Luigi's 418 & Mario’s Pizzeria & Gelato — Restaurant in Leavenworth

Pros: Friendly service. Cons: THAT SMELL! and the food, and the wine...

Bottom Line Up Front: Save yourself some money and heartache and boil bertucci pasta at home.

We made the mistake of coming here on our anniversary. When we walked in we were immediately hit by the overwhelming smell of used motor oil. The place obviously used to be a garage and they only replaced the floors on half of it. The other half is still impregnated with motor grease. Even after a meal and a cocktail we couldn't ignore that smell.

The drink menu should have been a red flag, listing the names of wines with no vintage, but we were tired from a long week and stayed. My wife ordered the "cabernet" which came out quickly but had a strong vinegar taste. It was either a bad wine, had been open two weeks too long, or both. I had an old fashsioned, which was fine.

Next was the bread and oil. The bread was actually quite good, clearly baked in house. The oil was very low-grade with no flavor or green tint and might as well have been canola oil.

Finally the meal. Staying well away from such offerings as the "Hawaii Chicken" (I was stationed in Hawaii for 4 years and nobody in their right mind would put pineapple and cheese on mashed potatoes) I ordered the relatively safe chicken primavera and my wife ordered the shrimp and spinach ravioli.

When you read "shrimp and spinach ravioli" all your experience in Italian restaurants would lead you to believe that the shrimp and spinach would be in the ravioli. Not so. These were filled with a simple ricotta/parmesan/parsley blend and seemed like they may have come frozen. The extremely few and small pieces of shrimp were sprinkled in the sauce, as were about 5 one-inch squares of raw spinach. The sauce itself was good. That cost $15.90!

The chicken primavera was likewise mediocre at best. The sauce was good, and there was nothing wrong with the penne which looked like it came from a box. The chicken, however, was extremely rubbery and flavorless giving me the strong suspicion that it had been microwaved. Again, there were a few pieces of raw kale thrown around the edges for some reason. It cost $12.90...I would expect higher quality from a $5 buffet.

All in all, this is one of the worst restaurants I can remember eating at. Considering the price tag, I advise you to boil your own pasta at home. The server was friendly and service was prompt, but he never asked us how the meal was...probably because he already knew. The chef should shut this place down and open a bakery where they make...

My friends and I decided to have dinner one Friday night and, after hearing me go on about the Italian restaurant (run by a tiny little Italian lady called Miss Marie, if you knew what was good for you and you wanted anything to eat) that was the only restaurant in the tiny little town where I grew up, I feel like I sort of talked everybody into Luigi's. After the meal, I also feel rather like I owe my abject apologies for the part I played in us winding up there.

Most everybody already seated when we arrived were already eating. I've cooked, from scratch, all our choices, (but for the Hawaiian chicken, which didn't look time intensive or like it was any kind of complicated) and can attest to the fact that none were the type of thing that took incredibly long to produce. Still, it was more than an hour and a half before we got our food and it was not worth the wait.

Our drinks were kept filled, the bread and dipping oil kept coming, but we were charged for all of it and, because nobody ever carried off the used dishes, we had to eat our meal with dirty dishes stacked all around us with just enough room for our plates in front of us even though there were several servers, including ours, in evidence milling about the place over by the bar through out the wait and our meal while management looked on.

I could go on about what I thought was wrong with the food but, frankly, I've already spent longer on this than I'd intended just getting here. Suffice to say, the wait was too long, the cost too much, and the service, though apparently just what was expected of the staff by management, was too little, too late. This not Italian food, or dining, to the standard of real Italians. Miss Marie would not approve and, since she taught me all I know of what it should be, neither do I.

Dear Cassy, If the food had warranted the wait, I would've had no beef with it but, as I said, it didn't. It was palatable but nothing I couldn't have turned out of my own kitchen and, though I do know how to make some dishes well because people who are great cooks taught me how to make them step by step, the truth is, I'm not terribly talented in the kitchen. I know my level of skill and I expect better fare than what I can manage on my own when I'm paying the prices you charge. I'm not everybody, but I don't think I'm alone in that, and my kind eat out a lot. This opinion is worth every cent you paid...

Update 1 Nov 2022 - Changing rating from 3 stars to 4 - The last two visits have been greatly improved. While the service is still a bit slow, it's nothing like it was. The food quality is still good, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. /Update

Original - Everything started out normal for a Friday night at a quarter of 6 when we showed up to the restaurant. A normal amount of people waiting in line and a normal wait time - about 15-20 minutes. No problem.

Then I watched as folks came in and queued at the hostess station. They waited for a couple minutes, but when the hostess didn't show up to take their names, they turned and walked out.

When the hostess finally returned to her station, she took a couple names and disappeared again. More folks came in, waited, then left because the hostess was nowhere in sight.

After 20 minutes, we were seated. We were told that there was a party of 10 in the back section, so we were being seated in the front section, by the entrance, so the service would be better. I can't help now but wonder what it would have been like at the other table...

After waiting a few minutes, or waiter arrives to take our order. Nothing crazy - waters to drink and 2 plates of chicken Alfredo.

20 minutes after being seated, our drinks arrived. No bread. Tables around us are getting bread, but not us.

10 minutes after our drinks arrived, our 3 pieces of bread came. Excellent! Very tasty bread (though a bit on the dry side) and we enjoyed the balsamic dipping sauce. And that was all for the next 20 minutes.

Finally, 50 minutes after being seated, our orders arrived. We were provided shakers of parmesan, salt and pepper at our request, and proceeded to enjoy our entrees. The Alfredo was good, the chicken was fairly tender (a few pieces were a little dry) but otherwise good.

2 hours after walking in through the doors we left, having appreciated the experience, but not likely to repeat it...