Novara Restaurant — Restaurant in Milton

I am in highly distressed on how I was treated November 8, 2024 at Novara in Milton Massachusetts, a restaurant that I usually come to with no problem or hassle. On November 8, 2024 at around 5:45 PM I walk in the restaurant waiting in line to get a table for two. As I’m waiting in line I witnessed one of the managers (Amanda) do a hand gesture to the other manager (Jason) then looking towards me, which I found was really weird to me. I finally get to the stand and kindly ask Jason if I can get a table for two, Jason then tells me, the restaurant is only reservations and they wouldn’t be able to seat me. I then proceeded to tell Jason, ok that’s fine I will go see if I can get a seat at the bar with my guest. Next thing, Amanda come out of nowhere saying she wants to pull me to the side and speak with me. Amanda then proceeded to tell me due to Novara’s policy “they can’t seat anyone with the odor of marijuana” , me being highly confused I asked Amanda to repeat herself and she proceeds to same the same exact words to me. I then tell Amanda that’s really funny that this is what your telling me because I nor my guest I was with smoke marijuana and we didn’t come from a setting with a marijuana smell. As I stated before I wasn’t in the restaurant for long than 10 minutes. I then tell her is this the reason I can’t be seated and I’m being turned away from eating at the restaurant because of something that has nothing to do with me. I asked Amanda is it because I am “Black” and I have “dreadlocks” , is this the reason your discriminating and racially profiling me? I was embarrassed, humiliated, racial profiled, & discriminated. I will never ever come back to Novara or any of their sister restaurants, since this happened to me I’ve been loosing sleep and having social anxiety from this. I will be seeking...

The Service:

Friendly greeting by the hostess who promptly escorted us to our reserved table. Our server arrived in a timely fashion, provided a warm introduction, and then oriented us to the dinner and libation menu.

All dishes arrived well timed and at the perfect temperature. Note worthy, the employees we encountered were very presentable and professional.

The Food:

Sincerest compliments to the chef for crafting an exquisite meal. The Pork Fricassee was cooked true to technique elevated by talent and quality ingredients. The pork was succulent but neutral in flavor, as intended, because the sauce was the star of the show. The char on the broccoli (I substituted the Brussel sprouts) gave the perfect and necessary contrasting texture.

Appetizers:

The crispy cauliflower was wonderful. Perfect crunch without being greasy or salty; the sauce paired well with the earthy taste of the vegetable.

The grilled focaccia, albeit simple, was delightful pairing well with the robust tomato compote- which was served chilled. I suspect the compote wasn’t supposed to be cold, but it wasn’t off putting.

My strawberry basil mock-tail was well designed and refreshing.

The Atmosphere:

The establishment is aesthetically appealing but very loud and bustling. The atmosphere is more aligned with a restaurant and bar vibe vs a traditional Italian Restaurant. Nonetheless, their attention to detail relative to the uniformity of their team members, tableware, and plating style added an atypical elegance.

The Value: Prices are within current industry standards. I did not feel overcharged because the quality of food and service matched the price points. In addition, the portions were in abundance; my guest and I both had enough for...

Today I visited Novara for Father’s Day I was seated at 8:30pm I wasn’t approached until 9:03pm with an apology for the long wait for a server to address us. We were poured room temperature water NO STRAWS by the lady who addressed us with an apology. Our server Audrey finally came over and apologized again said there was some confusion after 30+ mins whatever let’s order, we ordered starter wings, drinks, and food and asked for straws for the room temp water. Server Audrey came back with our drinks and straws for the room temp water after about 10 mins then the wings. COOL! our food came about 5 mins later Steak and Shrimp, I had Brussel sprouts my partner had broccoli. Let’s start the broccoli was so hard and burnt literally tar look to them, the Brussel sprouts were burnt just not as bad as the broccoli, the mash was SO COLD it was ashame, the 3 shrimp on top the steak was SO SALTY! A mess! So we were over it and just rather eat pasta at this point. Audrey was really nice and took our order and said she would go tell the manager. HERE IS WHEN I WAS TURNED OFF FOR GOOD GREGORY/ GREG CAME OVER INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS THE MANAGER AND SAID THEY CAN MAKE US THE PASTA, BUT HE WOULD HAVE TO CHARGE US FOR THE LAST MEAL WE DID NOT EAT. BECAUSE WE ORDERED IT AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF US LIKING THE PASTA WOULD BE THE SAME. FIRST OF ALL GREGORY/GREG I VISITED NOVARA SEVERAL TIMES AND ENJOY THE PASTA ACTUALLY MY WHOLE FAMILY DINED IN THE PRIVATE ROOM FOR MOTHERS DAY! SO YOUR LIKELIHOOD WOULD NOT BE CORRECT GREG SECONDLY IM NOT PAYING FOR A FULL MEAL I RETURNED THIRDLY I DID NOT AT ALL ORDER COLD MASH BURNT BROCCOLI OR EXTRA SALTY SHRIMP. GREG I WILL NOT BE BACK TO NOVARA...