Napolis Italian Kitchen & Market — Restaurant in Grapevine

Quick Take: Great gelato, tasty frozen Italian Marg . Big issue with under-ripe tomatoes in caprese salad during prime produce season. We also saw some questionable service issues. Read below for more.

Note: my daughter loved the gelato so much that we'll give it another try. I'll update following another try.

Our Order: homemade breadsticks (came with spicy marinara and creamy Caesar dressing dip) frozen Italian margarita Cookies and cream gelato Caprese salad.

Detailed Overview--------------------------------------------------------- Scenario: I stopped in with one of tween-age my daughters for a mid-afternoon snack to round off an early lunch. We enjoyed a number of things from the kitchen (see above) and had a few hits (gelato and Italian frozen margarita), but also but had a few misses (caprese salad un-ripe tomatoes and staff that didn't match the restaurant brand).

Bads: Let's start with the bad to get it over with: the most egregious fail was that the tomatoes in my caprese salad were horrifically un-ripe during the middle of prime tomato season. This may seem like a small thing to many people, but if you have any respect for Italian food (or any fresh food culture), one should appreciate the role that ripe tomatoes play in any salad that highlights 3x main ingredients: tomatoes, basil, and buffalo mozz (although this seemed to use std fresh mozz and the basil didn't seem super-duper fresh either ). The tomatoes in my salad had numerous green spots to tell me it was un-ripe and the taste was incredibly mealy. I would expect that a salad that showcases the ripeness of tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella in an Italian restaurant to have knocked it out of the park in the season when these products are in full ripeness. I am currently buying ripe tomatoes tomatoes from Kroger (or even Walmart) that are good to eat day-of. The tomatoes I ate today tasted like I was served under-ripe romas that someone had lying around and though if I used them in every other thing we're cutting tomatoes for that they're probably good enough for this tomato salad-thing that we're serving on the menu.

Another bad - Service: The service today at our table was good. I was hungry enough and didn't want to make a scene with kiddo to send my food back and expect something else. At that point I just let my server know I had an issue. I showed her the sad state of the tomato. She wasn't quite sure what to so I just said it was under-ripe and she was really kind about it and said she'd let the chef know. I never know if they do or not, but hopefully he and his team get the feedback. The others on the servers / crew team that I watched were not quite up to this same level. They were getting pretty squirrely with each other while on stage (in view of customers) and some that were interacting with customers had eye rolls, and seemingly rough interactions going on. I'm not a huge stickler of all of this, but there was a general vibe with the overall attitude that seemed a little off-putting as I watched it from afar.

The good: Now getting onto the things we loved: The gelato was our main draw and did not disappoint. My daughter checked out the flavors at the market prior to coming to the restaurant and pre-tested tiramisu gelato. While she couldn't pass up her all-time favorite of cookies and cream, the fact that this new flavor she's never tried took a close second, says something!

My frozen treat was the frozen margarita. This was incredibly tasty, as I loved the layered flavors and control of sweetness on this one.

We also enjoyed homemade breadsticks as these came first as we were waiting for our desert and salad course to arrive. These were flakey and enjoyable, easy to break apart to enjoy the two dip options (ceaser and spicy house marinara) . The dips themselves were okay-to-good by themselves, almost seeming heavy own their own without either totally landing as a true compliment to the breadsticks. We probably enjoyed them most when my daughter created a combo of the two dips together on a...

As someone who's worked every position in the hospitality industry, from busser to bartender to even managing a big chain restaurant, I'm usually very understanding of the pressures and challenges of service work. I get it. A bad day, a rush, miscommunication – these things happen. But my recent experience at Napoli's was deeply disappointing, not because of the food, the ambiance, or the venue itself, but because of the palpable attitude and blatant prejudgment from our waitress.

Let me be clear: the food at Napoli's was excellent. Every dish was expertly prepared and delicious. The restaurant itself is beautiful, with a vibrant energy. The atmosphere is inviting, creating a wonderful backdrop for a meal. Honestly, everything about the physical experience was top-notch.

However, from the moment we sat down, it was clear we were being sized up. My family and I were dressed casually, having just come from a little walk around this town. The waitress's initial greeting was curt, almost dismissive. It's seemed to make assumptions about our budget or our "type" of diner based on our appearance. Maybe by the fact we are Hispanic. It was about the feeling of being judged and treated differently based on superficial assumptions. It was about the complete lack of basic respect that should be afforded to every single paying customer, regardless of their attire or perceived social standing.

It wasn't about the food itself, which, as I said, was truly excellent.

I've been on the receiving end of demanding and sometimes downright rude customers, and I've always strived to provide the best service possible. Because I believe everyone deserves a pleasant dining experience. Her behavior wasn't just unprofessional; it was disheartening, especially given how much we enjoyed the food and atmosphere. It reminded me that even in an industry built on hospitality, prejudice and poor attitudes can still sour the entire experience. I sincerely hope She was just having a bad night, because it reflects poorly on what could otherwise be a truly exceptional establishment. Like I said I worked many years in this industry and even when we didn’t receive the best services, I gave her a 20% tip, it couldn't be better but she...

I wish I could leave zero stars. My family and I visited the market for deserts and gelato Saturday, December 21st while we were in Grapevine for a holiday weekend. We have frequented this market for gelato many times and we will NEVER be back. It was very busy as to be expected for the Saturday before Christmas. We patiently stood in line for bakery goods and also wanted gelato. Many patrons told us as we entered to stand in the line that wound through the market, so we did. As we got to the register my mother who is elderly, wears a hearing aid, and mind is failing a bit asked about getting a scoop of gelato. The very rude older lady behind the counter told her to come around the other side of the marked off area to order gelato. I don’t believe my mother heard her and asked her again if she could order some gelato. The woman behind the counter then started yelling at my mother that you order over here waving her arms towards the gelato counter and yelling “like I’ve told you 4 times already you order it over hear.” It was extremely rude, and with a horrible attitude which got my attention even more. I stepped up and heard the woman yelling at my mother and I said ok ma’am as my son told her she is hard of hearing and has dementia. The woman CONTINUED to yell at my mother and make excuses for own her behavior as if how she was acting was acceptable. I stepped up the counter and told the woman to let it go so we could order. Mind you this is the woman working there yelling at patrons when they are trying to order. I asked her to let it go several times and she continued to yell at us and berate my mother. I then said let it go and raised my voice, And said GD LET IT GO. The woman then, instead of apologizing or admitting she was wrong, threatened to throw us out. That was enough and we walked out. WE WILL NEVER PATRONIZE THIS ESTABLISHMENT AGAIN AND I SUGGEST YOU DO THE SAME. They do not care about their customers as they made clear on...