Extremely Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Visit
We recently visited this restaurant hoping to enjoy a relaxing evening on the patio. Unfortunately, the experience was uncomfortable from the moment we walked in. The atmosphere felt cold not just in temperature, but in energy. The place had a dark, heavy vibe, and the staff all seemed disengaged, like they didn’t want to be there. It was hard to feel welcome.
Once seated, the patio heaters were turned off even though it was cold outside. When we politely asked for them to be turned back on, we were told “the manager wouldn’t like that,” which felt like a strange and dismissive excuse.
We ordered a pizza, salad, and Caesar, and made a few simple dietary requests like avoiding pork. Our server, a mature woman who seemed more interested in being right than being kind with grey hair responded with visible annoyance and made subtle comments that made the whole interaction uncomfortable, as if we were bothering her just by asking questions.
When the pizza arrived, it looked sloppy and unappetizing. The sauce was barely there, unevenly spread, and the chicken pieces looked like they belonged in a salad, not on a pizza. We kindly said we didn’t want it. Instead of respecting that, the server insisted we try it first. We did, and still didn’t want it. Rather than listening, she turned the blame on us and another server Jacquie accused us of being difficult and rude all because we didn’t want a pizza.
From that point on, staff who had been indifferent suddenly became overly friendly to other tables as if trying to prove a point that we were the problem. It felt performative and petty.
When we went to pay (despite not having eaten the food), we overheard them laughing and whispering while looking at our table. Young blonde girl tossed the receipt at us without a word. It was deeply unprofessional and disrespectful.
We later learned Jacquie previously worked at another local restaurant and was let go for her poor attitude and lack of professionalism. After this experience, it all makes sense.
Since the new ownership took over, this place has completely changed for the worse. The service is cold, the food is mediocre, and the environment feels heavy and negative. We came for a nice night out and left feeling disrespected and judged.
Do yourself a favor and dine somewhere that values its guests. We won’t be returning.
Ali Ali
I left a 1 star review on Google because of the bad service, gross food and disrespectful servers and the cherry on top..the owner reached out to me on Facebook and started threatening me and my business (witch could defamation FYI)
because of their own disappointing service!!
Nabila Shukoori
Bad food and bad service
Would not recommend this restaurant at all
Caleb Cranston
Great service, friendly and efficient. Food was amazing as always!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dennis Oxford
This is my 'go to' for special occasions. The food is always superb and the atmosphere is warm and friendly. The staff are great, and we enjoy the drive to downtown Port Hope and Trattoria Gusto.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Inga Sylvia
Nice place. Generally consistent. Beautiful old building, nice ambiance. Food is always good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Rory Roberts
Simply delicious! Great atmosphere, food, wine and service.
Parking: Parking at the rear of the restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Board, Bruschetta
Sherry Tompkins
Food was excellent and our waitress was very friendly and helpful! My salmon was so delicious!! Definitely recommend this restaurant😃
Vegetarian options: They have a great vegetarian sausage pasta dish
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Tuscana
Mary Ann Storey
Wonderful dinner out to celebrate a family birthday. Excellent service, amazing flavours - our favourite place to go to celebrate!
Kid-friendliness: Our kids love to come here - they feel like it’s super fancy and everyone is so friendly and kind.
EDIT: the fact that the restaurant did not even bother to acknowledge this huge mess up on their behalf shows even more what an awful business this is. Thank you for ruining a very important night of our lives we will never get back!
My fiancé planned a surprise engagement dinner at this restaurant. He made the reservation a day or two before hand and even called the day of just to double check everything was good. When we arrived the host could not find our reservation. We eventually spotted his name from our angle and the host says oh… the engagement? (What if he had not yet proposed they would have just ruined the surprise). The host then told us that they had messed up our reservation and tried to “move things around” and then offered us a tiny table in the lobby area. My fiancé specifically requested the nicest table and to have champagne on ice as soon as we arrived as a surprise for me. He was very upset and we just left as this ruined our engagement.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Trent Doyle
Just be ready to use Google translate if your Italian isn't up snuff. I do wish they had a smaller text indicating words like handhelds or meats.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta, Pollo E Roasted Garlic Alfredo
Charlotte491 Oneill
Had the Gusto burger with a pear salad and was beyond thrilled with both! A unique spin on a burger with the Brie and bacon along with their jam, this is no regular burger! The side salad was so fresh and plentiful. Lovely setting and great service, I highly recommend you visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Vaheesan Theiventhiran
Very cozy intimate restaurant with great service, ambiance and excellent Food. Vegetarians will enjoy a great tasting dishes.
Vegetarian options: Lots of Vegetarian options.
Parking: Free parking on site
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Frank Verconich
Kitchen malfunction during our visit, so food was delayed. Very good once we did get it, and we're comped handsomely for our inconvenience. Will definitely return
Extremely Disappointing Experience – Not Worth the Visit We recently visited this restaurant hoping to enjoy a relaxing evening on the patio. Unfortunately, the experience was uncomfortable from the moment we walked in. The atmosphere felt cold not just in temperature, but in energy. The place had a dark, heavy vibe, and the staff all seemed disengaged, like they didn’t want to be there. It was hard to feel welcome. Once seated, the patio heaters were turned off even though it was cold outside. When we politely asked for them to be turned back on, we were told “the manager wouldn’t like that,” which felt like a strange and dismissive excuse. We ordered a pizza, salad, and Caesar, and made a few simple dietary requests like avoiding pork. Our server, a mature woman who seemed more interested in being right than being kind with grey hair responded with visible annoyance and made subtle comments that made the whole interaction uncomfortable, as if we were bothering her just by asking questions. When the pizza arrived, it looked sloppy and unappetizing. The sauce was barely there, unevenly spread, and the chicken pieces looked like they belonged in a salad, not on a pizza. We kindly said we didn’t want it. Instead of respecting that, the server insisted we try it first. We did, and still didn’t want it. Rather than listening, she turned the blame on us and another server Jacquie accused us of being difficult and rude all because we didn’t want a pizza. From that point on, staff who had been indifferent suddenly became overly friendly to other tables as if trying to prove a point that we were the problem. It felt performative and petty. When we went to pay (despite not having eaten the food), we overheard them laughing and whispering while looking at our table. Young blonde girl tossed the receipt at us without a word. It was deeply unprofessional and disrespectful. We later learned Jacquie previously worked at another local restaurant and was let go for her poor attitude and lack of professionalism. After this experience, it all makes sense. Since the new ownership took over, this place has completely changed for the worse. The service is cold, the food is mediocre, and the environment feels heavy and negative. We came for a nice night out and left feeling disrespected and judged. Do yourself a favor and dine somewhere that values its guests. We won’t be returning.
I left a 1 star review on Google because of the bad service, gross food and disrespectful servers and the cherry on top..the owner reached out to me on Facebook and started threatening me and my business (witch could defamation FYI) because of their own disappointing service!!
Bad food and bad service Would not recommend this restaurant at all
Great service, friendly and efficient. Food was amazing as always!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is my 'go to' for special occasions. The food is always superb and the atmosphere is warm and friendly.
The staff are great, and we enjoy the drive to downtown Port Hope and Trattoria Gusto.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nice place. Generally consistent. Beautiful old building, nice ambiance. Food is always good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Simply delicious! Great atmosphere, food, wine and service.
Parking: Parking at the rear of the restaurant
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Charcuterie Board, Bruschetta
Food was excellent and our waitress was very friendly and helpful! My salmon was so delicious!! Definitely recommend this restaurant😃
Vegetarian options: They have a great vegetarian sausage pasta dish
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Salmon Tuscana
Wonderful dinner out to celebrate a family birthday. Excellent service, amazing flavours - our favourite place to go to celebrate!
Kid-friendliness: Our kids love to come here - they feel like it’s super fancy and everyone is so friendly and kind.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Pollo E Roasted Garlic Alfredo, Melanzana Breaded Eggplant
Love Gusto. My go-to when family is visiting or just because. Great staff. Beautiful restaurant. Thank you !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
EDIT: the fact that the restaurant did not even bother to acknowledge this huge mess up on their behalf shows even more what an awful business this is. Thank you for ruining a very important night of our lives we will never get back!
My fiancé planned a surprise engagement dinner at this restaurant. He made the reservation a day or two before hand and even called the day of just to double check everything was good. When we arrived the host could not find our reservation. We eventually spotted his name from our angle and the host says oh… the engagement? (What if he had not yet proposed they would have just ruined the surprise). The host then told us that they had messed up our reservation and tried to “move things around” and then offered us a tiny table in the lobby area. My fiancé specifically requested the nicest table and to have champagne on ice as soon as we arrived as a surprise for me. He was very upset and we just left as this ruined our engagement.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Just be ready to use Google translate if your Italian isn't up snuff. I do wish they had a smaller text indicating words like handhelds or meats.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bruschetta, Pollo E Roasted Garlic Alfredo
Had the Gusto burger with a pear salad and was beyond thrilled with both! A unique spin on a burger with the Brie and bacon along with their jam, this is no regular burger! The side salad was so fresh and plentiful.
Lovely setting and great service, I highly recommend you visit.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very cozy intimate restaurant with great service, ambiance and excellent Food. Vegetarians will enjoy a great tasting dishes.
Vegetarian options: Lots of Vegetarian options.
Parking: Free parking on site
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kitchen malfunction during our visit, so food was delayed. Very good once we did get it, and we're comped handsomely for our inconvenience. Will definitely return
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Nduja Carbonara
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