1060 Darrington Drive
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 468-7229
Exterior View
Interior Decor
Bread Basket
Lasagna Bolognese - $14.00, warning online menu states $12!
This is a review of an Italian restaurant called Lugano located in Cary, North Carolina. They are open from 11:30 am to 9:30 pm every day except on Friday and Saturday. They stay open one hour later on Friday and Saturday and on Sunday they close earlier at 9 pm. Their sanitation grade is currently 96% which is very good. I visited around 2:30 pm last Thursday. There was only one other customer, so this is the time to avoid the crowds.
The receptionist and waiter were welcoming and friendly. The large bar area is located on the left and the dining room is located on the right. I was immediately seated at a small booth. They have several tables, but mostly booths of two sizes. The tables are draped with tablecloths and white paper is added to the top which I find tacky. I prefer a freshly washed tablecloth along with cloth napkins for an upscale pricey restaurant. The decor was pleasant, but the floor needs replacing. Don't trip on one of the loose boards located in the second row on the right side. In the ladies bathroom, there are missing small tiles. Also, the trash can was missing its cover and the paper towels were just laying on the sink rather than in their holder. Their music makes me think they are trying to attract retirees.
I placed my order very quickly and my drink arrived in a couple of minutes. Several minutes later the bread basket arrived. I wondered why he didn't bring the bread with my drink. I thought perhaps he was waiting for a fresh batch yet the bread was served at room temperature. There were two bread types and one cracker. I really didn't care for the flavor or texture of any of them nor the strange dips. One dip is grated parmesan cheese with olive oil added by the waiter. The other is a strange dip described to me by the waiter as a non-dairy bean dip with green and red peppers. It was pretty tasteless. I prefer an olive oil dip with lots of Italian spices and freshly baked, warm bread or warm garlic bread. The Lasagna Bolognese was served on a large plate and it looked lonely. Some spaghetti or some type of side dish would have looked better on the plate especially at the price of $14! I was surprised the price was so high, so I looked online and the price listed is $12 not $14 for lunch. The dinner price listed is $15. I was told dinner starts at 4 pm and I ordered an hour and a half prior to that. I called them to inquire about the price difference and was placed on hold and ignored. After being placed on hold for 15 minutes with monotonous music I gave up waiting. I did some research online and I found a photo of a menu from last year listing the higher price, which proves it's not a recent price increase. So that's not an excuse. Also, annoying is that I notice my receipt says I ordered Lasagne Tradizionale which I can't find on the menu. I ordered Lasagne Bolognese which is described as "pasta layered with our hearty meat sauce and three cheese cream sauce then baked until golden". The only cheese I spotted was on the top and side as shown in the photo above. The seven layers only had marinara sauce in between, I didn't taste any cheese or meat. I only noticed some meat in the sauce on the top and sides. It appeared that the meat sauce was only poured on top. If there were any cheese and meat in between, there wasn't enough to detect. I prefer lasagne made with lots of cheese and meat throughout. Olive Garden's or Stouffer's Lasagne tastes better, so that's saying a lot! Frankly, just about any lasagne, I have had in the past had more cheese and meat and was tastier. The pasta had a nice texture and the sauce tasted ok, but that was it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it. It was very disappointing and I left quite a bit on my plate. It wasn't worth the calories. While the atmosphere was relaxing and upscale, the food is disappointing and overpriced and falsely advertised on their online menu. Note that they charge $3 for a Diet Coke, that's the most I've been charged at any restaurant. I can't recommend this restaurant and now that they have ignored my questions on the phone I will not return. No second chance will be given which I was planning on giving them prior to my inquiry. What's your favorite Italian restaurant in the Triangle? I noticed next door there is a Korean BBQ restaurant coming soon called Honey Pig which will replace Panera. It's similar to a hot pot restaurant, but it's a hot plate at your table instead. I look forward to trying it out soon.
The receptionist and waiter were welcoming and friendly. The large bar area is located on the left and the dining room is located on the right. I was immediately seated at a small booth. They have several tables, but mostly booths of two sizes. The tables are draped with tablecloths and white paper is added to the top which I find tacky. I prefer a freshly washed tablecloth along with cloth napkins for an upscale pricey restaurant. The decor was pleasant, but the floor needs replacing. Don't trip on one of the loose boards located in the second row on the right side. In the ladies bathroom, there are missing small tiles. Also, the trash can was missing its cover and the paper towels were just laying on the sink rather than in their holder. Their music makes me think they are trying to attract retirees.
I placed my order very quickly and my drink arrived in a couple of minutes. Several minutes later the bread basket arrived. I wondered why he didn't bring the bread with my drink. I thought perhaps he was waiting for a fresh batch yet the bread was served at room temperature. There were two bread types and one cracker. I really didn't care for the flavor or texture of any of them nor the strange dips. One dip is grated parmesan cheese with olive oil added by the waiter. The other is a strange dip described to me by the waiter as a non-dairy bean dip with green and red peppers. It was pretty tasteless. I prefer an olive oil dip with lots of Italian spices and freshly baked, warm bread or warm garlic bread. The Lasagna Bolognese was served on a large plate and it looked lonely. Some spaghetti or some type of side dish would have looked better on the plate especially at the price of $14! I was surprised the price was so high, so I looked online and the price listed is $12 not $14 for lunch. The dinner price listed is $15. I was told dinner starts at 4 pm and I ordered an hour and a half prior to that. I called them to inquire about the price difference and was placed on hold and ignored. After being placed on hold for 15 minutes with monotonous music I gave up waiting. I did some research online and I found a photo of a menu from last year listing the higher price, which proves it's not a recent price increase. So that's not an excuse. Also, annoying is that I notice my receipt says I ordered Lasagne Tradizionale which I can't find on the menu. I ordered Lasagne Bolognese which is described as "pasta layered with our hearty meat sauce and three cheese cream sauce then baked until golden". The only cheese I spotted was on the top and side as shown in the photo above. The seven layers only had marinara sauce in between, I didn't taste any cheese or meat. I only noticed some meat in the sauce on the top and sides. It appeared that the meat sauce was only poured on top. If there were any cheese and meat in between, there wasn't enough to detect. I prefer lasagne made with lots of cheese and meat throughout. Olive Garden's or Stouffer's Lasagne tastes better, so that's saying a lot! Frankly, just about any lasagne, I have had in the past had more cheese and meat and was tastier. The pasta had a nice texture and the sauce tasted ok, but that was it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it. It was very disappointing and I left quite a bit on my plate. It wasn't worth the calories. While the atmosphere was relaxing and upscale, the food is disappointing and overpriced and falsely advertised on their online menu. Note that they charge $3 for a Diet Coke, that's the most I've been charged at any restaurant. I can't recommend this restaurant and now that they have ignored my questions on the phone I will not return. No second chance will be given which I was planning on giving them prior to my inquiry. What's your favorite Italian restaurant in the Triangle? I noticed next door there is a Korean BBQ restaurant coming soon called Honey Pig which will replace Panera. It's similar to a hot pot restaurant, but it's a hot plate at your table instead. I look forward to trying it out soon.
Be sure to check out my other restaurant reviews before you go. There are over one hundred of them listed on my Pinterest Restaurant Reviews Board.
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