Grotto Ristorante — Restaurant in Galveston

4/7/18 experience: I was livid with the service provide to my daughter and her friends. It was prom night and they were late to prom. They arrive on time for their 7pm reservation and were not seated until 7:30 pm with different seating because a group of drunk people over stayed their reservation. My daughter sent me a text explaining the group's annoyance at 8:15 because still had not received the dinner plates. I called and spoke with a gentleman who said he was the manager (i forgot his name) he apologized and explained about the people that over stayed and said he put a couple tables together for the group and stayed he told them he comping dessert and there food was being plated. At 8:30 my daughter text me again and asked that I call because seated after they were are getting their food before them. I told her if their food didn't arrive in 5 mins call me. At 8:40 I told her make sure they don't charge you for dessert, she said we don't have time for dessert. I called the manager again and told him they are an hour late to their prom and don't have time to eat please comp their ticket for the problems. He said half of the party had already left and but he will go to their table and talk to them. I thanked him. The next morning I find out from my daughter her group had to sit at three different tables because they couldn't get the table the drunk people were taking up and her and her boyfriend had to sit by themselves. I asked my daughter about the order process and they ordered pretty quick, they already knew what they wanted and they were pressed for time. It took ONE HOUR to get their food and they were not slammed but moderately busy. She said they asked for to go boxes shortly after they brought the food out. The manager came back to the tables a second time after speaking to him at 8:45. He said they were bringing dessert out but they declinded because they needed to leave. The manager had an attitude when asking for their plates to box up the food and NEVER mentioned comping any of their ticket. My daughter said only three out of fourteen of their party left before everyone else, while the manager said half of them were already gone. This whole experience is dispicable for a restaurant of this statue.

The manager about putting tables together, he lied about telling them they were comping dessert before speaking to him at 8:15. He lied about their food being plated at 8:15 because they received it at 8:35. He lied about how many were still there at 8:45 and he lied to me about talking to them to make up for this horrendous experience. I feel as though because this group did not have any adults the felt they could provide horrible servce!! Huge...

We dined at this San Luis onsite restaurant on 7/21. The restaurant was almost full and the atmosphere and layout was great but the noise level made it very difficult to hear and converse. The service rating is based upon very slow and excessive service issues from our server. Our table was not consistently bussed for dirty dishes and water and tea glasses sat empty while we waited for our server to come by and monitor our table. I did receive a tea refill from the restaurant manager who was also performing as the host and seating people. Our meals (soup and two salads) were very slow to arrive and our server apologized several times as she passed by our table. We had to stop our server several times to request straws, to have our dirty dishes removed from our table, and to order our dessert and coffee. When our dessert and coffee finally arrived we discovered that one of our coffees was delivered in a dirty cup. This was the last straw so we engaged the restaurant manager, showed her the cup and followed up with all of the issues we had experienced with the very slow and unacceptable service we had received since arriving and being seated. The restaurant manager apologized and offered to comp our dessert. I stopped the manager and explained we did not bring these issues to her attention for a free dessert or a meal. Our intention was make her aware of the substandard service delivered by her server and the dirty cup used for coffee. I explained that we make the choice to dine at the Landry's restaurants and properties because we know we can expect a delicious meal and a true dining experience delivered by skilled professionals in customer service. And, though our meals were delicious and met our expectations, our experience did not. She offered no excuses, so I stated that I hoped she corrected these issues before another guest was inconvenienced. I asked her to process our check and arrange for a refill on our coffee...with a clean cup! Update: I met the restaurant manager at another onsite restaurant and thanked her for her attention to our server issues at the Grotto and inquired if she had worked with the server to correct those issues. She responded that she had a long conversation with the server to ensure there were no repeat problems with customer service. I appreciated her candor and the fact she acted quickly to address the...

Exceptional service and flavors!!!

We recently dined at Grotto in Galveston as a party of six, and the standout of the evening was our wonderful waitress, Chloe. She managed to meet the diverse needs of our group with ease and warmth. From my own gluten sensitivity, to my children’s pizza cravings, to my elderly in laws who needed a little extra attention, she took care of everyone without missing a beat. Her attentiveness set the tone for a smooth and enjoyable evening.

I was initially concerned when I learned the online gluten sensitive menu no longer applies, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that the updated menu at the restaurant actually offered more flexibility than expected. Chloe helped me navigate the choices and the kitchen was able to adapt several dishes. I ordered the red snapper topped with jumbo lump crab meat, which was fresh, flavorful, and thoroughly satisfying.

For my children, the spicy multi meat pizza was a hit. While it carried a bit of heat, it was still approachable for younger palates. Dessert was another highlight, though I didn’t indulge myself, the tray looked both impressive and tempting. My in laws chose the chocolate cake, which they raved about for its rich taste and generous portion, easily large enough to share.

If there’s one note to keep in mind, it’s that the atmosphere can be loud. This makes it a lively, family friendly spot, but expect to raise your voice a little if you want to chat...