Kohar S.
Yelp
Came for a valentine dinner on 2/15/25. Made reservations for 7:45 and didn't get seated until 8:30. We noticed other tables had focaccia so we asked a random waiter if they could give us some as well. It came fresh and was delicious, however our own waiter never offered us any. After waiting almost two hours, our food came at 10pm. It was the most bland and lackluster meal I've ever had at a restaurant, let alone at an "esteemed" restaurant such as Il Cielo.
Our waiter apologized for the length we waited and asked if we wanted anything complimentary, we declined because the food was so bad and just wanted to leave already.
When the check came, we asked the waiter if we could use an Il Cielo gift card that was gifted to us, even though it was a 1-2 year old gift card. He said no, gift cards are for online only. We were confused, because the gift card expressly states "Present this card for use at the following location only" ...see photo attached. We insisted he at least check with a manager to make sure it cannot be used, because it seemed rather odd to deny customers using a gift card. Even though we didn't know how much money was on it, we just wanted him to check for us!
He came back and gave us our receipt, which indicated a charge for $126 and some change. When we opened the check holder, the gift card was gone. He explained to us that it covered the bill "just enough" and we are all set. He withheld the gift card from us, which we thought was so peculiar and concerning almost. When we asked for the gift card back he said he doesn't know how much is left on it, and it probably is used up completely.
Now I'm no mathematician or restaurateur, and I do not know how much was gifted to us on this card originally, but I DO KNOW that no one would buy a gift card and fill it with $126 and some change. It would either have $150, or $175, or $200 on it, leaving a balance of some sort on it regardless. I'm not saying that I would ever come back to eat at Il Cielo and use the balance, but I know it's only right to keep our card since there's SOME money left over on it. The way he was so hesitant to give us the card back seemed as if there was $1M in bitcoin on the card and it was like he struck gold and couldn't part ways with the card. VERY ODD BEHAVIOR.
We put our foot down and insisted he just give it back to us regardless. Before handing it over, he asked if we needed our receipt. We said no, then he took the receipt and wrote down the gift card number on the back of the receipt and put it in his pocket. He finally gave us the gift card and we left.
Not sure if he wants to delete the card from the system or what.... But we felt awkward AF and definitely won't ever come back to use the remainder of the gift card anyways because the food and service was so poor. I liked the ambiance, and the focaccia, but that's all. Don't waste your time or money here.