Mazzio’s Italian Eatery

Hadn’t eaten here in ages, but decided to give it a shot and dine in. I knew going in I wouldn’t be getting pizza. Mazzio’s is a very popular pizza vendor locally and I’m not a big fan of their pizzas (or pizza in general, it seems). I’d recalled some yummy pasta bake dishes from the past and thought maybe it would be nice…
I was wrong. First thing upon entering, I was faced with an annoyed cashier wanting to take our order not ten seconds after we entered. Apologies, but I need a few moments to collect my thoughts and actually read the menu printed in quite a small font in front of the cashier. I ordered a Mediterranean Chicken Lasagna and my partner opted to try the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. We opted out of the salad bar; it was in a pretty sad state (but don’t salad bars always seem to be???).
First thing that went pretty wrong was noticed when we sat down with our beverages. My water tasted strongly of… strawberry kool-​aid? It was a weird taste, for sure, so I tried getting more water and the taste only seemed to get stronger. So, no water.
His food came out first, so I got to have a nibble. The Alfredo didn’t taste of cheese at all. Actually, it didn’t taste of anything. It was as though water (that didn’t taste like strawberry) was the primary ingredient: everything was washed out and mushy. It also wasn’t terribly warm, prompting him to joke that he could have had a better TV dinner. The bread that accompanied it was a decent piece of toast and was the highlight of his dish. I
Around the time he was finishing up eating (because I insisted), my food came out. It was noticeably hot, as it had been in the oven a bit longer. He tried a bit of mine and we both agreed it was much better than the Alfredo. When somebody came by to ask about our food and if it was «okay» I chimed in with a «it wasn’t very good at all…» and was met with a quick «awesome!» And then she walked away. Maybe she misheard.
Overall: wouldn’t go back. Maybe it’s this location, but I was severely underwhelmed.