Capri Sogno has Great Food, but Lacks in Other Areas

Capri Sogno restaurant opened in Plainfield in September. They were delayed in their opening and even now, nearly a month after the beginning, they are operating without a liquor license

I was excited by the proposed opening of a restaurant in this location and hopeful that it would not open and then go the way of the two that preceded it - Finnegan's and Mickey O'Neill's.

First, let me tell you the good things. The food was really, really good. The menu had a good selection and included such options as grilled calamari and gluten-free pasta, which made my GF heart happy. 

My dining companion ordered the lemon chicken, which looked delicious, was a huge portion and came with a side of pasta.

In addition to the great food, the server we had was attentive, answered all our questions and was very professional. 

But that is about where the pluses of the dining experience ended. Now I agree that you could make the argument that if a restaurant has good food, all the other details pale in comparison. That’s especially true when one or two things are off. But certain things, while easily fixable, can throw off a dining experience.

The first thing is the temperature of the restaurant. Capri was freezing cold. Both myself and the person I dined with had brought jackets, but even with them on, we were chilly. Now I know it must be difficult to monitor the temperature inside when the one outside was fluctuating so wildly. But if your restaurant temperature is making customers uncomfortable, it is definitely something that needs to be addressed.

The next issue was the same kind of a thing. The music the restaurant was playing was appropriate to the atmosphere of the restaurant. But it was so loud that my dining companion and I could not carry on a conversation at a normal volume. You go out to dine to relax and enjoy good food. Here I enjoyed good food, but I was yelling to be heard, straining to hear and uncomfortably cold.

The final issue I had with the restaurant was when the check came. When I was perusing the menu, I was so excited by the fact that gluten-free noodles were available. When the check arrived, I was charged $2 for choosing GF noodles. I did not see anything on the menu indicating that there would be an extra charge. The server never mentioned it either.

I felt duped. And while I could overlook the loud music, the cold temperatures, the fact that the restaurant opened before it could secure a liquor license, I could not overlook the fact that a restaurant was unclear about what is a rather significant upcharge. It really felt rather like they did not want the customers to know until it was too late. In addition, $2 is high for gluten-free noodles. But as a customer, I could have made a decision as to whether or not I was willing to pay that price if I was informed before I ordered.

All in all, I hope that what Capri Sogno has is growing pains. I hope they will find consistency in temperature and volume and that not listing the upcharge on the menu was an oversight or something that was there that I simply did not see. I hope they train their servers to be hyper clear about the upcharge because informed customers are the ones who come back. And I want to see a restaurant in this location succeed.