Fratellis Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Hampstead

So, I have revised my review again for latest visit (2021) at the end of the review. *(Feb 14, 2020) Based on ending the evening on a positive note, but not deleting the details of our experience or the impression made on me. Very Disappointed. Dinner reservation for my husband’s birthday. They could not honor the time because they were over an hour behind. Is there a class on how to schedule seating and booking table so there aren’t 50-100 people waiting in the lobby? Overbooked? Training to speed along ordering? Time planned for cleaning between seat times? Educating customers at time of reservation for their meal time frame (ex. 1-hr or 1.5hr)? Give them a grace period or not (ie. lateness can or cannot be tolerated), preview the menu ahead of time. It was evident by the tearful hostess that a lot of other customers’ special evenings were ruined too. So the people who have the last slot, will they stay after closing for them or will they get a rain check? Seems that if a restaurant has been in business for a while they would have a realistic idea of how many dinner parties they could comfortably, pleasantly seat in an evening. Since, my dear husband’s birthday also happens to be a holiday we thought we wouldn’t have any trouble eating out. I would like to support this local establishment more often but they just can’t seem to get it together. Organization please take notice. Call Gordon Ramsay for advice before its too late. Letting customers walk way angry and frustrated is not a good option. **Addition: So we left and got a quick tasty meal from Taco Bell, took the kids home and put them to bed. We returned to the restaurant 1-hr & 10-minutes later as told thats how long it would take for them to catch up. We were seated immediately because I guess the crowd cleared. Now we didn’t have much of an appetite so we shared a plate. Cut to the chase; It was delicious, my picture may not due justice. We ordered water without ice. Then a 1/2 carafe red peach sangria to start. Yuck, skip the water, sangria was yummy. Our entree salmon mash. They gifted the birthday boy with a slice of peanut butter pie. We ended of with a coffee which tasted burnt. The waitress was new but delightful. The restaurant missed out on a larger check for a party of 5, for a pair that split a meal but we ended up having a nice little date by ourselves without the kiddos. *Latest visit (July 2021), during late lunch time,was pleasant waiter was fantastic. Host should not be allowed to smoke at that position. The guy (maybe management) who seated us reeked of cigarette smoke. His breath smelled like he still had one in his mouth. Disgusting and unappetizing. 3-adults & 2-kid meals. Chicken Chesapeake with cup of cream of crab (day’s special), Balsamic Chicken wrap with cup of cream of broccoli soup, Lasagna with side salad, spaghetti and meatball with shredded Parmesan cheese x2. I let my husband order for me because he thought my exotic menu choices caused me to have upset stomach from eating out. So, I only ate soup and half sandwich to be safe. My poor daughter got sick that night and I the next day after eating the leftovers. I use to think I was allergic to some ingredient they used in their salad dressing but, I didn’t have any salad and this time I wasn’t the only one experiencing stomach upset afterwards. I don’t know what it is about this place that makes me physically ill after eating there or why my dear husband likes this place. I grew up in MD eating seafood. Food is plated nicely but, I wonder about ingredients and preparation methods. Good luck to you if you try this restaurant. I hope you have a better...

This was my second visit to Fratelli’s, and unfortunately, some of the concerns I noted after my first experience remain unchanged, suggesting that a few of the issues may be systemic.

To begin on a positive note — the food was outstanding. Every member of my party thoroughly enjoyed their meal. The bread, the salad, and each main dish were wonderful. The chef and kitchen staff are clearly doing excellent work, and I want to acknowledge the consistent quality of the cuisine.

That said, I was disappointed by several aspects of the service and overall experience, especially considering this was my engagement dinner. Our reservation was for 7:00 p.m., but due to traffic following our engagement, we arrived at 7:17. I called ahead to inform the host stand, and they assured me that our late arrival would not be an issue. However, when we arrived, we were not seated until 7:55. I know our table was not given away, as I had received a confirmation call earlier in the week detailing where our party would be seated. It became clear that a birthday party was still finishing at our assigned table — meaning that even if we had arrived promptly at 7:00, we still would have waited nearly an hour to be seated. This is the second time I have had a reservation at Fratelli’s and experienced a long delay in being seated. Nearly an hour past a reservation time, especially for a special occasion, is simply UNACCEPTABLE. Once we were seated, service initially seemed fine. Our waiter arrived promptly, and both the bread and salad came out at a good pace. The bread, in particular, was excellent. Unfortunately, as the evening went on, it became clear that our server was managing too many tables and struggled to remain attentive. This was also an issue during my first visit — service that feels rushed and distracted.

The food itself continued to impress. I ordered the Chicken Chesapeake, which was wonderful. The crab cake was slightly sweet, the chicken was exceptionally tender, and the angel hair pasta was a perfect side. However, after our entrées were served, our server became increasingly absent. Near the end of the meal, he and another staff member helped pack up our food — and then he appeared to leave for the night, as we did not see him again.

At that point, with our food boxed up, it was clear we were ready for dessert or the check. Yet we sat for about 20 minutes without anyone stopping by. This was particularly disappointing because I had planned to share a cannoli with my fiancé — a rare treat for me, as I seldom order dessert. As an Italian, I love a good cannoli, and it was unfortunate to leave without having one simply due to the lack of follow-up.

Eventually, the staff member who had assisted our original server returned to distribute checks. He mentioned that he typically does not separate checks for large parties, which only added to the frustration after such long delays. After the evening we had, that comment made it feel as though we were inconveniencing him, rather than being valued guests.

In summary, the food was exceptional, but the service and seating experience were disappointing, especially for such a meaningful occasion. Fratelli’s has the potential to be a truly outstanding restaurant, but the front-of-house operations need improvement to match the quality coming from...

We come here Allllll the time .... probably been here 5x this year, but every year about the same amount if not more .... were from Maryland . But we dont mind the drive for some good food . It's my mom's favorite restaurant, and now my sons favorite. BUT they give off a tad bit of a racist vibe. But we still come . Because they are very professional and customer service is good but it could be better . The food is always 5 stars . Never had no complaints there. But when we went this weekend for my son and my dad birthday the service was half good , half bad. She gave off that fake n forced customer service voice. Like that smile in your face but soon as she turned around she didn't like her job type of vibe. It was a few times where she came to the table and acted like she didn't pay us no mind fully. I asked for ketchup AND so did my dad and my son . She only came back with 1 dipping cup for him . So we had to get her attention... and she was mad that the person calling her said excuse me and the way she ignored him and then finally says ONE SECOUND SIR .... as she helped the table on the other side of us . Honey .... we wouldn't have to call you if you checked to see if we needed anything else 1 .... then 2 if you payed attention the 1ST TIME!! Then as we were paying she come back with the card .... and a few mins later a guy walks by and says did you drop this .... it was the card from the bill book. SHE dropped the credit card. What if .... Like what if .... Someone dishonest couldve stole the credit card . Smh ....she put the book on the table but we haven't opened it back up yet to tip her because we're still in the moment of chitter chatter .....ALSO my mom was still eating .... instead of asking if she was done .... that server just reached for my mom's plate . It was as if she was rushing us to leave. Smh. And she reached over my plate to grab stuff off the table while im eating . Hunni your not supposed to reach over NO BODY plate .... thats just poor service right there . Your rushing us now . Your moving unprofessional fast . BUT ALSO when my sons dad walked in and got us a table , he was dressed very professional.... so he said we had a table .... as soon as all of us come in .... and we are all looking nice but casual.... she says do you guys prefer a booth instead . I definitely took that personal . And the booth was near the bathroom . Hunni you said we had a table and we can clearly see they are available.... we are gonna sit at the table THANKS !!

And to add .... I see other reviews with the birthday cake plates ..... I forgot we told our waiter we had 2 birthdays at the table and not once did she acknowledge them with the birthday cake plate.... yea they were rushing us and racist with the energy this go round . They gon be real made if I start recording the next visit. Because visuals are always better hunni .

Sooo Came back ..... this time was a Lil date and we sat at the bar .... our server was a guy and he was excellent. The food was good as always . It was cold sitting at the bar tho because it's near the door . Besides that we...