Toni's Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Shawnee

I was very excited to try this new Italian place in Shawnee.

The restaurant has a good vibe and atmosphere. At first. The more you sit there you realize that this seems like an attempt to feel fancier than it was.

We were greeted by presumably the owner or manager as the hostess who seated us.

Our server was a kind person. He appeared to be the only one taking orders for 6-7 tables which appeared to be over half of the dinning area. The rest of the staff walked aimlessly around the restaurant. The presumed hostess continued to walk around the dining area practicing his pitching of a baseball. A very weird behavior for a place attempting to be an upscale Italian restaurant.

The rest of the staff hand washed glasses behind the bar area staring at the patrons of the establishment.

We were served complimentary bread and oil to start our meal. This tasted good, however, it was different from the traditional you would be served at a Italian restaurant. It was more of a roll type with parmesan sprinkled on top.

I ordered the lasagna 15$ and my girlfriend ordered the Shrimp Alfredo 23$. With a meatball appetizer 10$.

The appetizer meatball dish tasted like a Fazollis bigger version of a meatball. Not terrible but definitely not what I was expecting.

Our entrees came out after a bit and something was immeasurably off about the experience. The Shrimp Alfredo tasted like it was microwaved in a plastic bag. You could taste the plastic in the sauce partially. We attempted to stomach it down but it was unable to be done without constantly thinking about the follow on health affects.

The Lasagna came out and was not presentable at all for a plate-able appearance. The first bite tasted like a below average Lasagna but edible. On multiple other bites, the celery large chunks, textures, and same plastic burnt in taste prominently prevailed from Chief Microwave.

We were wanting to go to this restaurant for their well reviewed tiramisu. The entrees were so dreadfully bad that we did not even give it a try.

The staff could obviously tell something was wrong with how we liked the food. The waiter came by to ask if we wanted boxes with the check and it was a swift no. He asked if everything was okay and while I typically would just say it was great, I felt obligated to my community to say something so we could have a good Italian restaurant. I said it was not good and left it at that.

The waiter was understanding and apologized for the food and brought us the check. While waiting for it, the owner or manager came over and asked if the food was good.

I told him not really and raised the concern about the plastic tastes in both dishes. He got defensive and stated that the lasagna was the best in the state of Kansas. I didn't feel like picking a fight with a delusional man so I told him, " I'm sure it is". He asked if we wanted anything else to replace the dishes we had received and we said we had lost our appetite. He started to pull out his phone saying that he Would show us that the lasagna was the best in the state of Kansas. I told him it was not necessary and that it wasn't for me. He left in an upset manner.

We paid our bill and got the hell out of there.

This business is I KID YOU NOT AN EPISODE OF KITCHEN NIGHTMARE. Go if you want a story, don't go if you...

I’m 50/50 on this restaurant, and here’s why. I’ve been twice, and the experiences were so drastically different that it felt like two completely separate places. The first visit, in late December, was fantastic. The food and service were both excellent. We started with the vodka sauce dip, which was served with fresh, hot, and soft bread—an absolute delight. The combination of flavors hit every mark, and my husband became a fan of their Alfredo. I ordered the Tortellini alla Panna and loved it, while my daughter tried the Chicken Siciliano and declared it her new favorite dish. Our waitress was attentive, the flavors were perfectly balanced, and you could see and taste the fresh garlic in every bite. We couldn’t stop raving about this place and told everyone we knew to try it. Naturally, we decided to share the experience with the rest of the family and made a reservation for my mother-in-law’s birthday. There were seven of us, so I expected a bit of a wait, but this second visit was completely off. From the moment the bread arrived, I could tell something was wrong—it was cold and hard, nothing like the warm, soft bread from before. We ordered the vodka sauce dip, and it took forever to come out, even our server seemed surprised at the delay. When it finally arrived, it was a huge disappointment. The garlic was completely missing and replaced with an overwhelming amount of pepper. The entrees made the lack of garlic even more apparent. We had two Shrimp Scampis, and they tasted like pepper soup. No butter, no garlic—just pepper and water. I couldn’t eat mine, and the other person barely touched theirs. My husband, excited to try the Shrimp and Scallop Alfredo, was served a gray, watery dish that lacked creaminess and, again, was saturated in pepper. My daughter’s food didn’t arrive until much later, by which point two others who ordered the combo and lasagna were already finished. Her dish had the same issue—no garlic, just pepper and water. Our server disappeared for long stretches, and we had to repeatedly ask for refills, even for water and tea. By the time my daughter’s food arrived, we decided to send several dishes back. Our server offered to replace them, but after four out of eight meals were inedible, we didn’t have the appetite to try anything else. Shockingly, no manager ever came by to address the situation. We’re really hoping this visit was a one-off and not the norm because our first experience was so wonderful. It might be a while before we give it another try—my pepper tolerance has definitely been maxed out—but I’ll update my review if...

We are always up to try new things and places, I believe it is important to support local business now then ever but I will not return to Toni's Italian restaurant. After having Lasagna or noodles, sausage and tomato sauce and overpriced drinks but the best is yet to come. When it comes to paying the bill I paid with cash, $100.00 bill which was the beginning of a very embarrassing experience. We received the wrong check and when the waitress returned and pointed it out she corrected the issues and when she returned to our table she gave us the correct change but stated that the $100.00 bill was mixed in with the change. after checking my wallet I assured her that the only change I received was the change she gave us. We then asked to see the manager and when she arrived at our table she stated she needed to check the tapes to see if the $100.00 was giving back to us. She returned and stated that the Waitress did have the money in our change and stated " If we did not pay the bill then the waitress would have to pay for it. At this point not only was i embarrassed in front of my family but very upset and asked them to show me the tapes , she refused and once again stated if we did not pay the bill that the waitress would have to. So after being insulted and asking to pay for a meal a 2nd time I refused and since I could not see the tapes then they should call the Police if I was being accused of taking the $100.00 bill I originally paid for . As i Stated not only was this embarrassing to be accused in front of my family but other people eating in the restaurant. So i would suggest not to pay with cash, check your bill . I personally will not...