Garibaldi Trattoria Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Fuquay-Varina

What started out in a terrible way, and pretty much ended in the same. To start, the table we were seated at was alarmingly wobbly and not properly secured to the wall. My husband went to show the hostess that there was an issue with the table. When he brought her back and showed her that the table was wobbling, disconnected from the wall, and was an uneven eating surface, the table essentially buckled and violently flipped over. This caused every piece of glass on the table to break onto the floor, as well as causing water to spill on my son and all over our electrical devices. This scared my son and I and he started crying.

We calmed him down and we were then moved to a different table. The hostesses were very apologetic, as was our waiter and one other staff member, but a manager/owner never stopped by to check on us - which seemed very odd.

We moved on to order our appetizers and our son’s food and encountered no issues. Then my husband orders a beer and our entrees. But when it came time for the entree, my husband’s order was cooked incorrectly (he ordered a filet mignon cooked medium, he received it medium rare with the Gorgonzola topping served cold). The waiter immediately noticed it was more rare than intended when he came to check on us and before my husband said anything, the waiter stated that the steak was too rare and asked if he’d like it remade. My husband just asked that it be cooked a bit longer. When he received the steak back, it was cooked better but the Gorgonzola was still a bit cold. My husband then had to ask for the beer he ordered a second time because the waiter forgot.

After the danger of the table violently flipping/collapsing, the entree dish being wrong, and the forgotten beer, we figured it was only customary to comp an item on the bill as a small gesture of goodwill and a way of apologizing for the trouble. This did not happen. My husband spoke with the waiter and stated that usually after so many aspects of the experience were tainted and ruined, he was just surprised that not one item had been comped. The waiter stated he would ask the manager about this and about 5 minutes later, the manager/owner appears and asks us if anything is wrong with the bill.

We state that no the bill is technically correct but that we were surprised that not a single item was comped for our bad experience. The manager stated that it was not his fault that the table collapsed and that my husband’s food was recooked so we had no basis for any type of comp. We didn’t want to argue so we just said “okay” and left it at that.

After the table mishap, we had considered returning for another visit but changed our minds after things kept going wrong. Do not come here expecting a caring and compassionate owner/manager. He obviously cares more about bottom line that happy and healthy customers. Do...

Edited Review 11/20/16 (Prior 3 stars, now 4 star restaurant on my list)

Fuquay's closest authentic Italian Restaurant.

Quality 4/5 - The food is wonderful. Great and authentic Italian dishes. The prices have steadily increased however. Since its opening I've watched the price of your normal Spaghetti and Meatballs go from $10 to $14 now. Thats not to say I would let it keep me from coming back. But I don't believe that when business is lacking you combat that with higher prices.

Service 5/5 - The manager kindly walked around with a genuine smile and asked how our meals were and if we had been waited on. Our waiter was kind, attentive and fast with our food. Never did we have to wait on drink refills. And the staff had jolly, happy attitudes.

Cleanliness 4/5 - I'm a germaphobe. Sorry, that's just who I am. Our waiter was being kind when he unsheathed our drink straws for us and then handed them to both me and my wife. However when I saw his bare hand and fingers touching the very thing I would be submerging into my drink, I opted not to use the straw anymore. Everything was clean otherwise.

Price 3/5 - Some people will look at this differently than I. Because they may have more to spend than I do, and I tend to be a bit frugal and thrifty. First of all, the prices on the "google menu" here are wrong. Look to spend 4 - $6 more on each plate than the price listed on this menu here.

You'll see the bruschetta in my picture.

Four slices.

That was ten dollars.

I think for ten bucks you should get at least six.

My wifes eggplant parm was the same price as my Spaghetti and 3 meatballs - but you can see from the picture she got almost double the amount of food I did. I was full by the end of my meal, however the price of everything ($50 bucks total after an $8 tip) made me feel the hurt in my wallet.

This was with no drinks either, mind you. Just water.

And for dessert, a single canoli is gonna cost $7 dollars? We opted on dollar ice cream cones at McDonalds instead.

The food was good, but it wasn't worth $14.95 a...

Exciting Update: We just celebrated our 28th wedding anniversary with a wonderful meal! Every staff member was incredibly welcoming, but NOELL truly stood out. She deserves an immediate promotion! Even while handling a larger group in the private room, she remained attentive and personable. Our meal was, as always, absolutely delicious. I added pictures. Don’t miss out—head to Garibaldi's now for a fantastic dining experience! What a pleasure to know that we have luxurious dining in our growing yet charming community. We attended a seminar at the restaurant a while ago, and the food was fantastic! Nevertheless, because of its accessibility, we somehow overlooked its spectacularity—in that way it’s a hidden gem. The ambiance is that of some restaurants we visited in Italy. It is clean, spacious, has outdoor dining, and plenty of free parking. We were immediately served bread, and ordered calamari, which was tasty with the right texture. I was in the mood for lamb chops. The aesthetic and aroma of the meal had nearby guests clamoring for our critique—they promised to order the dish too. The chops were meaty (a generous portion—enough to share with my husband), savory, cooked at the right temperature, and falling off the bone. The buttery, smooth potato au gratin and green beans were the perfect sides. I was super impressed with my husband’s tortellini, especially the sauce, which was different and better than Alfredo! We had no room for dessert; however, we received the sweetest treatment from our server, ASHLEY!!! She was a joy from the onset of our encounter—warm, knowledgeable, and attentive. She is hospitality personified! We hope she is working during our next visit, given her positive vibe! Finally, if you live close to Garibaldi’s, put them into your restaurant rotation, as we plan to do—even if you aren’t nearby. The entire eating experience is...