Zio Toto

Terrible experience last night for dinner. Service was below par and the food was cold after waiting 2 hours, from the minute we sat down to the time we got the meal.
The waiter said it was coming three times and finally I told him that we would be leaving if the food did not arrive soon. I think we were not being unreasonable to have to wait so long in a restaurant.
The prices of the specials were outrageous as my husband Bronzini was $ 47 and after the waiter butchered it off the bone he only had a ¼ of the fish left to eat. I requested baby lamb chops medium cooked and they were somewhat rare with plenty of sauce to disguise the taste.
Not a pleasant evening to say the least.
Would not recommend this restaurant

I have been to Zio Toto twice before (when it first opened) with pretty poor experiences. I decided to give it another shot because my brother was in town for Mother’s Day weekend. Big. Mistake.
The service here is absolutely awful. We had 7:30 reservations for five people on a Saturday night. We knew it would be busy. Understandable. We get seated and he immediately comes over to read us the specials. Um? Drinks first would be nice? After our drinks have been delivered, we order our meals and appetizers.
I want to note that there was a certain frantic atmosphere to the place. As if everyone was really stressed out. The bus boys and waiters are running around looking really flustered. It became unnerving.
While we were sitting there, we noticed that no one who was sitting around us was getting up. As in, they’ve been sitting at their tables for a long time. WELL! Then it all made sense. We don’t receive our entrees until 9:30p. 9:30! That’s two hours after we sat down. SERIOUSLY? And not only that, the food was absolutely nothing special. When restaurants make you wait for food for a long time… If the food is spectacular, you tend to forget about the wait and consider it worth it. It is not. worth it. This island is filled with amazing Italian restaurants. Ones that do not make you wait for two hours for steak + pasta. And then slap you with a hefty bill.
Save your money. Go somewhere else.

Came on a Friday evening around 6:15 (no reservations) and was seated immediately because the dinner rush hadn’t started yet. The ambiance is great– truly felt as though we were in Manhattan! At the time, my friend and I were one of few people in the restaurant, though we ended up staying till past 8, and the waiter staff kindly attended to us the whole time through. I ordered the apple salad and my friend the best salad– both came in a timely manner after the bread brought to our table, and everything was fresh and delicious! Before we left we had a cappuccino and espresso; they were excellent. Would definitely recommend this place and plan on going back.

We were seated and it took a half hour for someone to come to the table. The waiter came with an attitude. He asked us to stop speaking while he took our order. The food was just ok and over priced. The waiter was arrogant and unprofessional. It took another half hour to get the table cleared and coffee orders take. He catered to his regular clientele. I actually had to stand up in order to get a glass of water. I give it a three out of ten.

Server & most of staff were not very friendly, had an arrogance about them & many things that should of happened didn’t … Example we HAD to wait for our party to complete even though we made it clear we wanted to start our night.
Food was over seasoned or under seasoned, mediocre at best.
Salmon is farmed ?
What fine dining establishment still uses farmed fish.

Worst experience ever!!! Reservations were at 8:30 we were not seated until 9:55 it took forever for a waiter to take our order we didn’t receive our food until 12:00 midnight… not one person came over to us and filled up our glasses w water or asked if we were ok… The people were rude and I would never come back here again

I love this place my fiancé and I are actually going here tonight the food is amazing it is pricy but what makes it pricy is quality of the food.

The service was terrible. The waiter was abrupt and boarding on nasty. He insisted that all conversation at the table stop, so he could take our order. My daughter was trying to get a drink of water. It took at least 20 minutes to get anyone to stop and pour her a glass. I had veal, which was dry. The food was just ok. To end the dinner we were given dessert menus. The waiter didn’t come back until a half hour later. They cater to there regulars. Noisy and not worth the prices or the food. High end, requires high end service. Don’t waste your time

Overpriced and overrated. Went here for a work holiday dinner and was very disappointed. I shared rice balls with my friend and got 3 tiny Luke warm on the outside, cold on the inside“rice balls” with 3 little flecks of ground beef, 1pea, and a frozen mini mozzarella ball. then when my friend brought this issue up top the waiter, he looked at her like she had two heads, and told her that the rice balls are supposed to come like that. Very rude! I then had the Chilean sea bass with mushroom risotto. The fish was really fishy and tough. Risotto was bland & soggy. I went home and had“tuna breath” I’ve had Chilean sea bass before, and I know when it’s fresh, and this was NOT fresh at all. That night I woke up with extreme abdominal cramps, and I knew exactly where it came from. $ 89 down the drain. I guess you live and you learn. I will definitely not come back here.

Excellent Food… Attentive Service. Looking forward to returning soon to try another dish. Surprisingly nice décor for a Strip Mall Restaurant. I had Chilean Sea Bass with Mushroom Risotto that was cooked perfectly. My Fiancé had a Strip Steak with a Balsamic Reduction Sauce, which he loved. Our teenager had Chicken Parm, said it was the best that he has ever had and he has tried quite a few. One of the creamier Crème Brulee custards that I have tried. We enjoyed our dinners and dessert very much!

Great restaurant soured by overly pretentious service. I felt offended after leaving Zio Toto despite an otherwise wonderful meal. From the bread to the pasta to the dessert, it’s all some of the best on the island which makes me a bit more disheartened to have to focus on the cold service. We had an issue with the dish, and rather than having it rectified felt belittled as if we didn’t know what we ordered. (It was a veal dish but the veal was practically raw.) Rather than argue, we kept it and graciously did not become sick from it. Otherwise, the pasta was quite excellent — some of the best homemade pasta I’ve had. Appetizers were also high-​caliber if not pricey. Finishing with a chocolate soufflé dessert, it was a quality dessert worth the money with some fine vanilla gelato.
5-​star food and ambience for the island, but the service could be better and overall more friendly. I could go back in time if I found myself in SI craving really good Italian food, and would have already actually if the experience hadn’t been worsened by a raw veal dish that they were unapologetic about. But I don’t feel overly welcome back.

Love this place. Came here a few times and never have i ever been disappointed from this place. Pasta with tomato sauce or vodka sauce is delicious. The seafood is my favorite. Love having a local place just to go when i want italian food.

Awesome place, Food, Service are excellent, I had my engagement dinner here with about 120 people. Everything turned out great and my guest didn’t stop talking about the food for weeks. Anna was the best to work with. I highly recommend Zio Toto for any event ! holiday parties, Parties or just a night out, there always on their A Game, my hat goes off to Anna and the Staff at Zio Toto. Thank you for everything !

Zio Toto is Located on the South Shore of Staten Island where everywhere you turn another Italian Cuisine restaurant pops up. This makes it hard for a business with so many to compete against needing to always be on point. Tonight Zio Toto’s was just that on point.
I have visited Zio Toto a couple times and the biggest knock is usually the waiters or host. This time once entering I was greeted with Smiles the staff was very energetic and not pompous. My waiter was knowledgeable of the menu and if there was a slight unsureness due to my girlfriends food allergies he was quick to find out the answer.
The ambience is still the same and still not a fan of the parking lot and valet service. I won’t let that affect the great meal I had. (See Previous Review)
Appetizers we had the fried calamari which were cooked well. They were a little over cooked but not rubbery. Second appetizer baked oysters. Yes instead of baked clams. The flavors were great.
Entrees I had The Vitello Alla Valdostana which I believe is a must try, although it’s a $ 38 dish it’s the best dish on Menu. Stuffed Veal w/​Mushroom, Fontina Cheese, Prosciutto in Brown Sauce. Served w/​Rosemary Potatoes w/​Carrots and String Beans.
The flavor pairings were amazing. The brown sauce had a sweet taste and not over salted as I’m not a fan of salt and man it was great. My girlfriend had the Sea Bass over Risotto. The Bass was Flaky and the risotto was cooked perfectly. Excellent. She left happy and full, As did I.
I would say Zio Toto is right up there with Staten Islands Italian Cuisine and placed itself up there with the best competition. I would continue to recommend my friends and family to give Zio Toto’s a try.

I love this restaurant best restaurant in Staten Island hands down the food is exquisite the place is absolutely beautiful .
It gets very crowded on the weekend that’s because
the food is great and everybody wants to be there.
We had two parties within 1 year and both parties we were trilled… recommend everyone to go …

The stuffed veal chop is really good– that’s really the only thing that brings me back. The atmosphere is not for me. Usually you walk in with reservations and you have to wait. I just feel there are better spots.

Solid place. The bar area in the front of the restaurant has a great look to it. The bartenders leave a bit to be desired though. Bought a round of drinks which came out to $ 44, and gave her $ 60 ($ 16 tip), and not even as much as a smile let alone a thank you.
With that said, we moved to the back dining room for dinner. The food was great, the service was attentive. I would definitely be back.
Parking is beyond horrible, as we were forced to valet park, which is fine, but it took about 15 minutes for the attendant to get to us. Cars come in from both directions coupled with people leaving the lot makes for gridlock.
Fix these 2 minor issues, and you have a 5 star review, no question.

Overall a good experience, but I felt the décor was a bit on the generic side.
Pros:
— Food is incredible.
— Place is spotless.
— Good ambiance; lights are low but no low enough that you can’t see anything.
Cons:
— Our waiter had a slightly snobbish demeanor when asked unusual questions and asked to split a plate between two people.
— For a place that was relatively empty on a Sunday night, the waiters were buzzing around our table like bees, moving plates so fast that it startled some in our party. And when we tried to ask them something, they totally ignored us. I’m sure they were just in a hurry. but to where?
Food recommendations:
The Vitello alla Valdostana — (Veal Chop stuffed with Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms, Prosciutto and Fontina Cheese in a Brown Sauce) was fantastic.

AMAZING food. Red sangria is amazing ! I got penne alla vodka w/​sweet and spicey sausage (eating left overs, just as amazing), fried calamari was good, mozzarella caprese with eggplant and pesto oil was amazing, I hate clams but I tried my friend’s clams and they were actually pretty good.
Down side: There was a Sweet 16 and no hostess nor staff member cared to get us a table. Even the manager told us to just wait around because the party rented the whole place — understandable but you still shouldn’t neglect your customers like that. After we finally got sat, staff service was perfect, so hopefully you dont go on a day that there’s a party.

First off… they put me in the seating by the bar when the dining room was completely empty. The service wasn’t great at all. They didn’t even come to ask how things were.
My meal which was spaghetti and carbonara… it wasn’t good at all. Not creamy; so dry. Just terrible.
My friend ordered a pasta dish with some seafood in it and the shrimp was totally over cooked. Again; just terrible.
I heard good things so I was very surprised. I will never go to this place voluntarily. I clearly don’t recommend.