Strings Italian Cafe — Restaurant in Visalia

This is for the Manager, Our very first Dinning experience on Mothers Day weekend was a Nightmare. My Husband n arrived early 330 pm you opened up at 4pm, we were first in line to request a Table for 13, our Children n Grands were on there way within in minutes to celebrate Mothers day with the family. 4PM came People were lining up behind us, Waitress open gate ask how many I told her 13, she said where are your 13 people I said on there way, she told me, I cant not seat you at a table till all 13 have arrived. I said they will be here any minute, we came early to reserve a table no reservations on holidays, no you have to wait outside when they come I will seat your party, blew me off, told all the customers behind me to go in front of me n my Husband, i went told my Husband n he said they be here any minute what is going on with not seating us!?? I went back inside, she said they change there Party rules, as the night before they had a party that sat for a hour waiting for all to show up, so now that's what the Rules are! Are u kidding me, what kind of Restaurant are you running? You cant treat every Customer like that cause your previous Party had some issues. Not my problem. Like you dont trust or Believe in your Customers. Within minutes all our Family showed up, lucky they still had a large table to accommodate us, after letting at least 30 people go ahead of us. It was mothers day I didn't want to be upset, we enjoyed our Dinners food was very good, the whole situation put a damper on our Evening. In all my Years I have never been treated so rude n poorly, it doesn't even make sense, have you ever seen a party just Show up at exact time n March in Restaurant together all 13 no a few minutes here n there, they will be arriving, it's not realistic, Hopefully you will re think this new policy you enforce on us. Tell me how would you feel if this happened to you? Please Be Kind to your Customers they Help you all make a...

We decided on this place because of the good reviews. I'm guessing they are paid for because we had the opposite experience. I ordered the shrimp scampi and my wife had a dish with mussels and shrimp. The scampi was simply awful. Literally zero flavor. Just tasted like plain, unflavored angel hair. And the four shrimp, yes only four, were tough and flavorless as well. My wife's entree wasn't any better. Just bland and the seafood was tough and chewy. I sent mine back because it was awful but they still tried to charge me the ridiculous price of $22. We asked to speak to the manager and he refused to speak to us. Just sent the waitress back to tell us we had to pay for it because they boxed it up for us. If I didn't want to eat it in the restaurant why on earth would I want to take it home? So we again asked to speak to the manager. Again he refused and sent the waitress back to deal with us. She was delightful but he is a true coward. What kind of manager is afraid to speak to unhappy customers? It wasn't until we threatened to walk out and pay for nothing that they finally removed the worthless entree from our check. So all told we had a terrible dinner, still spent $80 with only one entree, an appetizer and two glasses of wine. Do yourself a favor and just go to the Olive Garden across the street. The food will be better and I doubt the manager will hide in the back if there's an issue. And to the owners of this place, you might look into finding a replacement for your night manager. Might I suggest the waitress who was so helpful and friendly. She's the reason for a two star review...

We tried Strings Italian Café in Visalia as our first Italian spot since moving back to the Valley. The food was genuinely good — we ordered several pasta dishes, and my daughter got the fettuccine alfredo, which she loved.

But we won’t be returning. Not because of the food, but because the service doesn’t justify the price, and the lack of transparency in how they handle charges left a really bad impression.

The kids’ menu listed pasta for $6.99 — pick a sauce, pick a noodle. Our 7-year-old was asked, “Would you like chicken or shrimp with your pasta?” with no mention of a price change. She chose chicken. Simple enough, right?

Except when the bill came, her “kids’ plate” had magically become a “sauced & tossed” for $14.98. More than double the listed price. When I asked if it was a mistake, the waitress firmly replied, “No, the protein is what adds the charge.”

No apology. No acknowledgment that this wasn’t communicated clearly up front. Just a “that’s how it is” vibe — as if we should’ve known better and been fine with it.

What really pushed it over the edge? The tone and delivery at the end. It wasn’t just the surprise charge — it was how condescending and dismissive the explanation felt. That’s when we made the decision to walk out without leaving a tip.

Not something I do lightly — I usually tip 30%. But this time? 0%. Not out of spite, but because the service fell that short.

Summary: Great food. But if you're bringing kids or expect clarity around what you’re being charged for, proceed with caution. We left feeling like we’d been misled — and talked down to for...