Romero's — Restaurant in Mount Sterling

This was the worst dining experience of my life. I honestly left in tears because of how humiliated I felt.

First, before I could even take my purse off to set it down along with my shopping bags, a waitress with dark brown hair was already asking me what to drink. I asked her for a moment for my partner and I to sit down. She arrived for our drink orders and brought them out fine.

We ordered our entrees - shrimp scampi and spaghetti and meatballs.

The shrimp scampi - FIVE (5) SHRIMPS FOR $25 with an inedible pasta concoction. There were more “fresh herbs” and PEPPER than there was pasta. These flavor issues rendered the pasta inedible and SPICY. I couldn’t eat it no matter how badly I wanted to after walking around 5 miles, you’d think anything would be good…

The waitress never returned to ask us how our food was.

Therefore, I went to go talk to the waitress and she was so rude about her 3 cups of chopped herbs in one portion of pasta, and how the dish is always made that way… which, okay? Then it’s always more herb and pepper than noodle and should be noted as a spicy item, at the very least.

All I wanted was like, some buttered noodles, at that point, to go with my shrimp. Instead, she offered me no options and a dull stare as I shamefully walked back to my table.

To my table where, next to an obvious group of “regulars,” began staring and me and laughing after my encounter with the waitress. Essentially giving me a hard time for disliking my dish so much I couldn’t stomach to eat it.

During this weirdness with the next table over, my bf told me his spaghetti and meatballs was also so SPICY he was sweating and drinking copious amounts of water just to wolf the noodles down in an effort to settle his hunger.

Back to the regulars- they continue this weird, rude, obnoxious behavior of staring and giggling and making me us their spectacle - an experience I’ve never had and don’t recommend- So, I asked them if everything was okay???

Then, their teenage boy with them begins to ask me and my partner if we have god in our hearts and if he is our savior, etc etc. It was like something in the twilight zone! Regardless that my partner and I are advid followers of Jesus Christ, what a weird place to ask about my relationship with god, over some nasty noodles.

After I ate the only edible 5 shrimp of my meal and no attempt of engagement from the manager… Our server had to be hunted down to pay our bill.

We paid $65 for these two inedible entrees & sodas. Along with the craziest dining experience I’ve ever encountered.

I wouldn’t recommend this place to my worst enemy. I have no idea what’s going on in the pasta of this establishment nor the disturbing experience with the “vanishing waitress” who didn’t do her job & the peanut gallery’s religious defense of pasta.

UPDATE: The female owner (Rebecca) of this establishment is so crude that upon a phone call she stated I don’t know how herbs are used in culinary food yet I spent 28 years on my life eating in a culinary world trademark such as Chicago… eating Italian food from immigrants from all over Italy. No chef gives you more herbs than pasta, lol.

No refund… her son is a cook, not a chef. She stated this clearly to us. These are chef prices in a small town. I’m also a cook, not a chef, and her son who is the cook… can’t cook. She claims her food is “different.” Different food should not equate bad food. The owners wife assumes I think different is bad… the food was bad, not different.

No entree was eaten due to it being badly prepared, and no money was reimbursed.

No attempt at refund by the establishment.

All Rebecca should to do was give us a...

My husband and I visited Romero's yesterday evening. This was our second visit, and it was much more pleasant than the first. We called ahead since on the previous visit, we were literally told by a waitress that if we wanted to wait two hours for seating, she would try to squeeze us in somewhere. I know that there could have been a party or reservations or any number of things that isn't my business, but there were several empty tables and empty seats at the bar. The restaurant hadn't been open long, and I know that it's easy to feel overwhelmed, but I just didn't care if I ever visited there again. Well, since our kids had other dinner plans, my husband asked if I'd thought about trying Romero's again. He called ahead, and we were told to come on in. We entered and were promptly greeted and seated by a wonderful hostess. She brought ice water, menus, a drink menu, and flatware. She asked if we wanted to go on and order drinks or appetizers. We declined, and she went away to give us a few minutes. I greatly appreciated the menu style... it was one page. I find it easy to get overwhelmed by a lot of items to choose from, so the single page was welcomed. However, it didn't feel limiting. There were several appetizers, burgers, pasta dishes, sandwiches, sides, desserts, and more. We ended up ordering the mozzarella sticks (six 1-inch diameter logs of cheese as long as my hand from fingertip to wrist) with marinara and the Philly steak with truffle fries. My husband and I split the entree and still brought home l leftovers. The waitress checked on us a few times, and the other staff weren't shy about making conversation. When we were ready to leave, the waitress had us confirm that our order was correct on her kiosk, we paid, and we were invited back. As for cost, it was a little pricey compared to other sit-down restaurants in the area, but we weren't rushed, we were treated like friends, and we left with our bellies full. The atmosphere was reminiscent and nostalgic, with classic horror memorabilia scattered on the walls ( -- of course... I'm sure George A. Romero would have it no other way --) and black and white movies played on the tv's. Otherwise, there was traditional pub/bar seating, and the chairs were much more comfortable than the ones at Cracker Barrell. Overall, it was a pleasant experience, and we will...

My wife and I were in Mt. Sterling on Saturday 7/20/24 to celebrate a good friend receiving his Purple Heart. Thank you for your service, Joey Bates! God bless you, my friend! After the ceremony we decided to walk through town to see if we could find a restaurant for dinner. A bit of history, both my wife and I have spent time in the restaurant industry, owned a restaurant, and have friends that are restauranteurs and chefs. We love good food and good food starts with good ingredients! During our walk we came across Romero’s. I went inside to grab a menu so we could review it outside. When I came back out my wife was speaking with a gentleman that was seated at one of the outdoor tables, so I continued to read through the menu. It’s a one-page menu filled with great appetizers, salads, sandwiches, and entrée’s…simple and awesome! After seeing multiple items that I know we both like I called out to my wife to check it out. She said come meet the owner, George! The two of them had been talking for a while and I could tell my wife was enjoying the conversation. George and I shook hands and started our conversation along with my wife. It was a great conversation! We discussed the business, ingredients, service, cooking…all the things I truly enjoy speaking about when it comes to the restaurant industry. George showed us into the dining room, we sat, and our server Billy Jean greeted us with a smile and 2 glasses of water. My wife ordered Chicken Piccata and I ordered the Salmon over toasted gnocchi in a honey glaze sauce with zucchini and squash. Incredible presentation and a perfect blend of herbs and spices! Excellent! Both dishes were off the charts!! Great people, great atmosphere, cozy & quaint, delicious food! After dinner we met George’s wife Rebecca and their son Seth the chef. While good ingredients are needed to produce a great finished product you need to have an individual that adds the very special ingredient of love! You must love what you do to have great results! There is no faking this! Wonderful people, inviting, kind, seasoned, and entertaining, a perfect match for the restaurant/hospitality industry! We look forward to dining again and bringing friends with us! Thank you, George, Rebecca, and Seth! It was a pleasure and a blessing meeting all of you! God bless you guys! Bob &...