Sugo’s Spaghetteria

Enjoyed a business lunch here today. Everyone in my group raved about their food (eggplant Parmesan, spaghetti and meatball and lasagna). I had delicious pomodoro with a house salad. We shared tiramisu, and it was yummy too. The service was prompt with the right amount of attentiveness. I’d give a 4.5 rating if I could. Lovely lunch overall!

The hurried service took away the opportunity to enjoy the above average food offerings. The service was so rushed it was annoying. We were served our appetizer quickly only to have our salad served when we were only halfway through the appetizer. Ditto on the entrée, served while we had almost a full plate of salad. When asked if we wanted dessert, I said I’d like to enjoy a cup of coffee before deciding on dessert and asked if we were on a time limit. The waitress replied no, but shortly thereafter said they needed the table for waiting reservation. I give a big thumbs down to the experience.

For a birthday party this past Thursday, we ordered many portions of lasagna. The order was picked up at 5:30 p.m. The portions were large and very tasty except that they were overly salted, to the point where some of us could not finish their meal. I do not know if their lasagna is always this way but this is something that the kitchen should be aware of.
At this point, I am not inclined to order from them again.

I started off my meal with piece of bread I was very disappointed with its lack of flavor. Then my Caesar salad arrived, it was great it was not overwhelmed with croutons.
I ordered the lasagna it was served steaming hot, it was delicious and came in a large portion.
This is a restaurant that you can walk into and be comfortable wearing jeans and a sweater, nothing fancy, it had a very relaxed atmosphere

I would call this restaurant economical Italian. The chicken spedini was well seasoned but the chicken was overcooked and had a plastic taste to it. The side spaghetti that came with it was very small. Small menu which I would think would allow the kitchen to focus on the plates and make them awesome every time. One thing that did surprise and turned me off was when I went to pay cash for my carry out, I told the hostess the hostess I did not need the loose change back and her response was oh it doesn’t matter because we don’t give change here… can a restaurant do that? If a customer is due change I would think they would have to give it back. Restaurant is very dark and it is hard to see the menu and where you are walking.

SLOW.SLOW.SLOW. No one expects «fast food» speed at a sit-​down place at lunch. But neither does one expect to WAIT for menus, WAIT for drinks, WAIT for orders to be taken, okay then the salads came right away but then it was back to waiting, WAIT (and WAIT) for our entrees, WAIT (and WAIT) for a box to pack up extra pizza, WAIT for a check, WAIT for a check to sign. On a busy Friday, this would be slow-​slow-​slow service. On a Monday when there are three or four tables with people? Inexcusable. We like the food at Sugo’s but definitely will not be back for lunch: unless we’ve got nothing else to do.

Sometimes people are accused of posting things online that they wouldn’t be willing to say to someone’s face. Well, I said it to the owner of this restaurant last night and I’m writing it online this morning. Your «we won’t seat you until everyone is here» policy is crap. Outdated and unwelcome crap. In this day and age, that policy is pure, unadulterated crap! It’s ridiculous at this location and equally ridiculous at your other location. It needs to go!
I walked in knowing that they didn’t have a wait and asked to be seated so that I could have a glass of wine while waiting the 5 – 10 minutes it would be for the wife and kid 2 to arrive. The girl at the hostess stand refused even though they had empty tables so I asked to speak to the manager. He was out so I asked how to reach the owner. He was in so I asked to speak to him.
I told him how much I disliked his policy (actually told him it was a crappy policy) and explained that I limited my visits to his restaurants based on said policy and the frustration it causes. He asked me what I did for a living and then proceeded to ask me how I would feel if one of my customers wanted to pay for something they bought from me a chunk at a time — ummmm, not sure how that’s relevant to eating at his restaurant but that’s called progress billing and it’s the standard in my industry. He didn’t like that answer very much.
He also didn’t care much for my opinion on his «we won’t seat you until everyone is here» policy and told me that I was insulting him by insulting his policy. Ummmm, yep… take it that way if you want; you own the business, you made the policy, you get the criticism. He then told me that I would do better to go to Brio across the street where they would charge me twice as much but give me a table before the rest of my party arrived. He also told me that I probably shouldn’t come back to one of his restaurants… not much danger of that as there are far better choices that offer mid-​range Italian food.
I have two teenagers at home who can treat me like crap for free — why go out and pay for that level of attitude?!?

This was an extremely disappointing dining experience, and I don’t think I’ll be back.
The restaurant was highly recommended as a place to impress with good Italian food when out of town family came to town. The Del Pietro family is supposed to be a Saint Louis institution.
Started out that they do not take reservations. This is ok — it just meant that our group of 8 would have to plan on waiting. No problem. For a place that doesn’t take reservations, they don’t even have places to sit and wait. This is not very convenient for elderly family members, but sure enough we waited. The two not so nice and very young and even higher on themselves young hostesses took our names and cell phone number, and we were promptly linked to a «no wait» app waiting list. The girl even had a hard time spelling a relatively common last name, but ok… Having used no wait many times at other local restaurants, this was no problem. We waited outside, and at 45 min the app said «looks like you left your place in line». Assuming this meant our spot was up, we went in only to see a large group of about 10 people being seated. The girls said we were not in line and that we never were, and would have to get in line and wait. Neither one of them acknowledged signing us up, even when reminded that she had a hard time spelling the last name. When confronted with the text, they looked at each other like a kid caught in a lie and just said «it’s a new thing for us».
When we first walked in, the restaurant smelled like a fish market, the lingering odor after they hose the place. Not the fresh good seafood smell.
So we waited again and got the next large table.
Service was very poor. No bread until requested, at which time then bought 5 pieces of bread (for a party of 8). The server seemed rushed and was ready to take our order and never mentioned the specials until asked, and then seemed irritated that we would even ask.
The food took a while. Salads were average at best. Entrees were bland. The meatballs were very large, but were mostly breading with some meat and very little taste. The pasta served with it was overcooked and bland.
The chicken spedini looked like an unappetizing yellow log… I’ll post a picture. It also was bland, underseasoned and had a strange texture.
The shrimp risotto was served very wet– more like a wet rice soup than what you expect of proper risotto. The flavor was ok.
Prices were reasonable, but the combination of poor (rushed) service, bland food, attitude from hostesses, lying about our place in line — bad experience for the family — there are much better places for similar prices.

Didn’t have enough high chairs so we couldn’t stay and eat. Not a good place for families with little ones on a Friday or Sat night.

OMG, I have not had Italian food this good in a very long time. The ingredients were fresh, the meal was huge, everything was reasonably priced and the service was great. For $ 12 I had a piece of lasagna big enough to feed 2. The house wine was yummy as well. The menu selection was good, but not everything ever associated with Italians, which is great because what they do, they do impeccably. My salad was delicious and big. I can’t say enough great things about this place, but the most important thing is I will definitely be back whenever I’m in town.

I have to say the Del Pietro family does it again. This wildly successful restaurant gets high marks from this reviewer for the following reasons: First and foremost, the food is consistently good. The variety of this menu makes this more than your average Italian joint. The price is commiserate and perhaps even better than the quality of food. The portions are perfect especially when you have a few pieces of bread and olive oil before the meal-​go easy on it as the entrees are filling. Love the atmosphere and you can choose to dine inside or out.

Nothing about eating at Sugo’s was bad. It just wasn’t an amazing or memorable restaurant.
Started with the fresh bread and olive oil provided on the table which is always a nice touch and way to start off a meal.
Ordered the Fungi (Mushroom) Neapolitan Pizza as an entrée and it was a lot larger than I was expecting-​could definitely be split to 2 people or a family of 3 with a small child. It was crisp, warm but cooled after I ate 2 slices.
Nice setting for an outing with co-​workers for a late lunch and traditional Italian restaurant ambiance.

Have small children? Better make other plans… Didn’t get the chance to dine. I’ve eaten at Sugo’s on countless occasions; the most recent 2 weeks ago with my entire family. We live right down the street. Last week my 22 month old twins and I met my mother and a friend for dinner at Sugos but we told they could not accommodate us because they only had two highchairs in the entire restaurant and one was in use by another party. Seriously? How much can those cost; $ 10 wholesale? Regardless, how ridiculous to have a «family friendly» restaurant in the suburbs without highchairs. We ended up at Bricktops (a much nicer restaurant) and had no problems at all. They were very kid friendly. Sugo’s won’t be seeing us again or my sibling (5) or my husbands (6) and their family.

My wife and I went to Sugo’s today with our 2 year old son for dinner. It appears to be a kid friendly place as they have high chairs; however, there are no booster seats. We then asked our server for a to go cup or some cup with a lid, to which he responded, «We don’t have anything like that.» It seems mind boggling that a restaurant can’t buy $ 50 worth of plastic cups to accommodate kids, I guess they’d rather have broken glassware.
On to ordering. We asked if they had a kids menu to which the response was, «No, we can do buttered noodles or cheese pizza.» Really? This is an Italian restaurant. How hard is it to throw the two items mentioned and Fettuccine Alfredo on a list so you don’t have to say «No.»?
I ordered chicken Spiedini. When I got to the bottom of the Chicken and was moving on to the pasta, I ran into a paper like substance. I put it off to the side and showed it to our waiter when he came over. He took my plate into the kitchen to find out what it was and he promptly returned with my plate, put it back down and said, «It’s the skin of the onion. No harm to you.» Again, really? Not only am I fairly certain it is a health violation to take eaten food back into the kitchen, but it is now acceptable to have the skin of the onion in a dish?
Needless to say, not going back.

Well this place came highly recommended by my host in St Louis so maybe my expectations were too high. Service was good and friendly but as everyone said the bread was poor which seems unacceptable at an Italian place. Highlight of the meal was my house salad which was excellent. Disappointed in the veal milanese with gnocchi. The veal was good but certainly not great and the gnocchi was off in texture — too squishy or something.
I would go somewhere else next time or get one of the dishes people rave about in reviews rather than try to be clever

My suggestion is focus on better quality rather than making everything super sized! Maybe in South County or other suburbs people want big food but you are I a market where people do want value but also appreciate paying a little more for good food, you are not a cheap chain.
Easy parking, if people split dishes it’s very inexpensive. Lots of seating.

WOW, how many restaurants are so well rounded you can take a first date, a family, a party, or a client and be spot on??? Sugo’s hits the mark! A perfectly balanced ambiance consisting of candlelight, chalk board menus, French country tables, chandeliers, a windowed kitchen, and a wine table sure to tempt anyone. Service was friendly and professional, selections were simple yet diverse, presentation-​country elegant, and taste divine. My occasion happened to be «date night» with my three girls. It couldn’t have been a more enjoyable night. Selfishly, I was reluctant to post this revue as I don’t want to wait to sit down my next visit, but these guys are so efficient it’s going to be hard to give them more than they can handle. Enjoy !

I was there last night with my partner. It would’ve be nice if they serve the bread with some butter or dipping. Their home made lasagna is huge with a reasonable price but taste was terrible along with cheap quality meat. They have a outside tables right next to each other but their view is the parking lot, you smell the pollution.
Our server was very slow and she wasn’t trained enough. They serve huge plates with reasonable prices but their quality is really bad and cheap. We will never go back there again!

I ate here for dinner last night and my meal was really just so-​so from start to finish.
The bread was mediocre, although the olive oil provided for dipping was delicious. My salad (the tomato with blue cheese slices, basil, olive oil and red wine vinegar) was the highlight of the meal, and I appreciated the twist on the traditional caprese salad.
My meal was very mediocre though it sounded delicious in theory. I got the fish special, Salmon with basil pesto over a caprese risotto. I am not a huge risotto fan or afficionado, but I love caprese-​themed food and salmon. The salmon was overcooked (although the portion was generous) and the risotto seemed undercooked to me. I sampled a sicilian style pizza of a fellow diner and thought that was delicious (and was huge! definitely the bargain), but overall a pretty disappointing meal.

Nice great-​looking space, looks like possibly patio seating when the weather is nice. Standard pasta offerings, special of the day. I tried the pollo alfredo. The cream alfredo sauce was a lot thinner than I’m used to on a pasta like this. It wasn’t fettucine, but I don’t qute remember the noodle — thinner than a fettucine I think.
Service was a little hit/​miss on this — our first — visit here. She didn’t ask if we wanted drinks before we ordered the meal. If that’s normal, when we ordered food, if we didn’t say a drink, she didn’t ask to make sure that meant we didn’t want a drink. She came over at one point, asked if we needed anything, and when one person immediately said yes, she walked away quickly before I could even open my mouth to ask for a refill.
They may have been understaffed that day, or it could have been a one-​off type thing. I’d be willing to give this place another try.