Margherita

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15 Reviews

• by Ramy   2 reviews, 8 helpful votes.
  Dec 9, 2011 at 16:57
  Worst experience in their new branch!! among many issues, Creme Brulee was served Ice cold and when compaint, the answer was: the chef does it like that. I called the manager and told her I dont want it, she said it'll be removed from the bill, but it was still there when i asked fro the check. I paid and left my name and number for the manager to call me back, but no follow up was made. never will return, never will suggest it!!
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• Reply by Dany,
  Dec 14, 2011 at 23:39
  Dear Ramy,

  We are sorry for the unaccepted experience you had and for the lack of response you got from our side, We would love to talk to you for more details, we appreciate if you send your contact details to sorrento@casa-giovanni.com.

  Sincerely

  Dany

• Reply by Ramy,
  Dec 20, 2011 at 14:43
  Even though the management reply was not swift, but a call from Dany from the management of the brand was in place and feedback was taken and will be acted upon. I will return to Margherita for another try and check on the promissed improvements.

• Reply by Jean,
  Dec 22, 2011 at 13:02
  Hey man, looking forward for your new feedback.

• by Fadi   1 review, 3 helpful votes.
  Apr 12, 2012 at 13:15
  I am really surprised by the negative feedbacks. I had been in Italy and I have never tasted a pizza like Margherita's !! The tomato is always fresh, the dough is tasty, the cheese is so yummy !! For me, it's my favorite Italian restaurant in the world.
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• 
  by @aziz.zada   25 reviews, 129 helpful votes.
  Oct 19, 2012 at 13:08
  I entered Margherita’s new branch in the mall ABC, Ashrafieh with positive vibes and high hopes. I was met with an establishment so astoundingly grim you want to congratulate the kitchen on its incompetence. Mabrouk, no one can do it like you did. You managed to change a fine Italian dining experience to what resembles a cheap Chinese food take out at best.

  During my daily route to my office in Gemmayze, I passed by Margherita for must have been years now. I have always admired Margherita’s trademark window display of fresh ripe red tomatoes and the occasional deep violet aubergine. I heard so many good things about it, yet I never got the chance to try it. So naturally I felt really ecstatic to know that it opened in ABC and that I will finally get the chance to try it after watching a movie. The movie ended and I hassled and made my way to my guilty night treat. There it stood with its trademark window display and traditional Italian interior. Having visited Italy on numerous occasions, it felt nice to sit there even though there is a dim voice at the back of your head reminding you that you are still in a mall and not in a small pizzeria in Tuscany.

  My Italian nostalgic experience sadly ended right there and then, at the entrance admiring the décor. We were seated in the table of our choice and handed our menus. All good up till now…. Wait, I’m just getting warmed up!

  Three minutes after receiving our menus, a handsome young waiter approached our table with a smile, which soon changed to a snarky grin. He gave us a look which said, “You seem lost, let me help you” and then he said, “You seem lost, let me help you”. Seriously??? Who does he think he is talking to?? Where was he when not only I visited Italy, when I worked in a small Italian bistro as a part of my Italian experience! How can a waiter approach a client which such a condescending attitude. My friend and I both glared at each other with disbelieve and chose to ignore his attitude and to try enjoy the promised Italian feast. Less than two minutes later, the handsome young waiter approached us again with his pompous smile again and asked if we were SURE we didn’t need help. I assured the young man with a calm voice and a warm smile that we are doing well.

  The menu was versatile and very inviting. Everything sounded great and I wished I could try everything in it. Our choices were simple, a Risotto dish with lemon sauce and shrimps, and a Calzone Margherita. The young gentleman took our order and explained in un-necessary detail the two choices of water they carried. Much appreciated, just get me a bottle of Soha.

  Like any fine Italian restaurant, came a basket of complimentary Italian bread. Just delightful and light. The coarse salt just bursts in your mouth with mini explosive flavor attacks. I was disappointed that I was never offered any extra virgin olive oil or balsamic vinegar, yet it was not such a big issue compared to what I had to deal with later.

  My risotto arrived. Where is my risotto? With an $18 price tag, I expected to actually eat and not just taste the risotto! I understand a small portion gourmet meal, but looking at that sad grim plate made me giggle. At the end of the day, risotto is just pretentious RICE!! Before I even touched my plate, I noticed how unclean it was. It was full of fingerprints and smudges. That was appalling. I called my handsome smiling waiter and expressed my feeling towards my smudgy plate. His reply was more appalling. “No, we wipe the dishes well before presenting them”. What does that mean? I’m blind? I’m lying? I smudged it myself? He then grabbed my plate and went back with it to the kitchen. Few minutes later, arrived my friends Calzone. They say a Burger with any other name is still a Burger. I say a Manou’she with any other name is just expensive. I do admit, they present well. The Calzone was an elegant looking generous piece of cheese pie with a coat of velvety rich tomato and basil sauce. The Calzone itself was very bland and rather tasteless, yet the rich tomato sauce saved it from being a total insults to the taste buds.

  Hurray, my risotto arrived again. Yuck, my risotto arrived again.

  A single smudge few centimeters wide circled my plate as the kitchen staff wiped it with a rag and sent it to me. An atrocious sight. I’m sure that Queen Margherita of Savoy would have felt so offended by such an establishment holding her name. She turned in her coffin.

  The waiter automatically noticed the shock on my face directly as the plate left his hand in front of me. He asked why I look so disturbed. I simply requested that he looks at my plate. He presented his charming smile (a shy version now), took the plate and headed to the kitchen again.

  Damn it, I’m hungry.

  The floor staff manager approached me and asked me to be patient, and promised to take care of the situation. I didn’t explain the situation. I guess he must have read my mind or eyes. Yes, some people can do that!!

  Rejoice rejoice, here comes the risotto again.. and in a clean plate. I’m impressed it took them only three trials to serve such a simple dish!!

  Oh wait, remember how I said that the portion was amusingly small?? Ok, they managed to make it smaller now!! Don’t ask. I didn’t comment. It was getting drained; I guess it was the hunger and my low blood sugar levels. The risotto was good! Yet again, I wish I ate it rather than just sample it. Half way through my plate (that’s about 2 mins after I received it) the manager arrived with her warm kind smile and requested to know if everything was up to my liking. I said that all was fine (I repeat, at that point I just wanted to eat). She wondered why my risotto was kept going back. I briefly expressed how the plate was smudgy with greasy finger prints. She smiled and said, “Well, I’m glad you finally are enjoying your meal.”

  Mmmmm, did she study management? Well, I studied marketing and Public Relations. That’s not a reply your client expects.

  My dining experience came to an end at Margherita, and I was ready to leave.

  My advice to all of you, don’t go to Margherita. Keep not going. Keep not going a lot!!

  I rate the food as a generous 7/10 and the total experience as 4/10.

  Shame.
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• 
  by wissam   3 reviews, 15 helpful votes.
  Jun 24, 2012 at 14:09
  Definitely the best pizza I had in years, including all continents and Italy. Perfect thin crust with the contour slightly burnt for enhanced taste, a balanced mix of fresh ingredients... simple and delicious. Maybe some people had bad experiences with the service, but that does not discount the greatness of the pizza.
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• by rawan   1 review, 2 helpful votes.
  Mar 20, 2013 at 21:21
  I hate their stupid "can't book a table" policy! It's mothers' day tomorrow, I won't take her and there's no place nor make her wait! and it's always packed but not convenient!
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• 
  by NAOUREZ   38 reviews, 74 helpful votes.
  Mar 21, 2013 at 13:53
  I tried few months ago the branch of Sin El Fil.

  The pizza (pepperoni) was good (I didn't like the big puffy edges) and the pasta (rigatoni alla siciliana with eggplant) was delicious.
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• by Unsatisfied client.   1 review, 7 helpful votes.
  Jan 28, 2012 at 20:11
  Worst experience ever!

  Six of my friends and I heard about this place that it's one of the best places to have Italian. We called to book a table, they apologised for not taking any reservations.

  When we got to the place, we saw two empty tables, one for two people and another that could take four. When we asked if we could take them, two waiters said they are reserved. We had to wait for 15 minutes with all the noise and smoke inside, but since we were eager to try the food there, we waited, some of us even got bumped around by the overflow of customers coming in... instead of some waiter/waitress standing at the door and saying something like WE ARE FULL.

  Anyway, when we finally got a table..and settled down, we had to wait for another 10 minutes for a waiter to show up with the menus. After reading the BOOK with all the Italian names/words... we got a feeling of being back to school right before a drop test!

  We eventually decided what to order, and waited for a waiter/waitress to come take our order for around 20 minutes.

  The 2 staff members literally passed by our table 7 times before they noticed us calling them!

  The waiter took our order, without a pen and paper... orally, bragging about being able to memorize many orders... And we waited... and waited... and waited.... and waited.... finally we started to get grumpy after 35 minutes of waiting!

  Our waiter finally showed up with our so called "food".

  The Gnocchi we ordered was tasteless, with burned tomato all around, the lasagna had NOTHING to do with lasagna, the pizza was way too thin and very crunchy, the waiter mixed up one of our orders, our drinks came wrong too, the PORTIONS were KIDS size... they wouldn't even be enough for a 5 year old... AND the place was noisy as HELL!

  This place ought to be ashamed to call itself an Italian food restaurant. And the prices were way too high for such a tasteless tiny portion of quasi food.

  I have NO IDEA what that food was, but it definitely wasn't Italian recipes. It was simply HORRIBLE junk!

  NEVER AGAIN! EVER, would we step foot in that place, or even pass by it!
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• by Antonio   1 review, 3 helpful votes.
  Jan 8, 2011 at 12:44
  Very very tasty pizzas. The place is very small and usually crowded so it is common to wait for 30-45 minutes to get a table. The service is slow but it is worthy the try.

  Unfortunatly it is not possible to book a table.
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• 
  by Pascalew   23 reviews, 96 helpful votes.
  Jul 1, 2011 at 22:56
  Best pizza I tasted in Lebanon, but restaurant too small and too crowded.
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• 
  by Nora   1 review, 3 helpful votes.
  Sep 19, 2011 at 12:10
  Most delicious pizzas I ever had, and best tiramisu also! Waiting to get your table is surely worth it!
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• 
  by Jean   13 reviews, 31 helpful votes.
  Aug 4, 2010 at 19:24
  Pizza and wine were good, the place is nice but a little too small. I'd recommend to give it a try!
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• by Maya   2 reviews, 4 helpful votes.
  Feb 28, 2012 at 17:06
  The pasta is excellent, better than many places in Italy. Spinach from the starters tastes great. The design is also cosy and nice. Prices are a little above average, but definitely worth it.
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