The Italian Joint — Restaurant in Kissimmee

This establishment should be avoided at all costs. I visited this resteraunt last night for a date night with my boyfriend and was really excited to support a family owned business and the food looked incredible online. However after ordering our food and being brought our salads, half way through eating my salad I found a German roach inside my salad! Now I understand that being sat outside there is an extremely slight possibility that the roach was from the awning above (which is what the owner suggested), however most would notice if a bug fell from the sky onto their food and this roach was not on top of my food. After notifying the waitress, she returned to reluctantly inform us that the owner is certain that the roach did not come from her kitchen as their food is prepared with "care and cleanliness". As a fellow business owner this response was appalling. Not once did the owner come and speak with us, nor a manager. However, the owner did relay the message that we could come and "visit his kitchen". This was such a display of alarming and disheartening customer service and not a way to treat any customer. As for the manager responding to my boyfriends review and asking what could have been done, here are a couple options that exemplify exceptional customer service: -Come out and personally APOLOGIZE at any point and not send messages through your young waitress staff. Show that you care about your customers experience and are eager to make it right instead of denying responsibility and simply offering another salad. Take accountability for your restaurant. Even if the roach by some wild unlikely chance came from outside, it is still your establishment and you created an unpleasant experience so at least offer to credit or discount the meal or offer something "on the house".

Take your dollars elsewhere folks. You are not a valued...

As I opened the door, I was moved to a different time and place. An Italian crooner is playing overhead while the smells of fresh spices and the sight of the fire that burns in the cooking hearth: Italian food at its finest.

I grew up in a Sicilian/Italian neighborhood in Connecticut and The Italian Joint has transported me to the rich memories of my youth. Food is prepared and brought together to become friends on my plate.

There is a chill atmosphere here, life feels right and in today’s rushed world I already feel the relaxing embodiment of what my Soul needed.

A lady nearby is enjoying her salad and soup lunch special, Pasta e Fagiole. She tells me for the same cost of a non-satisfying meal that she has had a million times, that instead she can relax. Isn’t that a nice defining word? Truly it defines my visit, too. I’m relaxed.

I’m not in and out of quickly, I savor the experience. Had I wanted a quick meal I would have gone up the street but it would not look like this, taste like this, or calm me like this meal.

I ordered garlic knots, you’ve had them a million times yourself but when was the last time they were covered in flavorful cheese dripping in garlic and oil? 6 were on my plate, I’m bringing 3 home and I’ll tell my wife it was only 4 served.

I dinned on the DaVinci Chicken lunch serving and left with enough food to sate my palate for another meal or two. I’ll have to transport it in the trunk otherwise I might peek in on it. Accidentally of course.

Does a meal like this need to be eaten every day? No. But when the stresses of life, politics, and stupid COVID-19 bring me down, this will be my go to therapy. Because the right environment can be therapeutic and here we are all friends.

Unless you touch my plate. Then all bets are off.

I don’t know how the Lemmon cake landed...

So let me start with the pizza does taste great, but I am really big on integrity, the place had a new or newer server and I ordered a Yuenglin beer which she brought me a Yuenglin black, I didn’t even tasted the beer cause I don’t like that beer, told the server and she took it back, went to talk to what appeared to be the owner and the gentleman told her something, and when we got our bill they charged us for “extra cheese” on a regular cheese pizza, when asked about it they couldn’t give us an answer nor would they take it away she just replied its like that when you order cheese etc. We all start somewhere and we all do mistakes but charging your client for a mistake on your part its not a good business practice, another time prior we went and they didn’t have pizzas cause the “pizza guy” was out doing something, I get it we are in a national crisis but having a pizza place with no pizza its like Mc Donald’s with out burgers, just bad business practices. Its sad cause the pizza is really good just a shame that people try to sneak charges like that on someone else’s bill when the mistake was done by the establishment...