Tello Italian Bistro - South Haven

My husband and I dined here yesterday. It took 2 hours for dinner, arrived at 6:15 and missed the sunset on the lake. The absolute worst service I’ve ever had. The server took 10 minutes to even acknowledge us. We were understanding given it seems extremely short staffed. She did not improve only got worse in ignoring us. The calamari was the worst I’ve ever had, soggy breading and tough to chew. My husband’s spaghetti with Italian sausage was decent but my basic cheese pizza was overdone to point that the crust was a rock. Go elsewhere.

We dropped in for dinner. No reservation was required and there was no wait (at the time). There were several tables and only one server at the time (Jeremy) who was handling it like a boss. Our drink order and then food order was taken, and everything was provided in a timely manner. The food was authentic and fresh, and was exactly what I would expect provided this gems description. The wine, salads, and pizza were all on point, and we were beyond impressed. The food quality, service and atmosphere all easily earned 5 stars on our visit.

Wonderful, caring staff and outstanding atmosphere. Dietary restrictions: Gluten Free options available.

I’m sorry to leave a negative review, but there were no positives to our experience. All of the mixed drinks ordered (Negronis an Aperol spritz) were undrinkable and way too alcohol heavy. We waited an hour for our meal to arrive (I know this because I was seated in front of a wall clock). The spaghetti with meatballs was inedible. The bolognese was swimming in grease the chicken Marsala was not reduced. The service was passable at best. To the manager’s credit, she removed several dishes 1 drink from the bill. One person in our party left her wallet at the restaurant, so she went back the next day to get the wallet. The bartender essentially shamed the person in our party and said if you’ve never had the drink before, it’s a strong drink. FYI the person in our party is an award winning bartender. I do not recommend this restaurant.

The place was awful, they had my group standing in a small corner and then never gave us bread and had us waiting forever for our food and then when we asked help from a server, she was not very helpful and very not caring and very ignorant of the situation. We ended up walking out before we got our food. I would not recommend going here.