La Locanda Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in Scottsdale

So, yesterday was my man's birthday and we decided to celebrate by going out to eat. I was super anxious. Upon planning and making a reservation, this was going to be our first time eating out INSIDE of a restaurant since the pandemic craziness began. But, it was stress free and an amazing experience once we got to the restaurant.

I made a reservation at La LOcanda in Scottsdale for 730pm. We were running behind schedule by the time we got home from work and got ready(if you know us, this is not a surprise...🙃), so, I hopped online to see if there was an option to modify my reservation. The next available time was 8. No problem! We got to the restaurant at 8 and the parking lot was nearly empty. We were greeted by a mask wearing, super friendly guy who told us to sit wherever we would like. I always feel bad going to restaurants late, especially when not many (or any) other patrons are there. I just feel like a nuisance. And many times that feeling has been because of the actions/unfriendliness of the restaurant staff. This was 10000% not the case here. It was one of THE. BEST. Customer service experiences we have ever had. Our server told us their specials. I told him that we were actually vegan and apologized for letting him list them all out for us. And he said "no worries! We love everyone here. Have you seen our dedicated plant based menu?" And he seemed SO genuine and happy to be helping us.

So we started with some iced tea. It was amazing. I think he said the flavor was called desert blossom? Then we saw their salads...they all looked so good. They were full-sized and full-priced. So I was contemplating getting one. He offered to split one between the two of us, but, we wanted different ones. Then the manager who was standing near the bar said "we can do a half size for you if you want". I MELTED...but then, once I ate the salad, I wished I had gotten a full-size. It was that good! I got the arugula salad. It had almonds, strawberries, and a citrus dressing. My guy got the full-size house salad and loved it!

Then we ordered some garlic bread to eat with our meal. He got the Linguine Primavera. I got the Linguine with Garlic Sauce. The portion sizes were perfect for the price. And we both loved our food SO MUCH. Some people may think im over exaggerating, but, we both said to each other (multiple times) how happy we were with everything.

Then..... our server asked if he could interest us in any dessert. I politely said "no thanks. We have his birthday cake waiting at home for us". He said "ohh! Happy birthday!" And then 2 or 3 minutes later it was like he literally appeared out of nowhere...lol. Carrying a plate with a beautiful and very generously sized slice of vegan cheesecake with a candle on top. IDK WHAT KIND OF CRACK THEY PUT IN THEIR CHEESECAKE, BUT, OMG....🤤🤤🤤😋😋😋

For us, this was a special treat and we will probably only go for celebrations or if family is in town. But... I cannot wait to go back. I'm so excited to have a delicious restaurant where we can go with our omni fam/friends and have delicious options to choose from! If you haven't tried La LOcanda.....DO IT!!

Also...the atmosphere...

We went for dinner with a group of seven. In the beginning, our waitress, Laura, told us she wanted to start with one person & work her way around the “numbered” seats to keep our orders on track. She was decently friendly at this point, and very knowledgeable, but had a little bit of an attitude. We had to ask for straws 3 separate times from 3 different servers that came by (including ours) before we got them. The food was DELICIOUS & so were the drinks. We even got a complimentary dessert because we were celebrating a friend for the evening. It was a nice touch. When it came time to pay, we wanted to put two people on the same check and split the rest. When Laura heard that request she rolled her eyes and walked away. 5 of the 6 tickets were correct & paid for, and she COULD NOT get it together to complete the 6th one with the two people on one check. We literally waited 30 minutes, watched 4 different people trying to help her (including 2 managers), & finally ended up writing down on a napkin what should be on the ticket. She then came back and claimed one of the previous girls ticket books was empty & she “didn’t pay”, yet the girl had placed $100 in it & we went back & forth & they even said they were going to watch the cameras to prove it… she then found the money in her apron. Once we finally settled the bill, no one came by to apologize, and after Laura dropped off the bill, she said nothing else. There is zero professionalism from the few people we interacted with, and even though the food was excellent, we will not go back, & I do not recommend large parties attending. If it is that big of a deal to split the check, then the server needs to ask at the beginning how it...

Christmas Eve might seem like the worst time ever to try and find a fabulous Italian Restaurant at the last possible minute less than 5 miles from your timeshare that you have checked into late, tired and Hangry....you know, hungry and angry, but I digress. What and amazing and wonderful surprise awaited us at this gem of a restaurant tucked away on a side street of downtown Scottsdale. The pinot noir from a central California winery was fragrant with a heavy, but tantalizing smokey flavor and was just the beginning. My husband and I love mussels so we started with them as an appetizer and a large plate of garlic bread. In all my years of ordering mussels, nothing has ever come close to these in size and flavor. I had to cut mine in half they were that large and went down like butter. That was enough, already, but hey, it's Christmas Eve and so much on the menu.....and all the pasta is homemade! I ordered the Chicken Parmesan and changed the mashed potatoes??? out for linguine with garlic oil and white wine. What's with the mashed potatoes in an Italian restaurant. It was excellent, but next time I would order the chicken cooked a little less done. The serving was so large it hung over the plate. Twenty two dollars and another whole meal waiting for me in the fridge for later. I don't think my husband enjoyed his selection of Linguine and clams Pomodoro, but he can write his own review. As for me I am looking forward to the next visit real...