This experience left our party of 4 upset and angry for the rest of the evening, ruining my husband's birthday. \r
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First, the waiter was gruff and denied requests that were slightly different than the menu, even though the restaurant prides itself in accommodating any special requests (from website, ""Casa Bella has a very high standard for catering to all their guests, to satisfy each and every one""). They didn't have many beer options, so my husband did not get to have his choice of beer. I then had to beg the waiter to ask the bartender to add some grenadine to Coke to make Cherry-Coke, my husband's favorite non-alcoholic beverage. \r
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Second, our food was not good. My linguini was undercooked (tough to chew), my husband's gnocci was overcooked, and our friend's veal was difficult to cut through and chew. For the price, meal portions were small. \r
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Third and most irritating is that a 20% MANDATORY GRATUITY FEE was surprisingly added to our bill. When we spoke with the waiter, the manager, and another restaurant employee (not sure of his title), all three argued with us and insisted that the gratuity choices were not an option for the customer to make at their restaurant. They used excuses such as needing to pay the expensive NYC rent for the restaurant property, and making sure that tourists don't under-tip the waitstaff, particularly because Europeans are notorious for not tipping because a 15% service is included in their bill at home. We pointed out that we are not Europeans and that we are usually generous tippers. Even with the bad service, we planned on tipping 15%. \r
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Overall, we were extremely upset that (1) after crappy service and expensive crappy food, we were forced to pay an additional 20% on top of the food bill and city/state tax, and that (2) we were treated very rudely by the waiter and the manager to whom we issued our complaints. They seemed to have a too-bad-for-you and we're-going-to-rip-you-off-anyway attitude.
Cons: poor service, bad food, mandatory gratuity policy, rude management
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