Oregano's — Restaurant in Mesa

We usually like Oregano's, but this time that just wasn't the case. First, the waiter was spread too thin and we had to wait to even catch his attention. I got a drink with my lunch, in which the alcohol was non existent. A lot of restaurants seem to be doing this lately and for the price we're charged, put in the booze! First my husband got his soup which was topped with a layer of parsley and it had no flavor. Next, out came our meal. There was so much burnt parsley on my sandwich, that it was difficult to scape off! For some reason, there was also parsley on the pickle! Then there's the chips, overcooked, stale and saltless. The most surprising item on the plate looked like cole slaw, served in this tiny little ketchup cup. You got a surprise when you bit into it, there was something really spicy in there that burnt our tongues! My husband's lasagne was also covered in burnt parsley, plus had these huge pieces of leafy green something in the lasagna! He did not enjoy his meal. By the way, when you serve something with Marina on it, give more than a thin layer (and I mean thin). It was all dry. We walked out after paying our $70 lunch check knowing that we did not get what we wanted and were very disappointed. Too bad, we liked Oregano's...

I cannot explain what just happened today other than it just did. It was out first visit to this establishment. We ordered the deep dish pizza, no tomatoes, with green olives ($2.99 xtra) mushrooms ($2.99 xtra) green pepper ($2.99 extra) wow! That’s $9.00 on top of the $16.99 pizza = $25.99. Ok, after 55 minutes we got our pizza. It was a pepperoni pizza with tomatoes. Then when I flagged down our server, explained that it was wrong, he went to the kitchen and came back with another deep dish pizza that supposedly was what we ordered but it had tomatoes on it. Still wrong. Total time = 1hr. So I paid for my beer and left. Our server Eddie was pleasant enough, but for a Saturday 5:00 pm they were not very busy. First clue. I suspect there are greater issues at hand as we noticed hardly any of the wait staff smiled and appeared to have the false facade look of engagement in their task at hand. Second clue. In other words, just going through the motions. There is clearly a lack of leadership in the organization and it shows. I can only write about my experience and when it came to making an impression on our first visit, which was less than expected , I have to ask, how could I ever go back? Did this restaurant meet any of my...

Overall, a great experience. Food portions were ample, cocktails were made well and waitstaff was excellent. Our server was a genuine "happy to be here" fella named Jacen. And, the only thing faster than his talking was the food delivery to the table. I had the Stuffed Rig A Toni while my wife had the Hakuna (Chicken) Picatta. Although I enjoyed MY dish, I will admit the Chicken Picatta was far better. Two thumbs up on taste and presentation on this!

Side note: the pun-filled humor in the dish names is great!

Our kids had fun playing with the little baggies of bread dough the hostess gave us. Much better than cheap crayons and a piece of paper. Both girls had the kid's spaghetti and meatball. The thumbs up I give here, is that Jacen brought the kids' food first. I am always grateful for restaurants that get this concept.

The bottom line... this place is much more affordable than a lot of places I've visited in the PHX area. What sets the hook for me, is that the food and overall experience was far superior than places where I've spent nearly 50% more, and left wanting.

I was in a foul mood the evening we went, and the experience here turned that around. We WILL be coming back and...