Umberto's Bistro

Beware

I was absolutely appalled by everything, like the previous reviewer, I don't normally write reviews, and to some extent I feel bad because they are an independent business surrounded by restaurant chains. But everything was absolutely horrible. From the moment we walked in, the extremely dated and tacky decor made we want to run for the door. The server was completely unprofessional and kept bothering us, he came back about 10 times to see if we were ready to order, which we weren't . The mark of a good server is being able to read a table and understand what their needs are, this is something he failed to do. At first my dining partner was engaging him in small talk but then it stopped and he failed to receive the memo. He kept coming back to us to talk at the worst possible moments. Now the food was absolutely horrible, not at all what I would expect from a "fine dining" establishment. The bread reminded me of those cheap frozen loaves you would buy at grocery store bakeries and the rest of the meals were unimaginative, flavourless (or too salty) and not fresh. I think that has to be one of my number one pet peeves when a restaurant serves the same sides for every dish, in this case it was steamed unseasonal veg and creamed potatoes. My pork tenderloin was dry and had canned mandarins on it. All in all the hardest thing to stomach about the whole experience was the price. Definitely not worth it.

Another lovely dinner at Umberto's

Another delicious meal at Umberto's last night, with great service, a quiet table, and an unpretentious atmosphere. A side note, but important, they hit just the right note with the background music. Smooth jazz at just enough volume to enjoy. It was fairly quiet for a Thursday night, but the other half dozen or so tables were also filled with diners expressing their appreciation for a good meal. Beef carpaccio was, like all the dishes, the perfect size portion. My husband and I shared it well as the bruschetta, which was a little too cheesy for me but perfect for him. The chef salad is a great mix of greens and veg with a nice vinaigrette. The ostrich and kangaroo - what can I say - grilled/sauteed just beautifully and mouthwateringly delicious. The Shiraz reduction was a very nice accompaniment to the kangaroo. Both entrees were served with roasted veg and potatoes, nicely seasoned, as well as a charming little fresh vegetable relish/slaw on radicchio. Shared a bottle of 2009 Rosemount Cab Shiraz, chosen from the small but interesting wine list, proved a good choice. We lingered over tiramisu and flourless chocolate hazelnut cake, preferring the tiramisu. The "Umberto" specialty coffee was a lovely finish to the meal. Ingredients were fresh, attention was paid to presentation, and the service was very attentive yet not intrusive. We will definitely be back. (I will try the seafood pasta next time - 3 of the table of 6 near us ordered it as their favorite)

Very disappointing

A friend of mine and I came on a busy Friday night. The staff were fairly friendly and attentive and while the restaurant was very busy, they had to scramble and made the effort to find us a fairly private table. As soon as we were seated, they presented their menus and asked us for a beverage which we shared a bottle of wine. My friend then ordered the Artichoke appetizer and I ordered a plate of pasta with just olive oil, garlic and parmesan. As we had a very late lunch, we just wanted a fairly small meal. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. THE cardinal sin in an Italian restaurant is to serve over cooked pasta and that is precisely what I got. Moreover, they had poured what seemed to be half a bottle of olive oil, chopped garlic from a jar and Kraft parmesan cheese on my dish. It was absolutely over powering and way, way overcooked. Additionally, our meals arrived less than 5 minutes after ordering, so obviously my pasta had been sitting in a pot of hot water for some time. And I paid over $25 for that plate of terrible pasta. I can say I will never return and I am not one of those food snobs. I am not a picky eater however when I pay good money, I expect better food than this. Many other casual restaurants in town offer better pasta for half the price. Sorry, Umberto's, I had high hopes but my experience with your food and subsequent service were not what I was expecting

One time deal

a temporary, arbitrary reduction in the price of regularly stocked goods, esp. food; a particularly worthwhile offer or price: The special this week is on sirloin steaks. The above is from Webster's dictionary. We looked at the menu and I'm sorry I know how much it costs to make homemade pasta and I can tell you right now that I refuse to pay 25.00 for a plate of pasta. We had the Avocado seafood salad. 1 shrimp, supposed to be lobster although I didn't find any and crab with half an avocado and 1 thin slice of tomato overpowered by too much dressing. all for the low price of 13.80 per plate while the rest of their starters were around 6.95. good deal. I had the wild boar loin since it was one of the SPECIALS of the day. 4 very small medallions of loin for 39.95 which works out to 9.98 per slice maybe 3-4 oz of meat total with maybe a 1/4 of an apple diced and two sliced mushrooms and a side of lukewarm veg. My apple brandy sauce had no flavor to speak of. No prices were given for the "specials" if I had known prices I'm 100% positive I would have ordered differently or left the restaurant.

I would rank Umberto's bistro as the #1 restaraunt in the tri city area. The service was attentive, informative, and very professional. The ostrich and elk specials were awesome and my fish special was cooked to perfection! The wines were very well priced and there almosr to many desserts to choose from. The next time we go i will allow for time to enjoy the experence.

Never Again!!

Many tables are arranged bistro style (side by side) -- does not offer much privacy for a private dinner for two. When asked for a wine list, we were told they didn't have one -- strange, but we ordered the house wine. Then when the table next to us was seated (and I mean right next to us), they were offered a wine list! My calamari arrived about 4 minutes after it was ordered -- certainly not fresh, it was deep fried frozen calamari. Caesar salad was OK. Veal Madagascar was good, but $27 for three SMALL slices left me wanting more, and the scalloped potatoes were terrible. You had to look hard to find the vegetables (a few flowerettes of broccoli) in the pasta primavera. Triamisu was good, but the blueberry cheesecake was terrible--canned blueberry sauce on a wedge of dried out cheesecake. Probably too many items on the menu to anthing well, or fresh (come on, frozen calamari, get real). We will never go back!!! There are too many truly FINE dining establishments in Waterloo Region to ever think about going back here. Not sure they how much longer this place will be around.

Sad Attempt at an Italian Restaurant

We have tried alot of different Italian restaurants in Ontario and I have to say that this is the worst. My dinner was good and so was my husbands, however he ordered desert and found a plastic finger from a glove...that was disgusting. Our waiter looked like he just got off his motor bike ride with his biker friends. When we informed him of this he was stunned and didn't have a clue on what to do. We decided to try it once again just to see if things had changed. Not a chance, even being at a new location didn't change our minds about this establishment. The decor was lame, the food was cold and with little flavour and we were amazed that we had the same server, the one good thing that came out of this was that we didn't chew into another glove. I found that it was like sitting in a fancy Sub shop, the location was a poor choice.

FANTASTIC - A ROMANTIC MUST TRY

When I called to book the reservation, I mentioned that it was my fiance's birthday and when we went last night, a week later they remembered without any reminders and sang to him with their italian touch. My fiance is Italian so it was really nice. The service was absolutely incredible. We not only had an extremely classy waiter but Umberto also came to check on us multiple times. I dont think I have ever tipped so much but it was worth every penny. You dont ever see service that good. The food was to die for and the atmosphere was relaxed, old school italian and very romantic. We try a new restaurant each time we go out for a special occasion and this definitely tops our list. Thanks Umbertos for making Shain's birthday dinner perfectly wonderful.

we went without reservations, It turn out to be...

we went without reservations, It turn out to be the most enjoyable experience we have ever had at restaurant. Service was empacable, food was the same.The crablegs were so big ,the rack of lamb was done to perfection,and you got at least 7 chops. This is the restaurant that tops all others . We will diffently make it our first on our list for favorites. The menu is big enough for all taste,it is amazing how great all are appetizers and main entrees were. We will be back for more!!

We have been all over the world. We have seen the...

We have been all over the world. We have seen the worst, but this has to be the worst culinary experience we have ever had. Party of 8 on New Years eve 2008 - Service was terrible and it took forever to have drinks brought to the table. The bartender did not know how to make a daquiri...we were asked for instructions!!!!! The one thing good about this meal was, first of all, there was a group of us having a great time, second, my greek salad was awesome and then it all goes downhill from here. The elk was burnt....there was a small piped rosette of PURPLE "mashed potato" on the plate alongside 4 or 5 green beans.. all this at $49.00 a plate. I was appalled at this. I have never in my life had a more disgusting meal.. If it werent for good friends and a sense of humor I would still be stewing over it.....thumbs down to this one.

Brutal food! The seafood came out of a can and...

Brutal food! The seafood came out of a can and the sauce was dry. Lobster was extremely small and the bill was obscene! I make better at home

Umberto and his wife run a terrific restaurant...

Umberto and his wife run a terrific restaurant - the veal marsala is amazing!

The service was very good we had 3 people looking...

The service was very good we had 3 people looking after our table. One of them being Umberto himself.My wifes seafood pasta was very strong fish flavor, her ceasar salad was excellent. I had a pasta dish which was ok nothing great but it was not bad either. I won't get that again though. The potatoe soup was very good.The big surprise was the 7.95 Coronas which are a little expensive I thought. The overall feel of the place was very nice.

I love all the food i've tried at this resturant...

I love all the food i've tried at this resturant. It is always amazing, from appetizers to desserts. I usually go with my family and my only complaint is that on my own the service was not as good. Was served by Umberto himself and found him to be abrupt bordering on rude. THe food more than makes up for this though and the other servers are amazing.

Our family discovered this resturant a couple...

Our family discovered this resturant a couple years ago and we eat there on a regular basis. The staff is amazing and the food is incredible. We have yet to dislike anything weve eaten including octupus. All of their pastas are incredible.

This was my first visit to Umbertos which a...

This was my first visit to Umbertos which a friend suggested to me that I try. It was absolutely amazing! The service is like no other around. The waiters that served us were quick, friendly, and humourous which was very enjoyable. The atmosphere was ver

Im from Toronto, lots of good Italian eateries...

Im from Toronto, lots of good Italian eateries there, but since moving to Cambridge its been Umbertos all the way. Ive been going for the last 2 - 3 years and ita absolutely fabulous. 5 star all the way. thanks Umberto!!!

Weve been to Umbertos twice and both time the...

Weve been to Umbertos twice and both time the service and food were excellent, we will be going back

This place is by far one of my favorite...

This place is by far one of my favorite restaurants in the Tri-City area - and unfortunately a well kept secret. Having a meagre outside appearance at best, my wife and I dared to try this place out one year due to my wife's love of Emu. Seeing the bird advertised on a Mobile Sign out front (highly tacky) we ventured in. Since then, we have been back every year as our special place for our anniversary. The food is amazing, the atmosphere quaint, and the service is consistantly high. All thumb's way up for this place.

We had our company Christmas party there after a...

We had our company Christmas party there after a recommendation from a collegue. Absolutely fantastic. The food was incredible. I'll be back and will recommend to everyone.