Joe Rigatonis - Middlesborough

Bororob (19 March 2008)

I have dined at Joe Rigatonis many times. This was a great place initially, but over the years the standard has gone down. My last visit with my wife was disappointing. For starters I had potato skins with chilli dip. The skins were a little greasy, but more worryingly gritty. The steak was fatty to the point where it was difficult to get anything edible from it. The meat had a peculiar taste and was cooked dry, when it was ordered medium. When I mentioned this to the waiter, he was not very courteous. It was returned to the kitchen with only a few pieces cut from it. We heard nothing back from the kitchen, the waiter or the manager, despite our complaint. My wife ordered a chicken in a creamy sauce, while the chicken was nice the sauce didn’t taste good. We were given the dessert menu after thirty minutes and four attempts to order, we gave up, paid the bill and left. The waiter even accused us for not paying the bill. At £21.00 per head, it was the bowl of chips which was the best. I suggest they take fewer bookings if they are unable to cater to the number of tables.