Gian-Tony's Ristorante — Restaurant in St. Louis

I don't have many great things to say. I was in town to celebrate my birthday so we visited Gian-Tony's this past Saturday. Upon entering, it had an old school feel with candle light that I liked. We had reservations for 2 and told them we were there from out of town to celebrate my birthday and were told that they would make today special. This is where everything goes downhill. The host asked a server named Tim if he had room in his section and the server immediately starts fussing and arguing with him. The host and the bartender looks at us with apology eyes and then seats us in a side dining area. We were seated for about 10 min before Tim told us he would be our server, before saying he needed to go immediately serve another table (which was understandable) and would be back. 10 min later drinks were ordered, and he said he would be back to tell us the specials. I ordered an Arnold Palmer, which was super watery and then a long island and it was SO strong and undrinkable. Tim left and came back 3 different times to tell us he had to do something else and would be back, and the last time he came back which was about 25 min after the first visit he asked if we even still wanted to hear about the specials. Once he made time for us, We hurried and ordered the stuffed mushrooms and calamari to start and by the time it was brought to the table, it wasnt even hot. The mushrooms were slathered in marinara and soggy, and my boyfriend didn't mind the calamari. At no point did Tim ask how everything was. The main course was awful. I ordered veal Marsala and he had the chicken parmesan. There was so much marinara on the chicken parm, the skin and chicken were soggy. My marsala was awful, the veal was overcooked and tasted boiled, the veggies added nothing but moisture and that broth was bland and had a jelly look to it. I sent it back (with a different employee because Tim never came back) and ordered the fettuccine was was a much better choice, though the sauce was bland. The service was absolutely terrible. Tim spent more time stopping by the table to tell us how he had to be in another part of the restaurant, and once we asked for the check early he walks to the table and said "heard you wanted the check, here you go" and takes off from the table. No asking how things were, what the occasion was that brought us out, not asking if something went wrong (especially after hearing that we sent food and drinks back), just treated us like an afterthought. He didn't even tell us to have a good night and we could literally see him trying to avoid coming back to the dining room where we were until we finally left for the night. It was so bad, that 2 other employees (Ben and Jaimar) stopped by our table several times EACH to make sure we were taken care of and they were literally the best parts of the entire evening. They brought us bread when they say we were there 30 min with no food, brought several new drinks, and asked us how everything was going. I didn't even want to order another drink because of everything and Jaimar got me to try a paradise martini and it was wonderful. The busser, a young guy named Ben, even asked me specifically what I didn't like about the veal and asked if I wanted it remade. He even brought a slice of cheesecake to try and save my birthday. This was definitely not a great first impression, but thank you Ben and Jaimar for...

I usually like going to Gian-Tony’s—sitting at the bar after work, grabbing a drink and a hot meal. Tonight I ordered pickup instead, and it was a disaster. I got toasted ravioli, seafood ravioli, and chicken spiedini with a peppercorn cream sauce swap (extra charge—fine). The woman taking the order was clearly new, didn’t know the sides or sauces, had to ask—but she was nice, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt. What I got? Bland cream sauce, no peppercorn, no flavor. Not even close to what I asked for. Then it got worse—they gave me the wrong pasta entirely. I ordered seafood ravioli and got scallop pasta. I called. The guy gave me attitude immediately. No apology—just “I looked at the receipt, you’re wrong.” After enough back and forth, he finally agreed to remake it, then called it beef ravioli. Second person now who couldn’t even name what I ordered. I pick it up, come home, reheat my chicken, and find a ripped piece of plastic in my mouth. I called again, and the first thing out of his mouth was, “What do you want me to do?” I had to lay it out—apologize, remake the food, and comp the meal. He came back with “the chef apologizes,” like he couldn’t even say it himself. Then had to go ask permission to comp it. Three trips, two hours wasted, cold food every time—and not one real apology. Then I find out they’re now refusing to reimburse anything. When I called back to ask why they were backtracking on what they already said over the phone, the response I got was: “Gian-Tony will not be calling you on a personal cell,” and apparently, they now consider a comped tiramisu enough to fix the whole thing. Absolutely not. Don’t lie to your customers, don’t flip the story, and don’t make people chase you down for basic decency. Gian-Tony’s is being sold anyway, and good—because the way this place is being run now is embarrassing. Or maybe he’s just been racking up...

This is my family's go to restaurant in The Hill when in St. Louis. Being part Italian (from the NYC metro area) I seek out delicious Italian cuisine, and Gian-Tony's is top notch. The food and service is consistently very good. We started our meal with the Ravioli Tostati, aka Toasted Ravioli. They have to be the best Toasted Ravioli we have ever eaten. Crunchy, but not too crunchy, on the outside, and then on the inside is a meaty filling covered by a soft yet slightly al dente ravioli. We dipped it into a meaty tomato dipping sauce. Then we ordered the Mozzarella Bufala Salad. The tomatoes were firm and meaty, and tasted sweet, and topped with a slice of creamy yet slightly salty Buffalo Mozzarella cheese. Then all of it was topped with a Vinaigrette dressing that was flavorful especially with the fresh basil. My wife enjoyed her Ravioli Bolognese, and my son devoured his Pasta Con Polpette meal. He couldn't stop raving about the meatballs and how delicious they were. I ordered the Risotto Con Pesce, and enjoyed it as well. The shrimp, clams, tomatoes and mushrooms were cooked perfectly, and the saffron infused risotto was creamy and flavorful from the white wine and seafood broth. For dessert my wife enjoyed the Volcano. She raved about the warm brownie being the best one she has ever eaten. It wasn't too dense or rich just the perfect balance of each. My son and I ordered the Cannolis. The crispy shell was a perfect golden brown color. The filling was okay, but not what I was expecting. It was far too sweet and had too thin of a consistency. The Espresso was a perfect ending to the meal. Just the right amount of bitterness to counteract the sweet filling. The hostesses and servers were very friendly, helpful...