Napolinos Experience
 

This was almost amusing. Went to Napolinos last night with another couple. I told the waitress I'd like chicken parm, with linguini and white clam sauce. She said it would be a $3 upcharge. I said ok. When it arrived 40 minutes later, the linguini was doused in a thick, white gravy...devoid of clams. When I pointed this out to the waitress, she said if I wanted clams in my clam sauce, I'd have to order it as a dinner. I actually laughed. First and last time for me there.

The couple times we've been there it was like they warmed up Chef Boyardee out of the can. :1rotfl:

They have had a lot of health violations lately also, some really nasty ones. Would not step foot in that place.

They had one problem and fixed it.

We have been there quite a lot and enjoy it. Last night had dinner with another couple and excellent meal.

Restaurants...
 

Every "restaurant" in the Villages is possibly the worst service and food I've ever had. I would rather eat a MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) from the Army Infantry.... including hospital and VA food. It's absolutely disgusting.

That's simply because you're used to jello in the hospital ������

Does this mean you don’t eat out? Be honest now…………..

That is definitely not my experience. But you are welcome to eat MREs & leave the restaurants to us.

One of my favorite places - never had a bad meal there over the years.

Every restaurant? Remind me to never pay attention to a review you do.

Rodellos
 

Rodellos just off of the corner of 470 and 27 has fairly good Italian food.

Fairly good is not a recommendation. I take that as NO GO.

Wow that's crazy! I just looked at their menu, and linguine with clam sauce (red or white) isn't even an option for a side, it's only on there as a dinner choice.

Maybe next time, order what's on the menu, and you won't be disappointed.

That said - no idea why you got an actual white gravy. White clam sauce isn't white. It's only called that to distinguish it from red. It's mostly just olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, clam juice, and red pepper.

Sounds like your server had no idea what you wanted when you placed your order. The server should have asked questions. Do not condemn an entire restaurant and staff on one mistake. Unless, the people who dined with you didn't like their food. If everyone in your party agrees the food was awful, then move on!

We dined there twice and have not returned. Like most Italian restaurants here, it was mediocre at best. If we want a good Italian meal, we make it at home. We purchase pasta made in Italy, choose ripe tomatoes, and use fresh spices. The quality ingredients cost much less than eating out and our meal is always superb.

IMO, you will not get FRESH at Italian restaurants in the Villages. After many years of trying, we have eliminated all of them. We only dine at restaurants where meals are made to order.

I might have laughed as well at the waitress’s comment on the clam sauce. She sounds quite inexperienced. But to be frank, that may be how the kitchen operates and what the chef told her. In other words, the linguini with (actual clams) in the sauce is reserved for an entree, not a side dish of pasta to go with your chicken parm. Kitchen can cut costs that way too.

All the bad restaurants with poor service and food are attracted to The Villages.

These posts get sillier by the day.

Yep, every single one of them. When I moved here 10 years ago I weighed 743 pounds. Now I'm 82 pounds and fed by IV, all because every single restaurant sucks.:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

People are missing the point....he asked for the side, and as requested was up charged $3 based on that. If it was only for the full entree that should’ve been communicated in the first place. Not after the improv of the ‘chef’. That said, like the earlier post, Italian food is best cooked at home. There are people on here that think Olive Garden is authentic Italian. Italians don’t serve bologna parmigiana!

Thank you for your service aerating our greens all those years....and on your weight loss! ;)

No clams in clam sauce? You seem to be wrong about there being no clams in it, but right about it not being a white sauce.
Old-fashioned Linguine with White Clam Sauce Recipe - Food.com
The Best Clam Sauce Recipe
White Clam Sauce with Linguine - 40 Aprons

Bonefish Grill
 

I must agree that many of the Restaurants are sub par inside the Bubble.

Friday my wife and I went to the Bonefish Grill. Pricy I know but generally good. Our waitress came to take our drink order. I asked for a "Diet Budweiser" (my standard joke). She promptly told me "we don't serve Budweiser". My wife and I looked at each other as she never got the joke. I had to tell her that they had Bud Lite on tap. Got my Beer then. Go figure......

:icon_hungry: :mornincoffee:

You may have lost her at ‘dink order’....just saying

Nice save but we saw your typo! ;)

I like their food
 

I like their food quite a bit, their cheese is over used a bit much for me but the sauce is magnificent. I would eat there or at Gio’s if I was looking for Italian. Definitely I’m not a fan of Francesco’s or Pasta Palace. Staying focused, we haven’t eaten at an inside the Villages restaurant that understands Italian. We have had sit downs and pizza both from Napolinos, all the food was sub par and on one occasion we barely touched a take out pizza from the place.

Napolinas isn't even in The Villages.

You are absolutely right. We've tried them all in living here 20 years. Horrible food, horrible service.

I’m sorry you had a bad experience. I think the pizza at Napolino’s is arguably the best in the area (though Sammy’s across the street from Napolino’s has more authentic New York hole-in-the-wall type pizza.) The spaghetti carbonara is made the right way, unlike what usually passes for it in many Italian-style restaurants. When I eat it at Napolino’s, I moan with pleasure. It really is delicious. Also, some nights Napolino’s features the singer Mark Raisch, who is perhaps the best singer of Sinatra-style songs in the area. I don’t mean to offend, but ordering “chicken parm” in an Italian restaurant is sort of like ordering “General Tso’s Chicken” in a Chinese restaurant or mild curry at Amrit Palace or eating anything at Olive Garden: it suggests that your palette is highly Americanized and that your tastes are staying close to home.

You are correct Normalcy!
We need to charter a bus tour to ANY major cities Little Italy so the uniformed can experience an epiphany on this style of food

You are correct. I presume they gave me their interpretation of Alfredo. I also presume they just don't know.

Napolinos
 

Worst still, the place looks like a Neapolitan bordello.

For a long time, I ate most of my meals in restaurants and the one thing I started to realize is that most have an expiration date.
If they're good they will start with great food and atmosphere, but as time goes by either due to costs or driven for profits both will deteriorate. Now if I want to get together with friends I will go to a restaurant and ignore the food. If I want to have a good meal, I break out the pots and pans.

Never had a decent meal anywhere in the Villages.

I would beg to differ. I agree there is a problem with consistency of service and food quality but generally I’ve been well pleased.

It never changes folks go to a restaurant and want non menu items added to thair order and get upset when the bill arrives with added charges, not sure haow clam sauce is a separate condiment other than prepared with a clam dinner.

Odd. ONE bad experience by ONE Villager and it gets generalized into "every restaurant in The Villages serves H__seS__t"!

The word "elitist" comes to mind.

Face it. If you're from New York and enjoy the pizza styles that New York is (justly) famed for, St. Louis or Memphis and are hankering for ribs in the style and quality that is available there, or Philadelphia which is known for quality Asian restaurants, but you live here--don't be surprised if "second best" is all you're going to get. Because you're not IN New York. Or St. Louis. Or Memphis. Or Philadelphia. Or wherever. You're in THE VILLAGES. But that doesn't mean that second best, just because it doesn't live up to whatever elitist standard is in play at the time. is hog slop. It fits the bill just fine for probably 90% of Villagers at any given time.

Maybe those elitists among us should stop looking down their noses at the restaurants in TV and surrounding communities because they don't serve what YOU think they should, and start enjoying what the South in general, and Florida in particular, has to offer. For instance some of the best seafood around in an hour's drive or less. Great Cuban food. Alligator bites. Conch Fritters. Rum cake. Things that originate here and prepared in the best ways by folks who know what they're doing and take pride it it.

The Villages ain't New York or Philly. But don't toss out blanket condemnations just because of that.

I think your complaint is unreasonable. Linguini with white clam sauce usually runs around $18.00 to $20.00 dollars and is an entree. If I were the waitress I don't think I would have understood that you wanted a $18.00 side with your entree either. $3.00 should have given you a clue that you weren't going to get an $18.00 Linguini with clam sauce. You ordered two entrees, not an entree with a side.

I totally agree!! The Italian food here is mediocre here. My best Italian restaurant is in our kitchen. We're both Italian, born in CT and grew up with great homemade food.

Dined there several times, always enjoyed the food and experience.

The ‘South’ is not FL. Geographically it is but southern fare, authentic, is in the surrounding and contiguous states.

Also, your post mentions ‘things that originate here and prepared in the best ways by folks who know what they’re doing and take pride in it’......can you honestly say that the conglomerate corporate entities that set up shop here in TV.... that you patronize have that mindset in place? It’s not ‘elitist’ to expect authenticity when advertised as such and to pay a premium for that expectation only to be underwhelmed.

If it wasn’t a side dish listed on the menu, you get whatever they serve.