Trattoria IL Panino

Il Panino was a special place for me and my lady. Our first real place that was "our restaurant" when we first began dating was Trattoria Il Panino. Our wine was poured before we were seated, we got hugs and kisses from the waitresses, photo's with the cook staff, and special times galore! Then it all went down the tubes. About 3 years ago, the owner changed the menu and most of our favorite dishes were gone. We went out on a limb this past weekend (4/4/09) and returned because we missed "our place". As we entered, we were quickly told to stay outside and that "it would only be a couple of minutes". We sat outside for a half-hour, and when we were brought in, we were seated in a plastic-enclosed outdoor seating area. This area had many tables squished into a tight spot, where even the waitstaff had to play a virtual game of stand-up-twister to get by each other and the patrons. We sat underneath the outdoor patio's heating system, which was some 9 feet above us, and it basicall cooked me for the couple minutes i was seated! The table itself and the dishware & silverware were hot to the touch from being underneath the fore mentioned heater. I quickly told our server that I was extremely uncomfortable and asked to be seated elsewhere. The man in charge of seating told me and my lady that we'd have to wait outside AGAIN until something else became available. I told him that we were choosing to leave and go elsewhere and there was no apology or anything, just him hurrying on his way. We were able to salvage the evening, but both myself and my lady vowed to never return again, even on a whim. Its worth mentioning that the next morning, even her head was sore from those few minutes under the extreme heat. The food is not worth the high prices, nor is it worth the treatment you receive from the time you grace the doorway....and are told to go back outside!

We had eaten at Il Panino before and enjoyed it. We arrived Saturday nite 10/17/08 at 6:45, without a reservation, and asked if we could be seated. We were told by hostess Maria that it would be "a little over 30 minutes". Two hours later we were still standing outside. The problem was that as others arrived who had made reservations, they were seated before us - - fair enough, but we should NEVER have been told that we would be seated in "a little over 30 minutes". We left, never to return again!! This is no way to treat customers. Jim and Marge - Chadds Ford PA; Mike and Bill - Milton, MA