Brio Italian Grille — Restaurant in Plantation

The floors were extremely sticky inside..never a good sign. The hostess on 4/13/24 around 2pm was less than impressed to be there, nor did she want to help clean off an existing booth. She told us it was dirty and instead asked in a cunning sarcastic tone "can't you both just sit at a table instead"..mind you initially she asked table or booth..we said booth..and once she turned around and noticed it would require her to assist the busser a bit by wiping off the table and setting silverware/2plates..but that proved to be too challenging for someone who clearly doesn't want to do their job let alone help another coworker out to do theirs. Hey, I was a hostess back in the day, and we all helped one another out. I cleaned off tables, bathrooms, swept floors, served soup/bread & apps to help waitstaff if they were busy or if they got sat at the same time with 2 or more tables, I ran food if we needed..opened wine and ran drinks..this was at 2 major chain restaurants btw not some mom & pop (legal seafoods and grand lux).

Brio was extremely slow on 4/13/24 once we walked in around 2..there were about 7 to 8 tables between indoor & the patio....the hostess wasn't on a wait.. Now instead of her moving her bottom to help her fellow coworkers..she begins to say "oh its going to now be 15 to 20 minutes for the booth because it's dirty" we replied with "that's okay we will wait for the booth" She looks at us and says okay..we wait 20 minutes standing there..and she comes back and says "why can't you just take a table".. I reply with, "i can help the restaurant if you give me a rag and show me where the silverware is I can set the table myself" She gets the hint and grabs a rag to clean off the table..she comes over and motions to us to come with her one arm as if we are out at a some family BBQ..she doesn't grab menus, she doesn't escort us. We approach the table and both booth chairs are filthy, I ask for her to grab another rag and please wipe down the booth seats please..the floor clearly isn't cleaned between guests or shifts.... :( I am sorry but that hostess needs etiquette training and to learn how to compose herself as a professional. I am youngish too in my 30s but etiquette and a positive vibe is such a beautiful thing on anyone.

The server was a nice gentleman, he treated us with kindness and he was the saving grace of the afternoon. My niece wanted calamari and she enjoyed it with the white sauce, she also had a kids fettuccine with shrimp added that she did not care for. I took a bite of her pasta it was just very dry but the flavor wasn't horrible nor was it really good. I had a yummy wedge salad. My niece enjoyed her white peach lemonade which was another highlight, I opted for plain water. We tipped him fairly and did not base his performance on how poorly the start of our afternoon at brio went.

The server deserves 4 stars (he did go missing a few times & other tables were looking around for him as well, but as I said he was kind) The 2 stars are solely for the overall experience. The hostess deserves 1 star because she showed up for work which I guess is a plus for Brio. She should however not really work in any service based industry. I am in Healthcare and customer service/care/compassion is still important even when saving lifes..or whether you are impacting ones day by providing a smile and exuding kindness while you serve food..both jobs are equally important and although different in ways are quite similar as they possess similar underpinnings.

Overall, we will not be back and unfortunately, i can not recommend this Brio location. I pray the server finds himself a more cohesive staff and restaurant to work...

We went on Wednesday for a special birthday dinner. We had a large party having made reservations in advance. We were able to decorate the table, bring balloons, and bring our own cake (without a cake service charge). The waiter was young and appeared new but he did well with a bit of help. Initially, he stated they don't have Maker's Mark which is what the birthday girl wanted for her drink. However, I pointed out that it was right there on the cocktail menu under their description of their old fashioned. He hadn't been able to find it on the computer. After I pointed it out on the menu, he went and spoke with the bartender. So, we were able to get what was desired. That's when I knew he was new. However after that he did a very fine job. Having worked as a server for 12 years, I know how difficult it is to wait on large parties. So, I give him some grace.

Everyone in the party spoke about how delicious their food was. I was especially impressed with the Chicken Limone, and the Lamb Chops. The area or district manager happened to be in the house that night. He came over to our table and we had a chance to talk about the importance of closely following restaurant recipes and not allowing chefs to add extra salt, as I have recently had a bad experience at J Alexander's. Brio's food was a little salty but nothing by comparison to J Alexander's . One suggestion I would make to this and all restaurants is to develop some delicious lower sodium options which you can then advertise given that the population of the United States is aging and soon the largest demographic will be Boomers. Not to mention that no one is supposed to be eating more than 2,000 mg of sodium per day and many restaurants seem to think that means per bite! Overall I would highly recommend...

I placed an online takeout order from Brio Italian Grill in Plantation, and for the nearly $40 I spent on one entrée and two desserts, I expected a much better experience.

The chicken and fettuccine dish was disappointing. The chicken was dry, the fettuccine clumpy, and there was barely any sauce. Before I even left the restaurant, I opened the container and questioned the amount of sauce. The hostess said she’d bring me some extra — and returned with a tiny condiment cup. That helped a little, but it still wasn’t enough to coat the dish properly. At most Italian restaurants, the sauce is generous, and I’ve never had to question whether I was given enough. And when you call yourself an Italian restaurant, pasta needs to be prepared perfectly. The chicken was dry and tough to cut, and this was using a real metal knife at home, not a plastic one.

The tiramisu? Not bad, but definitely not worth $12 a slice. It was missing the bold, authentic flavors you expect — no hint of Kahlúa, no richness. It just didn’t deliver.

As for the bread — this time, I got some, but only because I asked. I mentioned that the last time I ordered (my first visit), they didn’t include any. The hostess acknowledged that bread does come with meals and gave me what she called “extra bread.” What I received were two generous end-pieces, sliced from either side of an oval loaf. Plentiful and fresh — the best part of the meal, honestly.

Brio markets itself as upscale, but this was not an upscale experience- just overpriced. Between the underwhelming food, minimal sauce, and overpriced dessert, this place doesn't justify the price point. It would have cost me another $15 if not for the promotional offer I used. There are far better Italian spots that offer better food, value,...