Siena Restaurant — Restaurant in Town of Amherst

This restaurant was very underwhelming to say the least. I’ve been to Rocco’s and 800 Maple before and both were incredible. Since this restaurant was under the same ownership I figured I would give it a try but never will I again. The service was SLOW. Like the slowest I’ve ever experienced. It took 10 minutes and us asking to even get menus to look at. 30 minutes in we finally placed our drink orders and 45 minutes in our appetizers and entrées. Dining on a Saturday night, you would expect they could handle the crowd that they anticipated (being they take reservations) but that was not the case. Our server, when she was at the table was great. Super friendly and knowledgeable. But the key there is “when” she was at the table. This restaurant needs to follow suit to Rocco’s and 800 maple when it comes to service. Having an operational background, this restaurant did not have anyone on staff familiar with how to run a restaurant. We thought the food would be worth the now 90 minute wait but it certainly was not. The food is nothing special and certainly not worth the price tag. Simply put this restaurant is a complete and utter rip off and my entire party was extremely disappointed after our 2 and a half hour experience here. We will never be coming back here which is sad. Hopefully whoever the manager is can figure it out because there are way better options in the area where you don’t need to spend an entire night or an entire paycheck to get decent...

First visit. Group lunch with a party of 9. My expectations were sky high. The Good: Despite a very cramped corner/window table, our server made the best of a not so great seating situation, and the service was great. The food came out fairly fast, especially considering our party's size. The stuffed banana peppers were very good.

Why I Won't Be Back/ The Not So Good Again, my expectations were through the roof just due to the overall reputation, location, as well as price point of the food. It was really nothing super special. My salmon was good....but not great and I really wanted a bit of salt and pepper, but for some reason they do not have any at the tables. I passed on the server's initial offer of pepper because I had not yet tasted the food, and then didn't have another opportunity to ask.

This is a single user restroom restaurant, which I realize is beyond their control, but I despise that situation, and had to wait so long I used the men's room out of desperation! The restrooms are also in a weird little cramped hallway that is also used for wine storage, so when you're "in line" you're really basically standing right next to someone's table. Awkward! The parking situation is awful. Again, out of their control but adds to why I will not be back because it was frustrating.

For the price point, IMO the food should have blown me away. It didn't. It wasnt bad mind you, but...

I can’t believe it only has 4 stars! (as of my edit below, I can see how they have the stars they have) First night: I’m glad my hotel’s restaurant was closed on Sunday’s or else I would’ve missed out terribly! The artichokes were delicious - fresh, delicate, meaty, perfectly flavored. The lobster risotto… was… indescribable. The risotto was perfectly cooked, w/ just the slightest al dente texture. The lobster was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Perfecto. The wine selection was great and I loved seeing Cynar behind the bar (I rarely if ever see that outside of Italy). Jen behind the bar was spectacular w/ her eye for detail and service. I’ll most likely be back tmrw for the pizza which looked incredible! EDIT: Changed my ratings as I gave this spot another try 2 nights later and there was a big difference in the service and the food. I now see why it has the stars it has. The arancini was burnt and so hard on the outside I had to scrape out the inside rice and cheese which was flavorless. Honestly, it looked like two turd logs on a plate. The bartender (not Jen) kept getting drinks for ppl walking up while I sat there ready to order dinner (which I told her I was eating). About 15 minutes later another bartender asked if I wanted to place an order, I said "yes, I was waiting for...