Romeo Cucina

cute pizza spot with lots of gluten free options!

SICK IN BED AFTER ROMEO'S I am not one for confrontation, but I feel it's important to warn people about Romeo Cucina in Laguna Beach. I am writing this review while physically SICK in bed from a mistake the CHEF at Romeo's refused to acknowledge or fix. Our party consisted of five gluten-free eaters and one gluten eater. I ordered a gluten-free pasta dish, which was switched with the glutinous pasta dish that was ordered. After taking a few bites of the pasta, I noticed it was very different from gluten-free pasta. Our group compared the noodles in my dish to the rest of the table, and confirmed they were definitely regular pasta noodles. When we asked the server, he called the chef over to talk to us. We tried to explain that our noodles had been switched and asked if I could get another pasta dish, as I was unable to finish the one I had received. The chef then proceeded to try to gaslight us into believing it was gluten-free pasta, and when we held our ground, he yelled at us, told us we were crazy, and refused to make another pasta dish for me. At this point, I really did not care if I got to eat dinner. I was so shocked by the chef's behavior that I immediately lost my appetite. I understand mix-ups happen from time to time, and I should have been more careful before eating, but the way we were treated was horrendous. As someone who works in hospitality, I could never imagine treating someone like this. I will no longer give my business to this restaurant. I am not gluten free just because. I have celiac disease and have severe complications if I eat gluten (especially heavy glutinous dishes like pasta). The chef did not seem to realize the severity of the situation. If you want to be yelled at and called crazy for having an allergy, this is the place to go!

PLEASE READ!!! Never in my life did I think I would write a review, but I would feel terrible if I did not let people know the risk they are taking when dining here. I dined here for my first and most definitely my last time 06/13/2024. With a party of 6, 5 of which suffer from celiac disease, I do not. Our server did a great job ensuring everyone felt comfortable, providing gluten free bread and glutinous bread. Making clear distinction between the two. He also took extra time when we were ordering to make sure everyone was on the same page. This yelp review is not about him. Our issue arose several bites into our main course. The pastas had been swapped on two plates, mine and my girlfriend's. Everyone at the table examined the pastas and was sure they had been swapped. Her noodles were twice the size of everyone else's and had a much better texture. Besides after being gluten free for your whole life these distinctions become quite easy to make. We brought this to our servers attention and he grabbed the chef/owner from his seat at the bar. The owner came over and was immediately defensive saying there is no way he screwed it up. When we asked him to identify all the gluten free plates at the table he failed to do so, only pointing at 4. From the start his voice was raised and only continued to get louder as we expressed our concern. He asked me if I liked my pasta, a random question to ask at this time, to which I replied, "it is not my health that is at risk if I eat the wrong thing". After asking if we could have the plate remade so she would feel comfortable eating the dish he refused and called us crazy then walked back to his seat at the bar. There he gave us dirty looks and talked poorly about us to the guests at the bar for the remainder of our experience. Concluding our interaction with him everyone stopped eating as we were not confident in how the dishes were prepared. After paying the bill, I spoke again with the chef expecting an apology for his behavior and the way he spoke to us. He instead stated, "I am the best Italian chef in America everyone comes here for my food", which wasn't convincing being that we were 1 of 3 tables in the place at 7pm. He then asked where I am from, South Orange County, he replied with, "You would not know real Italian food if it was sitting right in front of you". I told him that I felt the way he handled the situation was far from hospitable, ironic when your in hospitality. He again told me how we crazy and that we are the problem. So anyways, if you have any sort of allergy, dietary restriction, or simply expect your food to be made correctly then I would avoid this place at all costs. There are a number of other Italian places in Laguna Beach and neighboring cities. Try Rumari or Oliver's Osteria instead.