Bambinelli's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Lilburn

Can’t think of a time or place where a sit-down dining establishment has allowed someone to bring their dog into the restaurant for dinner. I watched as two female employees at the counter greeted the family of four and their (not a service dog) pooch, then seated them. I called the restaurant from the restaurant and asked the young lady who answered if they normally allow pets inside, and was told they do not. I responded that “it’s happening right now,” and was told “Well, it’s a small dog.”

Pretty sure that any health regulations that apply don’t differentiate between small and large dogs. I then asked if she had considered what would happen if a health inspector happened to walk in… “Well, yeah…” was the response. I suggested she reconsider the situation. 10-15 minutes later… nothing had been said or done. No manager was called, etc.

I’m a dog lover, but it seems like health rules surrounding food service should be followed. Which likely has more decal matter attached to them, a dog or a cockroach? I’d bet on the dog. I politely gave the staff an opportunity to correct the situation and they ignored it.

As as follow-up, I called the restaurant a second time (this time from their parking lot) and asked to speak with the manager. I asked the manager to confirm health regulations regarding dogs/pets in a dine-in restaurant. He said “I asked the General Manager that question the other day and they told me it’s okay as long as the dog stays in a specific area.” What specific area? This dog was in the booth seat with his front paws on the table. That specific area? Shouldn’t a manager know the health department rules? This one obviously doesn’t, because the rules clearly state that dogs CANNOT be inside restaurants. Bottom line, I gave two of your staff members the opportunity to correct the situation and...

I have never eaten at Bambinelli's before, so the other day a friend that frequents the restaurant a lot suggested that we go try it out. We arrive at 8:25 on the dot, and having worked in restaurants my whole life, I thought it would be considerate of me to ask if they were closing soon. Although they close at 9, the two individuals working were very rude and acted like they did not want us to eat there saying," Uh, yeah we are about to close but I guess if you wanted to order something to go really quick and know what you want already..." I did not even let him finish. My friend and I were both shocked because we have been in the restaurant industry our whole lives. I have NEVER turned down patrons even if they were coming in 3 minutes before closing time. I would also be fired if I did that and was rude to people trying to spend THEIR money in OUR restaurant.

As if that was not enough, the next day my friend tried to call in a to-go order and give them a second chance....only to get hung up on 3 times! The 4th time, a manager picked up and was giving excuses as to why she was being hung up on and not apologizing even once. So my friend decided to inform her of the incident the night before and she said," Yeah we usually stop taking people at 8:45" instead of apologizing for our experience. FIRST of all, we were there at 8:25. SECOND of all, if you stop taking people at 8:45 like you say, then put 8:45 and not 9 pm, on the door.

Overall, this experience totally turned me off to the establishment and I will also let others know of the treatment I received. I have never been treated so poorly at a restaurant and have never treated anyone so poorly at the restaurants...

Myself and my wife went in for a late dinner after a long drive at 8:45. Our awesome waitress Savannah greeted us and we looked through the fairly lengthy menu and ordered the chicken piccata(myself) and chicken fettuccine alfredo(wife). While we waited Savanah brought some of the rolls we had read about in the reviews and they were fantastic. I was excited to get our plates but when they arrived both looked less than fresh (not bad, just not fresh). My pasta tasted like grocery store dehydrated, and before I had said anything my wife said she thought the sauce tasted like bertolli in the jar (again not bad, just not expected). We received our bill which was impossible to read since every item on it had a timestamp instead of price, all the way down to the lemon with the tea. After 15% tip the bill totalled a bit over $42. It felt expensive for 2 plated meals and tea with no appetizer or dessert. I would hate to have seen the bill had we ordered those. All in all I'd rate it an OK 3 stars. Savannah you were actually the best server we have had in a while so A+ and 5 stars for you. :) I do wish the food itself had been better for the price and the bill legible. I can 100% say this would be an awesome place to hang out for beers and appetizers with waitstaff that awesome, however I would avoid it if you are looking to take the wife out for a nice authentic...