Papa Joe's Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Town of Gates

June 1st 2019

First impressions is everything was greeted by welcoming and friendly hostess. We arrive to our table(22) My boyfriend pulled my chair out for me to sit down noticing water and food on seat.We cleaned up ourselves with the napkins that were provided on the table which were also not clean Our server I believe her name is Robyn (red hair) we were table 22 she seemed to be under some type of stress/having a bad day ,we have all been there at one point however not off to a good start 😐 Our server lets us know what the specials were . (She appeared to have a aggravated tone) . We ordered our meals , looking forward to this, it is very rare that we are able to get together due to our schedules for romantic dinners . our server brings out a bread basket and abruptly drops it on table (no apology or excuse me) not to mention crossing in front of me to place it by my boyfriend which personally I would’ve went around the table to put it in between us The Bread that was provided for us on the table was more than likely ordered last Monday ( stale ) Our soups arrived (Italian wedding) with majority of the soup in the saucer,and no meatballs, thinking possible this is ( Italian divorce soup) again crossing in front of me to place the soup in front of my boyfriend . Not to mention the crackers were tossed on the table ! Most servers would take you water glass and pour off to the side of the table to refill your water , soak my clutch !! However The busboy was very friendly made eye contact and asked us if we were all set and done with our dishes so he could take them and offered us more water . My Saturday special ( prime rib ) appears to me pre-cooked then microwaved ?! Hot and cold spots on prime rib ?!. I Asked a difference staff member about it, and apparently I was told “that’s what they do .”🤔 My boyfriends chicken French arrives looks great however very bland little to no taste (Sherry/lemon sauce) The pasta was watery?! Not drained correctly before adding sauce . very disappointed . My boyfriend and I took a couple of bites of each other’s dinner to taste it. we left the rest untouched . Our server walks by our table and asks how’s everything , we said not good she kept on walking, either she ignored us or didn’t Want to hear our feedback That being said we were asked by our server “ do you want coffee “ Her tone was not friendly We both declined the coffee.” No thank you”. my boyfriend picked up the dessert menu and asked to try the chocolate peanut butter pie, in doing so as he was asking for the dessert she turned and walked towards the kitchen , And before I could ask for mine she was gone /walked away from the table and we were not sure if she Heard my boyfriend, let alone asked me if I would like some dessert . So we sat at the table shrugged our shoulders and smiled at each other then said I guess the check will be coming out. a short time later a peanut butter chocolate pie arrives our server again crosses over me to place the pie in front of my boyfriend, and Proceeds to hold up a fork in front of my face.?! The server is looking at me not saying a word and has a grin on her face ?! at this point we are feeling that we are being Punked or on some type of joke TV show ( “what would you do” ). I declined the fork and said no thank you I’m all set ....... I myself work in the service industry We are a very rare breed . We are very hard-working individuals this is not for everyone. I know first hand what it’s like to work long hours, nights , weekends, special events and holidays !! and it is a shame when I do have the opportunity to have someone to take care of my boyfriend and I and we end up with someone like this. I would highly recommend Papa Joe’s Italian eatery to have a staff meeting on professional ethics / serving etc. I would be more than happy to come in and help you out.! I like to end on a positive note to the other staff members/servers I noticed friendly smiles & engaging to the...

I really hate leaving bad reviews but this one is an exception since it’s a health and safety hazard to protect people in the future. We had a horrible experience there that made us sick.

We ordered a vegetarian dish of pasta with broccoli, oil and garlic and were given pasta with chicken broth with pasta instead. This restaurant is not friendly to vegetarians or vegans, or people with dietary differences.

We told the waitress no meat and dairy/eggs in the food and she served us stuff with hidden chicken in it . She was fully aware we didn’t eat meat. We didn’t order anything with meat in it and made it clear we didn’t want meat in our dishes. She assured us the salad didn’t have meat when we asked the ingredients in the salad and dressing, once again confirming our diets. She then looked at the menu and said the pasta dish we ordered didn't have meat (she was wrong we found out too late). Will not be going back there ever.

She did not even check on it with the cook until after she served the meal to us. When it was brought out, it looked so strange. The oil was too yellow, so we called her over to our table again and had her recheck with the cook for meat in it. After she brought it out and we found out she never asked the chief about the allergens (eggs/dairy) or meat in our food the first time, she just assumed from the menu that it was vegetarian since there were no signs of meat in it from the wording. The menu was misleading, one of the few dishes without meat listed on the menu, happened to have meat in it.

On the menu vegetable dishes that don’t usually contain meat (like pasta with broccoli and oil), vegetarian options, need to be labeled if there is meat in them, or a disclaimer instead of hiding items in foods that usually don’t have them. Where is the training...

We came here to celebrate birthdays and was my first experience at Papa Joe's. It was one of the worst dining experiences, I have had in several years. We sat down and waited 15 minutes before a waitress or waiter even poured water, let alone took a drink order. The waitress finally came over 25 minutes after we arrived and took drink orders. We ordered and out came bland clam chowder and iceberg lettuce with one cucumber slice and two grape tomatoes. We were served stale bread and not once did the waitress ask if I wanted another glass of wine. About 45 minutes after we finished the soup (and just as we were making the decision to leave) our food arrived. I ordered chicken saltimbocca over escarole. What arrived was boiled chicken on a plate of green mush swimming in soup. The prosciutto was clearly diced up and tossed into the meal as an afterthought. The mushrooms which should have been cooked were barely slide across a pan I sent my meal back and chose not to order anything else. My husband ordered the chicken delacasa The chicken had clearly been boiled in broth (that lacked garlic and wine) and was served to him as soup on a plate. Our friend's also had similar disgusting dishes. The staff at Papa Joe's offered excuses like they had large parties and it was hot in the kitchen. And we were advised the greens are cooked in advance. The table next to us was turned twice while we waited. The inattentive wait staff filled my husband's glass of gingerale with water. I suppose if you don't eat out on a regular basis, nor expect fresh ingredients or good service, then this restaurant would be considered good. Not for me. My standards are higher. ...