Pellegrinos Italian Kitchen & Catering — Restaurant in Tumwater

Edit- Did some research and found out our “server” on her phone was actually the GM.. even more disappointing.

I never make reviews like this, but I was highly disappointed last night. My boyfriend and I decided to go out after work, and it was a friday night so we expected it to be a little busy. We called and ask the wait time, not to make a reservation since we were previously informed its first come first serve, and got told 15 minutes. Perfectly fine! We go into the restaurant and get told we can leave our name and phone number, and will get a text once our table was ready. We found this odd, as we were told no reservations were able to be made, but also excited since the waiting area had quite a bit of people, so we preferred to wait in our car (that was just down the street.) When we got the text, we instantly came into the restaurant. We walk to the counter, say our table was ready, and the server goes “John?” (My boyfriend’s name) before us even saying. We respond Yes! and the server rudely explains to us that he gave our table away, and it will be another 5-10 minutes. I’m not kidding you we had only gotten the text 2 MINUTES prior. I am not sure if their system said differently, something happened, or what the case was. However, do not have a waitlist asking for customers phone numbers if you are “first come, first serve” and then just give someone’s table away. Warn them. In my opinion, if you guys are just going to give a table away to whoever comes in, don’t have the phone number system. You will always have problems and complaining if you run like this. I work in customer service and I can tell you this was absolutely no way to treat a customer. All of the staff were rude, they had no manners (especially for the kitchen and counter being so close to customers) they were talking about customers in various ways and how they make their money. (Which is a conversation to be held somewhere else, in a more private setting.) Our server was a nice girl, but on her phone more than not and she never checked on us after serving our food. She would be on her phone before walking up the stairs, pouring drinks, or even simply just standing at the front counter. (Which not to mention is very gross and unhygienic) We actually had to grab another server for a simple drink refill, which our original server completely ignored. A different server walked people who had came in to a dirty table, which was a noticeable and embarrassing event to watch. One server at the counter was also wearing a pimple patch which in my opinion is very unsanitary and unprofessional in a restaurant setting. On top of everything, the food was ok… nothing to die for. I was very excited to go here for the first time, but left very displeased and...

I would like to share my concerns about a recent visit to Pagliano’s Italian Kitchen and Catering, where I had the worst dinning experience. Like may children, my little one prefers not to mix certain foods. I politely asked the waitress to place the steak on a separate plate because seeing blood from the steak on the noodles might discourage my child from eating. Despite repeating my request multiple times, the steak was still served on top of the noodles, with blood smearing the dish. There was no apology from the waitress, even though she acknowledged the mistake. We chose not to complain and tried to enjoy the rest of our meal.

After lunch, we ordered a chocolate cake. I made it very clear to the waitress that my child is allergic to nuts. I asked her repeatedly if the chocolate cake contained any nuts, and she confidently assured me it did not. However, when the cake arrived, it had a topping that looked suspiciously like nuts. I tasted a small piece and suspected it was not nut- free. When my husband tried it, he confirmed that it actually contained walnuts.

I asked the waitress to double check, and her initial response was dismissive, suggesting that the topping was graham crackers. When we pointed out that it was indeed nuts, she reluctantly offered to either cut off the part with nuts or remove the cake from the bill. Yet again, there was no apology. She seemed irritated and left.

When I later approached her as she spoke to her manager, she appeared annoyed and defensive. Her attitude was unprofessional; she even rolled her eyes and sarcastically asked, “what do want me to do? Apologize?” when se did say “sorry,” it felt insincere and dismissive. I was humiliated in front of her coworkers and deeply upset by her lack of empathy.

I understand that mistakes can happen- ingredients might change, and staff might overlook certain details. However, when a mistake could lead to a life-threatening allergic reaction, I expect the staff to respond with genuine concern and take responsibility. Offering discount was not enough. What I wanted was a sincere, human-to-human apology and acknowledgment of the seriousness of the situation. I would have gladly paid for the cake if it meant receiving better customer service and care.

This experience was deeply disappointing. As a longtime resident of Olympia and a previous customer of Pagliano’s Italian Kitchen, I am saddened to say I will not return. I am sharing this review to warn others, especially those with allergies, to exercise caution when dining at...

We ordered, from DoorDash, a very special birthday dinner for my friend who is turning 74. We ordered chicken piccata with garlic bread and a Caesar salad with extra dressing. We also ordered extra sauce and were charged for extra sauce for the chicken piccata. Unfortunately, what we received was chicken scallopini, which has pancetta in it and he does not eat pork so we ended up throwing that entire entrée away. The other issue is the garlic bread. Normally their garlic bread is absolutely delicious, it was dry and flavorless, almost as if it was stale. It is so very unfortunate. We used to order from Pellegrino’s all the time, their chicken piccata is the best we have ever tasted. I am so disappointed in this restaurant. We did receive a credit from DoorDash so we are only out a tip and a delivery fee, which is completely understandable. Something so simple as checking the order before it’s bagged for DoorDash would’ve prevented this mistake and prevented them from losing a customer. I understand that mistakes are made, but this was so completely preventable with a 30 second check of the food before it went out. Update: I called right after receiving the order to let them know about the error, the gentleman I spoke with said he was going to the office to find the manager. He then came back on and said the manager was not in the office and he was going to look around the restaurant for the manager. He came back on the line again, took my name and number and said he would have the manager call me right away. I’ve never received a call. When this restaurant is good, it’s really good. I can only recommend never order through a delivery service, you need to check every order yourself to make sure it is right. Very sad that their manager doesn’t care enough to call even just to offer a quick apology. They lost a customer. UPDATE: the General Manager, Kenzi, just called and let me know that the note, with my phone number, had been misplaced and she just found it. Kenzi was very apologetic and is sending an email gift card. I am very happy with this solution and her acknowledgement of the mistake and we will definitely be giving Pelligrinos...