Ciao Mambo — Restaurant in Missoula

PARKING // parking is street parking only. There is no privatized lot. Good luck with finding parking it's always a challenge in this area.

AMBIANCE // the Ambiance here is quaint, romantic and noisy. There are two seating sections one is elevated, no matter where you sit it can tend to get a little bit noisy but nothing outrageous.

FOOD // I've been here numerous times over the years. The food was always consistently good. However this last time the food arrived at our table barely warm. I believe I know what happened. My one colleague ordered pasta with shrimp and a white wine sauce. That came out scalding hot. My manicotti and my other colleagues ravioli came out barely warm. They weren't staged properly. They were waiting to bring them out with the pasta, and they didn't set them under the heat lamp therefore they got cold. The complimentary bread has always been outstanding and still continues to be. The drinks are average, not strong but not weak.

SERVICE // this is where this experience becomes interesting and unique. From the beginning the service was subpar at best. It was almost as if we were being ignored or overlooked intentionally. There were no refills on drinks. There was no inquiry how the entrees were. There was little to no follow-up. Very unique dining experience in and of itself. I have never experienced this and I have lived in major cities throughout the world. When it came time to conclude the experience. Ariana did ask if we wanted dessert. Myself and my colleague ordered a tiramisu. My colleague ordered one to go for her husband. She was charged for it, but it didn't come out until she inquired about it and then a young man, the same one who refilled my drink upon my asking is the same one who delivered her to go item. I requested a manager. I was told very directly that there was not any manager on that night that I would have to speak with her. I inquired who the proprietor or the owner was and she told me the name "Matt" stating that, "You will never hear from him and he won't call you back" she asked what the problem was and upon my explaining to her she became very argumentative cutting me off and interrupting me and speaking over me. She became extremely argumentative and unprofessional. She called me a liar. Telling me and my friends that we came in in a bad mood. Astoundingly we all looked at each other, as this was not possible. We were there for a celebration. Ariana continued to argue with us that she did come to the table and ask how things were, none of us recollect that whatsoever. At the conclusion of the evening, her unprofessionalism, unattentiveness and overall poor decorum has resulted in this review, a letter to someone named "Gabby" and a very unpleasant taste in our mouth for this small business. Which is extremely unfortunate because I really did love this place and I really did want to continue to...

Fair warning to readers: this place gets busy and does not accept reservations, so be prepared to have an extended wait during peak hours. With that being said, this place is fabulous! It has an extensive wine list and of a wonderful array of Italian cuisine to choose from. The food is freshly prepared for every order and has an open kitchen to watch the talented chefs do their craft. Additionally, the staff is exceptionally well trained and versed at explaining the food items and suggesting wine pairings. We had friends coming in from out of town and they suggested Italian. We have been to this restaurant several times before with exceptional experiences every time. Ciao's location is on the "hip strip", very close to the University of Montana, the Clark Fork river, and downtown. Our friends were staying at the newly opened Marriott, which is a short walk over the Higgins street bridge from Ciao. We went there on a Friday evening at about 7:15. As expected, we had about a 40 minute wait. The hostess was very nice as she took our name for the table. When we were seated we were greeted by Shelby, a very talented presenter and server. We knew the wine that we wanted and it was brought out and presented wonderfully. We ordered an antipasti Freddi plate as an appetizer and our entrees were Linguini Arrabbiata and Pollo Formaggio. The food was exceptional! Fresh cheeses, olives, and meats donned the appetizer plate and the entrees were fresh and piping hot. The experience and atmosphere were great and we stayed there for almost three hours. Needless to say, if you are visiting Missoula, this should be on your list of restaurants to visit. If you live here, we are very lucky to have such a superb Italian restaurant...

Having once tried to be seated at Ciao Mambo but been told it was an hour wait I went again and chose to invest a 20 minute wait because anywhere that is this crowded all the time must be amazing, right? Wrong. I really found all the dishes I tried to be uninspired, not properly seasoned and without any flair or ingenuity. My bruschetta was not toasted enough so it was missing the classic crunch of a good bruschetta. My pasta with peas and pancetta was underwhelming and needed a generous amount of red pepper flakes to give it any flavor. My other dish of pasta with a vodka sauce had little flavor with no hint of spice and was just bland. Their acclaimed garlic bread was a doughy mass of white bread with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. When busy this place is loud and almost impossible to hold a conversation with someone across the table from you. I’m not sure why so many people find this place so good. I can only believe it’s because they’ve never had truly delicious Italian food or dined at Olive Garden and find Ciao Mambo to be a “fine” dining experience. I found the prices to be inflated for the quality of food. Service was adequate. I can’t say that this was the worst meal I’ve ever eaten at a restaurant but it was certainly very disappointing. I’d almost wish that there was an Olive Garden in Missoula. Most importantly, and this is not the restaurant’s fault particularly, but people! Must you show up to a restaurant wearing flip flops, swim trunks and ratty tank tops? For goodness sake! Some of us are trying to eat and it’s off putting to be sitting next to a table of patrons who look as if they just got finished tubing and decided to go out to eat. Sorry Ciao Mambo but it’s...