Villa Tuscanna — Restaurant in North Myrtle Beach

I don’t retract my original review but I did return twice since and was very satisfied with what I had. On both returns I sat at the bar. I ordered a Peroni Beer(s) which were cold and delicious and reminded me of my favorite pint, the Guinness Harp. The bar was full and really fun with friendly patrons and excellent barkeeps. The mozzarella sticks were truly the best I’ve ever had. The mushroom pasta appetizer were so good I nearly ordered a second. My main entre was a thick and very tasty bolognese sauce over penne served with a crisp salad. I point out that when I ordered my first appetizer the barman served me hot bread with a delicious butter which I was delighted to see as I was quite ready for a meal. I can now recommend this restaurant and get there as soon as they open because the seats at the bar were immediately filled up!! I went there on a Friday at 4:30. The place was filling up with a lively crowd. We had reservations but rejected the first two by tables we were directed to as they were in the middle the dining area and we felt uncomfortable. The seats we ended up accepting were in a cozy booth. I had a $10 glass of Pinot noir which was flavorless. We ordered a Gorgonzola salad expecting chunks of Gorgonzola cheese but instead it was served with a small container of dressing on the side which was left on the table uneaten. Our calamari appetizer was served on a plate with lemon and a marinara sauce and it was tasty but disappointedly the calamari was very much undercooked and was white in color with no crispy golden pieces at all; my friends wife ate a good bit of it but about 1/3 was left uneaten. The bread was served warm and was typical but the butter was served in little plastic containers. The oil and spice dipping oil was good but was not refilled as we finished it nor was any more bread presented. The main dishes we had were chicken parmigiana; cutlet were too thick and didn’t seem to be cooked properly. The Caesar salad with grilled chicken was ok but wasn’t plated with any imagination and the chicken was just placed on the salad and not sliced apart enough. The dressing was sparse and there was no thin slices of Asiago cheese at all only some unknown bits of cheese. We had lasagna which was ok taste wise but it was surrounded on the plate with too much marinara sauce and the lasagna had some chunks of meat that didn’t were too large and indicative of the lasagna it being cooked with care. We split a Tiramisu cake which too sweet and had no coffee flavor at all. The wait staff was really very nice and attentive although I did hear a nearby waitress asking a table of guests if they “were still working” on their food. I thought that question was banished from...

I had to think long and hard about this review before I wrote it because the entire experience was quite a juxtaposition. The food was absolutely amazing and our server, Victoria, was knowledgeable, friendly, and timely. We had a somewhat large party and ordered a number of menu items and specials (from seafood to chicken), which were all delicious. They had a great wine selection as well. Where things started to fall off of the rails was their seating arrangements in a quite tight restaurant.

We were celebrating and had a party of 7 so we were seated toward the back where the larger tables were all organized. About 1/4 of the way through our dinner, a party of seemingly 20 (maybe more) teenagers with no adult supervision were seated directly next to us. You can imagine how respectable and well-behaved they were. Servers were scrambling not to have food and drinks slapped out of their hands as they were surrounded by idiotic and oblivious antics. Curse words, flying chairs, and the constant stream of large groups to/from wherever (the bathroom?) in this already-cramped location were disruptive every few minutes. Now, I know what you're thinking, "the restaurant can't be blamed for a group of tacky, air-headed, ignorant people," but on our way out we overheard who we had to believe was a "parent" figure (they came over to the group at 1 point during the meal to "check in" I guess is what you could call it?) Anyway, they were loudly talking about how well they know the owners and are close with the owners, etc., so I have to believe that this behavior is deemed acceptable and appropriate by the owners as well. I just really wish they weren't seated directly next to us to affect our experience so much (just trust me, they were THAT distracting), but space and options were limited, I completely understand that. Just be aware if you have a large(r) party.

Would I dine again if I ever come back to Myrtle? Possibly, because yes the food and service was that good. Did I wish above nothing else more that those human-shaped piles of garbage would've gone to McDonald's or Bojangles instead for dinner?...

I'll start by saying that Villa Tuscanna has really, really good Italian food. Which speaks volumes, since although there are many Italian restaurants in the Myrtle Beach area, very few are really, really good! I've been here several times and have never been disappointed. Except for last night, and at that, the only disappointment was that my food was really blah. But first, the good... We were seated right away, which was nice (have to enjoy this before "the season" kicks in and all the tourists come!). Our server, Marcia, was amazing! She was so attentive without being intrusive, found the right times to ask if everything was ok (e.g. no food in our mouths!). They have a nice wine menu, so we got a Chianti Classico and a Super Tuscan. It was nice to try them side-by-side. Their dipping sauce for the hot bread, which everyone mentions, is really tasty, be ready for garlic! My wife got the chicken saltimbocca, which was very good. A nice portion of chicken, not drowning in sauce or pasta. Just the right amount. As for my food...I got the Farfalle Primavera. The pasta and veggies were cooked well enough, but there was no flavor or anything else. It was dry and pretty much tasteless. The menu said it had asparagus tips, but there were only the stalks in my dish. When we were ordering, Marcia asked if I wanted chicken on it, and I didn't. Then she mentioned the blackened chicken, and that got me, so I added that on. Thankfully I did, because that gave the dish some flavor (thanks Marcia!). I'm not faulting the kitchen for this, because I got almost exactly what the menu said - pasta, veggies, and olive oil (although hardly any). Just be aware, if you have someone who likes to eat bland food, this is the dish for them. We will definitely be back, because this has always been a solidly...