Rastrelli's Restaurant

There are several entrances, we didn't know about the side entrance so we parked on the street and went in the front. We were there kind of early for dinner so they were not busy at all, however they sat us in a small room up a couple steps next to a very loud family. I understand putting the customers close make it easy on the servers however it made for a very unpleasant dining experience for us. That family asked to be seated on ground level to avoid the older lady with a cane having to navigate the steps but the hostess told them loud enough for us to hear the 2 steps should be ok for her to go up. The restaurant was decorated beautifully and appeared clean. They had a sign up with the soup of the day however that soup was not available the server said they ran out of that earlier. Our server was very nice but not attentive at all. I asked about their wine options to which she said she was sorry she was not old enough to serve alcohol so she was ask a coworker but nerver had anyone come talk to us about it. Our daughter ordered an appitizer and a soup but they were brought out after our meals were served. The dirty salad, bread plates and empty bread basket sat on our table the whole time we ate our entrees. The salad bar was very nice with a wide variety from fruits and vegetables to prepared salads. There was a friendly lady making sure it was kept clean, fresh and full. I would have felt better had she been masked and had on gloves but that was not how she was. I understand masks are not mandatory in Iowa however with Covid being on the rise masks for servers would be a good idea, however none of them wore them. The pasta was very fresh and cooked perfectly, it was fresh hot and very balanced. The soup was warm and ok. The cheese sticks were fresh and house made they were very good, they were hot and had a nice cheese pull, the marinara they were served with was very good and paired well. The chicken was house made, it was hot and crunchy but the crust was very salty. The mashed potatoes and gravy were not good at all, they both appeared to be your average instant so I would suggest maybe sticking to the Italian dishes.

Room for improvement! We had dinner at 750, Saturday night. Service: our waitress was very friendly and only a few days at the restaurant. She did a great job. Salad bar: not so famous any more… the carrots were dry, Broccoli was warm and had a heavy smell, tomatoes had a couple of mold tomatoes. Olive oil on the table: probably the worst olive oil I ever had. I have no idea what brand that is but it is not extra virgin olive oil. If I was allowed, all of it would be in the trash! Main dish: I had the pesto chicken gnocchi. The sauce was ok, gnocchi great and chicken over cooked, dry. Table bread: really good… until I dipped it in the olive oil! Desert: cheese cake was great! Decor: it is clearly time to remove that very dirty green carpet and replace it… Unfortunately, this is NOT the great Italian restaurant mentioned in the back of their menu, created by their mom and dad… this clearly has lost its quality and charm… but it can always be improved and brought back to life!

Always enjoy dining at this restaurant! Was well worth my 90 mile drive from Cedar Rapids! My Sister and I met for lunch and enjoyed the salad bar, which was delicious, fresh and had many offerings. A basket of warm baked bread was brought to the table which I enjoyed with a bowl of french onion soup, It was the best I have ever had! Lots of cheese & fresh croutons in a delicious seasoned broth. I could not leave without ordering our traditional and favorite take-n-bake sausage, mushroom and onion pizza!

The gentleman who waited on us was probably the best part of our meal. We ordered prime rib medium well for valentines day both were cold and almost rare. Last time I ate here had the ribeye it was awesome, this time not so much. Just have to say for the price small prime rib $30.00 each probably won't be back.

My wife and I have been going here honestly for 25 years. It was our first real date. I know everyone is having staffing issues. The Salid bar is usually one of our favorites but not tonight. Our server was excellent but definitely way to busy. This trip will not change my opinion of the Clinton landmark but I hope they are able to staff and train the next generation of workers to keep up this places great history.

Use the street entrance, not the pretty double doors at the corner lol Got the Ida Bacon Burger and my daughter got the spaghetti with Basil sauce with 2 meatballs, not the meat sauce it comes with. BE HUNGRY. Portions are LARGE. Natasha who seated and served us is a beauty! And so very friendly! It got busy as lunchtime set in. Food is good, but nothing too special in what we ordered. I would try a dinner meal next time.

I have never been treated with such disrespect by a hostess in all of my years. Our family has always loved Rastrelli's and have no problem spending hundreds of dollars every time we dine there because we can appreciate supporting a local, family owned business. We had a reservation made for 8 adults and one child. Our hostess, Amberly, had led us to our table and upon reaching it, there were 8 chairs that were placed so closely together that seating 8 adults, let alone a high chair, would be impossible to dine at. The chairs were touching one another and still hanging just past the edge of the two small tables that were pushed together. After realizing that the tables were so small and had yet to have a highchair added, I had went and tracked down the hostess and asked if we could add another small table or sit somewhere else, to which she replied "there's no way we can do that, we have nowhere else you can sit" I replied that we had made a reservation for this reason and her response was "we have lots of reservations." Mind you, half of the booths were empty. I told her, if we can't, then we may have to cancel our reservation because it just wouldn't work. She said nothing and walked away. We decided, before the remainder of the party showed up, that we had no choice but to go somewhere that could accommodate our party size. As the hostess, Amberly, was passing by, I had politely told her thank you, but we are going to have to go somewhere else because there just wouldn't be enough room. She then rolled her eyes at me and said nothing and walked passed me. I said "Ma'am did you hear me? She exclaimed loudly "Yes, I heard you!" I responded, "I was just making sure." I then asked her her name and she basically yelled it at me... "Amberly!" I said thank you and left. She simply rolled her eyes and ignored me rather than acknowledge my politely letting her know we were leaving. She obviously was bothered by our presence and business from the start. Her disrespect was so obvious that others in our party were absolutely speechless. I have never left a restaurant due to poor service...EVER. I am not one to complain, but I have NEVER been treated so poorly by waitstaff, in my life. Especially by a hostess, whose job it is to be friendly and inviting. They are, after all, the first and last interaction customers receive at a business. It is a shame to let employees treat customers this way. We were treated as if we were an inconvenience and to top that off, I was down right insulted by her short tone and physical gestures on multiple occasions. I would never let an employee treat a customer that way because I, myself, would never treat someone that way. We left and went to a different establishment, which, ironically enough, without having to say a single word, had offered to grab an extra table after seating us if we wanted them to. I can say though, as long as there are employees there that treat customers so rudely, I will not be back and business will eventually decline if it continues. When employees treat customers as an inconvenience, rather than the reason they are able to make their living, they are detrimental to the businesses that they work at and represent, and will inevitably cause a decline in customers and in turn, revenue. Allowing such behavior is unacceptable. Manners and common coutesy was definitely lacking from the moment we walked through the door. I expected so much more from this establishment. Hopefully, the proper measures will be taken to assure that other customers don't have to have such a poor experience.