Randy the manager is a great host. Our server Brad have us a great presentation and great service. Looking forward to going back.
(5)
Dennis F.
Not sure why this place has so few/ and bad reviews. I had only been here once before and had a good time with a larger group then. This time, it was just my wife and I on a slow weekday night. We sat right down, got our drinks right away and had a great tine. The food was very good and our service was good as well.
(4)
John C.
Worst place ever. Bad service rude staff. What a waste of money. The food was overpriced and undercooked. They have no concern about keeping customers. Every single staff member was not friendly including the manager.
(1)
Martha monica R.
Best Italian food around, love those huge meatballs! Great ambiance with the Christmas feel! :-D
(5)
Jen S.
As with all the other reviewers comments. In need of some serious customer service training. Hostess on a power trip with an empty restaurant with plenty tables but she insists they are all reserved. Didn't want to come here to begin with but since lauderdale closed and husband had a craving. Hostess needs some customer service training-so rude and unwelcoming for your first impression. B----- is putting it nicely.
(1)
Erica G.
Ended our girls trip with dinner at Cafe Martorano on a beautiful Saturday night at The Hard Rock. This place was rocking upon our arrival. There was a DJ playing everything from Michael Jackson to Flo Rida, he was great. There was even a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing with patrons. At one point later in the evening the faux King of Pop danced on the bar. He definitely put on a show.There was beautiful people everywhere eating and drinking. The food was delicious. The meatballs are a must. They are tender and full of flavor. The portions are huge so you can definitely share. My friends and I did not know this and ordered individual entrees. We had tons of leftovers. The drinks were amazing and masterfully mixed. Our server was great and made great recommendations. I just wished he would have gave us a heads up on the portion sizes. It is a little pricey but that is to be expected in this type of restaurant. My only gripe was the seating was cramped and a little too close for my liking. I felt like we were seated with the rather large party seated next to us. There was barely any space between the tables. The music was great and made dinner way more lively but the lighting was really dark. I guess to give it more of a night club feel but it was hard to see my food and friends. Cafe Martorano was a great ending to our trip. It was definitely a unique dining experience.
(4)
Robert M.
I dont usually right reviews, but had too for this joint. Food was nothing to write home about. My wife and I each had one of the managers special. Service was fine, very friendly, strange video on all the tv screens while we were eating with the owner of the place showing his soft side to whoopi golberg. Felt like they were trying to force feed us this propaganda. Then the bill comes ouch.. $140 later two plates of not much ok tasting food, and the waiter had the audacity to fill out the credit slip by hand writing his 20 percent In the slip... This place has an aroggance about it , sorry your restaurant isnt that good. Never again .if i could give zero I would.
(1)
Steve C.
I dig the place and spend a lot of time here. The food isn't as good as the original over by the beach, but I find it quite tasty. Mostly I hunt Cougars in the joint on weekends of occasion. Cabeza OUT!
(4)
Shaan B.
Great pizza, amazing meatballs, and a awesome bartender. His name is Todd the other ones seemed nice too.
(4)
Lori B.
What a shame - the special seafood and pasta was fantastic but the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella on the antipasto were Winn Dixie at best. All could have been saved by decent service and even though there were only 4 other people at the bar we could not get it. No one to greet you , no one said goodbye. Even after they gave us a 13.00 check instead of our dinner check and we pointed it out( saving them 100.00) . Disappointed - it looked like it would be a good experience .
(1)
Sue N.
The ambience was nice. The food is average and the prices are very high for what you get. Let's start out by saying - any restaurant that has a strict policy of no substitutions on a limited menu with expensive prices, can get away with that if the food is great. The waiter touts that the no substitution rules means that the chef can deliver a perfect meal. Would it be so hard to substitute penne instead of linguini without compromising the cooks talents? I ordered the fradiavlo, which was tasty but not one spec of hot pepper, so mild that it should have been called marinara. All of the 4 meals were acceptable, but if you want great italian food, this isn't the place. By the way, have you ever heard of restaurant that doesn't have tea after a meal? I love coffee after a meal, but my guests only drink tea, am I the only one who thinks it is weird that they don't sell it?
(1)
Robert M.
Snooki and the Jersey Shore meet South Beach might be the best interpretation of the Italian food concept here. Spray tan and steroids with tats seemed to be a recurring theme, from the top down, for the evening. one word comes to mind... Gavone. We had a dinner here last night and was expecting to enjoy some meatballs and salad with wine before a show at the Hard Rock. Instead we chose a Veal chop and spaghetti and meatballs from the special menu that our server presented on an iPad. Our two entrees came out of the kitchen separated by a 10 minute wait. The Pasta was well past al dente and no self respecting restaurant should serve pasta in that condition. The veal was average with very salty risotto. The veal chop was $68 bucks, the Spaghetti and meatballs were $32. Bottom line way over priced for not very good Italian food that was presented and prepared with little attention to detail. Do your self a favor and eat before you go to a show in the high school basketball gym that the Hard Rock calls a "theatre". But that is another review!
(1)
Hank G.
This place is in need of some serious customer service training. The management is arrogant and combative when addressed with an issue. This attitude spills over to at least some of the team members. It seems that they must believe that they have a captive audience because of the location in the casino complex. Not so. I'll never be back or recommend this place mainly because of this but also because the food is just "ok" - nothing great.
(1)
Ismalis M.
Absolute Italian American crap! Over priced for no reason. The staff was friendly but the cheap wine glass broke in my hand while doing a birthday toast. I could get better chicken parm for $10.99 at Olive Garden.
(1)
Jamie G.
Took my mom there for a birthday celebration with my sister before taking her gambling at hard Rock. Took 5 minutes to be approached by anyone who sped by and said he would be back. Non existent service, food was mediocre at best, I don't needed to be shown pictures in an iPad of food to make my decision. Maybe the waiter should actually engage with the table rather than stare at the iPad and flip through it. And decide if you're going to be a nightclub or dinner place cause the music was so loud, i couldn't hear my sister talk next to me. Way too expensive for what our is. Won't go back and wont at all suggest it to friends
(2)
Ashley C.
Horrible place!!! Having a steak dinner with strobe lights in your face is annoying. On top of not being able to hear one word he was saying while he scrolled through an iPad offering the specials. The music is blasting louder than a night club HA.We had to walk out after we ordered. Which I didn't mind one bit as the menu says no substitutions, cool! Do not tell me asking for steak medium well is a substitution of any sort!!!! They refuse to cook the New York strip medium well or well because the server said no substitutions, he even pointed at it on the menu. I never heard of any restaurant in all of my dining days that refuses to cook the meat to your liking. We were all appalled so he said sorry guys they don't like the recipes changed. We didn't try to change them so what is wrong with giving us the meat the way we like it cooked. This place is a nightmare!!!!!!! Even if the food was good the atmosphere is ghetto club style. Feels like your dining at a strip club. I'd rather ordered steak and lobster at solid gold then give this place a shot, off to one oak for real meat.
(1)
Jan T.
This place is horrible. I don't understand how waiters are able to work here . the horrible music is at god awful levels. You will have sore throat at the end of the night if you have a large party. Food was beyond bland and so expensive. The pasta was about 5 minutes over cooked and 4 minutes under cooked on the same plate. Didnt knnow that was possible. Do yourself a favor and dine elsewhere .
(1)
Ana F.
WORST RESTAURANT I've ever been! We got there after a concert and first they were out of everything and second they treated us like total shit! They basically threw us out after we set for 25 minutes ! The manager is an asshole ! So rude !!!!!!! Never go there !
Let me start by saying that the food was pretty tasty. We decided to go here because we were at the Hard Rock and there are not really good restaurants there at all. Also, our first choice was Tatu but they didn't have reservations until 10 PM and that was too late for dinner. We were starving. We sat at the bar and had a drink while we waited for our friends to arrive. The place was busy. Bartender was quick to take our drink order and we just hung out and took it all in. This place is pretty cheesy. They have the whole italian mafia theme going on, pretty mixed crowd (it is Hollyweird after all) They have extremely loud music playing,guess they wanna play the whole club vibe a little too much. We sat down after our friends arrive and the waiter quickly came and took our order. We could barely hear what he was saying about the specials , let alone have a conversation with each other, the music keeps getting louder as the night went on. Very hard to hear your dining companions talk. To top off the cheesy vibe, they have TV's all around the restaurant playing the Godfather movies . Are you serious?. Like i said, soooo cheesy.BUT pretty entertaining i must admit. I remember going to Martorano's in Lauderdale years ago, it was equally cheesy but more of a club vibe, i remember people dancing in the bar, etc... no wonder i never went back. lol Now the one in Hollywood keeps the theme but this one didn't have people dancing at the bar. About the food: i have to admit it was pretty taste. I ordered the chicken marsala and it was yummy. Not the best i have had but pretty good. Everyone else was happy with their dish as well. Not excellent but pretty good taste, but i thought everything was over priced for what it was. Not bad for the Hard Rock , there is really a lack of good places to eat there, but not good enough to make me want to go back and dine there.
(3)
Charity Z.
Meatballs are off the chain! The service is great, waiter very attentive ,but it couldve been because we were 9 girls dining. They even gave us a round of woo woo shots on the house The pizza was pretty good. Overall all the plates we ordered were pretty tastey. The ambiance is so much fun,the music was awesome,blast from the past. Super fun place to hang out,good food, and Grappa!
(3)
Mireille C.
Went there with friends for dinner 03/08/15 Had a very good gluten-free spaghetti. My friends loved it there as well. It's not cheap, but it's good. Good service as well. Ate outside because it was too cold inside.
(4)
Dean M.
A fun experience and great food. Movies that bring back great memories are always running on the giant screens, 70's & 8o's classics pumping out from the speakers. This is not your typical Italian restaurant, but it is great Italian food. Fresh mozzarella & arugula salads, pappardelle (way too much for one meal, it was fantastic for lunch the day after) and a sea bass that was cooked perfectly. We look forward to going back again for the food & the experience.
(4)
Bachcuc R.
Wow this place is a joke. Food is ok but so overpriced. I had much better food for half the price. We ordered from the specials assuming they were comparable to the menu prices, that was a big mistake. They actually charged us $56 for a plate of pasta that had a few shrimp and a few clams. Never in my life did I pay $56 for pasta, not even in the highest end restaurants. And they are not high end by any stretch. This offends us because it seems kind of dirty to show customers a million specials that's not on the menu and then hit them with these prices.
(1)
Suzanne L.
the meatballs here are to die for! Ugghhh Love the mozzarella and little cherry tomatoes as well..Great place
(5)
E A.
Maybe ok for a night club, but a restaurant? This place is completely ridiculous! Pitch dark with strobe lights, so you can barely read the menu. Music is SOOOO loud that you can barely communicate with the waiter, and fugghedabout conversing with your party. We were ROBBED: overpriced food in a desperate, pathetic ambience. Sorry, people...I just don't get it.
(2)
David P.
This place sucks. I went into the place with a drink. I sat at the bar and took a call from a friend that was meeting me there for dinner. When I came back in the drink was gone. The bartender just tossed it. So I asked to speak to the manager. And he was not sure what to do. And gave some lame excuse about the place. Look it's spaghetti with ketchup. I know the owner would have handled it differently. Not recommended.
(1)
Aman S.
This place has always been good, but the service has always been hit or miss. I was lucky that the day I went they offered chicken meatballs and spaghetti. It was super good.
(4)
Frank B.
I have been here many times for monthly Corporate Networking functions that everyone can come too. During these events Cafe Martorano management has provided a nice selection of drink and food "specials" that are good and very reasonably priced. They are also kind enough to section off the entire lower area for this function and provide excellent service. Either way, it is a place you might want to check it out for Happy Hour, dinner or a late snack if you are at the Hard Rock ~ Hollywood Network Theme : (re: eventbrite.com/o/jimmy-t… ) Cheers!
(3)
Robert F.
Yo cuz, that was awful! Had dinner last night or should I say tried to? After the awful appetizers we asked for check and left. The quality was horrendous and the service was even worse. The food came out unevenly and they dropped large sharing platters on the table like they were feeding slop to pigs. No wait staff offered to serve any of the apps. The presentation was a joke it really looked like a bunch of kids platted it up. And for that mess the bill was over $450 for the eight of us. Never, never again!
(1)
Stephen S.
Very, very, very expensive and loud. The food was OK, not worth the expense. The vibe was surreal with Disco music blaring and gangster movie running. Very bizarre.
(3)
Ada M.
We ate at Martorano's Hollywood on August 27, 2014. We had just arrived from a long trip and it was after 9:30pm when we got to the Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood with our friends who picked us up at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. We were hungry so they decided to bring us here before driving to Miami with them. Almost all the restaurants were closed at that time so we ended up at Martorano's. It looked like a place we wanted to try, since we like Italian food. By its marquee and sign it looked like a nice place. The service was mediocre. We had at least three waiters helping us. The specials are presented on an IPad, which is very innovative, since you can see the pictures of the dishes as they are described. But, they were presented in a hurry, and in a mechanical way. There was no effort to make eye contact or to show enthusiasm. Food was well presented and tasty. Very very very pricey though. Like I said before, we were hungry, and this seemed to be the only place open at the time, or we would have walked out upon seeing the prices. My friend ordered a small classic (cheese) pizza, which was $14 and not very special. The music was R&B and Rock, which, even if it was not Italian, was not bad. But is was LOUD LOUD LOUD! I used all caps to show you how LOUD it was. We had to yell at each other in order to have a conversation. Then came a movie, a Steven Segal action movie, with shots fired, people killed and every other word the "f" bomb. This time it was even louder than the music. We asked a waiter to please turn it down, and he gave us a sarcastic smile and said it would be about 5 minutes before they would turn it down. He was being very friendly with those at a table with about 12 guys who were ordering a lot of booze (BIG money). These guys were enjoying the movie very much. Obviously, they were catering to those who were spending a lot of money. When it was time to pay our bill I said something regarding the noise and the "f" word to the waiter who presented us with the bill. By the way, he was a completely different waiter from the one who presented the specials and the one who took our order. By then my friend's wife had left, not wanting to tolerate this barrage of "f" bombs that were still being thrown left and right. At least 20 minutes had passed since we were told it would be "5 minutes" until the sound would be turned down. The waiter who brought the bill said this was all part of their "concept". I said this was obviously not a family restaurant and he said this was not a place to bring small kids. No where in their website does it say this is an "adult only" restaurant. I am not a prude, but I want to go to a restaurant to have a relaxed ambiance where I can enjoy the food, especially if it is so pricey. I do not want to pay those exorbitant prices for a bar atmosphere. If I wanted to hear LOUD music and profanity, which I don't, I would not go to a restaurant, but to a bar. We will never return. My friends will make sure they tell their friends in Miami to never go to Martorano's unless they want to be bombarded by vulgarity. Also, I had a foot injury and needed a wheelchair. The hostess saw us leave and did not move or offer to help and hold the door. If you want to be treated rudely, serenaded by loud music and be exposed to vulgarity, then this is the place for you.
(1)
Rod R.
Came in after a show at the Hard Rock. Service was spot on, Will was working the salad / desert station and what a pro. The food was excellent and we'll be back for sure. 1st time definitely not last.
(5)
Melissa G.
Worst service ever! I made a reservation for 9:30 pm the hostess was down right rude. Waited 15 minutes for our table and once seated waited another 20 minutes just for our server, server was extremely rude! After that we just walked out, not worth my time.
(1)
Janet S.
This was the fastest service I every had -- to get the check to us and move us off our table while the hostess and server hovered over us. Other than that, food service was terrible. The server told that the food is fresh to order and comes out as it is made and he puts the appetizer order in at the same time as the main dish. That's great, we thought. We were there to enjoy the outdoor band and some conversation. However, seems that getting a meatball freshly made to order is quicker than getting a bartender to pour three glasses of wine, unless the fresh made to order included stomping grapes in the parking lot. Our meatball appetizer and eggplant stack were served and eaten before our glasses of house wine even arrived. When our final dish was finished and plates clear, the check was plopped on the table by the server. Which was surprising as he had disappeared through service. No offerings of dessert or coffee. Just plop, wait behind us, and stare until we got our wallets out. We still had wine in our glass and we were having good conversation, we could have stayed for a glass or two more of wine, if we were allowed to finish our first glass. So, there we sat with several empty tables surrounding us on the outside patio when we see the hostess point at us to other customers and say as soon as we clear that table you can have it. Granted, we weren't the chef's table, we weren't any special table and our section was 90% empty, but I guess that group wanted our table. Then the server asked us to move to another table (I so regret giving that guy a 20% tip). Maybe we would consider it if we weren't pointed out, leered out, and thrown the check as soon as our jaws stopped chewing. We said no and asked for a manager. Not a sorry, just talking over us and yessing us and wishing us a smarmy "Have a nice night". It was a dismissal. I am not reviewing the food because there are many high end Italian restaurants in the area with the same quality without a $10 meatball. That is only why I rated this place a 2 star - food. From the hostess to the server to the floor manager, the front of the house was 0 stars. Extremely poor customer service and I would recommend don't waste your money for the hype, not worth it.
(2)
Dr. L.
I took some friends to this location because the one on E.Oakland Park is very tight inside. We did enjoy being able to sit outside because the inside was too cold for some of my guests. The service was good considering there was only one server for several tables outside. It was a perfect night so it got busy outside. We had the Fried Calamari appetizer. It was better than most of the upscale spots that I have been to that recommend their Calamari. It does get soggy fast because they pour the marinara sauce on it before serving. The quality is good though and you should try it... We also had the Antipasto Platter for that night which changes so you have to ask. It was better than good but not great. We tried the meatball which they are known for. It was very good when compared to most upscale Italian restaurants. Myself and three other guests tried the Chicken special for our entrees. It is always a bad sign in an Italian restaurant when the sauce is a very bright red. It means that they do not simmer their sauce long enough. I am also immediately turned off by food that is covered with minced garlic. I am sure that part of the problem was that we had stuffed ourselves on the tasty appetizers. However I have to say that none of us like our "Chicken Downtown" and mine ended up being chicken down in the garbage can as I left... We tried several of the desserts which I will not bother to discuss because they were not worth the effort nor the calories for that matter. I do not care much for Sicilian Style Italian but this was one of the better ones I have tried over all. I wish I could help you with an entree recommendation. I hope you like piles of garlic... Be careful of Italian restaurants that call their sauce "gravy" its usually a warning sign...lol P.S. I almost forgot to mention that they only offer an itemized receipt which is a major problem if your company has rules about alcohol. They know it is an issue and will work with you if you discuss it with them in advance. The receipt will still be itemized but they will help you. I appreciate the effort but fix the software or keep losing business is how I feel about it.
(3)
Alan B.
The food here was AMAZING. You can't go wrong with the pastas, albeit a little pricey, it is worth the dollar for well made dishes. The service was pretty good, nothing to complain about there. The one big downfall however was that the music was WAY TOO LOUD. Their playlist was great, but it was impossible to carry on a conversation with anyone without screaming. Would not recommend this place for a first date unless they turned the music down a bit. Everything else was great.
(4)
Denise P.
Stopped in before a show. What a horrible mistake...worst service ever!!!!! They forgot our drink order twice. The two servers blamed each other for that. We got our salad along with drinks and bread 30 minutes after sitting down. Our entree was a no show. The couple next to us left so they would not be late to their show. Lucky us, we wound up eating their entree because ours was still not ready. We were late to our show...horrible! Food was decent.
(1)
Mary e.
After watching a show, my hubby and I and a couple of friends were starving. We decided to go Italian and Martoranos was conveniently close by. There was zero wait although the place was busy. As soon as we sat down, water was delivered and a waiter came by to take our order (yup, zero wait on that too!). Since the menu is minimalist we all ordered fairly quickly. My hubby wanted a steak but the menu price was quoted as Market Price (apparently cows were not in season, lol). He decided instead on Veal Parmesan because the steak was priced at 62 bucks (ouch!). I got the chicken parm. Food was really tasty. The bread was delicious. Service was excellent. My only gripes were that the side for our entrees was only a little puddle of spaghetti, and the music was so loud conversation was impossible. And The bottled house wine (Martoranos Chianti) tasted more like cooking wine. Still, we walked out full and content, albeit with a big dent in our wallets!!
(3)
Lisa G.
The food here is always great! Meatballs and salad is one of my favorites. Also, the chicken pram served with homemade gnocchi is amazing. On Saturday nights they have a D.J, that plays dance music all night. Oh ya, and they have tv's all over playing Italian mafia movies ( scarface) while you eat. This place not only has great food it's very entertaining. Great place to take a date.
(4)
Adam R.
Really good classic Italian American. The Philly cheese steak is a must have but the roll needs some improvement. The dishes themselves are not that creative but executed very well. Everything tastes the way it should and portions are generous. You will be full but it's a pricey meal.
(3)
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Address :5751 Seminole Way
Ft Lauderdale, FL, 33314
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : No Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Parking : Garage Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Hipster Noise Level : Very Loud Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
David S.
Randy the manager is a great host. Our server Brad have us a great presentation and great service. Looking forward to going back.
(5)Dennis F.
Not sure why this place has so few/ and bad reviews. I had only been here once before and had a good time with a larger group then. This time, it was just my wife and I on a slow weekday night. We sat right down, got our drinks right away and had a great tine. The food was very good and our service was good as well.
(4)John C.
Worst place ever. Bad service rude staff. What a waste of money. The food was overpriced and undercooked. They have no concern about keeping customers. Every single staff member was not friendly including the manager.
(1)Martha monica R.
Best Italian food around, love those huge meatballs! Great ambiance with the Christmas feel! :-D
(5)Jen S.
As with all the other reviewers comments. In need of some serious customer service training. Hostess on a power trip with an empty restaurant with plenty tables but she insists they are all reserved. Didn't want to come here to begin with but since lauderdale closed and husband had a craving. Hostess needs some customer service training-so rude and unwelcoming for your first impression. B----- is putting it nicely.
(1)Erica G.
Ended our girls trip with dinner at Cafe Martorano on a beautiful Saturday night at The Hard Rock. This place was rocking upon our arrival. There was a DJ playing everything from Michael Jackson to Flo Rida, he was great. There was even a Michael Jackson impersonator dancing with patrons. At one point later in the evening the faux King of Pop danced on the bar. He definitely put on a show.There was beautiful people everywhere eating and drinking. The food was delicious. The meatballs are a must. They are tender and full of flavor. The portions are huge so you can definitely share. My friends and I did not know this and ordered individual entrees. We had tons of leftovers. The drinks were amazing and masterfully mixed. Our server was great and made great recommendations. I just wished he would have gave us a heads up on the portion sizes. It is a little pricey but that is to be expected in this type of restaurant. My only gripe was the seating was cramped and a little too close for my liking. I felt like we were seated with the rather large party seated next to us. There was barely any space between the tables. The music was great and made dinner way more lively but the lighting was really dark. I guess to give it more of a night club feel but it was hard to see my food and friends. Cafe Martorano was a great ending to our trip. It was definitely a unique dining experience.
(4)Robert M.
I dont usually right reviews, but had too for this joint. Food was nothing to write home about. My wife and I each had one of the managers special. Service was fine, very friendly, strange video on all the tv screens while we were eating with the owner of the place showing his soft side to whoopi golberg. Felt like they were trying to force feed us this propaganda. Then the bill comes ouch.. $140 later two plates of not much ok tasting food, and the waiter had the audacity to fill out the credit slip by hand writing his 20 percent In the slip... This place has an aroggance about it , sorry your restaurant isnt that good. Never again .if i could give zero I would.
(1)Steve C.
I dig the place and spend a lot of time here. The food isn't as good as the original over by the beach, but I find it quite tasty. Mostly I hunt Cougars in the joint on weekends of occasion. Cabeza OUT!
(4)Shaan B.
Great pizza, amazing meatballs, and a awesome bartender. His name is Todd the other ones seemed nice too.
(4)Lori B.
What a shame - the special seafood and pasta was fantastic but the prosciutto and fresh mozzarella on the antipasto were Winn Dixie at best. All could have been saved by decent service and even though there were only 4 other people at the bar we could not get it. No one to greet you , no one said goodbye. Even after they gave us a 13.00 check instead of our dinner check and we pointed it out( saving them 100.00) . Disappointed - it looked like it would be a good experience .
(1)Sue N.
The ambience was nice. The food is average and the prices are very high for what you get. Let's start out by saying - any restaurant that has a strict policy of no substitutions on a limited menu with expensive prices, can get away with that if the food is great. The waiter touts that the no substitution rules means that the chef can deliver a perfect meal. Would it be so hard to substitute penne instead of linguini without compromising the cooks talents? I ordered the fradiavlo, which was tasty but not one spec of hot pepper, so mild that it should have been called marinara. All of the 4 meals were acceptable, but if you want great italian food, this isn't the place. By the way, have you ever heard of restaurant that doesn't have tea after a meal? I love coffee after a meal, but my guests only drink tea, am I the only one who thinks it is weird that they don't sell it?
(1)Robert M.
Snooki and the Jersey Shore meet South Beach might be the best interpretation of the Italian food concept here. Spray tan and steroids with tats seemed to be a recurring theme, from the top down, for the evening. one word comes to mind... Gavone. We had a dinner here last night and was expecting to enjoy some meatballs and salad with wine before a show at the Hard Rock. Instead we chose a Veal chop and spaghetti and meatballs from the special menu that our server presented on an iPad. Our two entrees came out of the kitchen separated by a 10 minute wait. The Pasta was well past al dente and no self respecting restaurant should serve pasta in that condition. The veal was average with very salty risotto. The veal chop was $68 bucks, the Spaghetti and meatballs were $32. Bottom line way over priced for not very good Italian food that was presented and prepared with little attention to detail. Do your self a favor and eat before you go to a show in the high school basketball gym that the Hard Rock calls a "theatre". But that is another review!
(1)Hank G.
This place is in need of some serious customer service training. The management is arrogant and combative when addressed with an issue. This attitude spills over to at least some of the team members. It seems that they must believe that they have a captive audience because of the location in the casino complex. Not so. I'll never be back or recommend this place mainly because of this but also because the food is just "ok" - nothing great.
(1)Ismalis M.
Absolute Italian American crap! Over priced for no reason. The staff was friendly but the cheap wine glass broke in my hand while doing a birthday toast. I could get better chicken parm for $10.99 at Olive Garden.
(1)Jamie G.
Took my mom there for a birthday celebration with my sister before taking her gambling at hard Rock. Took 5 minutes to be approached by anyone who sped by and said he would be back. Non existent service, food was mediocre at best, I don't needed to be shown pictures in an iPad of food to make my decision. Maybe the waiter should actually engage with the table rather than stare at the iPad and flip through it. And decide if you're going to be a nightclub or dinner place cause the music was so loud, i couldn't hear my sister talk next to me. Way too expensive for what our is. Won't go back and wont at all suggest it to friends
(2)Ashley C.
Horrible place!!! Having a steak dinner with strobe lights in your face is annoying. On top of not being able to hear one word he was saying while he scrolled through an iPad offering the specials. The music is blasting louder than a night club HA.We had to walk out after we ordered. Which I didn't mind one bit as the menu says no substitutions, cool! Do not tell me asking for steak medium well is a substitution of any sort!!!! They refuse to cook the New York strip medium well or well because the server said no substitutions, he even pointed at it on the menu. I never heard of any restaurant in all of my dining days that refuses to cook the meat to your liking. We were all appalled so he said sorry guys they don't like the recipes changed. We didn't try to change them so what is wrong with giving us the meat the way we like it cooked. This place is a nightmare!!!!!!! Even if the food was good the atmosphere is ghetto club style. Feels like your dining at a strip club. I'd rather ordered steak and lobster at solid gold then give this place a shot, off to one oak for real meat.
(1)Jan T.
This place is horrible. I don't understand how waiters are able to work here . the horrible music is at god awful levels. You will have sore throat at the end of the night if you have a large party. Food was beyond bland and so expensive. The pasta was about 5 minutes over cooked and 4 minutes under cooked on the same plate. Didnt knnow that was possible. Do yourself a favor and dine elsewhere .
(1)Ana F.
WORST RESTAURANT I've ever been! We got there after a concert and first they were out of everything and second they treated us like total shit! They basically threw us out after we set for 25 minutes ! The manager is an asshole ! So rude !!!!!!! Never go there !
(1)Rebecca U.
What a total disappointment this dining experience was tonight. We arrived on time for our reservation and were promptly seated. Not as crowded as usual for a Saturday night...first sign that something was not right. The menu also changed from a multi page menu to one page. We were brought out waters and our cocktails timely. The waiter explained the specials, showing us pictures on a tablet. We were a table of 4, so we ordered 2 meatballs and calamari for appetizers. Main dishes we ordered 2 chicken Parms and the seafood pasta. The waiter explained that everything must be ordered at one time, and will be brought out as each dish is ready. Which basically means it all comes out pretty fast, and you try to eat at their pace. The meatballs were delicious, as usual. The calamari was not what we expected- it was more sautéed than fried, and tossed in a sauce that was sort of sweet- tasted more Asian than Italian. At this point we started to realize the meal was not going to quite measure up to our expectations. Before we finished the apps the meals came out. The chicken parm was so thin, and the side of pasta was barely a tablespoon full. It tasted ok, but not worth the $32. The biggest shock was the seafood pasta. It was too salty, the calamari was mushy and the sauce had a weird flavor. When we got the bill and realized they charged $52 for it, we were speechless. With our 2 rounds of drinks, bill totaled $285 before tip. To be charged so much for mediocre food is just insulting. Has this place just become another tourist trap? Sadly I'll never know because I will not be returning.
(1)Carolina M.
Let me start by saying that the food was pretty tasty. We decided to go here because we were at the Hard Rock and there are not really good restaurants there at all. Also, our first choice was Tatu but they didn't have reservations until 10 PM and that was too late for dinner. We were starving. We sat at the bar and had a drink while we waited for our friends to arrive. The place was busy. Bartender was quick to take our drink order and we just hung out and took it all in. This place is pretty cheesy. They have the whole italian mafia theme going on, pretty mixed crowd (it is Hollyweird after all) They have extremely loud music playing,guess they wanna play the whole club vibe a little too much. We sat down after our friends arrive and the waiter quickly came and took our order. We could barely hear what he was saying about the specials , let alone have a conversation with each other, the music keeps getting louder as the night went on. Very hard to hear your dining companions talk. To top off the cheesy vibe, they have TV's all around the restaurant playing the Godfather movies . Are you serious?. Like i said, soooo cheesy.BUT pretty entertaining i must admit. I remember going to Martorano's in Lauderdale years ago, it was equally cheesy but more of a club vibe, i remember people dancing in the bar, etc... no wonder i never went back. lol Now the one in Hollywood keeps the theme but this one didn't have people dancing at the bar. About the food: i have to admit it was pretty taste. I ordered the chicken marsala and it was yummy. Not the best i have had but pretty good. Everyone else was happy with their dish as well. Not excellent but pretty good taste, but i thought everything was over priced for what it was. Not bad for the Hard Rock , there is really a lack of good places to eat there, but not good enough to make me want to go back and dine there.
(3)Charity Z.
Meatballs are off the chain! The service is great, waiter very attentive ,but it couldve been because we were 9 girls dining. They even gave us a round of woo woo shots on the house The pizza was pretty good. Overall all the plates we ordered were pretty tastey. The ambiance is so much fun,the music was awesome,blast from the past. Super fun place to hang out,good food, and Grappa!
(3)Mireille C.
Went there with friends for dinner 03/08/15 Had a very good gluten-free spaghetti. My friends loved it there as well. It's not cheap, but it's good. Good service as well. Ate outside because it was too cold inside.
(4)Dean M.
A fun experience and great food. Movies that bring back great memories are always running on the giant screens, 70's & 8o's classics pumping out from the speakers. This is not your typical Italian restaurant, but it is great Italian food. Fresh mozzarella & arugula salads, pappardelle (way too much for one meal, it was fantastic for lunch the day after) and a sea bass that was cooked perfectly. We look forward to going back again for the food & the experience.
(4)Bachcuc R.
Wow this place is a joke. Food is ok but so overpriced. I had much better food for half the price. We ordered from the specials assuming they were comparable to the menu prices, that was a big mistake. They actually charged us $56 for a plate of pasta that had a few shrimp and a few clams. Never in my life did I pay $56 for pasta, not even in the highest end restaurants. And they are not high end by any stretch. This offends us because it seems kind of dirty to show customers a million specials that's not on the menu and then hit them with these prices.
(1)Suzanne L.
the meatballs here are to die for! Ugghhh Love the mozzarella and little cherry tomatoes as well..Great place
(5)E A.
Maybe ok for a night club, but a restaurant? This place is completely ridiculous! Pitch dark with strobe lights, so you can barely read the menu. Music is SOOOO loud that you can barely communicate with the waiter, and fugghedabout conversing with your party. We were ROBBED: overpriced food in a desperate, pathetic ambience. Sorry, people...I just don't get it.
(2)David P.
This place sucks. I went into the place with a drink. I sat at the bar and took a call from a friend that was meeting me there for dinner. When I came back in the drink was gone. The bartender just tossed it. So I asked to speak to the manager. And he was not sure what to do. And gave some lame excuse about the place. Look it's spaghetti with ketchup. I know the owner would have handled it differently. Not recommended.
(1)Aman S.
This place has always been good, but the service has always been hit or miss. I was lucky that the day I went they offered chicken meatballs and spaghetti. It was super good.
(4)Frank B.
I have been here many times for monthly Corporate Networking functions that everyone can come too. During these events Cafe Martorano management has provided a nice selection of drink and food "specials" that are good and very reasonably priced. They are also kind enough to section off the entire lower area for this function and provide excellent service. Either way, it is a place you might want to check it out for Happy Hour, dinner or a late snack if you are at the Hard Rock ~ Hollywood Network Theme : (re: eventbrite.com/o/jimmy-t… ) Cheers!
(3)Robert F.
Yo cuz, that was awful! Had dinner last night or should I say tried to? After the awful appetizers we asked for check and left. The quality was horrendous and the service was even worse. The food came out unevenly and they dropped large sharing platters on the table like they were feeding slop to pigs. No wait staff offered to serve any of the apps. The presentation was a joke it really looked like a bunch of kids platted it up. And for that mess the bill was over $450 for the eight of us. Never, never again!
(1)Stephen S.
Very, very, very expensive and loud. The food was OK, not worth the expense. The vibe was surreal with Disco music blaring and gangster movie running. Very bizarre.
(3)Ada M.
We ate at Martorano's Hollywood on August 27, 2014. We had just arrived from a long trip and it was after 9:30pm when we got to the Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood with our friends who picked us up at the Fort Lauderdale Airport. We were hungry so they decided to bring us here before driving to Miami with them. Almost all the restaurants were closed at that time so we ended up at Martorano's. It looked like a place we wanted to try, since we like Italian food. By its marquee and sign it looked like a nice place. The service was mediocre. We had at least three waiters helping us. The specials are presented on an IPad, which is very innovative, since you can see the pictures of the dishes as they are described. But, they were presented in a hurry, and in a mechanical way. There was no effort to make eye contact or to show enthusiasm. Food was well presented and tasty. Very very very pricey though. Like I said before, we were hungry, and this seemed to be the only place open at the time, or we would have walked out upon seeing the prices. My friend ordered a small classic (cheese) pizza, which was $14 and not very special. The music was R&B and Rock, which, even if it was not Italian, was not bad. But is was LOUD LOUD LOUD! I used all caps to show you how LOUD it was. We had to yell at each other in order to have a conversation. Then came a movie, a Steven Segal action movie, with shots fired, people killed and every other word the "f" bomb. This time it was even louder than the music. We asked a waiter to please turn it down, and he gave us a sarcastic smile and said it would be about 5 minutes before they would turn it down. He was being very friendly with those at a table with about 12 guys who were ordering a lot of booze (BIG money). These guys were enjoying the movie very much. Obviously, they were catering to those who were spending a lot of money. When it was time to pay our bill I said something regarding the noise and the "f" word to the waiter who presented us with the bill. By the way, he was a completely different waiter from the one who presented the specials and the one who took our order. By then my friend's wife had left, not wanting to tolerate this barrage of "f" bombs that were still being thrown left and right. At least 20 minutes had passed since we were told it would be "5 minutes" until the sound would be turned down. The waiter who brought the bill said this was all part of their "concept". I said this was obviously not a family restaurant and he said this was not a place to bring small kids. No where in their website does it say this is an "adult only" restaurant. I am not a prude, but I want to go to a restaurant to have a relaxed ambiance where I can enjoy the food, especially if it is so pricey. I do not want to pay those exorbitant prices for a bar atmosphere. If I wanted to hear LOUD music and profanity, which I don't, I would not go to a restaurant, but to a bar. We will never return. My friends will make sure they tell their friends in Miami to never go to Martorano's unless they want to be bombarded by vulgarity. Also, I had a foot injury and needed a wheelchair. The hostess saw us leave and did not move or offer to help and hold the door. If you want to be treated rudely, serenaded by loud music and be exposed to vulgarity, then this is the place for you.
(1)Rod R.
Came in after a show at the Hard Rock. Service was spot on, Will was working the salad / desert station and what a pro. The food was excellent and we'll be back for sure. 1st time definitely not last.
(5)Melissa G.
Worst service ever! I made a reservation for 9:30 pm the hostess was down right rude. Waited 15 minutes for our table and once seated waited another 20 minutes just for our server, server was extremely rude! After that we just walked out, not worth my time.
(1)Janet S.
This was the fastest service I every had -- to get the check to us and move us off our table while the hostess and server hovered over us. Other than that, food service was terrible. The server told that the food is fresh to order and comes out as it is made and he puts the appetizer order in at the same time as the main dish. That's great, we thought. We were there to enjoy the outdoor band and some conversation. However, seems that getting a meatball freshly made to order is quicker than getting a bartender to pour three glasses of wine, unless the fresh made to order included stomping grapes in the parking lot. Our meatball appetizer and eggplant stack were served and eaten before our glasses of house wine even arrived. When our final dish was finished and plates clear, the check was plopped on the table by the server. Which was surprising as he had disappeared through service. No offerings of dessert or coffee. Just plop, wait behind us, and stare until we got our wallets out. We still had wine in our glass and we were having good conversation, we could have stayed for a glass or two more of wine, if we were allowed to finish our first glass. So, there we sat with several empty tables surrounding us on the outside patio when we see the hostess point at us to other customers and say as soon as we clear that table you can have it. Granted, we weren't the chef's table, we weren't any special table and our section was 90% empty, but I guess that group wanted our table. Then the server asked us to move to another table (I so regret giving that guy a 20% tip). Maybe we would consider it if we weren't pointed out, leered out, and thrown the check as soon as our jaws stopped chewing. We said no and asked for a manager. Not a sorry, just talking over us and yessing us and wishing us a smarmy "Have a nice night". It was a dismissal. I am not reviewing the food because there are many high end Italian restaurants in the area with the same quality without a $10 meatball. That is only why I rated this place a 2 star - food. From the hostess to the server to the floor manager, the front of the house was 0 stars. Extremely poor customer service and I would recommend don't waste your money for the hype, not worth it.
(2)Dr. L.
I took some friends to this location because the one on E.Oakland Park is very tight inside. We did enjoy being able to sit outside because the inside was too cold for some of my guests. The service was good considering there was only one server for several tables outside. It was a perfect night so it got busy outside. We had the Fried Calamari appetizer. It was better than most of the upscale spots that I have been to that recommend their Calamari. It does get soggy fast because they pour the marinara sauce on it before serving. The quality is good though and you should try it... We also had the Antipasto Platter for that night which changes so you have to ask. It was better than good but not great. We tried the meatball which they are known for. It was very good when compared to most upscale Italian restaurants. Myself and three other guests tried the Chicken special for our entrees. It is always a bad sign in an Italian restaurant when the sauce is a very bright red. It means that they do not simmer their sauce long enough. I am also immediately turned off by food that is covered with minced garlic. I am sure that part of the problem was that we had stuffed ourselves on the tasty appetizers. However I have to say that none of us like our "Chicken Downtown" and mine ended up being chicken down in the garbage can as I left... We tried several of the desserts which I will not bother to discuss because they were not worth the effort nor the calories for that matter. I do not care much for Sicilian Style Italian but this was one of the better ones I have tried over all. I wish I could help you with an entree recommendation. I hope you like piles of garlic... Be careful of Italian restaurants that call their sauce "gravy" its usually a warning sign...lol P.S. I almost forgot to mention that they only offer an itemized receipt which is a major problem if your company has rules about alcohol. They know it is an issue and will work with you if you discuss it with them in advance. The receipt will still be itemized but they will help you. I appreciate the effort but fix the software or keep losing business is how I feel about it.
(3)Alan B.
The food here was AMAZING. You can't go wrong with the pastas, albeit a little pricey, it is worth the dollar for well made dishes. The service was pretty good, nothing to complain about there. The one big downfall however was that the music was WAY TOO LOUD. Their playlist was great, but it was impossible to carry on a conversation with anyone without screaming. Would not recommend this place for a first date unless they turned the music down a bit. Everything else was great.
(4)Denise P.
Stopped in before a show. What a horrible mistake...worst service ever!!!!! They forgot our drink order twice. The two servers blamed each other for that. We got our salad along with drinks and bread 30 minutes after sitting down. Our entree was a no show. The couple next to us left so they would not be late to their show. Lucky us, we wound up eating their entree because ours was still not ready. We were late to our show...horrible! Food was decent.
(1)Mary e.
After watching a show, my hubby and I and a couple of friends were starving. We decided to go Italian and Martoranos was conveniently close by. There was zero wait although the place was busy. As soon as we sat down, water was delivered and a waiter came by to take our order (yup, zero wait on that too!). Since the menu is minimalist we all ordered fairly quickly. My hubby wanted a steak but the menu price was quoted as Market Price (apparently cows were not in season, lol). He decided instead on Veal Parmesan because the steak was priced at 62 bucks (ouch!). I got the chicken parm. Food was really tasty. The bread was delicious. Service was excellent. My only gripes were that the side for our entrees was only a little puddle of spaghetti, and the music was so loud conversation was impossible. And The bottled house wine (Martoranos Chianti) tasted more like cooking wine. Still, we walked out full and content, albeit with a big dent in our wallets!!
(3)Lisa G.
The food here is always great! Meatballs and salad is one of my favorites. Also, the chicken pram served with homemade gnocchi is amazing. On Saturday nights they have a D.J, that plays dance music all night. Oh ya, and they have tv's all over playing Italian mafia movies ( scarface) while you eat. This place not only has great food it's very entertaining. Great place to take a date.
(4)Adam R.
Really good classic Italian American. The Philly cheese steak is a must have but the roll needs some improvement. The dishes themselves are not that creative but executed very well. Everything tastes the way it should and portions are generous. You will be full but it's a pricey meal.
(3)