Bocca Kitchen & Bar — Restaurant in Mountlake Terrace

Like any true American, I adore pizza. I have eaten pizza in Chicago (The best in the midwest), Connecticut (The best in the country) and Naples (The best in the world). I've had a few decent pizzas in Washington, but searching for great pizza here is usually a disappointment. There are however a few places where you can get a pie that will satisfy the pizza itch. Zeeks is reliably such a place. The Zeek's near me is technically in Mountlake Terrace, just over the boundary to Shoreline. I discovered this a few days ago and filed the fact away for the next time I had a craving for pizza. It didn't take too long for me to find myself looking for parking near this place. There is only street parking and most of the spots are filled whenever I go to that area. I managed to find a spot just big enough to get into with my superior parallel parking skills. The inside of the restaurant is like any other Zeek's - clean and dark with natural wood tables. I asked the bartender for a table and was told to sit anywhere. It was noon on a Thursday and I was one of only three or four customers in the place. I was given the usual Zeek's menu, but my needs are simple. I ordered a small pepperoni and a Caesar salad. The bartender was walking away when I remembered to order a drink (Root beer). She came slowly and carefully, bearing a mug filled to the brim. The salad came up quickly and was yummy. Some of the joy was taken away when a woman came in with a barking dog. There is a law against bringing dogs into restaurants that I fully supported in this case. The bartender quickly let the woman know that her dog was not welcome and peace was restored. When my pizza came, it did not have as much pepperoni as the picture in the menu, but there was enough. It did have a thick layer of molten cheese that made me wait so it could cool a bit before risking cheese burn. While I was munching away, the bartender asked if I liked eggnog and would I be a taste tester for a drink she was perfecting. "Grandma Betty's Eggnog" had a bit more Jameson's in it than I like, but who could complain about a free drink? I finished up and paid the bill (around $40)...

I am truly at a loss for how rude the server was at this restaurant. After work, I was looking forward to enjoying a nice Thursday evening with my wife and our small dog on the patio, especially since the weather was great. When we arrived, we sat on the patio but felt a bit chilly, so we tried to adjust the patio curtain to block the wind. Suddenly, a server stormed out, angrily snatched the curtain from me, and told us she was working alone and would be closing the patio (despite another server being inside, and it was only 6 PM, early in the evening).

We understood her situation, so I politely asked if we could sit inside near the door, keeping in mind we had our small dog with us. Another server kindly relayed the question, but the first server completely ignored us and turned her back as I waited. I felt humiliated, especially after walking 20 minutes from home, but I wanted to give it a chance and ask anyway. Unfortunately, we were continually ignored, and we eventually left without even being able to ask our question.

I understand that restaurants can get busy, and I’m typically the last person to write a negative review as my parents also own a restaurant. However, basic kindness and courtesy toward customers is fundamental in any business. I won’t be returning to this restaurant, as I don’t want to encounter this server again. Please take this as constructive feedback on how staff should interact with...

It was decently busy, and I took that into account, but I was left disappointed with the experience. Slow service, took a long time just to get drinks, and then a longer time to get our salad. That was fine, but they messed up our order. That wouldn’t be a big deal either but when servers refuse to write down your (simple) order and then mess it up it’s mildly annoying. Because the service was so slow they never did bring the item missing from our order. The wait was so long that we said never mind and asked for the check. When we got the bill (it was on a little electronic device) it didn’t show each item’s cost, just the total amount of the bill. Something didn’t look right, so I went up to our server and asked for an itemized receipt. After another wait and a small sense of irritation from the server we got our bill showing the cost of each item. Lo and behold the new paper bill was 15% lower than the amount they originally tried to charge us. Just frustrating. At least the food was pretty good, but not worth the wait or hassle...