Pesto Ristorante - Olmos Park — Restaurant in Olmos Park

Disheartening Experience During a Special Celebration

I recently visited Pesto to celebrate my sister's wedding with a small party of ten. Despite having a reservation, our experience was far from the celebratory atmosphere we anticipated.

Delayed Seating: Upon arrival, we were informed that our table was not ready, resulting in a 20-minute wait past our reservation time, even though there were a multitude of empty tables. This initial delay set a disappointing tone for the evening.

Service Delays and Oversights: Once seated, it took 10 minutes before anyone acknowledged us, and we were not provided menus until we requested them. After finally receiving menus, it took another 10 minutes to place our drink orders. Our food orders were taken only after an additional 20-minute wait.

Extended Wait Times: The most disconcerting aspect was the over 2.5-hour wait for our meals. During this time, staff interactions were minimal, with only a single instance of drink refills. The lack of communication and acknowledgment from the staff left us feeling neglected and undervalued.

Unavailable Menu Items: Adding to our frustration, several alcoholic beverages listed on the menu were unavailable. This lack of transparency regarding menu offerings further diminished our dining experience.

Meal Service and Quality: When the food arrived, it was served sporadically rather than simultaneously, and my order was incorrect. While the dishes were flavorful, the prolonged wait and disorganized service diminished our dining experience.

Management's Response: Upon expressing our concerns, the staff attributed the delays to being short-staffed and managing another large party. While we understand unforeseen challenges can arise, it would have been more appropriate to inform us upon arrival or limit reservations to ensure quality service.

Final Thoughts: This occasion was meant to be a joyous celebration, but the service shortcomings overshadowed our gathering. The evident disorganization, lack of effective communication, and unavailability of menu items were glaring. For future patrons seeking reliable service during special events, I would recommend considering...

Some great reviews but…. Not for us. Wife and I went there for dinner and there were only 2 other tables. One couple came after us, sat down for 5 minutes got up and left. Must’ve been the prices on the menu. I don’t mind paying premium but I expect premium everything. Not the case here. Way overpriced and food portions are like a french restaurant. Italian portions are double or tripled what we were served. The trio appetizer, delicious, but again, $25 for 3 shrimps, 3 artichoke balls and a few under cooked calamari rings, absolutely not!!! The server girl was not bad, although knows nothing of Italian food nor the food the restaurant serves. She’s nice but needs to learn a whole lot. Main course, again, portions left a lot to desire. My wife’s fillet mignon was not a true piece of filet mignon, but it was cooked as per request. Supposed to come with gorgonzola, perhaps they ran out or simply forgot. My shrimp and scallop risotto…. Well, again, tiny portion, 4 shrimps and a tiny, like baby miniature scallops in the curl of the shrimp. Oh, and the risotto was 50/50. Cooked and crunchy undercooked. The tiramisu, That was Not tiramisu, I mean, close but definitely not it. So when the bill came, they charged $2 for more bread. I mean, it’s not about just $2, never in my life had I been charged for more bread. That’s what Italian restaurants do, serve lots of bread. Specifically given the overpricing of everything else it should be like olive garden, unlimited bread… but the final straw was when we put the card in the bill folder, waitress came with a machine, ran the card right there and gave it to my wife to sign, and what’s even more strange, she chose her own tip, she gave herself 20% and standing right there at the table as if that was normal. Restaurants usually add a 20% tip to the bill on a party or 5 or larger. This was ridiculous. Waiters and waitresses should not run the card at the table, and most definitely not choose their own tip amount. That’s just unprofessional. Or is it a millennial thing? They think they are entitled to a Tip no matter what? Another terrible restaurant crossed...

We looked it up on google and gave it a shot. Wish we dug into the reviews more before we went. Same experience as other guests. Welcome was cold. No Hi or welcome, just straight to “do you have a reservation?” Apparently if you don’t have a reservation you get stuck at the small tables. No menu, wine, or appetizer suggestions the server was cold throughout the entire experience and looked like he hated his job. Server did not seem to like that we were an ordinary family coming for dinner, probably assuming we were going to be cheap. Server disappeared quite often during our visit and unfortunately I saw the other server 10x more than our own and it was a only two servers. Drinks went dry, I asked one question about my plate and the server never gave me a answer to my question and dropped off the food rapidly and disappeared once more. At that point I was hoping the food would turn things around but was disappointed once more. Ordered the chicken gorgonzola but chicken was dry and sauce looked like cream of mushroom soup dumped on top. The sauce was so bland and had not a single taste of Gorgonzola or anything for that matter. I hate to say it the bread served before the meal had more flavor and even my kids pizza had more flavor than my dish. My spouse had the lamb chops plate and it was great flavor wise, but portions were extremely disappointing. They provided skimpy portions of lamb ( lamb chops can be small but the chops were the size of a half dollar) for a price that really was not worth it. I gave the server his full tip even though he really didn’t deserve it, Who knows he might have been having a bad day. The design of the restaurant was great but overall service needs improvement and so does food. I don’t think I will return due to 3/4ths of the experience being terrible. I know what it’s like being a server so I showed some sympathy but I couldn’t leave that restaurant fast enough after...