Zappitelli's Pizza, Pasta & Parm — Restaurant in Mentor

We cannot really say much besides they lost us at “hello!” because they never greeted us. We came in at 5:20 on Sunday evening — every booth was full - mostly couples — except the 6 tops. At least half the diners were finishing up. The one couple ahead of us said they were the first of a group of 7; and, were taken to see a 6 top…then brought back to stand waiting. We were clearly invisible - we were ignored. Thinking we 2 were mistaken for part of the 7, we volunteered that we were just 2 for dinner… Aggravated, a young lady tersely told us, “wait is 15-20 minutes; name?”No welcome/no greeting.) 15 minutes went by and 5 more couples came in and stood in line. We sat on the bench to wait. After 10 minutes, the same terse girl called out over the now dozen people standing in line, “is anyone on line getting takeout? If not, give your name, # in your party and take a seat - the wait is 15-20 minutes.” Then she vanished. We stopped a passing runner and asked if we could see a menu, and she grabbed one for us. More time passed and two booths paid and left; but, no one waiting was called, except the table for 7 who still had only the first couple present. More time passed, more booths paid and left. It was 6:10 but still none of the now more than a dozen couples were seated. We were prepared to spend $50 -$70 (plus tip) for a nice Sunday meal but clearly it would not be there. No one even spoke to us or offered to do a takeout order for us, except the runner who handed us a paper photo of the menu. We were otherwise invisible. And, no one was getting seated. So, I get up and went to tell the desk we were leaving. But, no one even looked at me. So, we gave our name to a couple next to us and suggested they take our table when we were called. Then we drove back a couple of blocks and got a Cleveland Pizza and salad for...

Five years ago, everything in this restaurant was an Italian delight. Everything. They gave you enough food to eat for the week (still do, but you don't want to eat it). Now? I am not sure what Zappitelli did to change the recipe, but they need to change it back! First, they had sewer flies (gnat-like critters) flying around, getting into food and everything. The health department might need to be alerted. His dinner. Chicken Parmesan. The angel-hair noodles were stuck together. They left the unedible middle piece in the chicken that he had to remove; he couldn't cut through that. He didn't want a salad, so they offered him meatballs instead. They tasted like rolled-up hamburgers - the ones I buy in a bag have more flavor. My dinner. Lasagna with meatballs. First off, someone must've sneezed because there were no meatballs, but if they tasted like his, it would just be hamburger. It was nothing but sauce, melted cheddar cheese, extra (we're talking double layer) noodles, a thin (almost like it was just sprinkled) layer of ricotta, and an extra thin layer of meat (but still not a meatball in sight). It came in a boat where the two ends were filled with sauce and melted cheddar cheese over the top, but not much of anything within the layers of noodles. The coffee tasted like it was leftover from the morning and there was no making it better. The garlic bread with cheese was to die for. The ONLY thing in that restaurant worth eating - Five stars all day. That is not only depressing but surprising because they were a FIVE-star place, but now... 1/2 one, but only because of the garlic...

Tonight was our first time dining at Zappitelli's in Mentor, Ohio. It will not be the last! We were seated and drink orders were taken quickly. The menu is plain & simple, home cooked Italian food, all the classics. I ordered the cavatelli with meatballs, which came with a salad, my husband had pizza. The cavatelli came in a bowl the size of a large serving bowl that I use for family sized meals at home, the portion was astronomical. I will be eating the leftovers for several days. The meatballs are homemade, you can tell by their asymmetrical shape, the sauce is also homemade. If you're not a fan of an abundance of sauce, you could probably request a lighter amount. The sauce was the best I've had dining out in quite some time, not acidic at all, there was just a little too much of it. The meatballs were large, two were plenty. They were moist, tender and tasty. The pizza sauce and toppings were sufficient, not acidy. The pizza crust could have been a little thicker, but it was still good. Because our kitchen is out of commission due to asbestos removal at this time, we have been eating out frequently over the past 7 weeks. Zappitelli's was a refreshing meal out for us, served on plates, not in a bag tossed out a drive thru window. We will be returning, most likely with family members the next time they...