Robintino's Management

10/22/11

The Mystery of Robintino's Decline

by Sundance Lover at Citysearch

I remember the olden days (not that long after the covered wagons arrived in the valley) -- when Robintino's was in the space where the Mandarin now thrives. A Bountiful girl, I loved it and spent many hours with my high school friends around pizzas of which I still have fond memories.

Then life happened. I moved on to the big city -- Salt Lake -- and then on to the bigger city -- San Francisco. I came back to Bountiful perhaps much more foodie wise, but still with those warm memories of high school pizza get-togethers. So when I needed a pizza fix, I went to Robintino's where it had long ago landed -- on the old highway.

Since the moment I walked through the door I have been puzzling. Have I changed? Or has Robintino's? Or perhaps both of us has changed -- changed beyond recognition.

The ambiance is -- lousy -- unlike the cozy atmosphere at the old address. The waiting room -- where one might spend a long time just by the way -- is especially cold and unappealing. The dining area is a little better, but not by much.

As for the food, I kept wondering over and over -- had the pizza always been this bad? Had I just been a naive little Utah girl who didn't know any better when I had liked it? It is completely worth it to stay on the old highway all the way to Salt Lake just to get *better* pizza, and I don't even mean good pizza -- just pizza not this bad. As for the salad, they find better things in bags at Smith's. Honest. You can buy a few fresh veggies and whip up something much more creative, original, and delicious -- easily. Go wild. Toss on a little fresh pear, a few carmalized walnuts, and some real blue cheese. It will be so much more better than anything on the menu at Robintino's

Everything is bland. The only favor is basically the salty of the sausage or pepperoni. Canned mushrooms. Ugh. Who does that these days?

The mystery deepens with the enormous popularity of Robintino's. It remains a Bountiful favorite, and there is an (uncomfortable) wait for a table on weekends.

All that means to me is that more people need to make the move beyond Bountiful into the larger world -- even that just means Salt Lake.

09/20/08

Excellent Pizza and Lasagna - look for the cenetta

by Yerba1 at Citysearch

It must be personal if someone is badmouthing Robintino's in Bountiful. The tomato sauce (the heart of most Italian restaurants) is tasty. Service is from waitresses. Duh. The only distraction is that they are family friendly - babes, toddlers, etc... so it's not the most romantic place due to the noise. The food has always been consistently delicious. I like the garlic bread, usually order extra. I don't know a better place with which to compare the meals. You can be the judge, just look at the masses waiting for tables from 4:00 pm 'till close on any given weekend. I recommend this restaurant 3 or 4 times a week. Thanks!

• Pros: good food
• Cons: noise?

09/05/08

Awesome breadsticks!

by nicooo8 at Citysearch

I agree with the good and bad about Robintino's, but the one thing that sticks out in my mind about this palce are the breadsticks. The food in this place is good, but the breadsticks are awesome! They are delicious! They come with delicious dipping sauce. It could just be regular ranch, I'm not sure, but it tastes great with the small breadsticks. I often order breadsticks only (to go). Soft , warm, and delicious!!!

03/14/08

WORST Italian Restaurant

by FoodExpert22 at Citysearch

NEVER AGAIN!! The Food at Robintino's is TASTELESS. The Prices are HIGH. The Portions are SMALL. The Service is POOR. The Waiters/Waitresses are RUDE. It is NOT Authentic Italian Food. DON'T Waste your Money!

• Pros: Can't Think of Any
• Cons: Everything from A-Z!!

03/14/08

"NOT" a Great family restaurant

by Italian1957 at Citysearch

THE 5 STAR REVIEW POSTED BELOW DATED ON 03/09/08 BY "2620" WAS OBVIOUSLY AN "INSIDE JOB" AND WAS PROBABLY POSTED BY THE RESTAURANT OWNER OR A RELATIVE!! THERE IS NO "HONEST" CUSTOMER THAT WOULD TAKE THAT MUCH TIME (OR EVEN CARE) TO GO INTO SUCH GREAT DETAIL ABOUT WHAT GOES ON "BEHIND THE COUNTER", OR ABOUT "VOTIVE CANDLES" ON THE TABLES, "FAIRLY SPACIOUS LOBBY", WHAT THE KITCHEN LOOKS LIKE AND ON AND ON! ONCE YOU READ THAT REVIEW YOU CAN INSTANTLY TELL IT WAS WRITTEN AND POSTED BY THE OWNER (OR RELATIVE) WHO IS BIAS! THE TRUTH IS, THE FOOD IS "REALLY LOUSY" AND "NOT" AUTHENTIC ITALIAN. I TOOK SOME OUT OF TOWN RELATIVES THERE AND WAS EMBARRASED AT HOW "RUDE" AND DISINTERESTED THE WAITRESSES WERE (THE SERVICE WAS BAD TOO - LIKE WAITING IN A DOCTORS OFFICE) AND HOW "TOUGH" THE MEAT (VEAL) WAS. ANYONE WHO HAS TRAVELED THE EASTERN STATES OR HAS BEEN TO ITALY WILL TELL YOU "ROBINTINO'S" IS A VERY LOUSY EXAMPLE OF ITALIAN FOOD. THE ONLY REASON THAT PLACE IS POPULAR IS BECAUSE MOST OF THE LOCALS DON'T KNOW WHAT GOOD, AUTHENTIC ITALIAN FOOD IS AND ROBINTINO'S IS "NOT" IT!!!!!!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Pros: NONE (UNLESS YOU ARE STARVING AND THERE IS NO PLACE ELSE TO EAT ANYWHERE)
• Cons: FOOD IS LOUSY, NOT AUTHENTIC ITALIAN, PRICES ARE HIGH, SERVICE IS LIKE WAITING IN A DOCTORS OFFICE