I usually love this restaurant...we sometimes eat there Friday evening and go for the pizza, which is the best. Never had a service problem until.... my 82 year old mom raved about this place to... More

I usually love this restaurant...we sometimes eat there Friday evening and go for the pizza, which is the best. Never had a service problem until.... my 82 year old mom raved about this place to her friends at assisted living and they decided to take a field trip there. First, the valet pitched a fit because they brought a "senior van" onto the lot. The worst though was when this group of very sweet seniors asked for separate checks. Most of them are in their 80's or 90's and very sensitive to their spending. The waitress not only refused, but said that if they sat apart, they could do 2 on one bill--and actually made them sit in different groups. Management was called, but got huffy and said that was just their policy. No separate checks. The staff was rude thoughout the lunch and seemed glad to be rid of them.I t was NOT the height of the rush hour--I understand that sometimes accomodating special needs customers might be a pain, but these people didn't deserve to be treated in such a rude manner. They won't be back, and it makes me wonder if I will be. I am very disappointed in Barone's---this isn't the restaurant I've come to know. Pros: Good pizza Cons: rude service--what happened?
Less

I have eaten at Barone's for forty years. They have excellent pizza and salad, delicious house dressing. I am absolutely in love with the fried zucchini, it is light and crisp and not greasy at all.... More

I have eaten at Barone's for forty years. They have excellent pizza and salad, delicious house dressing. I am absolutely in love with the fried zucchini, it is light and crisp and not greasy at all. It seems that there are few good restaurants left in the Valley. Thank goodness this one is still around. Pros: Best fried Zucchini in Los Angeles Cons: difficult parking
Less

I went to celebrate my birthday with my family. We have been going to Barones for decades. Recently I read the reviews they have received, mostly negative, and I was concerned that they had gone... More

I went to celebrate my birthday with my family. We have been going to Barones for decades. Recently I read the reviews they have received, mostly negative, and I was concerned that they had gone down hill. Well they haven't. Barones has never been a World Class restaurant, so don't expect that when you go. The food is good old fashioned Italian and has never changed. I've been eating there for more than 40 years and my parents for more than 50. Also regarding the lady with the heavy accent and the bad attitude, she has obviously had a change of mind as she was delightful while we were there. Everyone deserves another chance. Barones is an institution and should have that. You can't be perfect ALL THE TIME. So lighten up people. My family and I will continue to go back as always. Pros: Pizza - Spaghetti - Sandwiches Cons: Parking
Less

well my wife and I thought we'd try out the "famous barones". We made our reservation to 3 weeks in advance as we wanted to see our friend perform there. We were assured over the phone by the man... More

well my wife and I thought we'd try out the "famous barones". We made our reservation to 3 weeks in advance as we wanted to see our friend perform there. We were assured over the phone by the man who took our reservation that we had a very nice booth near the stage. Upon our arrival, to our dismay, it all went to hell when we checked in with the hostess. I don't know her name, but she was a middle aged women with dark hair and a heavy accent. She had a cold and rude manner. After checking in she made us wait for several minutes then proceeded to lead us to our table far to the back of the room. When we asked her what had happened to the table we had been promised "near the stage". She got very defensive and rude. Saying something about it being very busy and we would just have to be "happy to have a place to sit at all". Now, our reservation was for 8:00pm. We arrived at 7:55pm. There was hardly anyone in the place at that time. So I was in shock at why she would be so short and rude, and why she gave us such an aweful table. I was appauled at her non existant customer service skills. Not to mention I could barely understand her hideously thick accent. The room proceeded to fill up as it came closer to show time. It was a good show from what we could tell, but we were so far in the back, who could really tell anything. Our server was very nice. Her name was Marissa, I believe. She took wonderful care of us for the duration of our dinner! We had the highly recommended pizza, which was fantastic. We also had Lemon Drop martinis that were made to perfection, the "old school" style, which I rarely see these days so it was great to see a place where the bartender knows how to make the classic style of drinks. As we left, we saw the god aweful hostess from earlier sitting with the guy we had been told earlier was the owner. So maybe she's his wife. If so, keep your wife at home and out of your restaurant before she ruins it. To some it all up. Everything was great except for that horrible, rude hostess. My advice is get someone who can run the front desk so you don't anger your customers before they get to experience the great food! I probably wont ever go back. When I make a reservation well in advance to ensure I have a good table, I expect that the reservation is respected. Pros: great pizza Cons: terrible hostess
Less

I would not recommend this place they are not honest people. We ordered from one menu and then when we paid they had changed the prices to a much higher price than the menu and said too bad

I would not recommend this place they are not honest people. We ordered from one menu and then when we paid they had changed the prices to a much higher price than the menu and said too bad
Less

What an absolute horrible experience I just had at Barone's. As a kid that was my favorite place to go so tonight I thought I would share it with my husband. Im sorry I did. The service was... More

What an absolute horrible experience I just had at Barone's. As a kid that was my favorite place to go so tonight I thought I would share it with my husband. Im sorry I did. The service was terrible we ordered a large pizza and 45 minutes later the waitress told us it was gonna be a while because they had a big order before us. Then 30 minutes after that I had to flag her down to get our check due to the fact we had still not recieved our food. She brought me the food and the check 15 minutes after that. the pizza was the worst thing I have ever eaten. Needless to say I think I took two bites out of it and my husband never ate any he was so mad. It was very greasy and extremely salty. I paid my bill and was asked if everything was ok and I said no I felt I was treated very poorly. They didn't offer to take the pizza we didn't eat off the bill. And what's worse than all of it they NEVER AND I MEAN NEVER once apologized to us. I will never go back there and I hope that this gets to many readers as possible and they take it into consideration not to either.
Less

I never would have guessed that this restaurant would be such a very bad experience. The waitress was very good, but the Veal Marsala which was on the menu (but not on their website menu) was not... More

I never would have guessed that this restaurant would be such a very bad experience. The waitress was very good, but the Veal Marsala which was on the menu (but not on their website menu) was not delivered. Instead, I got a plate of very overcooked, tough chicken marsala. The chicken was so tough that you had to use a knife, or press very hard using the fork to cut it. The mushrooms and marsala sauce were tasty, but not the chicken. Remember, I ordered 'Veal', not chicken. I called the waitress over and after explaining the problem with the order, agreed to try eating it again. After another couple of bites, I just couldn't eat any more and requested that the waitress take it back and serve me the veal marsala. A taller, 45ish owner / manager brought the plate back to the table and stated, "We don't do that here!" I was caught a little off-guard and reiterated that I ordered veal, not chicken. He again said that they didn't do that at Barones, and that it 'was' veal. He then started cutting it in front of everybody at the table and to get their support left the dish for everyone to eat. I again told him that I ordered veal and was not happy with the dish and then requested eggplant parmagiane. It was O.K., nothing special. Later, after my friends had left, and while finishing my eggplant, called him over to my table. I told him that I used to be a waiter at a very nice country club and that I thought his conduct was not only unprofessional, but 'cheap'. I then told him that as a customer, I deserved to be treated with respect. He would not listen to my concerns and started argueing. After making him aware of his 'trashy' service, I then finished my meal and left. I would also like to say that their 'baby' martini's at $11.00 each are way overprice for a middle class Italian restaurant. $5.00- $7.00 would be reasonable for a 'so-so' restaurant. I would never go back there again. Terrible service, overpriced drinks.
Less

What a disaster! The old Barone's on Ventura had great pizza, mediocre food and interesting decor. This new attempt is a nightmare. Great pizza is now only good, and that's when you get the right... More

What a disaster! The old Barone's on Ventura had great pizza, mediocre food and interesting decor. This new attempt is a nightmare. Great pizza is now only good, and that's when you get the right order, the other food is hospital cafeteria awful and they apparently couldn't affored to remodel the old Hoppe's/Matterhorn Chef, so the Bavarian decor is ludicrous for a red-sauce "joint". But the real problem is the service. Apparantly, the son of the former and ledgendary owner now owns it and seems barely able to keep things together. The two kids in ill-fitting white shirts and poorly tied black ties who try to run the takeout counter still, after two years, have no clue what to do next. I live two blocks away and was initially delighted at the prospect of having this valley gem literally at my doorstep. But excitement turned to horror as soon as I tried them out - DISASTER. I gave up on dining there - the food is just too bad - but the takeout pizza is still worth the trip. But two times out of three they get the order wrong then make lame excuses about why. So try getting the pizza - but be sure to check your order. And when you find a place with professional staffers, think Musso Frank or the old Martoni's, go often and keep them in business. This place deserves to sink. Pros: Walking distance close Cons: The food, the owner, the children trying to be the staff...
Less

Killer garlic and olive oil for bread dipping! Make sure your significant other eats it too! Great Chicken Piccata. Some of the pasta dishes are just average.

Killer garlic and olive oil for bread dipping! Make sure your significant other eats it too! Great Chicken Piccata. Some of the pasta dishes are just average.
Less

When we first got there we got sat at what looked like a dirty table. A friend of mine was given a dirty spoon and my boyfriend's glass of wine was dirty and kind of questionable. This already had... More

When we first got there we got sat at what looked like a dirty table. A friend of mine was given a dirty spoon and my boyfriend's glass of wine was dirty and kind of questionable. This already had us feeling uneasy about the decision to eat at Barone's. While all this happened, it didn't seem that anyone, including the waitress cared that our table was dirty. We overlooked it and went on to get our bread. The bread was so hard....I think that it might've chipped a tooth. Now, I'm not sure if it's always like this.....or they just wanted our dining experience to be horrible because it certainly was. We ordered our food...which was OKAY. We were hoping it was going to be spectacular after all that. The food was mediocre and the service was awful....I would never go back. The only reason I would eat Barone's again is ordering pizza to go, which my boyfriend claims is delicious....I have yet to understand why. Pros: Food was okay Cons: Everything else was bad
Less