For starter I had to give a credit card number over the telephone in order to make reservations for six people (first in my experience). They were out of bread, the server told us that it was a very busy week-end and therefore that they were out of many item on the menu. We sent back the cheese platter because no bread was available, and only then (30 minutes in) they offered to make some focaccia bread in substitution of the bread. The service was slow (Frittura mista came at the end of the meal) and the parmigiana was never presented. The second course dishes were left on the table without any effort to hand those individually. Finally, and perhaps the most interesting finding was a pricing notice at the entrance stating two different prices depending on whether you pay cash or use the credit card. In my experience, gas stations offer two different prices depending on the modality of payment - I never seen such notice in a restaurant. Usually, I do not write reviews, but this time and after my out of town guests were extremely unhappy with the experience, I had to voice our total disappointment with Fiamma Centro.
Wood fired pizza is always great and the recipes have evolved a bit over the years since the move from the original location. Most other dishes have unusual spices/flavors. I’m guessing a mix of Sicilian and Brazilian? Other than pizza, risotto and a few appetizers, I stay away…I would have given five stars however, only 3 occupied tables and the service was a little slow considering, unless you’re familiar with the bar tender, apparently…Also I was charged a credit card convenience fee!!! Who doesn’t use credit cards these days? I would think cash would require more service to count and provide change. Either way it’s in violation of ny state law. You can’t simply charge a credit card fee at time of payment with no indication of a fee or advertised difference in menu prices for charge versus cash…It’s bad enough that many of the menu items far exceed the advertised price online let alone additional surprise charges. I guess they like their dining room empty..,So now I have to rethink if the pizza is worth $3 more than it was, 18 now 21 and if I should allow them to tap my credit for an additional 3.5% ?!?!
Big disappointment. If you want to fall in a hole in the bathroom floor and have someone walk in despite a ‘locked’ door this is the place for you. Waitress was sweat but chef won’t allow even minor substations to the menu. I would have loved the pear salad but can’t at goat cheese. A member of our party had an inedible steak. And they add a credit card fee plus they won’t take separate checks for a large party. Recommend avoid and try other great Italian places in town.
Great good, drinks and atmosphere!
We went as a family for a 4:00 Sunday Dinner. Highly recommend reservations. Very cool decor with a classy-but rustic vibe. Exposed beams and retro metal signage made for a throwback environment. We were wearing dress-casual (nice jeans-sweater-casual shoes), and there were others more dressed up. Each one of us raved about our meal. We ordered a Margherita Pizza as an appetizer. With the wood-fired oven, it came out quickly. Nicole, our server, was excellent, with several helpful recommendations. My son ordered the Veal Scaloppine- an excellent dish that came in a smaller portion. We went through two baskets of bread-a delicious sour-dough. I had a fantastic dish with sausage and rapping with a homemade Garganelli pasta. There was more than enough to share with my son to augment his meal. The two girls had the Pollo Sicialiano, a huge serving of Chicken with tomato, eggplant, and drizzled with Pesto. We finished it off with 3 small cakes: Rum, Pistachio, and Tira Misu. The Rum was my favorite but they were all delicious. Bill came to $214 with tax and tip, more than fair.
Everything was fantastic!! From food to service. Instant favorite. The food is so authentic tasting, you should need to show a passport to eat it..
This is probably the first negative review I have ever written. As someone who has been to restaurants from hole in the wall places to Michelin star ones, disappointed would be an understatement. Absolutely terrible service. We were a group of 8. The server already had her guaranteed 20% tip and could care less about customer service. She was straight up rude to us. Only one basket of bread was brought to the table and when we asked for more, we were told there was no more bread. The food wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. This is minor, but if you have to charge a fee for credit and debit cards and you can’t somehow figure that into your costs as a business, you probably shouldn’t be running a business. I will never be back and will never recommend this place to anyone.
We were initially excited to go to Fiamma, unfortunately our experience was not up to par with other Rochester restaurants. We arrived on time for our reservation and were greeted by the hostess who simply asked "reservation? okay follow me," proceeding up a staircase and disappearing in a maze of diners and bussing waitstaff through three separate rooms before finding our table, the farthest in the restaurant adjacent to the washroom(?) doors. I'm a young and fit person but I was at tempo HR trying to keep up with this person who was well beyond my line of sight and not looking back. If I had been with my parents who are less abled, this would have been a major issue. Arriving at our table, which was not set we received menus and placed our drink orders. Our waitress was very nice and welcoming. We decided to order something standard a traditional Margherita pizza, and we got the paccheri. The food arrived almost instantly. When I say that, I mean it was concerning how fast it came, enough so that the waitress even took note of it. The pizza: sauce and cheese were tasty, crust appeared airy and light as expected from wood fired Neapolitan style but was soft. I mean entirely soft. I honestly do not know how this was done, I've made a lot of pizza in my life, I do not know how you would get a char marked crust with such a soggy texture. Are they making the crusts separate, topping, later and letting them sit? Are they microwaving pre-made pies to meet the timing demands (this would explain the speed at which it arrived)? I don't know but it was concerning. Not as concerning as the pasta, which was a mixture of tepid and cold elements, again reminiscent of a microwave's heterogenous heating. The lobster tail and other shellfish tasted fine, I did not get sick, but I'm not sure I ever needed a knife to eat lobster before. The pasta was al-dente albeit cold, the sauce was very thin and did not adhere to any of it.
So disappointed with the food. The four of us were so excited because the restaurant came with a great recommendation. The appetizers were extremely salty. The bread comes with out butter or even dipping oil. Butter was requested but denied. Facilities need some maintenance especially the men’s room. Our drinks were good and service okay. Really tried to overlook some things but our group kept thinking about all the great restaurants we could of visited on our stop in Rochester.
Food is very good but pricey. Love the atmosphere. Server was extremely rude which was disappointing.