Babbo Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Surprise

Updated September 2024:

What happened? I don't normally say bad things about the places we go, but I have to change my rating and update my review. Tonight was a disappointment.

First, the place was deadly empty--so much so that if it had been our first time, we would have left without dining. I wish we had.

The good news: our service was excellent (thanks, Abby). Our complimentary bread and oil and vinegar was tasty. Our Babbo Simple Salads were delicious. Our wines were delicious, too. The pricing was fine, but they added a 3% surcharge to avoid changing the menu prices. Newsflash: inflation is back to normal and the menus can't be very expensive to swap out. Not very classy.

Okay, now the bad: our entrees were poor. I had the bolognese and she had the eggplant parm. My sauce was under-flavored, underwhelming, actually, and her eggplant tasted like it came out of a package. What gives? This isn't what we'd experienced before. I don't know if it was an anomaly, but I'm not going to drop another hundred bucks to find out.

End of update.

We didn't know. We rolled up on Babbo Italian Eatery on a Tuesday at 5pm, thinking we'll beat the rush. Are you kidding? It was packed and there was a huge waiting list. Apparently, we were the only people in the Valley who didn't know about the spaghetti and meatballs special on Mondays and Tuesdays. Half price, or something. I don't know because we didn't order it. With a menu like theirs, why would you? There is so much to choose from, so we did.

But first, we had to wait a bit. I have to hand it to Isabella up front. She managed the crowd--impatient and apparently hungry--with grace and aplomb. Oh, and efficiency, too. She was an ace.

When we got to our table, Leroy was our server. There was a little trouble finding a wine they had in stock, but when our first two choices were null, he recommended the Malbec from Argentina. Good call, Leroy, and we were off!

We shared the pomodoro tomato appetizer, which was delicious with the complimentary (and deserving compliments) bread. It came out pretty promptly. The kitchen was a little back up, so we fixed that with another glass of wine!

I had the baked rigatoni with the bolognese sauce and she had the pasta rustico. Both were terrific and too much to eat in one setting. Leftovers!

The setting was lively and lit, service was top-notch, and Leroy and Isabella made sure the wait and the food were both great. We'll be back and not just to dine. Their take-out looks so tempting, too.

What a nice place to have in our part of the Valley. Highly...

I came here for the first time Thursday, early evening, on July 3rd. The restaurant was mentioned during a conversation about Italian restaurants in the Phoenix area. I arrived just before 5:00 and was greeted. Being by myself I took a seat at the bar. While perusing the menu I asked for a water and Sprite; easy ice. What I received was a water and soda/tonic water; no syrup. I mistakenly said it was flat, but meant to say no syrup. It took some time to get it corrected. I gave my order then; starting with the Pomodoro salad, and the entree Rustico. Focaccia bread was brought with a saucer of olive oil & balsamic vinegar. I added parmigiana cheese, and noshed away while waiting. Focaccia to me is very soft, and doesn’t compare at all with Italian bread. The salad arrived, and as you see in the photos there’s two tomatoes and a slice of mozzarella. The unappealing thing about this is the tomatoes were cold. Fresh tomatoes are best at room temperature. This salad could have used more cheese too. Things improved as the entree arrived. A generous portion of penne pasta cooked al dente with a flavorful sauce, ricotta cheese, baby spinach, and mozzarella. A short break following the entree I asked about the cannolis, and ordered them. There’s three to an order, with three options, and I chose one of each. Between them the limoncello had a lot of flavor compared to the pistachio. Can’t go wrong with chocolate chip. I couldn’t finish it all, and boxed the remaining two after finishing the limoncello. My check after tax totaled $40.96. About the restaurant… it was spacious, not too bright, clean, warm, and inviting. The bar seemed rather large, and a place for accommodating take out orders from another side entrance. The restroom was clean. A bit odd having a large metal trash can. Parking is no issue as there are plenty of spaces. While it’s summer, the patio looks to offer a nice setting for outdoor dining. They have private rooms, and can accommodate all sizes of parties. I may return. Experience this restaurant for yourself. For myself I look for food that’s simple, good, not complex, and not pretentious. Italian cuisine is like that. More stars could have been earned on the bread, salad, and service that was fine; nothing stellar....

The food is always great, but today the service was an absolute disappointing experience. We had an older female with dark hair as a waitress and she was rude, slow and appeared to be irritated. When she brought out the oil i asked for some without vinegar. She just looked at me and walked off. When she brought the oil, bread and marinara sauce she put down the marinara sauce then asked who had the oil. She then immediately asked about water and told her i had the oil. She looked at me and told me in a super rude voice "this isn't about you right now". I don't know about other people, but I do know if I was rude like that at work I would probably get time off without pay

She filled up our water once and that was when we were 90% of the way finished eating. We asked for side items and all she could say is it cost more. I did not ask her if it costs more I just asked her for the extra items. Of course extra items cost more.

We ordered spaghetti and meatballs for my two young kids to share. All she could do is tell us they do not allow splitting. Really. REALLY! She ended up letting us split it and gave us two bowls yay for her... why even bring it up if you're going to let us split it.

The manager, well I think it was the manager he did not say anything. All I know is he was wearing a black vest and a purple shirt, was asked by another person in our party if they could get more bread and oil because our waitress never showed up. The guy just looked at him walked away and then had somebody else bring it five minutes later. Maybe that's how they are taught to just look at people and walk away. I worked in customer service for a long time and we were always taught to talk to people.

This was definitely a long day that just got worse. when people go out they like to have a nice time. Not have to worry about people being rude in the establishment they are eating at.

We have been to Babbo's many of times. We have been to the old establishment many times and the new one several times since it has recently opened. I give this experience a two-star only because the food was good. Although when we have Cameron it is definitely a five-star for the experience and food. Unfortunately Cameron was not...