Montalbano Italian Reviews Summary

Service

Pros:

• "Attentive service, neither rushed nor hurried."
• "Absolutely amazing service. The staff are incredible here."
• "The staff are very friendly and polite and not 'overly' attentive, which is great."
• "The service was exceptional, friendly and more than welcoming."
• "Fantastic staff, friendly service nothing was too much trouble."
• "Max the waiter was excellent his knowledge of wine and food pairing and passion was great felt very welcome."
• "The staff were extraordinarily attentive for our table of five, one a 9 year old."

Cons:

• "Was meant to have wine on table for birthday celebration and was asked to place our order after 20 mins of not even being given menu!"
• "Service was a little poor. Waited for a table inside after being told 5mins. Waited another 30mins."
• "But they got the order wrong for starters and they got it wrong again for mains."
• "We had quite a wait for our orders to be taken."
• "The service was a bit on the slow side considering we pre ordered."
• "Managed to book a table with friends but turned up to find that not really much space between tables."
• "We were not welcomed with open arms but instead the first thing we was told was that we need to make sure we are gone before 19:30."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "Great food."
• "The food was incredible - every dish was expertly prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients that were bursting with flavor."
• "Couldn’t fault the food- we thought it was very fresh and good value too."
• "The standout dish was the lobster ravioli with king prawns and cherry tomatoes in a saffron seafood bisque."
• "The food was all home made traditional Italian dishes of the highest quality."
• "The food was excellent, some of the best pasta dishes I've seen outside if Italy."
• "Both main meals were well presented and the flavours were amazing."

Cons:

• "The pasta i ordered smelled and tasted like fish which had been left out too long, i could not eat it."
• "Then the meal well 2 of us had the calves liver which was served on a bed of risotto smothered in a thick gravy it was quite horrible."
• "Steak was burned on the outside and bloody inside - not my idea of medium well."
• "The tuna was a bit overcooked."
• "Visited last year and menu was excellent. They've changed the menu this year and not so nice."
• "The chicken bacon and avocado salad was extremely dry."
• "I don't particularly like frozen pasta- Nor frozen lobster ravioli."

Atmosphere

Pros:

• "The restaurant had a really nice feel and buzz to it."
• "We had a relaxed and quiet meal because of the excellent way the tables were set out."
• "The ambiance is superb. No loud music, excellent lighting, friendly atmosphere etc."
• "The atmosphere was really nice and it was very busy, seeing as it was a Sunday evening, which we think is always a very good sign!"
• "Atmosphere was very authentic & welcoming."
• "A really buzzing atmosphere, friendly staff and great food which is reasonably priced."
• "The ambiance was cozy and welcoming, and the service was top-notch."

Cons:

• "There was a draft."
• "A lovely evening save for rather steep wine prices."
• "To be honest whilst the pianist was fabulous it was just too loud for me and rather took over the whole night."
• "Ambience 3/5 - there was a draft. And the deco was very colorful and messy."
• "Tonight, there was no ‘warmth of the South of Italy’ chez Montalbano."
• "Expensive, not many menu changes in last year and portion sizes seem to be getting smaller."
• "The buratta was fridge cold."

Value

Pros:

• "The prices are very good for the quality of food and the service was with a genuine heartfelt family smile."
• "Great value for money."
• "It was excellent value for money :)"
• "Amazing value. The perfect 50th Birthday lunch."
• "Nice food and the set lunch was not too expensive."
• "The total bill came to £194.60 + tip and to my mind, that was extremely good value."
• "It's reasonably priced for the wonderful food you get."

Cons:

• "The bill was £46.85. Will not be back."
• "A lovely evening save for rather steep wine prices."
• "The drinks come in a little pricey but overall it was money well spent."
• "My only caveat are the prices - this is a great restaurant but a couple of pounds off the high-end prices would be good."
• "Food ok but prices crazy popped in yesterday for a quick lunch the lunch special was for two course around £24."
• "Expensive, not many menu changes in last year and portion sizes seem to be getting smaller."
• "They still charged full price....."