Lombardo's Restaurant — Restaurant in Lancaster

Upon walking into the dining area I noticed 2 things...how cold the room was and dark the room was. We sat next to an exterior glass wall, from which a constant cold draft poured onto us. (After dinner, when I got back in the car, it was warmer than the restaurant, so I don't know if they are playing the "keep them cold and they'll eat faster" game to turn the tables faster or not. Ironically the outdoor seating had heaters. ) I immediately become suspicious when restaurants make you eat in the dark. What are they trying to hide? Does the darkness justify high prices? Fortunately I bring a small pocket flashlight for reading menus in dingy establishments. I did notice others using their phone flashlights to read the menu as well. The décor was nice, modern, and clean, but I did not enjoy listening to the rock music. There was an electronic keyboard disguised as a piano in the room, which I cannot imagine does not have MIDI, that could have played some nice background music, or they could have at least had some classic Italian music rather than rock. The first course was bread, which came with infused mid-grade olive oil, grated parmesan, and roasted red peppers. This was essentially fine, my wife had to ask for butter, which they happily provided. We both got the Caesar salad which was quite nice. The dressing actually resembled Caesar that was not prefab. I don't know if it was prefab or not, but it was good. BUT, being the "classy", "high end" Italian establishment they claim to be, the concept of offering the salad with a few anchovies was not offered. I would certainly understand "anchovies available upon request" due to the nature of the item...but no such option was available. The salad had plenty of shaved parmesan cheese....overall, great salad. Our entrees consisted of BOLOGNESE PAPPARDELLE and CRISPY VEAL PARMESAN. The Bolognese was more beef than anything and it was like shredded chuck roast. It was okay, but the wife said mine was better! A red flag went up when the veal parmesan arrived for me. It was a perfect oval....meaning it was prefab. It was not bad, but certainly not homemade. I did not care for the tomato sauce that much, but I understand that is a subjective thing and everyone's interpretation is different. The pasta with both dishes seemed fresh and was done perfectly. There was no vegetable served with the meal. Finally, we split the classic chocolate cake with buttercream icing. This was acceptable, however the cake was a bit dry and the icing neither buttery nor sweet, and the ratio of cake to icing was off...not enough icing. Three thinner layers would have been more up-scale and provided a better ratio. The service was excellent, prompt, and efficient. The clearing of the table was also done well. So many times we go out and the staff has not ben trained to remove plates as they are no longer needed. There is a parking lot, which is a big plus. The bathroom was bright and clean. Some of the prices were pretentious. We did not order the $9 garlic bread, but for that money it would have to be life changing. Likelihood of going back:...

So, having been a lifelong patron to Dave, Paul and Michael's Lombardo's (10-12 times a year), it pains me to have to write a less than stellar review. To me, the 3 things that primarily make a great dining experience are ambiance, service and food quality. Obviously, if a refresh of a restaurant costs $2 mil, you are going to expect high praise for all three. With only around 8 tables at 5 PM and around 4 servers this immediately seemed like we were in for a treat! Ambiance - they absolutely nailed it... the updated floor plan opens the space and piano lounge is perfectly retro... WELL DONE. Service - does one bad apple spoil the bunch? In this case YES! We all have had poor service at some point in our lives (forgot the water, asked three times for bread, etc.)... but this was FAR BEYOND my wildest expectations. The unnamed male server seemed able, but was ultimately incompetence wrapped in a cloak of confidence and ease. I did not expect the DISASTER to come.... 25 minutes to order only after our party commented on how hungry we were and answered by our server saying "did you order yet????" We even asked to preorder takeout Ravioli and were assured of no issue. Eventually got bread with no oil in the herb and oil dish. Wines and beers sat to point where we went to bar to get it once. He also would take refill orders and disappear completely. OH and by the way... we asked about him to remember the Ravioli when we got our food and assured no problem.....but got our check and guess what... NO RAVIOLI. When asked .....he said he forgot???? Food - The overall menu preserves most of the previous ownership favorites while trying to introduce a few new items. So the apps were as expected with no issues. Thankfully, the Lombardo salad is still available and pretty much the same. Two of us went with Veal Parm (one fresh and one patty) and spaghetti and were happy with our choice. The linguine with Asparagus and Prosciutto was advertised and good. The one new dish of Wild Mushroom Gemelli missed the mark. Dry and lacking of any real truffle oil or sherry taste. WORST OF ALL.. how do you get a 1" sized toothpick sized piece of wood in a pasta and mushroom dish? Unfortunately we will never know, but at least they took it off the bill after we asked them to take it off the bill..LOL

So take it for what it is worth... one bad server, night, dish ?? Maybe we will get around to going back after they have worked out some staffing and...

I avoided Lombardo's forever until they finally renovated - it was too dated to consider going to. Now, they are renovated and are under slightly different ownership.

The new design is pleasant if not a little too casual - slightly more upscale is my preference when it comes to Italian dining. The tables next to the bar feel like you are at a diner. But it is a fun and festive atmosphere for sure. The bar is very nice - the highlight I'm my opinion.

We requested a table in the dining room when reservations were made, and they said "no problem". Upon arrival, we we escorted to the "diner" table at the bar. We said no, and they were accommodating and after a short wait we sat properly in the dining room.

The staff was excellent in all respects - 5 stars for the staff, across the board. So, why 3 stars overall? 1) overpriced, 2) food quality.

We eat Italian food on a regular basis and know it well. We tried 3 appetizers and 5 entrees. All appetizers were mediocre, except the fried cheese - fantastic! The calamari was bland and rubbery and the arrancini was... meh.

Entrees: chicken parmigiana, lasagna, clam linguini, veal parmigiana and risotto. Parmigiana dishes: protein cooked perfectly, flavors very bland. Linguini: same thing - cooked perfectly but blend. Lasagna: same thing... and way too much marinara. Risotto: perfect, to die for, 5 stars.

So overall, the food quality was decent, but not inspiring flavors, hence 3 out of 5 stars.

Price? Too much for what is offered - that simple. Our party of five paid $350, including 2 bottles of $50 wine - so $250 for all else. That's $50 a person for food, which is just fine when the food is of excellent quality, but not when average quality.

If the prices stay the same but the quality rises to a proper level, then all is well and we are coming back. But if it stays at this level, we are not coming back.

Please understand this is not a negative review - it is indeed good. But, the price-to-quality balance is not correct. Simple solution: they need to spend a little more time on flavor profile analysis, proof it, then implement it. Then, this will be the place to go in Lancaster for Italian food. I truly hope the management considers this - most everyone I talk to says the same thing, but is not willing to discuss it as...