Ripieno's Italian Bistro — Restaurant in Ocean City

Really great Pizza but disappointed with the service I received today.

I love this place and come on a regular basis as it is indeed made of high quality ingredients and tastes phenomenal.

Customer service is usually up to par, but today it was so complicated to simply order and even pay for pizza. I had placed an order prior to my friends coming to OC from Rehoboth Beach, DE, as I always went on about how amazing Ripienos pizza was, and just so they didn’t have to wait I arrived prior to them. I waited in line, and patiently waited for someone to come up to me to take my order. It was really busy. Then came up a guy with facial hair and I asked if I could place my order, he shrugged his shoulders and said “yeahh”, so I proceeded to ask if it would be okay for me to place an order for 5 pizzas but each pizza will be payed for separately when each person from arrived, he said yes. Then I started to order and asked if it was possible even though they can’t make their signature pizzas into the personal pizzas to make an exception for my pregnant friend who wanted a margherita pizza. He said no after checking with the owner. So then I asked if I could simply get a cheese pizza for her , with mozzarella and basil (2 toppings which we would pay for). He also said no, which I didn’t understand why that was not possible but okay, I ordered a tomato pizza for her instead. I ordered the pizzas and then he said once everyone’s arrives just to come back up and pay for it.

Once everyone arrived, I followed his instructions and instantly received a contradictory response. He told me “you have wait inline just like everybody else”. Everyone else was waiting to place their order while I just wanted to pay for ours individually as previously discussed and agreed upon. He asked me to wait as he was having issues with ringing people up and said it was due to the system being down, this took approximately 10 minutes - which again I waited patiently during. Then he finally got to me, I payed for two pizzas and asked to add a large pelegrino sparkling water. This to him was problematic. Okay. I then said to him to ring it up after everything else. He rung up 2 out of the 5 pizzas for me personally, then a separate charge for the water. Okay. Then he said okay the next pizza. I told him to ring up one pizza as it was not my card and each of the other 3 pizzas were separate. I have him not my card, my pregnant friends card to ring up a pizza and also asked for a bottled water. He again had issues with the water. Started to say 4 times a bottle of water and fountain drink water, I said no we only need one water, he continued to say whatever he initially said so I simply tried to explain to him, calmly I said no just a bottle of water please for my pregnant friend only water and a pizza on this card. He rings something up gives my the receipt and says okay, I rang up all of the pizzas here now I can get the bottled water. He had no authority from me to do this, I was simply inside paying with my friends card who was pregnant and sitting outside. I told him what he did was not right and how this was not an authorized transaction. He basically told me to deal with it.

Then I asked for cups for the large bottle of water I purchased for our table. He said cups are a charge. I let him know, that no they are not, I am a local I come here quite often, and they never charge with the large water purchase, they are just plastic cups to drink out of. Then he says that does not matter that he is also a local has been working from the age of 12 and has been at Ripienos since December.

That was besides the point….but okay, then someone heard what was happening corrected him and gave us the cups.

So unfortunate that this had to be dealt with as the food is amazing and great quality. A night with my friends who drove over an hour to see me momentarily turned into something so complicated.

All other times I would give this place 5/5...

2022 UPDATE Tonight we returned to Ripieno's about a year after our first visit due to the fact we live outside Philadelphia and only come to OCMD once a year. The food was fantastic again along with the service. We got fries this time along with thr pizza. The fries were very good. We forgot to ask for the pizza light on the cheese so it was again a little heavy handed but good none the less. I would recommend asking for less cheese than normal for the perfect amount. Prices went up slightly but still the most affordable pizza in OCMD and the quality is amazing.

ORIGINAL REVIEW I wanted to try Ripieno's as I have tried most of the other pizza places in OCMD. The fact that the pizza is wood fired made me interested in going. They are attached to the Burger King, my receipt is on Burger King paper and when sitting outside you are right by the drive thru ordering for Burger King but that doesn't matter because the food and service was excellent. The inside smells of wood due to the wood fired pizza ovens which is not overpowering but delightful. We ordered a 16" cheese pizza with half pepperoni and 4 large soft drinks. The pizza was $12 and the half pepperoni added $1.50 so $13.50 for a large pizza with pepperoni in OCMD which is very affordable. The large fountain drinks were $2 a piece which made the total bill $21.50 plus tax for a grand total of $22.79. Again very affordable. We sat outside and within 5 minutes our pizza came out. Very hot and very delicious looking. The pepperoni was super thin and crispy in spots. It's very reminiscent of sandwich style pepperoni. The pizza crust is thin and crispy with great flavor. The sauce is a touch sweet and tangy. The cheese is very good as well. I will say there was more cheese than I was expecting so I will definitely ask for light on the cheese next time. They also have shaved aged parmesean on the pizza and we asked for extra and they brought out a little cup for us. You can instantly tell they use quality ingredients from start to finish. The pizza was fantastic. We finished the entire pizza so quickly I was only able to get a picture of the last slice with pepperoni. I will say the staff again was very friendly and accommodating. We were so focused on getting our 2 young kids in the car after the great meal we forgot my wife's handbag on the table and drove away. We realized almost 10 minutes later and called the restaurant. They said they had the bag and would hold it for us. My wife wanted to give the woman a tip for securing the bag but she refused to accept it. Just fantastic staff and we will be back for the quality...

During my recent visit to Ripieno's Italian Bistro, a fast food restaurant, I was disappointed by the exceptionally slow service. While the food itself was decent, the prolonged waiting times detracted from the overall experience.

Upon entering the restaurant, I was greeted by a vibrant atmosphere and an enticing menu. However, my initial enthusiasm quickly waned as I found myself waiting for an extended period before a staff member attended to me. This pattern continued throughout my visit, with each order taking an unreasonably long time to be prepared and served.

Although the taste of the food was satisfactory, the excessive waiting times significantly impacted the overall dining experience. It appeared that the restaurant was understaffed or facing operational challenges, resulting in frustrating delays for customers.

Furthermore, the lack of communication from the staff regarding the delays was disheartening. A simple apology or explanation could have helped alleviate our concerns. Instead, we were left in the dark, unsure when our food would finally arrive.

Despite the slow service, I acknowledge the quality of ingredients used and the flavors achieved in the dishes. However, these positive aspects were overshadowed by the disappointing service.

In conclusion, Ripieno's Italian Bistro has potential, but their sluggish service greatly hindered my dining experience. Unless they address their service issues and improve their efficiency, it is challenging to recommend this restaurant to those seeking a fast and convenient dining option.

Note: Please bear in mind that this review reflects my personal experience, and your own...