Antique Table Lynn — Restaurant in Swampscott

DO NOT DINE HERE ALOT HAS CHANGED. OWNERS AND STAFF VERY UNPROFESSIONAL NOW!!

I Came here a couple of years back and was blown away by the hospitality and quality of the food but I guess the owners are either not around or don’t need the money because Customer Service has flown out the window beginning with the bus boy at the door.

I spoke to Anderson on Friday, Oct. 9 around 12pm to make reservations for a party of 14 ($$$). He explained to me that everyone would not be able to sit together due to the pandemic. However, he quickly clarified that he could do a table of 10 and 6 feet apart a table of 4 so everyone is somewhat sitting together. I called back 30 mins later since I’ve been there before and know that the restaurant is small to clarify again with Anderson that we would not be separated and would be sitting in the same row to which answered, “you guys will be will be fine. You will be in the same row 2 tables 6 feet apart.”

So we arrived Sunday, October 11 as planned at 2:15pm the restaurant was empty besides a party of 4 that was finishing up and paying. The bus boy asked how can I can help you, I replied, “I have a reservation and told him my families last name.” He then pointed to the back (DID NOT WALK US TO THE TABLE) and said you guys are back there. I left my family in the front of the restaurant and went to go see the set up. There were 5 tables back there separated by plesi glass. So I came back to the front and said to the bus boy, “that’s not the set up I discussed with Anderson.” Instead of trying to make an attempt to accommodate, fix the tables, call/speak to his manager or the owner he quickly responded I’ve been instructed by my boss not to move any tables and not to make any changes due to the pandemic!! My response was, “I understand the regulations of the pandemic that’s not my problem. My problem is in here with my whole family, it’s my daughter’s birthday and I spoke to Anderson twice on Friday and he said that he would be able to do sir us in the same row. Now I’m here and you are telling me you can not. If for some reason something changed and you could not set the tables up as we discussed someone could have called me, yes.

As all of this was occurring a couple arrived and the bus boy quickly grabbed placemats, utensils and plates and nicely walked them to the table, something that he did not do for us, I guess because we were Hispanic and they were white!!

So now the bus boy says let me get the owner on the phone and you can speak to him because I cannot do anything. The owner gets on the phone and is very defensive explaining that because of the pandemic he cannot do what we were asking. He was speaking over me and yelling I had to ask him numerous times excuse me can I speak. I explain to him that I spoke with Anderson twice on Friday and that he said he would be able to sit us in one row with two tables 6 feet apart. However, he was so busy explaining that he cannot accommodate so many people at one table because of the pandemic that he stopped listening to what I was saying.

At this point I hung the phone up on him and decided to leave. I did not feel comfortable giving $$$ hundreds of dollars to a business that obviously is acting like they don’t need it. I also understand the bus boys attitude in any business customer service starts from the top down if the owners act like that you cannot expect anything more from the rest of the staff.

Truly it was upsetting and sad since I have family from out of town (NYC) that was looking forward to eating here. They were shocked at the treatment we received from the door (bus boy) and phone (owner).

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY HERE...

I did not want to make this post. However, I have left unanswered messages, including filling out the contact form on the website.

I flew in to MA for the weekend a few weeks ago. Brought a friend who had never been to the area. Stayed with best friends. These friends raved about Antique Table, as they had been going there for over a year, at least twice a month. So off to dinner we went.

When we arrived, it was clear my friends knew everyone who worked there. Friendly, family type atmosphere. We ordered appetizers, main entrees, four desserts, and drinks. The waiter was very attentive to us, and other waitresses stopped by. At one point, I "snuck" away to give the waiter my credit card and told him to add 20% for his tip. When I came back to the table, we continued to enjoy ourselves. At one point, one of the waitresses came by again to say "hi" and chat. My friend reached out to touch her back...however, since we were sitting down, he touched the top of her butt. After she talked to us at length again, she then left (my friend did not keep his hand on her, and she seemed fine, laughing and engaging with us). Immediately, my friend leaned over and told me he had "missed her back" as she came by our table and felt horrible and pulled his hand right away. I said I was sure she was okay because she stayed so long at our table and did not say anything. My friend wanted to find her and say he was sorry, but I, once again, thought it was not necessary because of the lovely conversation we had with her.

The waiter comes with the bill. I signed the almost $400.00 bill, and he left to process it. When he came back, the waiter proceeded to tell my friend what he did to the female waitress was inappropriate, which made her very uncomfortable. The four of us were a bit shocked this waiter would do this in front of the three of us. The waiter went on and. My friend explained what happened and felt horrible about it. The two other people did not know what had happened until the waiter spoke to my friend at the end of the meal.

What I wanted to tell the owner was the way the waiter approached my friend, in front of the rest of us, especially after taking MY money for his tip, should have been done differently. If the waitress, who my friends have known for well over a year, felt too uncomfortable to address my friend in person (which we could understand), the waiter should have asked my male friend to speak to him privately. The other two people at the table did not know what had happened, by mistake! My friend was very upset as this was clearly an accident. At the end of this uncomfortable discussion, in front of all of us, the waiter said, "we really hope to see you back again soon, and this is over."

I want to say again that this was something my friend never intended to do. I understand the waitress did not want to confront my friend (although all my training has been to address the situation right away, and there are ways it could have been done more appropriately).

My biggest issue is the way the waiter handled the situation. Humiliation in front of three other guests is not the proper way to handle this type of situation.

Since no one bothered to return my voice mails or the contact form online, I felt this post needed to be written.

Needless to say, we will...

🍝🇮🇹 Antique Table Lynn Review 🇮🇹🍝

Nestled at 2 Essex St, Lynn, MA, Antique Table Lynn is your cozy gateway to classic Italian pasta heaven! 🏡💕 Stepping inside feels like visiting your grandparents' home, complete with nostalgic wall pictures 🖼️

🦑 For appetizers, we indulged in the Calamari Fritti ($17.95): Crispy fried calamari with hot cherry peppers in a spicy house marinara sauce. The freshness and size of the calamari were spot-on, earning a solid 9/10. 🌶️🔥

🍆 Next up, the Eggplant Rollatine($16.95), stuffed with ricotta, topped with provolone cheese, basil, and marinara sauce. A cheesy delight for eggplant aficionados, also a 9/10. 🧀🌿

🍴 Entrees were a treat, starting with the Gnocchi Basilico ($17.95): Potato gnocchi with sautéed garlic, fresh tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. Possibly the fluffiest gnocchi outside of mom’s kitchen – another 9/10. 🍅👩‍🍳

🐔 The Chicken Miguel ($23.95): Panko crusted chicken over potato gnocchi in a creamy Marsala sauce. Perfectly cooked chicken paired with a divine sauce scored yet another 9/10. 🥘👌

As an Italian with high pasta standards, I’m thrilled to say Antique Table in Lynn delivers some of the cheesiest eggplant rollatine and fluffiest gnocchi in the North Shore. 🌟 If you’re a local or just passing through, don't miss out on this gem!

📊 Ratings: Food: 9/10 🍽️ Ambiance: 7/10...