Touch of Italy — Restaurant in Lewes

Rude, disorganized, and un accommodating. They looked like a quant spot with good desserts but they need to reorganize and better train people to be welcoming.

We went in for lunch today with a party of five, Including my wife and I and my elderly parents and my aunt who’s being treated for cancer and walks with a cane. We are polite people, big spenders, and I’ve run a restaurant before, so I know how it is to be in the restaurants shoes. Lunch was busy there but not exceptionally so. We were told they couldn’t seat our pasty of five by as server. The server went off, ostensibly to get approval to seat us and never returned. The place seemed disorganized with no clear host. A large woman with silvery hair stood at the register and My aunt politely suggested they give us the four top in the wine room (one of several four tops about to be cleared as customers depart). They told her no and the woman at register rudely suggested it was crazy to think five people could sit at a four-top.

My party went and sat outside figuring we would have to find another place to eat. I went in absolutely shocked that we would be turned away from service rather than asked to wait.

When I went back in i found a woman requesting to be seated with a party that had grown from four to five as a friend joined them. The woman ate register (not excited but more accommodating) said “well there a few tables that may be cleaned off soon.” We are out of towners. Was this change of gear because these people were the local lunch crowd? Because they were more insistent? Younger?

I was shocked and said that I was with a party of five who were waiting and had just been turned away. She said “they didn’t ask that, they asked if they could have five people wait at a four top.” Very rude. I politely suggested to the same woman that she could just put a four top and two top to the to seat us in the wine room. She said “I don’t know If there’s any seats.”

At this stage rather than grovel for seating that was clearly about to be made available and given to someone else who came in after us we left and vowed to member return again.

When running a restaurant have a plan to accommodate parties larger than four. Have a trained host, and be gracious to a customer, it may be your last...

Google Review for A Taste of Italy in Lewes, Delaware ⭐☆☆☆☆ I used to really enjoy dining at A Taste of Italy. The food was consistently excellent, and the staff members were wonderful. However, my recent visit completely changed my perspective. I believe the management team, particularly someone named Rob, treated me poorly and left me feeling very disrespected. I've been a loyal customer for over 20 years, including frequent visits to their location in Rehoboth. I've been associated with the owners and appreciate their philanthropic contributions in the community, so it’s disheartening to see the decline in service. During my last visit, I went in to place a takeout order, which I've been doing weekly for the past four months. Unfortunately, the staff—mostly teenagers—struggled to get my order right, only fulfilling half of it. I found myself patiently repeating my requests multiple times, but it seemed to be too much for them, given their inexperience. While waiting at the bar, Rob, the manager, was busy with his back to me, packing away boxes. When I requested a glass of wine, his response was dismissive—I felt like I was an inconvenience to him. When he finally poured me a glass of what he called “Super Tuscan” wine for $30, it was quite poor quality. To make matters worse, I received only part of my food order, and when I brought this up to Rob, he claimed that was all I ordered. His lack of acknowledgment or accountability was incredibly frustrating. To add insult to injury, as I was leaving with the untouched wine glass, Rob accused me of trying to steal it. This glass can be left at the deli, and I simply set it down and said he could keep it. Instead of handling the situation professionally, he yelled at me and called me a lunatic. This experience left me questioning the integrity and standards at A Taste of Italy. What happened to the welcoming and understanding atmosphere I once appreciated? The leadership here seems lacking, and I hope they can reflect on their performance and make necessary changes. It’s disappointing to see a restaurant I once loved faltering in quality and service. I sincerely hope they can address these issues, as the potential is...

A local recommended A Touch of Italy but cautioned that we should go to the original location on 2nd street in Lewes which is much better. We followed their instructions and went to the 2nd street location.

There is no parking lot, you have to park on the street. We went in November so we did not need to feed the meters which only allow 30 minutes. We had to park a ways up the street which was a very minor inconvenience.

The restaurant was easy to find. It is small and busy. That night it seemed like the tables would fill up almost as soon as another party left but no line formed, everyone was getting a table with 0 - 3 minutes wait. We needed to wait 2 minutes for a table.

They have a decent selection of wine but I ordered seltzer water. Like a lot of higher end restaurants, they did not charge for seltzer water.

My wife and I both ordered the chicken parmigiana which is a house favorite. Its $21 while the veal parm is $28. They gave bread and olive oil and then after a short wait our meals were ready. The chicken parm was flat and huge filling up the entire plate. We each also received a small cut of spaghetti and sauce. The waitress then asked if we wanted cheese. I said yes and was rewarded with a large pot of grated cheese and invited to use as much as I liked. I did and I can assure you that you won't run out of cheese!

Bottom line. The chicken parm was great and the portion large, the best I've had in this area so far. However, you may have trouble finding parking or getting a table at peak times (Friday night) or during the Summer when the beach crowd is around. If the wait is too long, there are a number of other places on 2nd Street in Lewes, so you will have options if you in a hurry. Also, you can probably order to go. I didn't ask specifically but they looked to be set up to provide to go orders. I would recommend...