108 replies to this topic

[Mr_E_Squirrel]

Went last Saturday night lots of parking in the lot behind and was not particularly busy. The restaurant is divided in two "A bar side with no unaccompanied minors and a restaurant side". Our dining experience was was marred by several oddities.

-They loaded a table full of screaming kids into the bar side , Ruined the whole experience as it made concentration or even conversation difficult. Not sure why they don't automatically send kids to the restaurant side.
-The Fish and Chips says 3 piece on the menu , server forgot to mention its only two pieces but "larger than they were before" They are triangle shaped so not sure if this means it's a frozen product.
-Had to ask the server what the Romeo's shield icon referred to as it was only on certain items and was no legend. Something about Romeo's exclusives ?
-The booths are so high up that if you are on the Blanshard side you are effectively cut off from the restaurant and quite isolated from the staff etc.
-Pizza was good but if we went again would stick to the Broadmead location.
-When did Ketchup become a precious commodity? Fries were so pedestrian that they needed more than the tiny cup of ketchup. Bin4 I understand as the fries are likely made in house, the Romeos were not.. Would it kill them to put a bottle of ketchup on the table?

A plus was $5.00 Pints of beer (A special even on a Saturday night)

We will stick with Bin4/Pink Bicycle/heron Rock Bistro as the food and guest experiences are much better there for us.

[VicBooster]

Romeo's is a glorified Brannigan's. The food is all canned and pre made or tastes like it is but the restaurant is trying to pass itself off as an Earl's or Cactus Club despite a menu more like a mediocre neighbourhood pub. I've dined here once before and left feeling like I had just ingested a cacophony of unhealthy food passed off as something special.

I don't think they're doing too well in this location but events at Royal Athletic Park and at the arena are probably what's keeping it alive.

[HB]

but the restaurant is trying to pass itself off as an Earl's or Cactus Club despite a menu more like a mediocre neighbourhood pub.

Are you attempting to suggest that Earls and Cactus Club are not running a SYSCO menu with pre made sauces such a hollandasie which is some mystery powder mixed with water ?

How many times has Romeos won the best of Victoria since 1974?
How many times has Cactus club?

Just curious


For a small operation like Romes I find it remarkable that they are still in business when so many others have failed. Thye obviously have a business plan that has and is still working

Romes specialty is Pizza and Pasta so ordering Fish and Chips is like going to a Restaraunt that specializes in chicken and ordering pancakes.


I remember eating at the first Romeos when it was at 719 Johnson street next to the York Hotel

[VicBooster]

No I'm flat out saying Romeo's food is terrible. Cactus Club has never served me a bad meal and neither has Earl's. So all things being equal if Romeo's uses the same ingredients and distributors that the restaurants it is trying to emulate are using why the vast discrepancy?

I would take the drive out to Joe's in Langford any day before going to a Romeo's down the street.

[Bob Fugger]

Are you attempting to suggest that Earls and Cactus Club are not running a SYSCO menu with pre made sauces such a hollandasie which is some mystery powder mixed with water?

You should probably tone down your disbelief at what is being stated. I've worked at both. At Romeo's, anything that is not pizza essentially comes from a tin, bucket or from the freezer: pre-made, North Douglas (now Sysco) slop. The dough and pizza sauce are made from scratch. That's it. The chef is a glorified line cook.

At earls, everything - including the pan bread - is made from scratch. The menu is developed and extensively tested by a corporate team of Red Seal chefs. You have bona fide bakers and sauciers that prepare all of that, starting in the wee hours of the morning. The parmesan dip and blue cheese dressing? That's made from actual blocks of cheese. The blue cheese dressing at Romeo's is made by opening a ****ing bucket.

As for popularity, your argument is a rex herring: pizza and pasta - especially delivery - have a broader-based appeal than trendy, wannabe upscale casual. Romeo's "wins" your popularity almost by default, by virtue of broader appeal, more locations and years in market.

[Bob Fugger]

No I'm flat out saying Romeo's food is terrible. Cactus Club has never served me a bad meal and neither has Earl's. So all things being equal if Romeo's uses the same ingredients and distributors that the restaurants it is trying to emulate are using why the vast discrepancy?

I would take the drive out to Joe's in Langford any day before going to a Romeo's down the street.

Well said - the Original Joe's in Langford and now in Tuscany Village both absolutely destroy Romeo's.

[VicBooster]

Couldn't have said it better myself. And what "best" award other than maybe pizza has Romeo's won in the last decade?

If they serve fish and chips it better be good. If it stinks, why have it on the menu? Calling it a pizza and pasta place first doesn't excuse bad food on the remainder of the menu.

[HB]

I couldnt agree more with your post on Original Joes.
Tried it a while back. Good food good service and unique

[E-P-G]

No I'm flat out saying Romeo's food is terrible. Cactus Club has never served me a bad meal and neither has Earl's. So all things being equal if Romeo's uses the same ingredients and distributors that the restaurants it is trying to emulate are using why the vast discrepancy?

I would take the drive out to Joe's in Langford any day before going to a Romeo's down the street.

Obviously taste buds will vary... for example not challenging the _quality_ of Earl's but stopped going there because they, and Original Joe's (albeit been only once so should try again) overdo it on the default PEPPER quantity on dishes. (In Joe's case, even on a simple 3 cheese pasta - what the hey?)

My memory (very possibly faulty) doesn't remember Earl's being so "peppery" in the 90's. Cactus Club I do enjoy.

Romeo's isn't fine dining to be sure, but occasionally enjoy their Med fare on a "comfort food" level, usually the Hillside location though. If their non-pizza is all Sysco fare, they certainly do it up better than Boston Pizza or the late unlamented local Applebee's for example (at least whether it comes cooked fully isn't a crap shoot).

[aastra]

Nice use of "rex herring" there. Good to see.

[LJ]

^ Which Rex Herring" was he referring to?

[G-Man]

I had a very mediocre pizza here yesterday.

[29er Radio]

I am going to adopt "rex Herring" as a reference to the ultimate distraction in a conversation. Well spotted aastra.

[AllseeingEye]

Can't believe I'm giving these guys a thumb's up but here goes: our team had its Christmas brunch at the Blanshard location after voting on it and potentially 3 other restaurants close to our office. Romeo's to my utter shock came out on top 10/12 votes. My initial thought was that I was working with a bunch of peasants...... 

 

Recent experiences with Romeo's pizza in particular have been less than stellar - basically imagine taking a salt shaker, turning it upside down over the pizza and shaking vigorously. For about 5 minutes. They were/are IMO that bad. It's like gargling with sodium-laced mouthwash; or taking a full on sodium enema. What was once the go-to late night dining option post drinking binge in the 80's, was now virtually inedible.

 

Well I couldn't have been more wrong at least on the item I had at this brunch: if you happen to find yourself @ Romeo's definitely go for the fish taco if your're a fish taco kind of person. In a word they are excellent. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Just stay away from the pizza.....

[amor de cosmos]

Well I couldn't have been more wrong at least on the item I had at this brunch: if you happen to find yourself @ Romeo's definitely go for the fish taco if your're a fish taco kind of person. In a word they are excellent. I'd go back in a heartbeat. Just stay away from the pizza.....

that's surprising to me because the sauce is homemade & they make their dough fresh every day, as any self-respecting pizza place would, and then they take the pizza out of the pan right away so it doesn't steam. haven't had the fish tacos but i'll take your word for it.

[Nparker]

I am supposed to have lunch at Romeo's tomorrow. Perhaps I will try the fish tacos.

[AllseeingEye]

that's surprising to me because the sauce is homemade & they make their dough fresh every day, as any self-respecting pizza place would, and then they take the pizza out of the pan right away so it doesn't steam. haven't had the fish tacos but i'll take your word for it.

Its all that sodium AdC: I never salt any of my food, ever, except home made soups which typically need some spice or seasoning, so I'm sensitive to it. Mrs ASE ordered a Romeo's Special pizza last summer that was literally inedible unless copious amounts of excess sodium is your bag. Its definitely not mine. But two thumb's up for those tacos....

[amor de cosmos]

well i'm definitely with you about not adding salt as most things are loaded with it already, and I don't think I even have a sensitivity to it. i had just never heard that about romeos' pizza before.

[lanforod]

I had Romeo's pizza a couple weeks ago and did find it a bit on the salty side. That said, if they had online ordering, I'd do it more often. Back to Dominoes...

[todd]

I like the calamari.