Al Dente Trattoria

David

1.0

Service was extremely slow, waited more than 30min for daily soup, the Cesar salad was tasteless, lack of dressing, pizza was fair, overall experience, I would never go back there

Avy-Loren

3.0

Food. Average.
Service. Average.
Atmosphere. Dated & stale & cramped.

I have eaten here many times over the years & each time I am not impressed. Many people swear by it, I do not as I find it very average / mediocre especially for the price & quantity. The reality is they have a really well established name & there is a captive audience in & around the Monkland Village area. Most restaurants in the village are on the pricier side for the same reason in addition to some having legit great quality food & portions. You see a lot of older people eating here, not a younger scene & this also speaks to the drab basement front of house that is pretty much been the same for years. It's not a place to bring a first date, it's not a place with an upbeat atmosphere to have a party. It's not even a cosy or romantic place. Tables & chairs are average. There are plenty others Italian restaurants to eat at & a few in the village, but not all have pizza.

We ordered two pizzas to go, one all cheese & the other an American - essentially an all dressed. I welaos ordered the house green salad. Take a look at the miserable tiny portion for over $15 with tax! It's all air. This was the most insulting salad I have ever recieved in my entire life when eating out. If I had ordered this in the restaurant & received this portion I would have said something or perhaps sent it back. This to me, is ripping off a customer. There a way too many places to get a fresh hearty salad for the same or less with a nice portion. I don't know if this is due to laziness, quality control, or ownership trying to save money by providing a tiny portion. All in all, two pizzas & a salad cake to just over $68.00!!!!

Their pizza was one of the poorest examples of a pizza. It was dry, no moisture & very very little sauce to the point of not even tasting sauce. Cheese portion was ok, but the cheese texture & taste were not top quality. I'm sure management is going to come back & argue the portions are great & the cheese is top quality & fresh & blah blah blah & that they have never received any complaints - like most every owner or management. & perhaps they may be correct to some extent, they have been in business for many years, but how is business these days - is it the same as when it was over a decade ago or earlier when they were always busy? When I went, prime time, two tables were filled in the whole restaurant. Ok it's a Monday - but come on??

I think this restaurant has seen its prime pass & ownership is just cruising along & investing as little as possible. The menu is also basic & has been for years.

Overall, value is not there for me nor is the taste of the food or portion is some cases. There are many alternatives at this level of pricing if you're willing to drive a little further-longer & you will be rewarded.

Cheryl

1.0

Valentines dinner was a Table Hôte disappointement….

Were looking forward to the published « on line « menu & went over but instead got 45$ per TH options. (No notice on line prior)

Barely any bread that was never replaced , Caesar salad with no dressing, sent it back & it came back (we rarely ever do this) with more salad & still very little dressing.

Pasta overcooked with seafood the same.

Ossobuco may have had a powder sauce mix… ??? not good.

A Peculiar taste … not sure about it

To be fair this summer on their terrace we had a very good seafood Rizzuto, Caesar Salad, pizza & carbonara pasta,

So will give it another go one day but at 167$ dollars for three ppl this was a Very very dissatisfying meal, & this stings now days.

The Young fellow working was a very nice kid & said new ownership is about 3 years old so our good summer visit hopefully was within this same timeframe as the current management from our recent Feb 2026 visit.

Will give them a second chance because it may have been a one off, but if ANYTHING comes sub par from bread to salad to 1st bite of main; we will have to step up & politely leave.

Money too tight now days so to go out & be dissatisfied like that.

Sorry Al Dente but you asked for an honest review.

Will give you another shot, we fair people

Muza

1.0

Really not great tasting food. Super disappointing. I ordered the penne Montana with a Caesar salad & my partner ordered penne alla gigi. Let me begin by saying that both our pasta was overcooked. No sauce & it was dry & very bland in taste. The Caesar salad came with burnt croutons & little to no dressing for the salad.

Now I don't understand how you say'fresh pasta' & the pasta is clearly bought from a store & NOT fresh at all. You charge me 15.75$ for a Caesar & say that it comes with anchovies but all I got was a small packet of Caesar dressing that didn't even cover the salad whatsoever. & also, if you're going to advertise'anchovies' with your salad, I'd expect anchovies for a very basic Caesar salad with burnt croutons that came with a wheel of lemon. How do you expect me to squeeze a wheel of lemon ?? Very disappointing. I don't recommend this restaurant at all.

Mitch

4.0

Don't expect refined culinary expression of Italian cuisine. This is wholesome, simple, & traditional cooking. You know? Like your Mom & Aunt would serve. We had a couple of different pizzas, the salsiccia balsamico, a caesar's salad, & a few homestyle soups in minestrone & tortellini. Solid from start to finish. The restaurant has stood the test of time. It's not that spacious & tables are very small. I guess it's been there 40 years, give or take. Tarek was a great server. Bring your own wine.

Ahmed

5.0

La salade vraiment beau surtout la Méditerranée salade & pizza santa clara & rizotto prima ....