RES RES
Food 5 stars. Service from hostess 0 stars. Service from server 3.5 stars. The hostess’ attitude was so off-putting that it almost made us leave. Before approaching the hostess stand at La Pizza & La Pasta we looked around the store and went up to see Terra. The ambience at La Terra looked perfect and all 4 staff members we encountered were all incredibly welcoming and friendly. We wanted pizza though so had to head downstairs. We were shocked by the change of attitude between the hostess downstairs and the staff upstairs. No welcoming smile. No eye contact. Made us feel like second class citizens for not having a reservation - this was on a Sunday close to opening and there were maybe 5% of tables being used. She tried to seat us in the very back corner next to the doors/windows by all the shopping carts hidden from the rest of the room by a partition - it felt like a cafeteria seat and we would have been totally on our own back there. We nicely asked to sit more central in the restaurant instead of the corner and she refused several times only offering us a table two over from the wall. Eventually she took us to a nice table that was more central and felt more worth the price of the food and wine we were about to order. The whole restaurant was practically empty. And it filled to maybe 15% capacity during the 90 minutes we were there. Absolutely no reason to have such attitude and be so rude about walk-in customers not wanting to be isolated in a back corner. We don’t know if her attitude toward us was racially motivated, if she didn’t think we were good enough for a decent table without a reservation or if she just hated her job and wanted others to be as miserable as her. We spent a lot on our meal and even more with a lot of food to take home. They need to be sure this hostess doesn’t scare away customers like us who were ready to walk away due to her behavior. Our server was friendly. Not much personality. Felt like he was rushing us a bit. Asking us about dessert while we were only part way through our meals. Bringing our bill before plates were finished being cleared. Person clearing plates was reaching right across some of us still actively eating instead of going between us where there was space and easy access. We have been to several Eataly locations and always love the food. This location was no different. Pizzas and pasta were delicious. Wine was enjoyed. Pasta (fresh and dried), assorted sauces, different breads, and treats we took home were also great. Prices are high. Food quality matches. Service does not.
