Callaway's Bistro — Restaurant in Smithfield

Prior to going to Callaways I asked quite a few people their thoughts because I had never been there. Almost everyone I talked to said... It's okay, middle of the road. Well, I thought the breadsticks were good. They did offer some oil type dip with the breadsticks. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. I think the meatballs were frozen and not made fresh. The sauce was really tomatoey tasting. I substituted for angel hair and thought the noodles were cooked really well. The plates had cheese all over the rims when they were served. I've never been a big fan of that. I know it sounds a little nitpicky but never been a big fan of putting stuff on the rim of plates. The person I was with got ravioli and I couldn't quite tell but it tasted like the sauce was different. I had a quick taste of the sauce and thought the ravioli sauce if it was different seemed a little better. Maybe it was the same sauce, I'm not sure. I thought the service was really good as far as the attitude and pleasantness of the servers. When I walked in one thing I didn't really like was seeing the belly of the hostess and some of the waitresses were wearing tank tops. (Spend some money on these girls so they can wear Callaway branded uniforms or even t-shirts). In their defense it was pretty hot that night and I mean really hot but what I'm talking about has nothing to do with modesty so much as it is I love seeing everybody wearing the same type of shirt with the logo on it. I just love conformity in a restaurant setting and feeling like they're a team and it didn't totally feel that way when it came to uniforms. At the end of the day our server was the one that made the experience really great. She was on top of it. Kept the drinks filled. Got the order in fast. Our server was really great. In my opinion, if you change that sauce to something special you'll be selling out every night. I can tell there's good people there with good intentions, just need to tighten up a few things to take it from...

They use to be a wonderful place to eat good food fast friendly, but it has gone down hill and they have not been able to get back up on there feet for years. The Alfredo was runny and watered down, the pizza was doughy. There bread stick use to be fluffy and full, now there pencil thin and hard. They had not prepared for opening so they had no silverware ready for dinners, waters sitting out on resirved tables that had no coustmers. The tables that need to be cleaned of to set new people took over an hour. We wat he’s many family’s leave after waiting 45 min and not getting any help and seeing tables that could be used to serve. It was like everyone working did not know what there were doing or where they needed to be. Food handlers permits may need to be updated because no one had gloves hair nets and we watch them ring up and toutch money then go back to cooking with out washing hands. The owners need to close for a month or so get rid of all the staff and hire all new people and train them. They only are open Friday and Saturday night so I know they don’t bring in much they could be good again if they wanted to put the work in. Maybe one day they will figure it out or just sale it for someone that wants to make a...

Okay, take this review with a grain of salt as experience is really a matter of perspective.

First of all, I went with my wife over valentine's weekend, and the restaurant required a reservation. However, it didn't seem that busy, and they had tables that were "reserved" without people at them for 30+ minutes. Seems like some lost revenue if you are going to let a table sit empty at a restaurant that long waiting for a reservation.

The atmosphere was very welcoming, but it seemed like they were trying to be a fancier restaurant than they are. They do offer some breadsticks, that sadly are quite lacking in taste, and some oil and vinegar to dip them in. However, the mixture came in a little plastic condiment cup, and seemed very cheap.

The service was lacking as well seeing as the entire 45 minutes spent at the establishment we saw our waitress maybe three times, and no, it wasn't busy at all.

The highlight was definitely the food. We got the steak and potatoes with steamed broccoli. The broccoli didn't have any seasoning, however the steak and potatoes were phenomenal. The steak was perfectly cooked, very tender and generously seasoned.

Overall, I would go back as the food was...