La Gondola Italian Restaurant - Mansfield (TX)

2 /5 Nam: It took 20 minutes from the time we got seated to take our order, and another 40 minutes for the food to come out. When food came out, it was not hot, so I wonder how long our food was sitting before being served to us. The table of 2 behind me arrived after us got their food much sooner, but they also had a different server... The entrees were just ok. The garlic bread was salty, and the crab cakes were just ok. The busboys were the only service that was quick here. They actually helped me expedite getting my check and paying. That was my only positive experience here. I will not come back.

3 /5 Nicholas Stevenson: I hadn’t been to this location in years, but while visiting family for the holidays we decided to stop by This local Italian restaurant offers many of the classic Italian delicacies you would find in any typical Italian restaurant. There are daily specials, a lunch menu (that has strict hours). I don’t believe I saw pizza in the menu, but there are all sorts of pasta dishes, sandwiches, steaks, chicken dishes, seafood dishes, and other Italian entrees. The menu isn’t too lengthy. In fact, I would say it’s relatively small for most Italian restaurants. There is plenty of win, beer, and other drink options, as well as desserts The ambiance is fairy dark and intimate. We went on a Friday and there was live music, but the acoustics of the open layout made it challenging to hear the person next to you let alone the performer The service was fine. We were given the complimentary garlic bread, which was tasty and plentiful, but a little salty. Servers kept coming by to refill our water, but not our server. In fact, it took way longer than we expected to get our meal, which our server brought, and then we didn’t see our server again for 30min or more to ask for a box. We weren’t checked in on. The server was loud, and made jokes/small talk, but we didn’t feel overly taken care of. Also, you are given the option of soup or salad with most all the entrees, and we were told there was only ranch and Italian dressings and then we overheard the server next to us tell another table there was honey mustard and other dressings. Also, someone at our table wanted French and onion soup and thought that’s what they were getting, but the “onion soup” was a cream of onion soup. We couldn’t inquire more about if this was a mixup because our server was no where to be found The food was fine. Again, certain portions were a little salty. The lasagna was a huge disappointment. I expect layers or noodles and there were none to be found. The noodles, if they were noodles, were the consistency of melted mozzarella. I wanted it on a plate and not wet and messy in a bowl Some tips: It would be amazing if there was an option to get the lunch menu later in the day, or “half” portion options Also, I am a huge bolognese fan, and that’s the reason I got the lasagna, but I would like to see it as a typical bolognese pasta dishes, or at least have that option Someone at our table was trying to pay with a prepaid visa gift card, but our server said their system “wasn’t with the times,” and we had to use another payment method. I feel like they should be able to enter this in as a VISA (manually), and if not, they should probably update their system One thing I do like is that you can sometimes find coupons for la Gondola. We used a $10 off coupon Cheers!!

1 /5 Bria: Where do I start? I chose this restaurant due to the review ratings only to be highly disappointed. I ordered a house salad, which had old lettuce and three tomatoes only with the house vinaigrette that was thick and had an odd taste. The Limon had a bare minimum amount of pasta, two chicken breast with a tasteless amount of sauce. And the pictures are of me just opening both containers right out the bag. Not sure what happened here, but I will not be returning.

5 /5 Carrie N: I highly recommend this restaurant. Perfect for a date night or night out with friends. The atmosphere is so nice but cozy. The food is great and comes with so much flavor. Made for a great night!