Boniello's — Restaurant in Riverdale

Based on all the prior reviews that I see (and one main reason why we tried this eatery) I believe my experience with my spouse was not the usual. But I want to share - so the owners see, and perhaps make change so that this does not happen again. We have lived nearby for 3 years, but only now came to try it out. We are loyal to those local town establishments, when we find what we like. We were made to feel very welcome when we entered, the place was packed (Thursday evening, 6pm). The greeter (owner? waitress), made us feel quite at home. Our waitress, young lady, not warm, appeared young, inexperienced and right to the point. We ordered a salad and two entrees. Meal was delivered by a runner. My meal, eggplant rolatini (with fettuccine) was not cooked through (rubbery and tough) and was served over angel hair pasta. I asked for the fettuccine because the menu stated it was homemade. The waitress never came back to see how our meals were, no Parmesan cheese was offered and getting the attention of anyone was difficult. Finally, success, after 5 or more minutes, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Even a gentleman at a nearby table saw the issue.. I explained the challenge with the meal to the waitress who was apologetic and asked if I wanted another. My concern was my spouse was already now 10 minutes into her meal and after checking the waitress said it would take another 10 minutes to make mine over. I declined - knowing that both of us would be eating alone, she while waiting for my food and me after she completed hers. Not ideal. The waitress said okay she would take it off the bill, apologized and scurried off - leaving the my meal at the edge of the table for the duration of our stay. She didn't ask if I would like anything else (perhaps a salad or soup, or something quick to make - pasta and sauce would have been fine). Others passed the table, no comment. No owner, no manager, nothing. We were not angry, we were just forgotten, and ignored. I don't blame the waitress. she is young and inexperienced. Again she was on the side of shy, and mousy. We were kind the entire time. My concern is that this wasn't escalated up as a service problem to fix, to make better. This was our first time here. The lack of attention to assist her in learning how to make this right was missing. I am never looking for a free meal. I went in to this restaurant because we heard great things. However, we did not experience great things. We didn't even experience mediocre after we were seated. This waitress could be instructed on what outstanding service looks like, what permissions she has to make things right, role modeling with others what might go wrong and learning how to repair the experience. I had a glass of wine and bread for dinner and that did not seem to bother anyone, anyone but me. I am vocal, but I should not have to hunt you down. I am patient, but I should not need to instruct you on how to provide reasonable service. I am not sure if we will return. We are fair. We have heard good things. Just didn't wow me that time. What assurances do we have that this won't happen again? It's not what a service provider serves you each time well that matters alone, it is also how they make that which went wrong - right. That is not just trust, that is...

Tried this local pasta and pizza spot for dinner and unfortunately, it was a letdown from start to finish.

We arrived around 5:30 PM and were immediately asked if we had a reservation—odd considering the place was not full. We were seated outside, where we were forgotten for at least 15 minutes. No water, no check-in, nothing. We had to flag down the host just to get someone to take our order.

Eventually, a waitress came out and took our order. It took quite a while to receive our appetizer (ricotta with meatballs, which was tasty), but that was where the positives ended. Over 35 minutes later, we were still waiting for our entrees when another waitress appeared to ask if we’d like dessert menus—despite the fact that our appetizer plates hadn’t even been cleared and our entrees hadn’t arrived.

When the food finally came, the lasagna was solid—definitely homemade and a massive portion, enough to feed a small family. However, the Margherita pizza was incredibly undercooked. The mozzarella was still hard, and the pizza lacked any of the classic flavor or texture you’d expect. We didn’t eat it.

When the waitress returned and asked if we wanted a box, we declined for the pizza and explained that it wasn’t good. She kindly offered to replace it, but by that point, we’d been sitting there so long and were so turned off by the experience that we declined.

Here’s where it went from bad to worse: the owner came out visibly defensive and aggressive after hearing we didn’t like the pizza. Instead of offering a sincere apology or trying to make it right, she condescendingly asked, “Do you even know what a Margherita pizza is?” and insisted no one had ever complained about her pizza before. It was shocking, unprofessional, and frankly, insulting.

Let me be clear: I would not have left a review if the staff had simply apologized and handled it with grace. But the owner’s reaction cemented my decision. If someone is dissatisfied, you acknowledge it and try to resolve it, not argue with them or question their palate.

Needless to say, we won’t be back—and we’ll be telling others to steer...

I am writing to express my deep concern and dissatisfaction regarding an incident that occurred during my visit to your restaurant tonight.

A family with a service dog entered the dining room, and I was shocked by the behavior of one of your staff members, Cindy, who was not our waitress. From the moment they arrived, Cindy displayed an extremely rude attitude towards the family, attempting to refuse them service while rolling her eyes and creating a tense atmosphere for everyone present. Her behavior was not only uncomfortable for the family involved, but for everyone in the dining room.

As if that wasn’t enough, Cindy proceeded to come to my table uninvited, speaking negatively about the family and calling them “ridiculous” while I was trying to enjoy my dinner with my own family. Despite my efforts to remain polite, she returned a second time, continuing to rant about the situation and insisting that her brother, a dog trainer, told her service dogs are not allowed in such settings. When I calmly told her that they are indeed allowed, she became rude and nasty towards me, making me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

To make matters worse, she continued to speak loudly about this family to other patrons, involving them in the situation, which I found highly unprofessional. Her behavior was discriminatory and bordered on bullying, as she unnecessarily dragged others into a situation they had no part in.

As a mental health therapist, I was appalled by her lack of empathy and understanding for someone who may have been struggling, and I was left feeling very disturbed by the way Cindy handled the situation. I am seriously considering filing a formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau, as no paying customer should be subjected to this kind of treatment in a professional dining environment.

I kindly ask that you take immediate action to address this matter. This incident has greatly impacted my experience at your restaurant, and I hope steps will be taken to ensure this does not happen to others...