Romacelli Bistro e Vino — Restaurant in Lafayette

Just sad. This place has zero knowledge about Italian food. My Caesar salad was rotting and unwashed...the leaves were literally black. The "homemade" hummus was unseasoned, bland, and extremely oily...and when explaining to the waiter what I found wrong with it, she had the audacity to ask if I'd ever had hummus before, as if it was my fault what they are serving is horrendous. Their bread sticks were stale and clearly at least a day old, again my waiter said I was the first person ever to complain about the bread the sticks and that she personally loves them...I find that hard to believe. The pasta in the lasagna was over cooked, the marinara was watery and bland, and the whole thing was doused in oil. I did not plan on sharing my opinions with the restaurant, however my server and management asked so I let them know what I found wrong...upon discovering that I am from California and have previously worked for a Michelin starred chef, they stated " We'll of course you're not gonna like our food, you had so much more options out there, you're in Lafayette and arnt gonna find one of them stars out here"...which I find to be a complete disgrace and offense to myself, themselves, the ingredients, Italian cuisine, Italy and everyone who slaves over their art in order to make sure every aspect of what and how they prepare their food. Absolutely don't even begin to think about bringing your wallet here or wasting your time. There is a reason this place is empty, and if they don't change their way-then it will...

I’ve genuinely never had an experience like the one I had at this place… and it certainly was not a positive one. For starters, the AC was not working and ordinarily I can understand as those things can happen. However, it had been out for months and if the customers were hot I can only imagine what it is like for those working. Secondly, half the menu wasn’t available, including any type of pizza, lasagna, and two of the pasta dishes. Lastly, it took close to two hours to finally get our entrees and once they did arrive, my pasta was drowning in olive oil. It’s sad because the restaurant is in a prime location and is beautiful inside however the price point is far too high considering the food was not all that great and I spent half the night fanning myself to stay cool. If anyone is considering going here, please consider another restaurant before wasting any time or money here. Hopefully the owner can make changes quickly because as it is I don’t know how much longer this place...

This was a slap in the face. I do not understand how this place has 4.3 stars (at time of writing). I am going to be honest:

I'm not saying it wasn't edible. I had two slices of their pizza because I was famished—but good lord, what insult to injury. What I got was a piece of bread with some cheese and tomato paste stacked on top. I could barely find the basil. Or the sauce for that matter. This was a real-life cartoon drawing of a pizza.

I have tried Romacelli's main dishes twice before and the food was pleasant... but this time I am so far from impressed that I can only wonder just how I got tricked into paying $18 for what looks like a depression meal.

How does a Margherita pizza on cauliflower crust with 3 ingredients come out looking and tasting like a Lunchable, y'all? Is this restaurant a front? Not every dish on the menu has to be a Michelin hit, but gaddamn! This was nearly theft.

TLDR: Your mileage may vary. Not falling for...