I have heard this restaurant routinely referred to by locals as "Nastily Villa". The interior seems largely unchanged from the 1960s. Fake plastic trees and greenery, wood paneling and a "Master Charge: The Interbank Card" sticker on the door (the name was changed to Mastercard in 1979).
When we arrived in early evening, we stood at the podium for nearly ten minutes before anyone showed up. There were three sets of patrons already seated, but none of them with food. We were quickly presented with menus and our orders were taken promptly. We had requested one of the larger entrees to be split onto an extra plate so that it could be shared in the traditional style.
Approximately 30 minutes later, the first couple seated when we arrived received their food. The other two were still without food. After about 50 minutes, the second table received their food and the third were presented with side salads. A little after an hour, a man arrived and loudly announced to everyone that he was the owner, and seated himself. At no time did we receive the rumored "fresh bread" that another reviewer mentioned. The owner, though, received bread and salad within a few minutes of sitting down. When our food finally arrived, they did not bring the extra plate as requested. Once they finally brought it out, we were told to split it ourselves, which is very messy with any kind of pasta.
The sauce on the dish we ordered tasted like a mix with an excessive amount of butter. The pasta was gummy and overcooked. It is difficult to ruin something so simple, and at these prices, there's not room for compromise. In addition, I happen to live very close to the restaurant, and I can assure anyone curious that the "freshly baked" bread they do offer is not actually made by them. I have seen, on several occasions, a bread truck stop at the restaurant. It advertises on the side frozen bread that "bakes up like fresh".
When the bill arrived, it was significantly higher than expected. We had been charged for two soft drinks when we had received water, and an miscellaneous $3 fee. We waited almost 20 minutes before someone came over to assist with the bill (no cashier). We were told that the $3 fee was for an extra plate (do we get to keep it?).
We requested a menu to look for the charge, which was not mentioned anywhere on it. The waitress became extremely aggravated and rude, telling us that if we can afford the entree then we can afford the $3, and that we should just pay it anyway. She stormed off and talked to the owner across the restaurant, and the charge was eventually taken off. By this time we had been at the restaurant for over two hours.
If you want authentic Italian, friendly staff, and good food in a reasonable amount of time, this is not the place to find it.
more