Al Lago Ristorante Review

Really good chicken parmigiana, but for the price I would expect more spaghetti with it.

Not sure why we made reservations. The restaurant was empty, but I think we were given the absolute worst location in the restaurant. When we asked to move to a table not on the kitchen path, we were told all seats were reserved. The table we requested remained empty during our time there. We were able to view the cooks, servers, runners, etc. the entire time and there isn't a lot of joy in that restaurant. Most of the conversations we heard among the staff were really disheartening. After reading some of the responses from the owner on the reviews (which I wish we'd read sooner) it's clear the mood trickles down and affects the food and the service, both of which are below average. Based on how the staff speaks about their customers, at least while we were there, we were wise not to send food back or complain. The food was dismal, but the ambiance is just sad. Maybe an inservice day for the owner and the staff to bond, discuss service, and watch Beauty and the Beast?
"Be our guest, be our guest, put our service to the test?"

Delicious fooD and wonderful service always.A definite must to try !

Great food and live music! Our server...not so good.
He didn t tell us his name and was very defensive and cold. I heard him arguing with another table before he took ours...

He needs to be fired.

Food lousy, sent back. Last round of drinks sent back too. Service great...quality gone downhill steadily over the past year or so which is too bad because a good venue to meet up with friends for happy hour. Just dont order food or specialty cocktails.

The service was so slow! We waited just over 45 minutes to receive only ONE dish! Now I completely understand when a busy restaurant takes long to get orders out but there were only 5 tables with people, all of which were waiting for food. In addition, when the food arrived it was mediocre at best. Would not recommend

Not anything special. Bread hard dried out and cold.i
I would only give it a one star rating and that's sad because it was my favorite for years.

The fettuccine Alfredo is amazing! The portions are huge too.

Seemed their a/c unit wanted to compete with the cold out side.

Very nice environment, wonderful Italian food, made thoughtfully. And great service too! Thank you for my 63rd birthday dinner with my family

Michele is the best server! Great views, live band, great food!

Great happy hour menu food was delicious and prices are more than fair!

My wife stopped by for happy hour with coworkers a couple weeks ago. She had a great time and said they will be going back.

Quality seafood, reasonable price, good ambiance, great view, good time!

Absolute terrible service. We so badly want this restaurant to work as it's in our neighborhood, but the service never seems to work out.

We sat nearly 20 minutes until the waiter spoke to us. Then waited another 10 minutes plus before we got our beverages/bread. He kept telling other customers as he walked by that there is just a lot going on right now. There were no less than 5 waiters outside, who knows what was happening inside but I can tell you that outside people were unhappy.

We got our food nearly an hour after we got there. No silverware, so had to wait to flag down another server to ask for it. We were done with our meal for sometime when the server finally came back and asked us if we needed something. We said yes, desert to go. He discouraged us and said that we shouldn't because it would take a really long time.

It was a terrible experience and again, a real bummer that the service here sucks.

Great food! Chef can be cranky if you have an issue with the food though. Took my desesrt to go and he dumped it upside down in container. The waiter did apologize but still...

Great dining experience. Nice menu selections with a very nice atmosphere. A place where the owner takes the time to make you feel welcome.

The food and service was excellent! We showed up 30 minutes before closing and not once we're we made to feel rushed. This is definitely one of our favorite local restaurants!

Everything thing was great. The service was top notch

Cute place. Outdoor patio with view of lake tapps. Ambiance is pretty nice. Beautiful bar. Portion size is good. No salad with dinner plate. Have to order on side. Music was a mix of red hot chili peppers, Led Zep and GNR. Kinda wanted some more mellow crooner stuff. Servers were excellent. Kitchen was SLOW! We waited 25 minutes for dessert and eventually cancelled it. Food tastes fresh. Menu is creative. Overall an ok experience. Dont know if it was worth $77.00

Fantastic meal with friends. Thanks George for the great menu selections. The straberry/rhubarb crisp ala mode was scrumptious.

Teri was awesome and this place is fantastic. Sit on the patio and enjoy the view. The wine list is great, service is super friendly and the food is superb!
Pricier than a chain restaurant, but the quality and service are clearly better and for an occasion it s totally worth it. I think this would be an amazing place for a reception or rehearsal dinner!

I'm really happy I picked this restaurant for celebrating my birthday. The view was amazing! The staff were top notch! The food was to die for, especially the cannoli's! Thank-You Al Lago Staff for making my birthday so memorable.

Al Lago is one of our favorite Italian eateries in the area. You should plan to spend about an avg or $25 per plate here. Service is always good and the location is superb near Lake Taps offering gorgeous views. The outdoor patio is large, inviting and fun offering tons of atmosphere. The indoors is classy and elegant, and yet, come casual if you like. The food, almost always excellent.

No gluten free menu. On the regular menu but confusing with the gf that doesn't mean gluten free. Lasagna was just full of cheese, pasta and too much sauce. Some special dishes we're yummy. Service wasn't very helpful and slow.

I think because it's Lake Tapps/Bonney Lake we should just accept mediocre. And I would, except this experience wasn't even the low end of mediocrity. Flavorless food, inattentive service, greasy fingerprints on flatware and dishes, all surrounded by discarded Denny's booths made for a regretful evening. Hubby had something the menu called "Cannelloni" which in no way was. I had the saddest slop on a plate that they tried to pass off as Spaghetti Squash Puttanesca. First I laughed, looking around to see if I was being punked.

Sadly, I checked the Pierce County restaurant inspection score AFTER we were there. Do that before you go.

Quaint little restaurant hidden away the food was amazing. A nice little date spot

Just there for drinks and appetizers! Pleasant and nice atmosphere! Friendly, but overpriced.

Went for the Easter brunch. The presentation was great, the food was well prepared, the seating and view was fantastic. The pricing was outrageous!

Great lunch, great happy hour, and great service. What's not to like?

Would be nice if there were no bushes blocking the beautiful lake !
What a waste of view ...

We live in the area and dine here often with family and friends. I ve never had a bad experience here. We ve had many dishes and different pizzas. My personal favorites are the pollo Marsala and spaghetti. I ve had pollo Marsala in many different places and nobody does it better than Al Lago !!

Nice place and nice people but we went there on valentine s day with an online reservation and waited forever. We arrived at 730 and didn t get seated til 830. Then when we sat down we ordered right away. Waited til 10 for our entrees. When they still hasn t come we had to tell the waitress to just get our check and left.

The lobstergasm was the best lobster tail I've ever had, by far. It was 12oz, cooked perfect and served drenched in a white sauce. Presentation was unique, served with bamboo skewers.

Went for Mothers Day, made last minute reservations and though totally full, they still got us in promptly! Service was quick and friendly, as usual.

Tiera (sp?) working the window was on point and never skipped a beat!
We love to sit by the kitchen as our 2 y.o. son likes watching Travis cook (sorry for the awkward stares every time we come in Travis, you're his idol. He likes you more than Gordon Ramsay.). All the kitchen staff busted their butt and per usual produced the best food around!
We have consistently came back, and will keep coming back, as it has easily became our favorite restraunt!

Demaris was humble, kind, and never seemed to stop busting her butt working! Really, all of the staff was this way!

Had a Family dinner and celebrated my sister's birthday. Great server!!!

Great food, waiters and waitresses are friendly but service for food was really slow.

Good food, great service. Went here for my mom's birthday and we all had a good experience. Our server Zack was awesome, he was fast and helpful with suggestions. A great spot to eat on summer days, we got lucky and got some outdoor seating but it's best to reserve ahead of time just to be sure.

Very nice place. Good food, nice music and good service. Our Waitress Carrie was very nice.

I recommend this place!!

Large portions, great view of Lake Tapps with patio seating.

We had the blackened Ahi with risotto cake... it was the most amazing app I've had in a long time.

Food was bland. We reserved a table for 6 in the bar to see a band & ended up in the restaurant on the other side of a wall. 40 min to get a drink.

The patio was warm with the afternoon sun, but cool enough for evening dining while viewing Lake Tapps across the street.
Dinner was amazing our server Wyatt was awesome.
We will be visiting more often

If you are looking for a great meal with a great ambiance Al Lago is the place to go. May be pricey but it is worth it

My husband and I had an Awesome dinner and drinks on Sat 8/24/19 ....they have a Tasty happy hour appetizer menu! Our waiters name was Wyatt and what wonderful service! We ve been here before and had good food and service. We ll be back!! Thank you Al Lago

First impression was - what is this nice Italian restaurant doing in the middle of nowhere (in a good way)?: no city center, not a huge intersection, in the middle of the residential area. Beautiful view on the lake and mountain Rainier on the clear sky day. Amazing experience. They have local musicians on Saturday evenings. Very loyal customer base too - my wife and I were there about 10 times now and I saw same groups of people there a few times.

There's absolutely no question I'd go here instead of mainstream "Italian" restaurants (I'm looking at you, Olive G.; we never went back to mainstream after visiting Al Lago). Fantastic customer service! Great food & its selection! I can't even name my favorite - I tried most dishes by now and don't have 1-2 favorites anymore.

Not a single time that we weren't happy with our dining experience here. We choose to drive extra 10 minutes up to Bonney Lake to visit the place. Well worth it!

Delicious food!!! Had the truffle fries for appetizer and Fettuccine Alfredo with steak for dinner and it was to die for

Good service but very bland food. Wouldn't recommend if you're going for authentic Italian.

We ordered lasagna and spaghetti, had calamari and a glass of wine and it was well over 100.00. My husband and I didn't think it was worth the price. We also noticed that they put in a mandatory 17.00 tip. The food was just ok. I find that the Olive Garden's Italian food tastes better. Definitely not a place that we will go to again.

Fun place to eat good service good environment love it

Great food and outstanding service. Best company ever.

Good Italian food, love the pasta and pizza!
The menu is extensive with a wide range of dishes; pasta, salads, steak, seafood... and of course pizza. There is something for everyone but the menus are easy to read and prices are easy to see - something I really appreciate!
The staff is very friendly and professional and it has a atmosphere - not too open not too cozy. They have a wide variety of seating options from high or low tables, booths and a nice bar area. It's a little on the more expensive side for me; for instance I think their cheepest pizza starts at $21 but, the food is excellent. All in all, it's a nice place and I heartily recommend it!

Maybe it was just me but the wait was crazy.. I'm sure the food is good but not if I have to wait two hours for an order that was placed. Clearly last priority or catering to a specific demographic..IMO

Thank you George for the most delicious dinner, it was perfect and I enjoyed meeting Joans wonderful family!!! Hope

Super great dinner with my fiance and mom. Teri our server was super awesome and made our special night even better.

My experience has always been a great one, Tom is fantastic in the bar, and the food has always been great!

It's a lovely place...beautiful view...pleasant servers...good food.

This is a great neighborhood spot that comes with a classy atmosphere and upscale Italian dishes. We were greeted right away, seated in one our favorite spots and the service was great. Ryan went the extra mile to make the experience even better than usual. Fast service, strong drinks (I asked for doubles :), perfect food...just the way we like it! I would recommend (and have recommended) this restaurant to many and ask for Ryan because of his outstanding service. See ya next time!

I have been here a handful of times now and every time but one have been great experiences. Decided to wait on the review to further investigate the service, which was the one issue I ve had here, but they have made up for it over a few more visits.
The food is delicious, the alcohol selection has drinks for all taste buds, and the desserts are classic Italian and perfect. They do have limited vegetarian options, only about 2 entrees, but they are so good you ll want to order it every time.
Also of note is their fresh sheet that changes weekly, every meal from it so far has been better than the regular menu food, which already set the standard high!

HORRIBLE! My party arrived for dinner at 4:45 so the place wasn't even very busy and our service was still ridiculously slow. We had 10 adults, 4 children and...ONE server!? When plates started to arrive, I watched as everyone else got their food and then the server just disappeared. I sipped on my room temperature water for over 5 minutes while I wondered if my order had been forgotten. Finally, my fried artichokes came out but without explanation or apology! When our bill came, I was not only annoyed by the forced gratuity but in complete disbelief that my husband's bland chicken alfredo was $20 ($13 alfredo & $7 for a small handful of added chicken!). Our bill was $35.25 for bad alfredo and late/sour fried artichokes--we didn't even order any drinks! We were then quickly rushed out of the place because they needed the space for live music. I e-mailed management with my complaint but they haven't bothered to respond. This place is an overpriced disappointment and I'll never return!

Great view of the water. Service was nice and food was flavorful.

Hands down my favorite restaurant. The owner is amazing and they serve the best food I ve ever had.

My husband and I eat here for valentines day . We loved the food but had the worst service, I'm a waitress myself and when I see one waitress that isn't even ours 10 times and only see our waitress 2 times the whole dinner and threw dessert is not cool. Food was fabulous, but WE will not be back.