Luigi's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Manitowoc

We used to live in New Jersey, and since moving to Wisconsin, we haven't been able to find a good pizza. Admittedly, our standards are a bit high after being spoiled by genuine Italian and New York style pizza. While driving down Hwy 182 one day, my mom and I were discussing our dinner plans. When we passed Luige's, I told her their pizza is almost as good as Orlando's in Colts Neck, NJ. She immediately stopped the vehicle, did a U-turn, and said, "That's an awfully big comment. We have to test that." Luige's didn't disappoint! We ordered pizza and a French dip, and my mother loved it!

So, when my parents were visiting last week, we decided to stop and get Luige's again. We ordered their 30" pizza to feed the six of us, which was way more than we needed, but the leftovers were great. I also ordered two Philly Cheesesteaks for my dad and me, and those were delicious! They're not as great as the ones you can get in Philadelphia, but they were still very satisfying.

While waiting for the food to cook, I enjoyed two cocktails and their fried calamari. Wow!! Their fried calamari was so good that I didn't want to share with my mom! Meanwhile, she was having a great time on their slot machines in the corner, and she won more than $200, which paid for our food and then some. I had fun playing a round on Ms. Pac-Man.

Their bartender did a great job making my drinks. The first one I ordered was Sex on the Beach, and I asked for a small amount of alcohol. She used the perfect amount, and the drink was just what I needed. Just as I was finishing it, another patron sat two stools down from me and started talking about tequila. I mentioned I had never had it, and she recommended a Tequila Sunrise. When she ordered her next drink from the bartender, she asked them to make one for me. That was very kind of her. The bartender asked how I wanted it made, and I told her to make it however she normally would. My jaw almost hit the bar when I saw her fill the glass 3/4 full with tequila! When she handed it to me, I thought for sure my eyebrows were going to burn off, but I didn't even notice the taste of tequila in it. My mom tried it and commented that it was a very strong drink. I liked it, but it isn't something I'd order for myself. A+ to the bartender for doing a great job!

Overall, friendly and welcoming staff, clean restaurant, and one of our favorite...

Leaving the asinine ordering process aside, they didn't tell us it was over an hour and a half wait from the time we ordered our food. (Yes, you order before you get a table). We even got there at 5:30, before the dinner rush. Nobody told us how long it was going to be or we would have left. We were only told that someone would get us "soon" for our table. The wait staff, while nice, barely came around once we finally got to a table. On top of that, the food was lacking flavor and the just nasty. Ate a third of the soup and a few bites of the nasty manicotti with rubber and tasteless chicken out of straight hunger.

First time we saw the waitress after finally getting the food was when everyone else was done. Said I didn't need a box and it just wasn't good and sent it back after not even eating 1/4 of it. Told the waitress it wasn't her fault and it happens, but I wasn't going to wait another hour for more food when she offered something else. Got the bill, and they wanted to charge me for inedible food. When I asked if they would adjust the bill. She says, "well, it's what you ordered", and walked off. The manager came back and told me it's just "a manner of taste", and she took off half the price of the manicotti, because I did eat a few bites and because of the 1/3 of a cup of soup and the couple pieces of bread I ate. She essentially blamed me for not liking the nasty food. The attitude I got from the manager was so bad, I and the others in my party were just shocked.

I have been a server and still work in customer service. So, I make it a point not to blame the wait staff for things out of their control. Had I ever spoken to a customer like that, I would be fired on the spot.

I love Italian food. I have eaten it all across the country. I haven't had alfredo sauce that bad outside a school cafeteria as a child. Absolutely horrible food and terrible service. My day old gas station doughnuts had more flavor than the garbage...

First time trying this restaurant, we dined in, Saturday evening, staff friendly and efficient, and I'm really conflicted about the food, it was both really fantastic, and yet hubby wasn't happy. Four of five stars for the food, and a small observation. When we arrived, we were guided to the bar to order drinks and our meal, then were given a table after a few minutes While this may be convenient for the staff and those who drink, it was unfortunately very triggering to my recovering alcoholic husband, who very awkwardly sat at the bar and tried to focus on what he wanted to eat. I realize in Wisconsin, we are the exception rather than the rule, but it would be nice to have a neutral sitting area for the non-drinkers. For the food, it had some really high points and a couple of blah, tired moments. We had salad with our dinners, dressings were bottled, which is okay but not my preference. The salad was fresh, clean, not dripping wet like some other places, and had quality toppings, which counts for a lot these days. The veal marsala was incredible. It was one of the best things I have eaten since moving to Manitowoc. Pasta with salsa Rosa was delicious, portions very decent. Hubby had the lasagna, and baby had a personal pizza. She loved it, tons of cheese and toppings, a small 6 or 7" pie. Hubs did not like the lasagna because he said the noodles were mush, but liked the large meatball that comes with the dinner. It's covered in sauce and mozzarella cheese, and is a decently large portion. I agree with him on the texture, the noodles were thin sheets without the fluted edge, and were as tender as layers of melted cheese. He swore noodles were no-bake sheets. Tasty, but very mushy. Hubs wants to give a "thumbs down" but there were some solid dishes here, and I will definitely be back for...