10/03/09

Great Night

by Kemper

We attended Azzurros last night for an evening out with our family while in town. Let me say, we were impressed by not only the attention to detail each member of the staff gave us, but also the crowd they amassed during what is supposed to be a "recession."

It seems necessary to make a reservation here. We sat around 6:00pm as a few tables started trickling in. As we were leaving, we saw many groups being turned away at the door. I would say the ambiance is very inviting but the restaurant became very noisy as the night went by.

Order the Lasagna. Best me and my wife have ever had. We will return when back in town.

• Pros: Attentiveness of Waitstaff, Lasagna
• Cons: Parking was difficult

10/02/09

Inexperienced maitre d'

by biker2000

We arrived without a reservation and were told the wait would be about 30 minutes and that we could wait outside. After 40 minutes, we finally got fed up and went inside to see what the problem was. It was the confused state of the staff. They had completely forgotten about us! In a nutshell, don't go here unless you like to wait.

• Cons: Poor organization

12/13/08

Best in Richmond

by Assumptiones

My husband and I have been Saturday night regulars for many years, and each Saturday night has been a wonderful experience. Beginning with the awesome manager, who is unfailingly classy, gracious and concerned, to the amazing waitstaff, who are intelligent, beautiful (guys and girls alike, inside and out!), efficient, interested and knowledgable (they also have a great sense of timing and never bring out the next course before the current course is finished, always clear in a timely fashion, often come by to quietly and subtley check on you, repour your wine, refill your water, etc--something that doesn't always occur in some of the best restaurants i have visited in large cities), to the gorgeous ambiance, whether indoors in winter w the fire, or outdoors on the patio in nice weather, to the delicious appetizers, creative salads, out-of-this-world entrees (their sauces are all to die for! the ravioli tartuffo-w black truffe cream sauce, the eggplant rolatini, the perfect risotto, the best shrimp gazpacho in town..just to name a few! yum!) and desserts (love the tiramisu and the bomba), to the wine list (if you are unsure, they are GREAT at choosing a nice pairing, and are respectful of your budget!), Azzurro is hands down the best place in town. We have taken many out-of-town guests there and all have raved. It is loud but if you ask when you make reservations, they will seat you in the quieter areas. Italian friends say it is the ONLY authentically Italian restaurant in town. You can find a ton of delicious items if you are vegetarian (more difficult for vegans as they use a lot of cheese...but the marinara and always perfectly al dente pasta are the bomb!). They are really busy so absolutely you need a reservation for most evenings. And if you are especially celebratory, don't forget to order a Godiva martini!!!

• Pros: Service, food, atmosphere
• Cons: noisy at peak times

04/25/08

Great Place

by PartridgeCynthia

I needn't delve into their service, most know it is the most courteous and most gifted in Richmond. Every time I revisit Azzurro (hoping I can sit outdoors most of the time), I find myself to have a better experience each time overall. I was hosting a birthday party for my girlfriends earlier this week (after eating lunch al fresco that day), a couple of us were having issues with the amount of vegetables in the Gaspacho. Our service wait candidly offered to correct the situation immeadietely (most people would frown upon this and I felt bad having to complain) and in addition asked us if we would try pairing a Rose' with the Gaspacho to receive the full enjoyment of eating it. All of us tried and I had never had a Rose' with soup before. The rest of the meal came out timely. The Manager checked on us a few times and he came by to make sure the air conditioning was comfortable enough for us since we were sitting under a vent. Everyone had a hand in assisting our party as the front end hostess filled our waters and the food runner cleared our forks and knives in between courses. I just feel that everyone that works here goes above and beyond in making sure we have a great experience every time. I love it.

• Pros: Service, Availability of seasonal dishes, Wine, Staff
• Cons: None

04/24/08

Busy and Efficient

by JilesVa

We ate there with a few couples last weekend and the entire place was loaded with people (inside and out). I have been to this restaurant in the West End only a few times in the last 3 years and they are very efficient. The Maitre'D or manager always seems to be very helpful and the staff seems to always be moving at the right place and the right time. We split the fresh Mozarella salad (which was very good), and then went on to having their crisp Calamari and a Pasta with Bolognese sauce. We were in a noisy corner and the Manager was quick to move us to a more accomodating, and less noisy location in the restaurant. My wife is a big fan of the Martinis, I'm a bigger fan of the food and wine list. This is a very good restaurant that produces great food and accomodating service.

• Pros: Good Food and Service, Managers
• Cons: Some areas are noisy

04/05/08

Hits and misses

by Jessica36

I have never been openly belittled by a host before Azzurro. He made my party feel like we were infected with some highly contagious disease for showing up for our reservation 15 minutes early. He made sure that we stayed out of his way for that 15 minutes while he seated four different groups who obviously had not called in reservations in advance. They have a noise problem. They pack as many people into their one dining room as they can and the acoustics are terrible. The tables are so close together that you are guaranteed to get bumped by waiters trying to navigate the narrow maze. Now on to the good parts. Our waiter was very courteous which leaves me to partly believe that the attitude may rest solely on the host. Our waiter was attentive but not overly so. He made suggestions regarding our wine and entrees that were spot on. The food had some hits but a few misses. I tried their seafood chowder special and the flavors where pretty good however the chowder was extremely thin. The flavors were okay but it was a rainy night and the soupy texture didn't fullfill my craving for a rich chowder. The salad on the other hand was amazing. Crisp greens, freshly grated cheese and a delicious greek dressing. Excellent! We had the Chicken Picatta and the Ravioli in a Black Truffle Sauce. The Chicken Picatta was good but not stellar. The lemon sauce suffered from the same overly thin consistency as the "chowder." Just okay. But the Ravioli almost made up for the rude host and ear bleeding atmosphere. The flavors were spot on. It was rich and just overall amazing. So there you have it. Hits and misses. Will probably wait a few months to hopefully see that the rude host has worn out his welcome and is off belittling folks at his neighborhood Burger King instead. And I will purposefully try to go when they are at their least busy to hopefully avoid doing any more permanent damage to my hearing.

01/12/08

Excellent

by nyer99

Only ate here once, but it was a Friday night during the recent holiday season, and the wait for 2 was only 45 minutes (we didn't have reservations). The service we received from the hostess, bartender and our waitress was excellent, and fortunately, the food was even better! We had the pappardelle and ravioli, and I cannot wait to get back for more! The seats near the bar are too crowded and noisy, but if you luck into a table in the back, you are set for an excellent experience...

• Pros: Great food and service, nice decor (holidays)
• Cons: Seats near the bar are crowded and noisy. Not private nor romantic.

10/05/07

Response to OBXGirl's Fictional Review

by spiller3

While I normally wouldn't respond to such garbage, it is necessary I defend my position on the manipulative statements made by OBXgirl. Let me make a quick distinction... "Service" is what we in this industry strive to perfect, and it is definitely what seperates the good restaurants from the pack. Anyone who has been a frequent customer of our establishment knows that we pride ourselves on great service and sustaining strong, lasting relationships with our guests. We are unilaterally dedicated to charity, providing transportation for guests, hosting events, and offering just about every "service" you can possibly imagine. In my opinion, when somebody blatantly tries to steal from you, it's prudent to define the situation in an applicable form of "Service." OBXgirl entered the bar, ordered food and bourbon, and began having conversations with herself. Customers signaled to me her strange mannerisms. She got up to use the restroom. Twenty min went by, she inched her way to furthest patio table until she was certain that it was clear to bolt to her car. These are not the actions of an honest, good natured customer. It gets worse. Her keys were in the ignition when I caught up to her and I asked if she was going to pay for her tab. She reluctantly gave me a credit card and it was, to no surprise, DECLINED. I returned and asked her if she had anything else. Of course, just like a predictable movie, she admitted to having no money. To summarize, she rang up a sizeable tab (a tab she never intended to pay), when asked to pay, she desperately tried to shift focus to her cell phone conversation, and as a result, I am the bad guy for catching her in the act. I have never seen her before, but I will certainly let it be known to the restaurant community that a very odd woman is in town, and she orders what she can't pay for, sneaks out, and then equates the situation to a lacking customer service issue. Unbelievable. W.M.S.-General Manager , Azzurro

10/05/07

Edit This

by bluemntset

Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review. Not a Review.

09/27/07

Excellent food as always.... but appalling treatment.

by obxgirl

Excellent food is ALWAYS a draw to me, and Azurro?s has always had some of the finest meals. But nothing can trump the service you receive as a patron. Over the years I have joined friends here for countless dinners and have brought clients in from out of town. But after my last experience, I will NEVER return. And if you value service over food, I'd advise the same.

Case in point: Handling a personal situation, I took a cell phone call on the patio. As my conversation grew heated, and employees wandered in and out the patio door, I proceeded to my car to finish in privacy then return. Before I even sat in the car (mind you, the parking lot is VERY small), I was accosted by the General Manager accusing me of walking out of my tab, ordering me off the phone and returning immediately to the restaurant to clear my tab! I informed him I had to handle my personal matter and would return momentarily and was harshly told "no", to ?get off of the phone? and return ?now?. To say the least I was appalled and mortified. I have always considered this an upstanding and classy establishment.

Yes, the food is excellent, but that kind of treatment- especially from a General Manager, is unacceptable and uncalled for. They have lost a long time patron and many of my friends and professional colleagues as well. Service should always come first. A bad day should be left at home (if that was a case) and a customer always treated with courtesy and respect, regardless of past encounters with other customers.

• Pros: Ambience, food
• Cons: Service, Management Treatment