Il Giardino Ristorante
| Address: | 910 Atlantic Ave, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, USA |
| Phone: | +1 757-422-6464 |
| Site: | ilgiardino.com |
| Rating: | 4.5 |
| Working: | 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–10:30PM 5–11PM 5–11PM 5–10:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 7
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Blake Jenkins
Where do I start? First, I hate to set you up with too high of expectations but I just might. My first experience was on a Sunday for 2 for 1 entrees with a close friend. We walked in and the atmosphere was lively. Vivid colors, a beautiful tree in the middle, and the live pianist with good vibes of class and pleasure. We were immediately sat at a plush round table with a story. Charlie Sheen, sat at this table years ago for a movie shoot. Ask your server about it! We met our server extraordinaire, Ryan, a good family man who brought the drinks with a welcoming smile and a quick snap of the napkins into our laps. We both ordered a somewhat customized pasta dish with the spicy fra diavlo sauce, a split lobster cracked at the table, large succulent scallops, and 2 monster shrimps. All cooked perfectly of course. The flavor was out of this world. I thought I was down for the count until I learned that tiramisu means "lift me up." I boxed up tomorrows breakfast of kings and went for it. I love tiramisu but this hands down, took the cake... no pun intended. I was genuinely happy to tip 40% and Im the guy that asks for separate checks at Five Guys. I left with a smile on my face and an airy walk. Obviously, I would highly recommend this ristorante to any group of friends, family, or lovers that appreciate a good meal and good company. Sorry if I hyped it too much, but I call em as I see em :-)
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Tracy Matyiko
Always enjoy this family friendly Italian restaurant! We have been going for twenty plus years. The wait staff are all so awesome! They keep the table cleaned throughout the meal, changing placemats, removing crumbs, setting clean silverware for each course. We ask for Jeff if he is available, I promise you will have an awesome experience..he is one of the best waiters ever. He is extremely knowledgeable about each item on and off the menu. The fried zucchini strips topped with a fresh grate of parmesan and a side of marinara for dip is the BEST anywhere! The filet is prepared in Chefs selections and always prime..perfectly cooked and packed with flavor. The veal takes up the whole plate, great cut. Seafood is awesome whether it is a lobster, crab, shrimp, etc. So many wonderful ways to order, fra diavoli, red w/ a little spice, cream based, olive oil and garlic sauce, many awesome choices. Of course the Italian staples of pastas, chicken, seafood, and red meat..the list goes on. The brick oven cooks pizza and foccaci bread. Desserts..dont get me started. They are displayed in the middle of the dining area..with fresh cheese and meat selections..homemade cheesecake, an Italian cream cake, etc!
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Jarrod Johnston
Ive been here before and the service was good, but this last time was awful. I first made a reservation for the main dining area, but was then sat in the crowded bar wirhout being asked jf this was suitable. Next, the waiter approached us and rattled off a slew of discounts they dont accept and food that they wont exchange, and I felt like I was being treated as if he didnt believe I was spend at least 150$ for a romantic night out. After all the specials were read, the waiter just walked away, not even a drink menu a was offered as we looked over the menu. The waiter then took more than 5 minutes to get a drink menu and water, but after being bumped into several times, it really wasnt worth the money we were about to spend. We returned the menus and informed the waitress we were leaving. She then told us there were several tables in the dining area available if we would prefer, but my wife was already very irritated at how we were treated and that this was not initially offered, so we decided our money would be better spent at a restaurant where we would be valued.
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Jennifer T
I visited Il Giardino two years ago because of a Groupon they had and have been going back ever since. Whether its their buy one get one free on Sundays or on Mondays where 10% of your total bill goes to a charity, applaud this restaurant for their great deals and their weekly charity event. I never had any problems reserving for dinner whether its by phone or by Google Hangouts which I am also amazed to how fast they respond on it. Though the prices may seem steep to some, they make it up by valet parking, the great selection of food (check out the pictures I posted for my favorite entrees), beautiful decor especially when the sun is setting, a violinist that plays Happy Birthday, a pianist that plays on the bar side, and knowledgeable staff, I say its worth it! Thank you again to whoever keeps up with Google Hangouts to make reservations, to the staff that keeps the place running, and please say hello to Ms. Maureen for me. I will be visiting there some time in the future!
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Jax G
Overall, I would not recommend eating here. The prices are extremely high for a miniscule amount of food that has below average flavor. It seems as though the restaurant just smothers the food (even seafood) in a ridiculous amount of sauce which ends up taking away all flavor from the dish. The tables are so close to one another that it gives a claustrophobic feeling that is not at all comfortable, especially if the restaurant is busy. This is also the only "Italian" restaurant that Ive seen that does not have garlic bread and did not offer any cheese to go with any of the food. While it may not be an issue if the restaurant is not busy, when we went the restaurant was a little more than half full yet it took over an hour to get our food (2 entrees.) The wait staff was very friendly, though there were issues with the kitchen staff not being willing to tweak the dishes (ex: light/extra cheese/dressing/sauce).
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A Private User
We had reservations for 7:30 and were seated at nearly 8, which was understood because the place was packed. They decided to put my wife and I in make shift tables they placed in the bar. I saw my waiter ONCE and he was like Ill be right back and didnt return for another 20 minutes. I had to stop him so my wife and I could get menus and an appetizer. While we were in the bar people kept putting their drinks on my table, two people sat in my lap with my WIFE next to me and I had to get my own refills.... If I were you I would NOT be placed in the bar! We had them move us to the regular restraunt side and everything completely changed. The new server did a great job he was on top of everything, we got our food, and our drinks were never empty... But I will say the food was fantastic! If not for the first hour of service the night would of been perfect.
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A Private User
We have eaten here several times over the many summers that we vacation in Virginia Beach, and each time it seems to go down hill. Not the food. It is very good, but some of the workers need to go back into training. In June of this year was our last time there, and the young man we had serving us was just down right rude. He acted like he had better things to do then to take our order and get our meal served to us. Never smiled, real short with us, just very unfriendly. Sorry to say, but no food is good enough to get treated like that! We are done with every going back. Very unsatisfied. We had 10 people in our party and our bill was a little over 300.00 dollars, which he received 50.00 of it. We only drank water or soft drinks, so the place is pricey, which is fine, but a kind look, smile or word would have been nice!!
