Mingalone Italian Bar & Grill

We went here a Saturday in early August, a party of 14 physicians after a conference, making the total of people in the restaurant 18. We just had snacks and drinks and racked up a huge bill. They do not have any premium alcohol in the place. They do not stock any vodka above McCormick quality....and do not know how to make the basic martinis. Terrible drinks! One round we sent back the waiter tasted and said ""Oh man this is bad, he doesn't know what he's doing, I'll make them for you"". The other waitress spilled a bad pomegranate martini on an expensive white dress of one of the physicians. She did not apologize and we chose not to make a big deal out of it and just have a good time. Later we discovered it could not be dry cleaned. I contacted the manager who said ""you really should have spoken to me yesterday, but I will see what I can do"" Two weeks later, no response, so I call back. He says well we comped the drinks thats all I can do. I informed him, no, the drinks were not comped, but more importantly she did not even apologize to the lady. HE THEN SCREAMED AND SAID ""THATS IT, THATS ALL I WILL DO FOR YOU, BYE"" AND HUNG UP ON ME! HE HUNG UP when I was not even asking him for money or anything but just to report the incident and the bad service, and spoke very politely. NEVER WILL I EVER RECOMMEND THIS PLACE TO ANYONE. To make a customer feel like that when your restaurant cannot even make a martini and could use every extra customer it could. It is people like this pretentious manager that make places in Bayou place fail. He is an embarrasment to himself and to his restaurant. Pros: Looks nice. Cons: Manager Attitude trickles down to poor service by staff as well. more

If you like tiramisu you MUST try Mingalone's version. It is the best we have ever had!! The food at Mingalone never disappoints us, but some of the servers seem to be a bit ""new"". Sometimes the wait for delivery of food or beverages is a bit long, but for us it's worth the wait! Pros: Awesome Tiramisu Cons: Service could be a bit snappier more

Last month, my sister came in town a week before her 16th birthday. She loves Italian food. I immediately thought, ""Mingalone"" - because the first time I went the food and service was great! So, we made reservations in advance and explained that it would be for a birthday surprise. When we got to the restaurant - we quickly discovered that our waiter was not very knowledgable. He told us the special - but could not answer any questions on it. Understandable - I have been a server before and had my bad days - but, he said he would be back with the answer - and he came back 5 minutes later with no answer and no waters! And, there were probably only 4 other tables occupied - so the restaurant wasn't busy at all. more

Good location, interior is elegant but not too fancy. Food is wonderful and served relatively quickly. Good location for lunches or nights at the theater. Special theater menu is quickly served. Pros: Excellent place for business or pleasure Cons: Parking, what are you going to do, it's downtown. more

After visiting 2 other eateries that were too crowded with long waits, a friend and I thought we'd make 1 last attempt at a meal before our show. Walking past Mingalone, we noticed that although busy, it still appeared to have available seating so we ventured in. The hostess was really friendly & observant. Noticing our attire, she asked if we were attending a downtown performance to expedite service, if needed. We were seated & our orders taken promptly. The food arrived at the table hot, fresh, & delicious. The only small disappointment was that we paid in cash (I know, its rare) and the waitress took a longer than expected time returning to the table with the change. However, we still had plenty of time to make our show. Overall, I'd definitely recommend this restaurant & I do plan on returning. Pros: Hostess' greeting, Delicious food, Quick service Cons: Getting change more

My wife (my girlfriend at the time) and I first dined at Mingalone when we were going to the Alley Theater to see an afternoon show. We fist attempted to be seating at the Hard Rock Cafe and the wait was awful. So on a whim we thought we would try Mingalone. We were promptly seated. My wife decided to order the Ravioli di Zucca and we both fell in love with it. We've been back numerous times since and have never had a bad experience. We have always been seated immediately. The food was wonderful and waitstaff has been prompt and courteous. Never mind the wine selection which is amongst the best I've seen. Of course, if you order a pricey bottle of wine you can expect a huge bill, but I think the prices are quite reasonable. I would recommened Mingalone to almost anyone. Pros: Conveinent, Reasonable, Easy Seating more

We requested to sit outside in which were promptly sat and greeted by a very unprofessional waiter who took a wadded paper out of his pocket to read specials and after every special end with ""or whatever"" and ultimately ended with ""or whatever; get what you want"". After sitting for 25 minutes with no refills and no sign of our waiter, I talked with the manager who told me the outside was closed, the hostess should never of sat us there and we were ""lucky"" to get service out there. He offered his business card and said ""fine I'll pay for the next round of drinks"" The manager came to the table asked the others their feelings, again rudely defending himself that it's not his fault. We left... Way overpriced for poor service, I expect this from Denny's, but then again I would only be paying $5.99 a meal. Cons: manager more

Went to check this out prior to a show. The waitstaff was prompt in overall service, however, the host was clueless and rude. The wine selection and ambience was nice, but the salads we ordered were not a smart move. Overpriced and underwhelming. The food, coupled with the awful greeting left a lingering bad taste. more

I think Mingalone is highly underrated. While it doesn't have quite the ""scene"" that other downtown restaurants have, it is a really nice, quiet, delicious italian restaurant. You've got to try the handmade pasta with the bolognese sauce. Absolutely incredible. The best part is that since it is so highly underrated, you don't have to wait for two hours to get in, and you can enjoy a nice romantic dinner without having to yell over the ""scenesters"". Authentic italian with excellent service. Highly, highly recommended. Pros: Delicious, Quiet, Ambience more

I eat out nearly every night. At Mingalone I had the worst meal of my life. The server was angry. The food was far from fresh. I felt like I paid too much to be treated this way. So I spoke to the manager and he said, ""sorry you didn't like it -- our food is authentic and you're probably used to something from the Olive Garden."" Then he walked off. Some people really seem to like this place, but I saw no redeeming quality. more

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants. I'm promptly seated and I've always received excellent service from the waitstaff. The food and drinks are prepared to my liking and I simply enjoy it. It has a great atmosphere and is conveniently located. In any restaurant, everyone may not be pleased, but I've received nothing but the best at Mingalone's. Pros: Location, Atmosphere more

Mingalone is consistent. At a typical restaurant either the service is lackluster or the food quality is poor. At Mingalone, both are bad. My salad was wilted and soggy. My chicken was tough. The bread was impossible to eat. The waiter was apathetic about how we enjoyed our meal. That is, until the very end when he followed us down the street yelling at us for more tip. Pros: View of Wortham Cons: , Service more

Mingalone has a wonderful location in the theater district. Its location must keep it afloat because the food and service are not worth it. It is too expensive for such poor quality food. I eat out 5 times a week and this was my worst dining experience ever. Pros: Location more