Tomatoes Italian Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Sandwich

The food was sub par, the waitress was extremely rude, the prices were way overpriced, and the atmosphere was dull, dingy and outdated. The snooty, rude waitress kept referring to the restaurant as an "upscale, fine-dining restaurant". Apparently, she has no inclination as to what fine-dining is because this was just a glorified fast-food restaurant to me. It was a small, hole-in-the-wall, located in a plaza. Also, the atmosphere was very tacky with a drab 1980's outdated appearance, stained carpeting, old-fashioned wall paper, dingy table clothes and cloudy, scratched glasses. Also, the staff was hardly dressed in "upscale, fine dining" attire in their wornout, stained, lint ball black khakis and t-shirts.

When we simply inquired as to whether this restaurant allowed you to bring your own wine, the waitress was extremely rude and snapped at us stating, "Absolutely not! This is an upscale, fine-dining restaurant!" She was also not attentive and was nowhere to be found half of the time and we had to keep asking other servers for help.

I ordered a jumbo stuffed meatball for $25.00! It was supposed to be stuffed with spinach and fontina cheese, but it literally had about a 1/2" circle in the middle with a bit of cheese and some chopped green bits, which was more like a garnish (I'm not even sure if it was spinach). The meatball was mostly cold and then very cold in the middle, and the cheese wasn't even melted, and was hard. I thought I was getting a meatball that would be 1/2 meat and then stuffed with spinach and cheese, but it was basically all meat. Also, the meatball was tough and the mixture wasn't made properly because there were sections with clumps of breadcrumbs and/or crackers. The sauce also tasted like jarred sauce, and not homemade. I informed the waitress that the meatball was cold and she said she'll have it heated up again. Again?? The menu stated that it was made fresh, slow cooked and simmering in the sauce for hours. But if it was this cold, it was obviously made a day, or days, before, which is not fresh. Food that is pre-made and then reheated is not "made fresh" nor the standards and values of an "upscale, fine-dining restaurant"! I asked the waitress, what "heat up" meant and if it was heated in a microwave. She hesitated, and then said that it's heated in the oven, but I didn't believe her. An oven heats evenly and when she brought it back, it was piping hot on the outside, but warm on the inside (as a microwave heats food), but in any case, it's supposed to be made fresh, but pre-made and then reheated is NOT fresh, and for $25.00 for a meatball, I expect exceptional and FRESH!

My friend got lasagna and it was 40% bread, 50% sauce and 10% lasagna. It came in a huge bowl, but the garlic bread took up most of the bowl and the amount of sauce was ridiculous. It was like a bowl of tomato soup and had to be, at least, 4 cups of sauce. My friend couldn't even find the lasagna because it was buried in sauce. She kept digging in the sauce and finally found small pieces of lasagna noodles. It was pathetic! And this dish cost almost $30.00!

We didn't say anything about the lasagna and just wanted the bill and to get out of there! Our waitress, was nowhere to be found, so we finally went to the front and asked the hostess for our bill.

We left a decent tip, much more than the waitress deserved, which was next to nothing. It seems that nowadays service personnel just expect this extravagant tip "just because" and don't do anything to warrant it. A tip is based on service and the wait staff going above and beyond. Our waitress didn't even do the bare minimum and was rude, insulting, unfriendly, inattentive, didn't checked on us, and was nowhere to be found. And then she made an over-dramatic, low-class show about her tip and said loudly and sarcastically so the whole restaurant could hear, "IS THIS MINE? THE $--- IS MINE? OH THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH! THANK YOU SO SO MUCH!" and then she took off in haste.

This was one of the worst dining experiences I've...

This is the third time I have been to Tomatoes over the past several years. If I had reviewed in the past I would have rated the food 3-4 stars. Last evening the food for the entire table of 7 gets a 2-3 star rating. The beet salad was made with iceberg lettuce? Have never seen that in all my dining experience. I ordered the Chicken Rolatine. I asked for the penne to have the same sauce as the chicken ( menu said porcini mushroom garlic cream sauce). It was served with a sauce that looked and tasted like a beef gravy and the pasta had tomato sauce on it and all on the same plate!! The outside of chicken was so well done that I had to scrape the chicken out of the stringy overdone outside layer. Other diners in our group were not jazzed with the bland risotto or the Marco Polo. I will say the asparagus was great and our desserts were good. The 1 star rating I gave is for service......Our waitress was very personable but extremely forgetful. We waited excessively long for one persons wine, cream for a second cup of coffee and other items. The birthday girl got a particular chicken and cheese bake (reason we went to Tomatoes). The serving is huge as she knew and she normally takes half home. Last night she ate 1/3 and asked to have a doggy bag. The waitress insisted she had to bring the two meals out to the back and wrap there. After 30 minutes someone asked where is the food. We waited another 15 min and she said they are wrapping it. Finally she came over apologized and explained it was all thrown out. She would take a meal and a half off the bill. Needless to say the Bday girl was extremely disappointed because now the kitchen has closed. She told the waitress to get the manager. The supposed manager came to the table and thought it was ok to snap at our friend and interrupt etc. she raised her voice and said” what do you want me to do I’m giving you a credit” and stormed off after making a ridiculous scene to the other patrons as well as us. I then asked to speak to the owner and she said “ she is the owner”. Wow wow wow!! We were all appalled as were other patrons. I have never experienced such unprofessionalism at a dining establishment. I own a business and the customer even if wrong should be treated with respect. There was none here. I would think the owner would have apologized for the mistake (stuff happens). Maybe said come on back and here is a voucher for that dish etc. This was not about the money it was about the way they handled it. I won’t be back and I won’t be referring others either. Too bad for the wait staff they don’t deserve to work for an incompetent owner. I do here her husband is very reasonable and he would not have reacted...

What a place!! Found it one random afternoon with my family and it’s been a fan favorite since. Even though it feels like it’s tucked away in the middle of nowhere, the second you step through the doors it gives this cozy, almost Tuscan vibe that instantly makes you want to stay a while. There’s some what of an old school Italian charm but still modern enough that it works for a family night out, date night, or even just grabbing a drink at the bar. And speaking of the bar—it’s huge, lively, and always stocked. Between the fun atmosphere, live music nights, and their rotation of specials, there’s always something happening that makes it worth coming back to.

The food is honestly what sealed the deal for us. I’m absolutely obsessed with their large meatball (no idea the name) but its cheesy and flavorful, soo good. It’s one of those “must order” things every time, but it literally feeds 4 people, or one person a few times. Their pastas are consistently on point, with generous portions and sauces that balance comfort and freshness. I’ve tried a handful of their dishes over time and haven’t been disappointed once.

Service here too deserves its own mention, because it’s been nothing short of wonderful every visit. The staff are always sweet, attentive, and consistent—you never feel forgotten about, even on busy nights. Drinks come out quickly, food is timed well, and everyone has that genuine friendliness that makes you feel like a regular, even if it’s your first time. It really adds to the welcoming...