I had high hopes for this place, and I was truly looking forward to our dinner. However, I ended up feeling quite disappointed. We had a reservation for a table of 10 at 8 PM, and we called ahead to confirm that everything was in order. When we arrived a bit early, we didn’t mind waiting, as we were offered drinks at the bar.
Unfortunately, our table wasn't ready until 20 minutes past our reserved time, despite the restaurant not being busy at all—there were only about four other tables occupied. Once we were seated, it took a while for us to be greeted by a waiter, and, sadly, half of our table didn't even have water cups.
We waited 30 minutes for our appetizers and then an additional 2 hours for our main courses, which felt quite excessive, especially since there was only one other table left by then. Plus, two of our dishes had to be sent back because they were served cold. Our waiter tried his best to accommodate us, and we truly appreciate his efforts, but the service just didn’t meet our expectations.
On a positive note, the atmosphere and music were enjoyable, which helped to lighten the mood a bit. However, it wasn’t enough to make up for the dinner service. I genuinely wish I could recommend this place because of my initial excitement, but unfortunately, I can’t based on this experience.
Lady Amber
Relaxing and elegant inside, the food is absolutely delish!
Doug Lewan
A year ago I had a wonderful experience at Primo, tonite was the polar opposite. There was a very light crowd on a Friday night and for very good reason... Our reservation was for for 6:15, and it was obvious they were short staffed. 2 servers in the restaurant. We ordered specialty drinks for $17 and they were good. After waiting 40 minutes the manager informed me they were out fish and seafood for the Zuppa Pesce. No problem I ordered the Lobster carbonate. In the mean time our lobster bisque was served. It was truly aweful, worse than Campbell's tomato soup. After waiting 2 hours the lobster carbonara was served. Lobster was charred black and dry as a bone. Pasta was mushy, salty and I could not eat it. When talking to the manager she politely informed me that the chef walked out and the cook was not doing well. She comped our bill and we left after a 2 1/2 hr waste of time. I believe they will be out of business soon because our experience was horrible. Afterward we went to Swire Inn to eat. Surprise Surprise the party of 4 who were sitting across from us at Primo was also at The Swire Inn after not being served after a 3 hour wait. Don't go to Primo anytime soon!
Dane Larson
Atmosphere was very nice. Building is beautiful. Service was mediocre. Slow service. No Brewed Ice tea. No reasonable selection of soft drinks or salad dressings. Side salad added was skimpy and all spinach, no mix of greens. Pork chops tasted great, however very small and loaded baked potato was skimpy. Very pricey. Will not return anytime soon.
Tracie Fletcher
First, they don't offer ice tea ! I had the chicken parm. I've had way better chicken parm for less money. The service seriously lacked. Don't waste your money!
James Patterson
We really wanted to love this place, but were disappointed. Food lacked flavor and was bland. However service poor. Some examples were our plates weren't removed prior to new plates arriving, server did not understand that a salmon filet was not a steak and repeatedly ask how well done we wanted the filet. Never were we checked on to ask if order was correct. It seemed that there was one server with several helpers. No dessert and check delivered before we finished our dinner. The place was nice but poor service hurts the business
Charlotte Wynkoop
Ate in the bar side, one bartender had 9 customers . We were never offered any refills on our water. Fillet was dry and the house salad was served warm and very bland..our service was terrible this evening. Ate there couple times last year and it was totally different, will not return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Jennifer Turner
Always a great place to eat. Love the food and the staff! I would go here every night if I could
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Mushroom &Onion Soup, Cesar Salad, Tiramisu
Jennifer Morrell
My family and I celebrated my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and we had a large party. The staff were welcoming and accommodating and the food was delicious. The service was delightful and prompt, our waitresses were friendly and all of our orders were correct. We absolutely couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves any better. Thank you so much for a memorable evening, I highly recommend!
Kid-friendliness: Our kids got their meals first and had the spaghetti and meatballs. They are very picky but loved their food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Prime Meatballs, Bolognese, Tiramisu, Spaghetti Meatballs
Margie
Our first time at Primo. Anniversary dinner. Ella was our server. She was wonderful from start to finish. So was the other staff. Super friendly! Atmosphere was sleek yet comfortable. We enjoyed every course! You'll enjoy the chef's creativity. The drinks and cocktails were also unique and special to Primo. I recommend for a special occasion dinner or night out with friends. Will definitely be back. This is a hidden gem in Middletown. Worth the drive from Dayton or Cincinnati!!!!
Another fantastic dinner at Primo. We've visited and enjoyed their other location (Prime Cincinnati) but this one is much closer and offers some other entrees like pasta that our kids enjoy more than steak or seafood. This is the first time we tried the chicken Parmesan (great) and the pork chop is a hidden gem. The service has always been great and the so is the ambience. Thanks for another fabulous visit.
Overall the experience was nice. We had never been before so we weren't sure what to expect. The atmosphere was wonderful! Service was good. Appetizers were very good, especially the spinach and artichoke dip. We all ordered pasta dishes by far the Chicken Parmigiana is the way to go! Huge portion size! I ordered the Carbonara, it was gummy and lacked flavor! Unfortunately, I had to send it back. Other than that it was good.
Holly
Great atmosphere but was not a huge fan of the purple lights. The service was excellent as was the food. I did not care for the bread as it was a bit dry for my liking. Music was super loud so I asked the management if they could turn down a bit and he obliged. I give them a 5 start rating. I will definitely dine there again.
Jon Graft
Don't be dissuaded because it is Middletown...Great food... authentic Italian cuisine with a great atmosphere. From appetizer, meal and dessert...Perfecto!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Scott Cheatham
Awesome food, service was excellent, drinks were wonderful. Nice to have another quality restaurant In downtown Middletown !!!
I had high hopes for this place, and I was truly looking forward to our dinner. However, I ended up feeling quite disappointed. We had a reservation for a table of 10 at 8 PM, and we called ahead to confirm that everything was in order. When we arrived a bit early, we didn’t mind waiting, as we were offered drinks at the bar.
Unfortunately, our table wasn't ready until 20 minutes past our reserved time, despite the restaurant not being busy at all—there were only about four other tables occupied. Once we were seated, it took a while for us to be greeted by a waiter, and, sadly, half of our table didn't even have water cups.
We waited 30 minutes for our appetizers and then an additional 2 hours for our main courses, which felt quite excessive, especially since there was only one other table left by then. Plus, two of our dishes had to be sent back because they were served cold. Our waiter tried his best to accommodate us, and we truly appreciate his efforts, but the service just didn’t meet our expectations.
On a positive note, the atmosphere and music were enjoyable, which helped to lighten the mood a bit. However, it wasn’t enough to make up for the dinner service. I genuinely wish I could recommend this place because of my initial excitement, but unfortunately, I can’t based on this experience.
Relaxing and elegant inside, the food is absolutely delish!
A year ago I had a wonderful experience at Primo, tonite was the polar opposite. There was a very light crowd on a Friday night and for very good reason... Our reservation was for for 6:15, and it was obvious they were short staffed. 2 servers in the restaurant. We ordered specialty drinks for $17 and they were good. After waiting 40 minutes the manager informed me they were out fish and seafood for the Zuppa Pesce. No problem I ordered the Lobster carbonate. In the mean time our lobster bisque was served. It was truly aweful, worse than Campbell's tomato soup. After waiting 2 hours the lobster carbonara was served. Lobster was charred black and dry as a bone. Pasta was mushy, salty and I could not eat it. When talking to the manager she politely informed me that the chef walked out and the cook was not doing well. She comped our bill and we left after a 2 1/2 hr waste of time. I believe they will be out of business soon because our experience was horrible. Afterward we went to Swire Inn to eat. Surprise Surprise the party of 4 who were sitting across from us at Primo was also at The Swire Inn after not being served after a 3 hour wait. Don't go to Primo anytime soon!
Atmosphere was very nice. Building is beautiful. Service was mediocre. Slow service. No Brewed Ice tea. No reasonable selection of soft drinks or salad dressings. Side salad added was skimpy and all spinach, no mix of greens. Pork chops tasted great, however very small and loaded baked potato was skimpy. Very pricey. Will not return anytime soon.
First, they don't offer ice tea !
I had the chicken parm. I've had way better chicken parm for less money.
The service seriously lacked.
Don't waste your money!
We really wanted to love this place, but were disappointed. Food lacked flavor and was bland. However service poor. Some examples were our plates weren't removed prior to new plates arriving, server did not understand that a salmon filet was not a steak and repeatedly ask how well done we wanted the filet. Never were we checked on to ask if order was correct. It seemed that there was one server with several helpers. No dessert and check delivered before we finished our dinner. The place was nice but poor service hurts the business
Ate in the bar side, one bartender had 9 customers . We were never offered any refills on our water. Fillet was dry and the house salad was served warm and very bland..our service was terrible this evening. Ate there couple times last year and it was totally different, will not return.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 1
Always a great place to eat. Love the food and the staff! I would go here every night if I could
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Italian Mushroom &Onion Soup, Cesar Salad, Tiramisu
My family and I celebrated my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and we had a large party. The staff were welcoming and accommodating and the food was delicious. The service was delightful and prompt, our waitresses were friendly and all of our orders were correct. We absolutely couldn’t have enjoyed ourselves any better. Thank you so much for a memorable evening, I highly recommend!
Kid-friendliness: Our kids got their meals first and had the spaghetti and meatballs. They are very picky but loved their food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Prime Meatballs, Bolognese, Tiramisu, Spaghetti Meatballs
Our first time at Primo. Anniversary dinner. Ella was our server. She was wonderful from start to finish. So was the other staff. Super friendly! Atmosphere was sleek yet comfortable. We enjoyed every course! You'll enjoy the chef's creativity. The drinks and cocktails were also unique and special to Primo. I recommend for a special occasion dinner or night out with friends. Will definitely be back. This is a hidden gem in Middletown. Worth the drive from Dayton or Cincinnati!!!!
Restaurantji Recommends
Another fantastic dinner at Primo. We've visited and enjoyed their other location (Prime Cincinnati) but this one is much closer and offers some other entrees like pasta that our kids enjoy more than steak or seafood. This is the first time we tried the chicken Parmesan (great) and the pork chop is a hidden gem. The service has always been great and the so is the ambience. Thanks for another fabulous visit.
Overall the experience was nice. We had never been before so we weren't sure what to expect. The atmosphere was wonderful! Service was good. Appetizers were very good, especially the spinach and artichoke dip. We all ordered pasta dishes by far the Chicken Parmigiana is the way to go! Huge portion size! I ordered the Carbonara, it was gummy and lacked flavor! Unfortunately, I had to send it back. Other than that it was good.
Great atmosphere but was not a huge fan of the purple lights. The service was excellent as was the food. I did not care for the bread as it was a bit dry for my liking. Music was super loud so I asked the management if they could turn down a bit and he obliged. I give them a 5 start rating. I will definitely dine there again.
Don't be dissuaded because it is Middletown...Great food... authentic Italian cuisine with a great atmosphere. From appetizer, meal and dessert...Perfecto!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna
Awesome food, service was excellent, drinks were wonderful.
Nice to have another quality restaurant In downtown Middletown !!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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