Gino’s at the Point — Restaurant in Washington

I researched and reserved a table at this restaurant to celebrate my graduation from graduate school. I wanted an intimate restaurant with a view and specifically hoped for Italian food. My family are not extremely wealthy but well enough off that we agreed that spending more than your average restaurant was doable given that it was a special occasion. In looking at the menu online, prices seemed to vary from about $20 for a pasta dish to closer to $100 for lobster or steak. This was exciting to me because that meant there was a wide variety and no one would have to feel guilty about the price of their meal.

Unfortunately, my graduation happened to fall on mother's day. When I made the reservation the night before, the server did not mention that there would be a very limited menu available that day due to the holiday. Normally this wouldn't have bothered me too much except as a party of 6, we were forced to spend no less than $40 for an entree per person, with most of the entrees being between $60-$80. In an effort to make me feel better about this, my dad decided to order the most expensive thing on the menu, wagyu beef. "If I'm going to spend a lot I might as well try something I've always wanted to and may never get the chance to again." However, about 45 minutes later, the waitress came out and casually mentioned that they had already ran out of that and were cooking him another cut of meat instead. Our reservation was for 5pm, only one hour after they open for dinner service so it's crazy that they already ran out of the most expensive thing on their menu. I didn't feel this was handled appropriately, at any other restaurant he wouldn't have been able to order it in the first place and second of all, they should have brought out a menu for him to chose a different entree rather than being told he's getting something different. An apology was barely offered.

At the end of the day, the portions were quite small and the food was not impressive. I ended up splitting the risotto with my brother out of guilt and we each ended up with about a cup of salty rice each with a few pieces of overcooked seafood. I also found 3 lemon seeds in our risotto that were bitter and unpleasant to bite into. Everyone else said their food was just alright. But when the bill comes to over $600 (forced 20% gratuity) you expect way more than alright. Our waitress never once asked how the food was and I never saw a manager or owner, which at any other high end restaurant I have been to is customary for them to wander the house and check on diners. I would have said some of this in person if given the opportunity.

I'm not attempting to leave a horrible review for fun but rather for anyone who is in a similar financial position to my family. I have taken a day to think about this and it is still bothering me and making me feel guilty for wasting my parents money so that is why I decided to say something. On a normal night with a small party when you aren't forced to order from an outrageously priced menu this place might have been better value. But considering the crowded atmosphere and less than impressive service, you might be better off having your special occasion dinner somewhere else. Our meal and experience was worth maybe half of...

Extremely disrespectful and disappointing experience for a birthday celebration

We were a group of 12 people (not 14, as the restaurant keeps falsely claiming in responses to other guests’ reviews) celebrating a friend’s birthday, and this was honestly one of the worst dining experiences I’ve ever had.

To start, the service was unbelievably slow. We waited nearly 45 minutes before anyone came to take our order. No one checked on us, and we had to repeatedly call out just to get basic attention. If you’re planning to go with a large group, be prepared to be ignored.

The biggest issue came when they charged us $90 just to cut two cakes into 12 slices, saying it was $5 per person. Fine — that’s what they told us. But later, they started threatening us, saying they should’ve charged $10 per person, which makes no sense. They cut 12 slices total, not 24 — it was clearly a per-person charge, not per cake. Now they’re trying to twist the story.

To make things worse, each of the 9 checks had an unexplained charge of about $10. When we asked for an explanation, they insisted their system only showed $60 total, even though we added it up together in front of them and proved otherwise. They took our receipts and cards to the back, and came back angrier and more aggressive, refusing to correct the charge and yelling at us from across the dining room. It was beyond unprofessional. The manager (or whoever was in charge) even threatened us with more charges, despite some guests already having left.

As for the food: I’ll say my dish (smoked salmon pasta) was tasty and I’d recommend it. However, others were not so lucky. The Peruvian ceviche came loaded with jalapeños — something not traditional at all and not listed on the menu. Even those who enjoy spicy food found it overwhelmingly hot and salty.

In summary: The service was shockingly slow and rude We were yelled at and threatened over unexplained charges They twist the facts and claim we had 14 guests when we were 12 They refused to acknowledge clear billing mistakes They made what should’ve been a happy birthday dinner stressful and humiliating

If you’re planning a group celebration, do yourself a favor and avoid this place. Just read the other reviews — this isn’t an...

I had the worst experience this evening celebrating my wife and I’s 6th wedding anniversary. Everything was great when we arrived, we were greeted warmly. Waited a bit long for our table considering we had a reservation. Then when we were sat it was upstairs in a corner. Our server was not very personable, didn’t seem like was taking his time at all. He took our drink order, when we got our drinks, I was the only one to get mine he had forgotten my wife’s. When we received our food, my risotto came to the table it was a soup. When I pointed it out to him, he said “oh yeah I should have warned you that it was more of a soup…I wasted $44 on a seafood soup and had the worst service I’ve had in a long time….had he taken his time and actually done his job, this could have been avoided. I can’t say that we will be back.

Update as of 11/6/2022: I received a voicemail the following day from someone who described themselves as the “general manager“. Now during this message while they did apologize for the poor experience that we had, and did offer to have us come back at no charge and enjoy a meal. What rubbed me the wrong way, was laughing and giggling in the voicemail. That was highly unprofessional, that this individual wasn’t taking the situation seriously and I very much will not take them up on that offer. At this time, my review will stay up, and I will continue to let individuals know not to dine with your restaurant, I’m also requesting a full refund for my meal. If the owner himself would like to call and speak with me I would be OK with that, but it doesn’t change what is happened, my review of the restaurant or what the outcome of the situation should be. The main point here, is that I was celebrating something extremely special with my wife. That part of the evening, the meal, and the experience in your restaurant, ruined that day for me regardless of all the other great things we did as it was the nightcap to our night.

Update 2 as of 11/15/2022:

I have NOT heard back from the restaurant since emailing them AGAIN after receiving the unprofessional voicemail from the manager.

Update as of 11/21/2022.

Spoke with the owner Gino...took very little accountability for our experience. I will most certainly NEVER...