Giuseppe's Pizzeria & Ristorante — Restaurant in Meredith

It gives me great disappointment to write this review. The restaurant decor, setting and location is usually why I tend to be a customer here. Plus there is live music and is kid friendly. Unfortunately no longer will I support this establishment, located in the heart of Mills Falls do to poor management and inappropriate conduct to patrons. First complaint is for the manager, to whom I dealt directly with. A week prior to the date of my intended party I called to inquire about a reservation. I called up a nice/ encouraging young woman answered the phone to connect me with the manager who does all the reservations. After being on hold for awhile the manager came on and instead of pleasant and enthusiastic tone, it began to seem like a bother. So much so that she would not be flexible on 8 or 9 people but in fact HAD to be an exact number. Then it came time to request to be seated with the live music. Since it was a Friday night there is live music up stairs and a DJ after a certain hour on the first floor. I specifically asked if we could go down after we ate and enjoy the DJ but wanted live music while we ate and if that was ok. It seemed fine but when greeted by security I was told there was a cover. Second complaint. When greeted by said “security” I was told that there was a cover charge. So confusingly I inquired if we had eaten at the restaurant if we still had to pay or if it was just for people coming into the bar area. He responded no there is still a cover. Ok no problem but you might want to tell your manager to let your party’s know for reservations that there is also a cover for the downstairs bar and DJ, as I have 9 people with me and I will need to pay for them all. AT THIS TIME HE TOLD ME TO LEAVE. All I wanted to do was pay for everyone to enter so no one have to bother clogging up the entrance and exit to the restaurant and my guests could continue on smoothly. This so called security person RUINED THIS SMOOTH TRANSITION and THE MANAGER couldn’t have been more strung out and nasty to me as a customer IN FRONT OF HER CUSTOMERS. It was horrible. Food is general baseline Italian. Support other small or large local businesses JUST...

Several months prior to my wedding(October 1st, 2016) I reached out to Julie at Giuseppes to see if she could accommodate our small wedding reception party. With prompt response Julie reached back out to me with further information on how to reserve. Every step of the way she had answers to my questions no matter how big, small, or time of day. I live in Florida so communication was a very large part of my wedding plans. A few days before my wedding we both met to go over final details. Our final head count was around 20 I believe. She showed us where in the Grotto we would have the reception and I explained to her how I wanted the tables arranged, decorations, menu, and music. The music was a spotify station we picked. Fast forward to reception after the I do’s. Our guests arrived slightly early and the restaurant was more than accommodating due to rain. Julie introduced us to Amanda who would be taking care of us that night also just as amazing as Julie is. Amanda took care of our every need that night. She was very attentive and on top of everything for dinner orders and food delivery. Food was amazing just as always. Julie and I had everything planned prior so we knew how the flow of the night would go to the T. We did opt for an open bar with a limit to a certain time. After that guests were on their own for the bar. After dinner, I did get my father daughter dance, my father in law dance, and my Mr and Mrs dance. I had told Julie since day 1 of the planning these were very important to me. She allowed us to play music via our phones if it was kept at a house level. From there my dad did a quick toast via the microphone Julie set up for him and we had Amanda help us cut the cake in the back. All in all, It was a night to remember forever. In such a small town, you don’t have very many options. I would recommend Giuseppes for any event not just a wedding. Even today my guests still talk about the reception and comment on how great the food and service was. Thanks again for making my wedding day...

Overall a very enjoyable experience. We had a very attentive tag team of waiters who never skipped a beat. We ordered a trio of veal, chicken, and eggplant parmigiana over spaghetti. It was delicious and a very generous portion at only $20. We also ordered the baked ziti which I thought it was a little bland but my son enjoyed it and again it was a very good sized portion at a reasonable price. Both entrees came with a small garden salad that was so fresh and crisp. I would definitely return when in the area again and try some of the other menu items. The cheesy bread and the bread with goat cheese and figs caught my attention and now, having seen pictures from other reviews, I regret not trying them. Next time I might just go with appetizers and salad. The only thing that was a little strange was the seating policy. We entered at street level and since it was after 7 pm on a Wednesday night off-season, there were ample tables in the “grotto” but we were told that we had to go to the hostess station on the upper level to be seated downstairs. I waited there while my son went up to the hostess station. A couple minutes later a woman came down and tossed some menus on the table where I was waiting. Meanwhile we learned that there would be live music upstairs (he must have been on a break when we first arrived) so we decided to go upstairs instead. It’s just odd that the staff downstairs can’t seat people and notify the main hostess instead of sending people upstairs only to return to the lower level. It’s a lot of unnecessary up and down for both the hostess and the patrons, especially if you have mobility issues (no elevator). Other than that it was a great experience...oh, and the live music provided by Paul Warnick was...