Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza - Southern Trace — Restaurant in The Villages

Came to this "Chain" pizzeria based on reviews. I guess because many gave this location such outstanding reviews I was disappointed on a multitude of levels. I found the food mediocre certainly NOT extraordinary. Actually, we came for lunch and arrived on time. However, there was a wait. By the time we were seated it was a few minutes before lunch ended. Our waitress stopped by (she was busy) and stated she'd be back but did not take our drink order nor did the hostess ask if she could offer a beverage as she seated us. By the time our waitress did come back, it was 4:02 pm so past lunch by 2minutes. I did inquire if I could still order lunch (and did stipulate that we arrived and were seated prior to 4pm) but she stated, " no we were on the dinner menu. "So, I personally did not get what I came for but found a dinner alternative . I ordered chicken Marsala which was ok but portions were small and Marsala was sugar (rather than wine ) forward. Please note , if you want a soup or salad with your dinner, it is NOT included; there is an upcharge. Most Italian restaurants ( think Roberto's, Francesco's , Little Joey's...gosh even Carrabas and Olive Garden) offer a soup or salad with an entre. Regardless, I wanted to try the soup so I did ask to have it added. It is an up charge of $4.00 to your menu item (a basic salad would be the same) though they did initially charge me the $5.99 cup fee. We opted not to order an appetizer as everything was up charged. Hubby ordered the Medeteranian dish at $18.99; to add a chicken protein it was $6.99; then a salad $3.99. Total for this dish $30,00(ish). It wasn't that the food was bad, it was good BUT certainly NOT GREAT!!! It sure was not worth the price point ! I have no issues paying this for a "fine dining" establishment. This is NOT that!! It's a chain with decent but NOT extraordinary cuisine with average service. Also, the wine selection is ... dare I say... meh!!! House wine is not a great brand and was overpriced (based on nearby locations with same branding). I ordered from their premium wine selection ( which is a lower end store grade) think Josh and paid $13.00 for a glass . For reference draft beer (menu price) is $7.00. Happy hour is offered with a dollar or two off usual an customary pricing. Still a bit high compared to other local businesses. We did get a pizza to go. It was decent. Again, good but not great but we did spend over $20.00 for a 12 inch pizza. I can think of another local (not chain) Italian restaurant which offers BOGO pizzas for $16.00. Again, food was ok, no complaints about the taste but the price point does NOT match the service, offerings, atmosphere. I will not return for dinner but might try a lunch (make sure you...

The place is clean and orderly. The service is very good and the staff are friendly and attentive. The prices are competitive and the portions are large. We will get 2 meals out of our entree’s and even the appetizers. I usually judge an Italian restaurant by whether or not they put oregano in their red sauce. I believe that oregano is a Greek herb and doesn’t belong in Italian red sauce, but it is acceptable in pizza sauce and salad dressing. There’s oregano in the red sauce here, but it’s not overpowering like in other restaurants. Try just sweet basil! It’s more authentic. Overall, it was a good experience and we will be back. The acoustics are not ideal. Many of the patrons are elderly and have difficulty hearing to begin with. We found ourselves yelling at each other and even the waitress needed to...

Stopped by around 3:30 and requested a booth—there were several empty ones. Was asked if a “half” booth right by the entrance door was okay, and I declined because of the customer traffic. (Actually it was a table with a bench on one side and chairs on the other.) The young man and woman seating customers said that they were seating according to waitress equity and that was what was available. They gave us no options,, and although I was more than disappointied with the lack of customer service, I said we would order takeout. When we went to the adjacent takeout counter and asked for a menu, the employee said that they didn’t have any menus and to look online. For a restaurant new to the area, these three Piesano employees need some training on customer service. Such a shame because their...