Giordanos --review

firsttimer2007

DIS Veteran
Joined
May 10, 2007
After reading so much about giordanos here on dis I convinced my dh to go there. Big mistake! I will be paying for that choice for a long time to come I'm sure.

I, after reading here on dis, went to sign up for there b-day club since it was my dh birthday (well week not day). They gave a coupon for a free app or dessert. I went to the website, selected the location and then signed up.

When we go there on Labor Day weekend Sunday night we expected the place to be packed. Outback (in the same parking lot) had people waiting for tables out side. We were immediately seated in a restaurant that was half full. The waiter was great, very friendly and very helpful or so it seemed.

I ordered a sangria, dh ordered water and kids ordered soda. Everything came out but the sangria. No worries because drinks from the bar typically take longer. Then my dh showed the server the coupon. The server said, I've never seen that coupon before let me go ask. He came back after approx 10 mins to say that the manager said we can't use it.

We said, why not? So he offered to get the manager. We accepted this so 15 or so minutes later the manager came over to basically say tough luck. She was very short and unaccommodating.

I asked my dh if he wanted to leave and he said no, I'd already ordered a drink....

We never saw our waiter again, well we saw him but he was helping other tables. Another waiter came to help us...we got dumped. This only made a bad situation worse.

I ordered the pizza, the reason I wanted to come here in the first place. The waiter proceeded to tell me that EVERYONE else would get their food in 10 mins but mine would not be done for 35 mins so did I want to order something else. I ordered chicken Parmesan. My dh ordered a sandwich, oldest ordered spaghetti and youngest ordered thin crust pepperoni.

Everyone's food arrived in approx 20 mins, except my youngest pizza and my sangria still was not there. About 10 mins later my youngest pizza arrived --I could have had what I wanted and eaten it with my child.

Needless to say we won't ever eat there again. The kids meals tasted good but mine was a large plate of spaghetti with a very small thin piece of dry chicken. No salad or anything for $12. My dh said the au'jus was tasty but the sandwich was tasteless.

My sangria well I'm home now and I never got it. :sad:
 
Bummer :(. Maybe the first waiter was covering for yours? Also, the pizza there does take a LONG time since it's stuffed pizza. That's what we order there so I don't have to think that I'm making the rest of the family wait. I do think it totally stinks that the manager didn't take your coupon. I would email Giordano's about that. That's not right. My guess is that your sangria was lost in the waiter shuffle. Did you ask for it again?
 
We dined at Giordano's (the Lake Buena Vista location) for the first time last Wednesday, and loved it. Totally different experience from yours. Great service and delicious food. No alcohol for us (we very, very rarely drink) but we had their cheesy garlic bread, parmesan fries, and Fritto Misto (toasted ravioli, fried mozzarella, battered mushrooms and French fried onions) as appetizers, then their "meat, meat and more meat" stuffed pizza. Our waitress told us right up front that the stuffed crust pizzas take 40 minutes to cook, which was fine as we had plenty of appetizers to hold us over.

Atmosphere was very nice, our server was very attentive, the restaurant was clean, and the food quality was excellent. We used a coupon from the Entertainment Book ($5 off) and had no problem whatsoever.

Sorry your first visit there was a poor one. I am sure Giordiano's has vaulted to a "must do" for my guys on future trips.
 
After reading so much about giordanos here on dis I convinced my dh to go there. Big mistake! I will be paying for that choice for a long time to come I'm sure.

I, after reading here on dis, went to sign up for there b-day club since it was my dh birthday (well week not day). They gave a coupon for a free app or dessert. I went to the website, selected the location and then signed up.

When we go there on Labor Day weekend Sunday night we expected the place to be packed. Outback (in the same parking lot) had people waiting for tables out side. We were immediately seated in a restaurant that was half full. The waiter was great, very friendly and very helpful or so it seemed.

I ordered a sangria, dh ordered water and kids ordered soda. Everything came out but the sangria. No worries because drinks from the bar typically take longer. Then my dh showed the server the coupon. The server said, I've never seen that coupon before let me go ask. He came back after approx 10 mins to say that the manager said we can't use it.

We said, why not? So he offered to get the manager. We accepted this so 15 or so minutes later the manager came over to basically say tough luck. She was very short and unaccommodating.

I asked my dh if he wanted to leave and he said no, I'd already ordered a drink....

We never saw our waiter again, well we saw him but he was helping other tables. Another waiter came to help us...we got dumped. This only made a bad situation worse.

I ordered the pizza, the reason I wanted to come here in the first place. The waiter proceeded to tell me that EVERYONE else would get their food in 10 mins but mine would not be done for 35 mins so did I want to order something else. I ordered chicken Parmesan. My dh ordered a sandwich, oldest ordered spaghetti and youngest ordered thin crust pepperoni.

Everyone's food arrived in approx 20 mins, except my youngest pizza and my sangria still was not there. About 10 mins later my youngest pizza arrived --I could have had what I wanted and eaten it with my child.

Needless to say we won't ever eat there again. The kids meals tasted good but mine was a large plate of spaghetti with a very small thin piece of dry chicken. No salad or anything for $12. My dh said the au'jus was tasty but the sandwich was tasteless.

My sangria well I'm home now and I never got it. :sad:


I hate this restaurant! Have tried it twice and every year I print my coupon from restaurant .com and never use it. Worst Pizza, worst service, worst ambiance.
 


hmmm.. odd which location did you go to? I've been to the one on Irlo Brunson twice, both times using a restaurant.com gift cert. and had no problems... both times our waitress was very attentive. Both times a guy making balloon animals made some for the kids. Both times the stuffed pizza was awesome!! Maybe be willing to give it another chance, everyone has bad days?? Another suggestion, call ahead and order so it will be just about done when you get there and all you have to worry with is drinks!! jmo :thumbsup2
 
We go to Giordanos just about every trip to Disney. We've had problems with a server one time. He seemed a little absent minded and we had to ask for silverware twice and MY drink a second time, which wouldn't have been so odd except both DBF and I got sodas. He brought out DBF's soda and didn't bring mine.

The food is ALWAYS great, we usually get garlic or cheesy bread of some type and a stuffed pepperoni pizza. The stuffed takes at least 30 minutes more than the other pizzas and they normally tell you that when you go to order it. Its way worth it though.

We normally use the coupon from restaurants.com and haven't had a problem yet.

Maybe it was just an off day or something... but don't let one experience ruin it. We love it there.
 
Your experience sounds similiar to ours! My sister and I took my kids to the location on 192 last year. Sis and I decided to split a pizza, one child gets a kids cheese pizza and one opts for a baked fish dish:confused3. Over an hour later, we finally get our food. The fish was the best of it! Kids meal was COLD, our pizza crust was undercooked (still doughy and "raw") and toppings were congealed and cool to the touch. I think we all ate about 2 bites. Sis ordered the sangria too, and just recently reminded me that they never brought hers out either!
 


We get pizza and salads carry out and it is always GREAT, whether in Chicago or Orlando!

When I go to a restaurant, I usually stick with what they are best at. Giordano's is best at pizza. Why would you order pasta or fish LOL?

FISH from a pizza restaurant?!??! :confused3
 
For those wondering about the 40 minute cooking time needed for the deep dish style pizza, these photos may help you understand why. The pizza is THICK. Definitely worth the wait :thumbsup2 .



 
For those wondering about the 40 minute cooking time needed for the deep dish style pizza, these photos may help you understand why. The pizza is THICK. Definitely worth the wait :thumbsup2 .




It looks sinfully delicious!!!::yes::
My poor lactose intolerant/cheese loving (yep, bad combo!) daughter would probably die on the floor of the restaurant though:rolleyes2.
She is powerless in the face of cheese.. and and there isn't enough Lactaid in the world for that pizza:lmao:
 
She is powerless in the face of cheese.. and and there isn't enough Lactaid in the world for that pizza:lmao:

:rotfl: Your poor DD. Yep, this place would NOT be for anyone with lactose issues. Or for anyone watching their weight!! (I threw the diet out the window for this trip......but let me tell ya, I'm paying for it now :eek:).

The deep dish pizza is thick beyond comprehension.......I would love to know how many pounds it weighed before we attacked it. They definitely don't scrimp on ingredients.....the pieces of sausage under the cheese were HUGE. We ordered a large but could easily have done with a small. That said, the boys happily ate our leftovers for breakfast (not me....my stomach does not have the iron lining that their's do! :rotfl2:).
 
I used to live in Chicago, and Giordano's is my favorite. Had no idea they are in Florida now! As someone who has eaten Giordano's at least 20 times, let me issue a few tips.

1. It's all about the pizza. You must order pizza when you go. Preferably stuffed (Chicago style). The thin is decent, but let's face it, that's NOT why you go to Giordano's. Everything else, from the apps to the sandwiches to the desserts, is nothing too impressive. Keep your eye on the prize, or in this case, the pizza. It's why you go there.. the ONLY reason you go there.

2. Yes, the pizzas take 30 minutes plus to bake. This is because they have a pound of mozzarella in them. It's well worth the wait. But if your fellow diners also follow tip #1, you will have company in your wait.

3. Remember, it's not thick crust pizza, it's STUFFED pizza. It's a major difference, the Chicago difference.

4. After you eat it, you will feel ill. That's what eating that much cheese does to you. You will have momentary regret and will not want it for months later. This is normal. But in a few months, if given the opportunity, you will be back!
 
The deep dish pizza there does take that long (35-40) minutes and I like going there because it seems most places that do deep dish pizza in Miami have disappeared over the years.We used to have Uno's and they left.I usually go to the Giordano's in Lake Buena Vista by 535,there's also an Uno's right at the entrance of the crossroads shopping center about half a mile away from Giordano's.Last couple of times I went to Uno's I did notice they have a way to cook the deep dish pizza which allows the pizza to be done much faster than at Giordano's but it's just not as thick.
 

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