Stellas on 25th — Restaurant in Ogden

The first thing you should know is that we were a party of 7 with reservations at 5:30

I am a huge fan of good traditional Margarita pizza, I'm far more likely to order the Margarita than anything else.

I always do my very best to give you both good and bad... this is going to be no exception.

The pizza was definitely cooked in a stone hearth oven with thin and crispy crust . it had the tell tale little patches on the edge of the crust... little slightly burned patches, that you expect to see from a stone hearth pizza oven. the cooking process was spot on. The pizza was not over baked, and I would rate the overall cooking very high.

There's the positive.... Stella's bills themselves as an Italian establishment (so they set the standard of what to expect). Ive eaten Italian in 10-15 countries (to include multiple locations in Italy), and I know what a great Margarita should taste like. They use grated mozzarella and not fresh mozzarella, and they use so much that you can't find or taste the red sauce... so there is an overwhelming level of cheese for an Italian Pizza. The crust while crisp with just the right degree of firmness, had little to no flavor. While there was a fairly large quantity of fresh shredded basil on the pizza, it had obviously been added prior to cooking, rather than after.... so you lost the bright green you expect... I've had balsamic added to my Margarita a couple of times, and I will have to say it wasn't overly strong and was generally pleasant.

I did eat the pizza, and it was sufficient, but as an Italian pizza, I would give it a middle of the road rating.

My son ordered an Italian soda and the lasagna. One of his favorite meals is lasagna so it was a pretty easy decision for him. The Italian soda very much tasted like a Sprite with cream added. It was OK, but not great.

Near the end of the meal, I was watching my son and he was eating his food very slowly. I tried some... I wish I would have tried it much earlier as I would have definitely sent it back. the pasta was very overcooked (to the point of almost mushy and slimy).  I don't even know how to describe the meat sauce... it had flavors I am completely unfamiliar with, but it was certainly not a traditional tomato-based sauce flavor... additionally the meat had a very grainy texture to it.

My wife ordered the Tagliatelle AL Felito, and described it as unremarkable.

The bread and herbed olive oil they start the meal with is very good. the bread is soft and warm.... but be warned, any additional bread will add $2 to the bill... not outrageous, but something to be aware of.

The price for what you get is on the high side... not the most expensive Italian meal I've had, but when you compare price to quality I would definitely rate it as overpriced.

Now the setting and staff... the setting is awesome. Very comfortable chairs, just the right lighting... and I love sitting and eating y meal while I am able to see into the kitchen. I really do enjoy watching how the food is prepared. The waitress seemed friendly and capable.

Remember how I said that our party was 7 early on in the dinner time frame. Food industry wide, it is generally expected that parties of 6 or more will take 90-120 minutes for a reservation from sit down to departure. At the 60 minute mark, they were clearing the table and making multiple remarks of incoming reservations and they needed the tables. From sit down to the time we opened the door and left, it was almost exactly 65 minutes. I've never once been invited to leave like that... if we were a party of 2-4, 60 minutes is more than enough time to order, get the food, eat, and depart... but not for 7.

If a restaurant has over-reserved and not allowed adequate time for reserved parties (based upon group size), that is a management and administrative error, not an overstay of paying guests.

Overall I would rate the experience as poor. No one walked away sick from the food, so it is not the worst dining experience I've had, but it was pretty poor. We will not...

🚩Manager harassed me with phone calls and text messages after leaving — falsely accusing me of dining and dashing.🚩

Let me be clear: I paid my bill. The accusation was not only insulting but completely unfounded, and it highlights the poor management and lack of professionalism at Stella’s.

The only staff member who carried herself professionally was the hostess. Despite its attempt to appear as a high-end Italian restaurant, the actual experience was far from it. We were greeted with, “What’d you guys want?” by a rotating group of teenage staff who clearly had no training in customer service or etiquette. Tables were only cleaned when asked, food was unceremoniously dropped on the table, and the service lacked basic courtesy.

For context: I received a $50 promotional card from Stella’s in a swag bag at an event I sponsored. I brought international guests to dine there, hoping for a quality experience. Yes, it was prom night and the restaurant was busy — understandable. But the disorganized service wasn’t due to volume; it was due to poor training and lack of leadership. Three different servers came to our table at different points, each claiming to be “our server.” The meal itself was passable, but the service was disjointed and uncomfortable.

When it came time to pay, I presented both my gift card and my credit card. The total bill was just over $100. The server attempted to swipe the gift card, which failed. He consulted another employee, who awkwardly explained they’d been having “issues with gift cards.” He then brought out the manager. The manager arrived clearly frustrated — not with us, but seemingly with the situation she had likely encountered before. She explained that a former manager had distributed these cards as promotions, but they weren’t actual gift cards — just pieces of plastic with dollar amounts and initials written on the back. This was baffling and sounded a bit disorganized. Still, they agreed to honor $50 from the card. My credit card was then swiped for the remaining balance (about $50), and I left a cash tip before leaving.

Shortly after leaving, I received a phone call from the same manager, accusing me of leaving without paying. She claimed the gift card was only a $50 discount (which it was — I never said otherwise), and insisted the remaining amount was unpaid. I told her plainly: my credit card was swiped, and I could see the pending charge in my banking app. Instead of apologizing, she doubled down, stating, “I’m just trying to figure this out in the best interest of both parties.”

After hanging up, she then texted me, and I was still being pressed to “resolve” a bill I had already paid — claiming their system still showed an open ticket and continuing to imply I hadn’t paid. Screenshots of this are attached to this review.

She eventually backtracked and offered a “We’ll just take care of it,” as if doing me a favor — despite the fact that I had already paid. Followed by a condescending “Have a blessed evening.”

To the owner:
 You either have unreliable payment systems, or an incompetent manager who doesn’t understand them — possibly both. Either way, harassing a paying customer after the fact, due to internal miscommunication, is not how any business should operate. I won’t be returning, and I’ll be sharing this experience with others so they know what kind of...

6pm reservation on a Friday. It was getting busy but I guess there weren’t too many reservations, so they were able to accommodate my 30-minute push to 6:30pm.

Kept me informed of the table setup then walked me to the table, to which our server, Rob, greeted me within 2 minutes. My date (wife) arrived within a few minutes and he was back to get drinks and apps. Ambiance is great. The main room is dark with the open kitchen, setting the mood for a real fancy date night. The other side is naturally lit with a glass wall, a light feel for a casual family dinner or husband/wife date night… not too fancy to impress on the first night, but nice enough to still feel like it’s date night. The patio was open as well, so a big top was sat out there. The only problem with the patio being open was that it invited flies to come in. It was a nuisance, but nothing that couldn’t be overlooked.

Started with a bottle of Caposaldo Pinot Grigio which lasted us all meal. I’m not big on wine, but I can drink that all night. The light and fruitiness paired well with the complementary bread and our bruschetta app. Let me tell you, I’m no fan at all of blue cheese, but the blue cheese family spread they deep fried and gave with the bruschetta…. Could’ve been my meal alone.

My main dish was the Salaiccia Rossa, Rigatoni Pasta Served with Italian Sausage & Arrabiatta Sauce, Roasted Peppers & Basil. Admittedly, it was pretty good. I was expecting pieces of sausage with my bites, but it was more ground sausage mixed in with the sauce. Overall it was good, but not as good as the Shrimp & Crab Ravioli; Shrimp and Crab Stuffed Ravioli, served with Crispy Pancetta in a Vodka sauce. That dish was amazing, but my wife couldn’t finish it all. Of course there is the option to choose soup or salad with your meal. My date had the tomato basil soup, while I had the soup of the day, cauliflower-something. Believe it or not, they were both fantastic. My wife even said i might have been the best version she’s ever had.

Finally, we had the crème brûlée for dessert. Hadn’t my wife been so full from the complementary bread with oil & balsamic mix, the bruschetta, the main course, and the bottle of wine, she would’ve finished it all. It had a great sugar-glass break on the surface, smooth middle, and non-mushy blueberries incorporated.

Overall, the experience was excellent. Our server checked in enough to make us feel like we mattered but not overbearing, the drink and food selection had a great variety from apps, pizza, pasta, soup, steak, seafood, and more. The amount of food you get, the service, the great tasting food, and the ambiance made it a great night. I went in with the expectation spending a lot on dinner, but it was all reasonably priced. After a $30 tip, we still only spent $150, including the $50 bottle of wine. Whether it’s first date or 50th date, I’d highly recommend. After ward, you can go axe throwing nearby, hit the cars, take a walk down 25th, or just people...