Amarone Italian Restaurant in Sandusky, OH — Restaurant in Sandusky

Let me preface this by saying that at 47 years old, as someone who owns multiple businesses and has traveled extensively across the U.S. and around the world, this was—without question—the worst experience I have ever had with any restaurant establishment.

The first red flag came when I called ahead to inquire about reservations. The owner answered the phone and, in a very rude tone, said, “No, it’s first come, first serve,” and hung up on me without another word.

Despite that, we decided to give the restaurant a chance and arrived with a party of eight—four adults and four young teens. Upon entering, an employee (who I assume is a family member) asked how many were in our group. As he began pulling tables together, he nearly dropped a bottle of wine and several glasses, which we managed to catch just before they shattered. Even a nearby customer complimented us on the quick saves.

Moments later, the Italian owner came out from the back and demanded to know what was going on. He then yelled at us for not making a reservation. When I explained that I had called earlier and spoken with him directly, he continued to argue and placed the blame on me for not saying we had a party of eight—completely ignoring the fact that there were only six other customers in the entire restaurant at the time. He stated if we wanted to eat there four could come back in an hour and then another four could come back an hour after. I’m sorry, what? Strange way to operate your little restaurant business, and why would we even consider after we just received such poor treatment.

I have never felt so unwelcome in a restaurant in my life. The hostility and lack of professionalism were truly shocking.

We left and walked just a few doors down to another restaurant that was more than happy to have our business. The staff there welcomed us warmly, and when we mentioned what had happened, they weren’t surprised—apparently, others have had similar experiences with this establishment.

Please, do yourself a favor and do not support this place. There are so many great restaurants nearby that will appreciate your business and treat you with the respect every...

My main reason for going to Amarone was to have an opportunity of speaking Italian. I did, but the food and owner were disappointing. He might be Italian, but his tomato sauce tasted like canned. I have been in Italy many times and know many Italians so I know what I am talking about. And being born in a country does not make one a great cook. The dinner was mediocre and so was the Tiramisu. But what bothered and surprised me most was the owner. We got talking about Italy and he started bashing the US. Absolutely nothing here is good, from the people down to the food. I wondered what keeps him here since his wife is Ukrainian. I did not like living in the country I did, so I left and moved to the US. So I cannot understand someone who loathes a place yet remains! I checked their FaceBook page and one customer dared to write a negative review and his wife who wrote very gracious response: "we don't use frozen food and leftovers. Go to Macdonalds." Mrs. Amaron believes McDonalds serves leftovers to customers. Apparently she has never heard of the Health Department... Mr. and Mrs. Amaron must learn a maxim I did when I moved here: the costumer is always right. Even if he is not right, treat him as though and you might win him back. (A maxim, by the way, they absolutely refuse to use in Italy!) I believe a small restaurant (or any small business, for that matter) is a reflection of the owners. Amaron did not "welcome" us since the first moment, because the owners loath their American customers. I just thank God we live in a Capitalist society: there are many other restaurants who want my...

In town visiting for a local race. Not many Italian options so decided to try what looked like a cute authentic and local place. I decided to call the day before and see if they take reservations. The man who answered the phone, who I assumed to be the owner, was stern and somewhat rude when I asked if they took reservations. He replied with “no” but then proceeded to ask how many were in my party. When I told him only 2 he agreed to the reservation and took my name (or at least I thought so). When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by what seemed to be the son. I told him we had a reservation, but he looked extremely confused. Lucky for us there was a table for 2 available so we sat there. It was clear they were understaffed and quite comical watching the owner become angry whenever more guests arrived. Multiple parties came in saying they had called for reservations and the owner then telling them they heard of no such thing. The owner also became angry whenever large parties came in and told them he can’t serve them. Seems odd to me that they wouldn’t want the business. Overall, the food was okay. Not much taste and definitely not made from scratch as it is advertised. I wouldn’t recommend going here unless it’s the last restaurant choice...