Prima Italian Restaurant

Ordered their delivery since it was one of the only options on grubhub. The food tasted like it was out of a box. Nothing to see here people!

Although it is advertised as an Italian restaurant, it is Ethiopian. However, there are basic Italian options on the menu. My friend and I ordered chicken and beef tibs with the standard sides. The food was okay, but nothing spectacular, especially compared to all the other great Ethiopian restaurants in the area.
We also ordered hookah, which was decent. The hookah lounge is comfortable and an enjoyable atmosphere.
Food and hookah aside, the service was the worst I’ve ever had. The hookah came out promptly, but after 45 minutes our drinks had still not arrived and the waitress hadn’t returned to check on us or take our food orders. I ended up going to the front of the house to get our waters. After that, the waitress came back to take our order. Again, we waited a full 1:15 for it to arrive. During that time, the waitress returned once to check the coals (roughly 45 mins. in). We asked how much longer would the food be and she replied whenever it was ready, in a sarcastic tone. Let me also mention we were two of six people in the restaurant. When the bill arrived, a 20% gratuity had already been added to the bill. On the menu, it clearly stated this would be done automatically for parties of six or more. I asked the waitress about this and she said they add it if they don’t know the customers to make sure they tip. I generally tip at about 20%, but being forced to tip well for awful service didn’t sit well for me. For either Ethiopian or Italian food, go anywhere else.

Avoid at all costs! My wife, 2 year old son, and I attempted to eat here last night and left without ordering. The business refused to honor our VALID
gift certificate! We were the only ones in the restaurant 7pm on a Sunday night… you would think the place would have several customers at this time, so that is a red flag right there. But a place that turns away customers? No wonder it was empty. I hope they go out of business!

I was deciding between this place and Dominicks in Norcross which had great reviews. Dominicks is closer to us than Prima (and had better Unilocal reviews!) but we had a coupon like Heather N. and decided to try it out since who doesn’t like 25 dollars off their meal? The strip mall it’s in is quite un-​impressive. For somewhere so close to Decatur we thought it would be maybe close to some cool spots but it wasn’t really. The drive to the Decatur square is only about 10 minutes away so it’s decently close I guess.
The food was okay. I would actually choose Olive Garden over this place — I think their bread and salad and dishes are better prepared in fact. Nobody in my group was too enthusiastic about their dish (we had the salmon, the chicken marsala, a chicken penne dish and a spaghetti bolognse dish). My chicken marsala didn’t look like chicken marsala — it looked like chicken with gravy sauce. I heard the penne dish was very dry and the spaghetti dish wasn’t too special. When it came to dessert time we all decided that we’d rather have Yogurt Tap froyo instead of the dessert here. Environment wise, it seems like it’s trying to be a «date» restaurant. However, I felt the service was pretty bad. There was one waitress who bought us someone else’s food before realizing she bought it to the wrong table. She also took forever to get us change when we paid in cash. Overall, I would NOT go here again. Even if you gave me a 25 dollar coupon.

Wow! I was somehow magically transported to Alpharetta (or Cumming, or any suburb, really). Prima is located in a newly developed mini strip, and the interior is equally generic, from the Marshall’s Euro poster art to the faux finished walls.
This place feels like it was designed from a template. They seem to be going for an upscale feeling, with cloth napkins and tablecloths, but the food is straight up standard, and the service is friendly enough but not around when you need things like water or the check.
I have a thing about not eating in an empty restaurant, but we had a coupon and decided to break the rule. Never a good idea.
I would rather eat in a dingy, authentic family restaurant than a brand new, shiny indistinguishable business.
Is it better than Olive Garden? Sure.
Would I go back? No.
Cheers~

I attended the Grand Opening of Prima several weeks ago and I was impressed. So much so that I went back for day 2 of the Grand Opening! It is a lovely Italian Restaurant located on N. Decatur Rd., not far from Ponce de Leon, Dekalb County School Board Offices, Georgia Perimeter College, etc.
The food is excellent, as it is professionally prepared by Chef Brett and under the watchful eyes of Owners Nazret and Elias. The place is quite beautifully designed and decorated. My one area of concern was that the Wait Staff appeared not to be as well trained as I would have expected. Then again, this is a completely new restaurant!
They are open 7 days a week from 11:00am until 11:00pm. They offer a wonderful selection of Wines, Beers as well your favorite Cocktails at the Custom Designed Bar. If you have a small dinner party or a large group, I am sure you will love the food, the décor and the service; which I understand is much improved from what I experienced during the chaos of opening night!~