Plum Tomato Pizzeria — Restaurant in Tarpon Springs

I am a small business owner so I don’t enjoy leaving a less than 5 star review nor do i do it often or after only one or two experiences. I am an avid review reader of restaurants that I have never been to so I appreciate honest reviews of patrons. We have ordered from there 6-8 times in the last 6 months. I will share the GOOD as well as the bad. GOOD: the first 3 times we ordered it was delicious BAD: On 7/25 we ordered 3 meals ($60 take out) 2 Chicken parm were burnt on the bottom and cold (we live within 4 min drive and were there for pick up before they boxed the order). The lasagna was burnt and very dry to the point of the noodles being crunchy. All three meals were completely inedible. Which was disappointing because we were starving and wound up eating cereal for dinner because we had waited for an hour and a half (i get it, everyone is short staffed and this is not fast food) and we’re just kind of done. In my attempt to avoid leaving bad review or just silently saying we will never dine there, I messaged the owner on FB messenger. GOOD: They were understanding and apologetic, which I appreciated. They ask for pics which I didn’t have because the food was in the trash but quickly agreed to credit my account for the meals -I would have preferred a refund but I understand as a business owner, this is a great way to get a customer back in your door. Fwd to today: my son wanted chicken parm for dinner so I remembered the credit and we called in the order. They gave us a 30 min time frame for pick up at 5:30 which was (GOOD)much faster than any time we have ever ordered before (it’s usually an hour or longer) but we were trying to beat the dinner rush. Got the free meals home and found pretty much the same as we have the last several times we’ve ordered. GOOD: the portions are large. One meal is enough for 2 people GOOD:The salad is a large portion and very fresh. OK: the bread is mediocre- dry, sliced from a loaf that we never eat. Even adding butter at home doesn’t help much. OK: pasta tends to be overly al dente OK: sauce tastes good but tends to be greasy BAD: chicken parm is a thin cutlet that is breaded (almost seems pre-breaded/frozen) but the worst part is it has been over cooked the last 3 times we’ve ordered to the point that it is tough and chewy. It required a serrated knife to cut through today. The cheese on top is also tough to chew through.

I really hoped that it would have been better this time because I really wanted to leave a good review considering their willingness to correct the problem last time. I hope that the owner/manager takes the repeated reviews that echo the same sentiment to heart and make some changes in the preparation of their meals. The complaints about the wait times, not being able to get through on a phone call, short staffed, etc are common EVERYWHERE these days. Patience goes a long way when we are all learning to adjust to the post-covid life where it’s next to impossible to find dependable employees. The food quality in a restaurant is a different story.

(Side note to owner...no need for a message or call. Just work on getting back to what Plum was when it was delicious and we will give it a try again...

I have been a customer of Plum Tomatoes for many years. This used to be a friendly, cozy place with delicious food. But recently I have had two very annoying encounters with a very rude manager, Melissa. I had placed an order online on January 1, but unfortunately, and even though I had received a confirmation number for my order, the order had not been delivered because the restaurant was closed. I called yesterday to ask when my order was going to be delivered, but a very rude manager, Melissa, insisted the order had not been placed and would not take my order number to check. She said they were closing at 9:00, and if I wanted to get my food I needed to place another order over a phone with a credit card. It was 8:12 and they said my order would come within an hour. I had ordered linguini with red clam sauce and received linguini with white clam sauce which tasted blah. Since the order was delivered after 9 p.m., I thought it was too late to call. So I called tonight to let the manager know about the problem I had with the order and to get my food replaced. The very rude manager Melissa said I would not get a replacement or a refund because I had not called the night before. She said they closed at 9:00, but that they were there till 11:00. How was I to know???? She refused to replace my order and said she would talk to the owner when he came by on Sunday, and it would be at his discretion whether my food was replaced or not. She said she was very busy, to have a nice day and she hung up on me. This is Thursday, she is the manager, and she cannot make the decision to replace a wrong order? I have always ordered this dish with red sauce only. I should not have to wait 4 days to get help. This restaurant also charges a “convenience fee” for using a credit card. I will contract my CC company to dispute...

Oh Mamma Mia, Plum Tomato Pizzeria is the Real Deal! 🍝🍤

If food could sing, the Pasta Pomodoro with shrimp would be serenading us with a love ballad! The sauce was so fresh and natural, I swear I heard it say, "I just came from Nonna's garden!" The shrimp? Perfectly cooked, plump little swimmers that made us want to do the backstroke right into the bowl.

Then came the Veal Francaise with Alfredo Pasta, and oh boy... That veal was so tender it practically apologized as we cut into it. The Alfredo sauce? Creamy enough to make even a lactose-intolerant soul reconsider their life choices. We’re talking liquid gold here, folks. It was so good I almost wrote it into my will.

Oh, and the bread—good Lord, the bread! You could taste the love in every slice, knowing it was made fresh right there in the kitchen. Honestly, everything tasted like it was crafted by a team of culinary angels who start baking at dawn. The portions were massive, too. If you leave without a box of leftovers, either you’re lying, or you have a black hole for a stomach.

Portions? Let's just say you'll leave with leftovers—or a food coma. Either way, it's a win-win. Honestly, if you're not rolling out of Plum Tomato Pizzeria like a stuffed ravioli, did you even eat?

Bottom line: 10/10, will be dreaming about this meal for the foreseeable future. Buon...