Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse — Restaurant in Upper Merion Township

Went to Davio's this evening to celebrate my anniversary. Our first interaction was with the young man working the valet. He was friendly and welcoming, asked if we were celebrating anything and wished us happy anniversary when we told him. We then went into the restaurant we were greeted by a gentleman at the hostess stand (this man did not appear to be the hostess) who barely spoke and did not smile. We were taken to a table and given our menus and wine list. While we were reviewing the menu a lovely young lady stopped at our table to offer us water. Jamie was our waitress and at first she was personable and efficient however shortly before our order was taken a larger table was sat in the same section and we no longer became her priority. The runners brought our appetizer (meatballs) and we were done before she came back to our table. She stopped by once after our food was brought (and it felt like it was only because she was already there at the 4 top next to us when our food was being placed on the table) and we did not see her again until dessert. A very nice gentleman saw us sat with dirty plates and asked if he could take them. He then came back and asked if he could box our remaining food and brought it back out to us. We ordered a dessert to share and I ordered a cup of coffee. Jamie brought cold coffee out and had to take it back and make fresh coffee which was disappointing as it was brought after the dessert was already on the table. While we sat there listening to the staff munch in our ears (apparently someone thought it was a good idea for the staff eating area to be on the other side of the booths with no wall to muffle sound or view) we watched another server Fabian serve his tables. He went over menu items, gave his favorites, made recommendations, was attentive and personable. I truly believe that his customers had a vastly different experience to what I had. The service killed the experience for us. The food was good but comparable to other restaurants for the price bracket. If you want to give this place a try I'd recommend requesting Fabian as your server to insure a great dining experience. If this doesn't sound like a place you'd enjoy or you are seeing this review to late, I'd recommend going to Fogo De Chao across the street.

Update 11/26/23

After I left this review I received the standard corporate response and did not follow up regarding my experience with the restaurant. On 11/25/23 I received a call from one of the managers Joe. He tracked down my number from the reservation and made it a point to reach out to me regarding my experience. We had a good conversation about what I felt about my experience and what his plans were so that customers did not have complaints about their experience. He invited my wife and I to come back and have another dinner and give another review.

We went today and it was a much better experience. We were sat with Fabian who was everything I previously stated and more. He was engaging and a joy to have as a server. He was very personable and attentive. All of the food was delicious and my coffee was hot and fresh. The overall experience was 1000× better.

I feel confident that my concerns were taken seriously and that the management team are being diligent in ensuring their guests always have...

This was my first time to Davio's KOP. My wife and I decided to go there for Valentines day and decided to order the pre fixe menu.

To begin, it is too bright in the restaurant, not a romantic atmosphere at all. It was busy and service was slow. Servers were bringing the wrong plates to the wrong tables. Dinner took too long to get to the table. Our server was very personable and appeared semi caring.

For the primi, we both got the lobster and caviar cream fettuccini and were not impressed in the least. The pasta was cooked al dente, which we like, but the sauce was boring. That plate was ok.

My wife got the Red Snapper, Lump Crab, Black Truffle Orzo, Spinach dinner and said she had no complaints, but wasn't impressed.

I got the 8 oz. Center Cut Filet Mignon, Grilled Prawn, Potato Au Gratin, Asparagus, Brandy Peppercorn dinner. The fillet was cooked to the ordered temp. The brandy peppercorn was non-existent. The steak hadn't even been salted, it was just a filet like any other I've had. The prawn was over cooked and dry lacking flavor. There were 4 asparagus spears that came with it with the woody ends left on, and one was not fit for serving as it was grey and limp. There was a very small portion of gratin potatoes. The potatoes were the best part of the dish. I also ordered a side of mushrooms. They were ok, again though, nothing impressive.

The dessert for the pre fixe dinner was Warm Chocolate Cake, Amaretto Cheesecake, and a Dark Chocolate Strawberry. The cake my wife got was a warm firm centered cake. The cake I got had a runny chocolate interior. I was not looking for a volcano cake like at chili's but it was ok. The cheesecake was boring, flavorless and a bit too dense for my taste. Maybe it's meant to be like a NY cheesecake, I should have asked. The strawberry wasn't ripe so all I could taste was the chocolate.

We had a few drinks throughout the meal and they were good, but the meal was simple and adequate. It really felt like we had spent our valentines day at Olive Garden.

I highly doubt I'll ever go back, but if I do, it'll be to the bar only. The drinks...

Pricey, but not sure food matches. Don't get me wrong it is good. I have been here a few times and I was not particularly impressed by the weight staff. They were not educated enough to make suggestions or to be able to help if someone dining had a food allergy with something as simple as dairy intolerance. I for sure didn't want to ask about gluten. The staff should be very versed on the way food is prepared and if not get someone that is. I don't mind paying hundreds of dollars for dinner but please know your menu enough to make suggestions and pair the courses properly. This has not been the first time this has happened and because of this I have lowered to 3 stars. Also to mention that the noise level is not moderate, its flat out loud. If your in the middle of the dining room it was difficult to have a conversation without also yelling. I went back 3/23/24. Wow, not impressed at all. Waiter was horrible. I asked a simple question again about dairy and he said they don't have anything. eventually he said spaghetti with grilled chicken, which I was OK with. $38 for boxed pasta, dried out grilled chicken tasteless and sauce that was pure sugar and salt. I love salt but not iodized salt, horrible. Friend had Lobster Risotto and wanted some extra protein, he said scallops so we agreed. 3 scallops on top. It wasn't to bad but again salty and for $65 completely not worth it. We had a beet salad as we always like to start and share that. It wasn't big enough to share, nice presentation but you can only spread out a few cut beets so far, not very good. Philly Rolls were OK but I think I tasted the same ones in Costco while shopping. Also while changing flatware and plates the waiter literally was throwing things on the table and then rotating them by flicking them with his fingers in the right direction. It was $205 before tip and for this price I would go to Cap Grille or Eddie V's and have a fantastic meal with very knowledgeable wait staff. To get this same quality food I would go to Applebees and...