.

Upon arrival, I asked the hostess to take my coat since we were a party of five at a banquette. I assumed it would be stored properly. Instead, when I went to retrieve my wallet from what I thought was a coat check, I found my coat turned inside out and balled up on an unattended banquette at the front of the restaurant. It had clearly been left there the entire time. Completely unacceptable.

Did I expect Amore to be Osteria Mozza or Osteria Francescana in Modena, rivaling the great Italian restaurants of the world? No, absolutely not. But I did expect a well-executed dining experience. Instead, I got one of the worst meals I've ever had. The biggest red flag? On a Saturday during prime lunch hours (11:30 AM - 1:00 PM), only one other table was occupied. That says everything.

Save your money. Amore makes Catablu or Black Canyon (both local recommendations I quite like) feel like Eleven Madison...

**disclaimer, I have dined with AMORÉ two different times.

My first experience dining here was great! During opening week. However! We were one of 3 tables in the entire restaurant. We enjoyed all the food and the service. And we were excited to go back.

My second visit was the POLAR OPPOSITE. I went with a party of 6 people, some of which was their first time dining at AMORÉ. And the restaurant was jammed pack. Our table was all the way in the back, so it was probably easy to forget about. Our reservation was at 6:30pm. We did not get our food until after the restaurant was said to close, 9pm!!

Throughout the night, the server only visited our table 3-4 times, each time telling us our food would not be much longer, and we patiently waited. Finally when the food arrived to the table, every single plate was cold! As if it had been prepared long before, just sitting in a warmer!! (It was giving McDonald’s, how food looks perfect and in tact, even though it’s been sitting.) When the manager came to the table to ask us how everything was, we were honest about our food being cold. They said they had been busy all night, and that they would give us free desert. Mind you, almost a third of the restaurant was gone by then. We continued to tell them, our food was cold and just not good, and they only took $5 off the bill. And the manager was reluctant to do that!

After this experience, my sister and I said we would not be back for a long time! Let them get their bearings, they have much to learn still. Especially empathy for tables who come for a good experience, learning how to make the customer feel better after a poor experience. Comp the meal, take more than $5 off the bill, make them want to come back by way of customer service itself! Those in the group who had dined here for the first time mentioned they did not want...

My husband and I had a dinner date here last Saturday. We knew the restaurant was new but were surprised to learn it was only their fifth day open. The service, timing, food, everything was wonderful.

Before you read further, listen to me, order the focaccia bread appetizer. It’s life changing.

The atmosphere is stunning with high ceilings, arches, and cohesive vibes. It looks more expensive than it costs (in a good way).

Our drinks were both delicious, I highly recommend the Belvedere.

The hand made in house pasta was delicious and cooked perfectly. The angry sauce is not spicy hot don’t let the name scare you.

Our waiter was fantastic, knowledgeable, and around often enough to be attentive without annoying. The pacing of our courses was perfect and every dish was cooked perfectly. One of the few times my steak was truly medium rare!

We were told the chef studied in Italy for several years.

We were tempted with the in house made chocolate gelato but simply didn’t have room for it. We will absolutely return!

The only aspect I would change is that we were seated at a two top table in the private room which is located next to a sideboard / buffet that servers often (4+ times) had to access for glassware, napkins and such.

While I understand the restaurant is attempting to maximize space, it quickly became an annoyance. Nix that table placement and its 10/10 experience- especially with the delight that comes with choosing your steak knife, a...