We celebrated a friend’s birthday at Borgo Antico. The food was absolutely delicious and beautifully prepared. Unfortunately, what took away from the experience was the service. The staff seemed to lack basic etiquette and customer engagement. For example, when we asked if they had any pizzas with ham, the response was simply, “whatever is available on the menu.” A little more courtesy and willingness to guide customers, especially first-timers, would make a big difference. Great food, but the team could really benefit from some customer service training.
We went here to celebrate our wedding anniversary and had made reservations a few weeks out however when greeted, was not asked if we were celebrating a special occasion and asked to pick any table, except all of the “good” tables were already taken up front by the window. So not the greatest most welcoming start to the evening. I only point this out because the “atmosphere” here is almost a negative value. This is literally a large long rectangle with low ceilings, limited decor of Wayfair mirrors and light fixtures thrown up in the walls and wood tables flanked by plastic chairs. The bar was the nicest focal point yet for some odd reason there was tv with sports on directly across from us, and music playing was so odd, everything from pop to rap, it was just bizarre and not classy at all. Server was borderline rude, I noticed they sold focaccia separately so I asked if burrata was served with any bread and he said no, pointed to the menu and highlighted the ingredients and no mention of bread, so we ordered separately. When burrata came out, it was served with 2 giant pieces of focaccia! We literally didn’t touch our separate order. We mentioned this to another server and he suggested we take it home with us. I had expected not to be charged for the extra bread but of course we were. The burrata itself was delicious but presentation was terrible, instead of showcasing the beautiful colours of the peppers and beet juice, it was buried under the cheese and the entire plate was covered with plain, not so fresh looking arugula which was just an odd and underwhelming first impression. Our main meals were pretty good, I had seabass which I found lacking in flavour and husband had pasta with meat sauce. We skipped dessert as portions were large. Overall there is nothing to bring us to return, there are several other restaurants in downtown Oakville that offer a much better atmosphere, service and comparable if not better food.
Menu looked appetizing online,many items to choose from,but unfortunately menu in restaurant was vastly slimmed down,was told they just have not updated website,also must have been severely understaffed as we waited almost an hour for appetizers,then waiter dropped off desert menus, after he didn't return for a half-hour we asked for the bill,just let people know what their in for when we get there,food was enjoyable.
Rude server (Aldo). He was extremely grumpy and did not answer our questions when ordering. Also the food took SO long to come, the apptizers toke almost a hour to come after ordering. The bread was so cold like it came out of the freezer, and the butter was so hard as well.
Novu by Borgo Antico: The location is great and the menu items seem perfect. We went on Friday evening for a romantic dinner and although the prices were a bit high, it was a special occasion. Upon entering, we noticed that while they were going for, in part, a romantic atmosphere, they had tv up in the bar with sports game playing and the music was loud. They did sit us in a slightly more secluded area to adjust for that. The service was as friendly as they can be given they seemed a little short staffed. It was for this reason things seemed a little slow, but they worked very hard and deserve some credit. We ordered the grilled octopus priced at $65 and lobster raviolo priced at $34. We expected that for $65 we would get signficantly larger portion. The octopus dish came with only 3 medium sized tentacles, and plenty of filler like zucchini and watercress. The crispy rice was a great addition but the sauce being used as a base was very overpowering and vinegary in flavor and while it was good in the first few bites, as one ate more it became excessive. Overall, while the plate size as a meal was good, they definitely should not be charging $65 (this is a rip-off I'm sorry to say) The lobster raviolo has a bisque sauce which was nice, but the pasta itself did not seem fresh made, and was possibly frozen. Additionally, there were pieces of lobster on top which were dried out and seemed overcooked. This could possibly be due to spending time under a heat lamp and/or not being served right away. Also, we did order a fritto misto as an appetizer, priced $30. There were 2 shrimp, and very few calamari (which seemed overcooked). And the rest of the dish was just larger pieces of fried unknown fish. A fritto misto at this level is a very specific dish, requiring specific types of seafood and perhaps small fishes (such as fried anchovies). This did not meet those standards, and as such is overpriced for what was provided. Finally, when the kitchen door was opened you caught glimpses of a freezer and home depot buckets. This is not something you want to make visible to diners. Overall, this was disappointing for the price paid and the expectations, being somewhat familiar with the borgo antico name. Unfortunately, I would pass on Novu unless they make some changes.
It was a wonderful experience from beginning to end. The people who work there are nothing less than exceptional and the food will definitely keep you coming back. Thank you so much! We will see you again soon
Absolutely LOVE this place! Owners are super friendly & the food is AUTHENTIC! My favourite is the calamari and the seafood linguine. A MUST TRY if you in Oakville!
Great food, and very attentive and happy service. They've done a small menu update, and the new items are such good additions. The braised short rib is to die for, and they definitely have the best calamari around!
Outstanding service and the food was delicious. They even stayed open late for us :)
Would recommend the pasta. Reasonable prices given the quality.
Borgo Antico Cucina Bar is a Canadian Night Club based in Oakville, Ontario. Borgo Antico Cucina Bar is located at 266 Lakeshore Rd E, Oakville, ON L6J 1J1, Canada.
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