Pantuso’s Ristorante

Staying at the hotel, stopped in for a beer and an appetizer. Got my beer right away, but 25 minutes later, still no appetizer and I had finished my beer. I told the bartender I could not wait any longer, and it seemed like a ridiculous amount of time for a simple appetizer in an almost empty bar.
And no one approached me all this time with any update, or near me so I could ask, she only came over when she noticed my empty beer.
I had a free beer coupon from the (attached) hotel, I asked if that «makes the beer go away»? and obviously I was cancelling my simple bruschetta appetizer.
She said yes, and off I went to my room.
I decide to give it a fresh try the next day, I did not want to «write them off» over a single bad experience. I went there a half dozen times last year and liked it just fine.
Well, I order the same thing, after asking clear information on how long I should expect for the same bruschetta appetizer. I was told «ticket times are 20 minutes»
I asked «even for a simple app?» Yep, that is the quoted ticket time, but she said «it might be faster»
OK fine, I have no room to talk until it’s longer than that.
Well it showed up about 10 minutes later, then about 2 – 3 minutes after that,
the owner woman is standing in front of me and RUDELY stating,…
«You are going to pay for this, and you are also going to pay for the beer and food you walked out on last night»
Not, «I think we have some confusion to clear up» no polite initial approach,
she just got in my face and was TOTALLY a bitch about her approach.
I told her I’m not paying for anything from yesterday, as I had a coupon for the beer, I confirmed I was all set with the bartender, and I left because the appetizer took a ridiculous amount of time.
She continued to bitch at me, and would not stop.
I told her, «Charge me for this current appetizer, and get away from me».
She continued to be rude, said I was an ass last night, and insisted I was GOING to pay for yesterdays beer and appetizer.
Not long after that she came back again, rude as ever, and stated that she was misled by yesterdays bartender about what transpired.
She was rude and defended her behavior, and said «you can see it from my side»?
I simply said, «I have nothing to say to you, go away» She continued yapping’ at me, and I said go away again.
She then said «I’m going to get my husband, he can deal with you»
The fact is at this point we have nothing to «deal with». The error is yours and you still want to fight?
I came in to have a fresh experience and not leave town on a sour note, and this unprofessional jerk gets in my face TWICE?
The second time after learning she was wrong, and is now upset because I don’t want to discuss it anymore???
She rudely gave me my check for the bruchetta, (I had another beer coupon for my second night)
The bartender came by mortified at what had gone down, she was on the verge of tears, I told her I have never seen such unprofessional display of attitude EVER in a restaurant in my life.
I had just signed my ticket when the husband /​Chef walked up,
He said he wanted to pay for my appetizer, I said that was not necessary, I was not trying to get anything for free.
He explained he was not there the night before.
I briefly informed him of the scenario and reiterated even if there was some confusion, or if it was part me and part them from yesterday, the fact is I was in for a «second chance» and the approach of the wife was extremely rude and entirely inappropriate place to start on dealing with the situation, even if the current understanding was the misinformation the yesterday bartender conveyed. (Assuming the wife stating she was misled is even true)
Maybe the bartender was upset and embellished the first nights event, I don’t know, and it does not justify the approach.
Further, why wait until I have new food in front of me? was that a coincidence, or was that some timed strategy to then attack me? She was there in my face minutes after the food arrived.
You DIRECTLY accuse me of being a thief ??? Yet you think I would come in the VERY next day after «stealing» from you???
What kind of idiot thinks that, then walks up and accuses you as the opening remark???
Call the cops, or throw me out before I order, if you think I’m a thief.
The husband was professional and clearly uncomfortable by what had happened, I give him credit, and see he was in an awkward spot.
No way I can recommend this place, that woman has issues,
no one that is well balanced acts like that.

I wish I could give a raving review unfortunately that will not be the case: I was so looking forward to trying this restaurant, I stayed at the Clarion a couple times and you could smell the aroma of Italian food cooking, so when I had the opportunity to try their food I was pretty excited.
I ordered Fettuccine Alfredo with a salad, side of garlic bread and Tiramasu for desert. The salad was very dissapointing, the bags of salad I buy at the grocery store are far better than this salad was; no flavor, tomatoes had no flavor either. The Tiramasu was very dissapointing; way to soggy and more foam cream than layers.
To be honest I called in my order just as they were opening for the evening and I felt like what I got was leftovers from the previous day — that’s what it tasted like.
For the money I spent $ 27, not including tip I sure was expecting more. Sorry to say I won’t be returning.

I cannot say enough about the attentive, fun experience I had while dining at the bar! Steve and Amber are great mixers, and great company. They suggested the loaded fries to me, knowing I was looking for a cheat meal, and I was not disappointed. My drinks were a great price and tasted great! I loved the Poteet Punch, as I was feeling adventurous!
Everytime I stay at the Clarion, I make it a point to visit in hopes that Steve or Amber are working, and if I’m lucky, BOTH!

Second time I’ve ordered to go from here. First time I returned the food it was so bad, the manager/​owner made me work for it. Second time I ordered calamari as an appetizer and shrimp ligini, we got a Caesar salad and parmensan chicken with a nasty beef plank underneath, that we didn’t order. Do not go here

This was a restaurant I simply walked across the street to. I had been driving all day, and I was famished, and about to eat dreaded fast food!!! I came across a very unassuming Italian restaurant called Pantuso, let me tell you looks are deceiving my manicotti was fantastic, and my martini did the job:))
I love food, and good service, all was had
Thanks!

Oh my goodness!!! Who is the stressed out nasty woman who yelled at me for asking where my food was after 35 minutes?
Ordered to go, ordered a glass of wine while waiting. At 25 minutes asked the bartender to check in simple order for one. After 10 more minutes asked the bar tender if he checked. He said it will be out shortly. I know he did not leave he bar so I am skeptical, I told him I was tired and did not want to wait, please charge me for the wine so I can leave. A crazy woman yells at me, tells me things happens, the food is probably sitting there. The place is dead by the way, no wonder. She tells me I am being rude and she will give me a refund and never come back. Really? I won’t. She fumbled with the computer for another 5 minutes to process my refund. Wow.

First let me say that we went to Pantuso’s in its stand alone location many years ago. It was a fantastic dining experience all around including food and service. Being of Italian descent, it is rare that we go to an Italian restaurant and enjoy the experience however, this was exceptional. Needless to say this visit had a lot to live up to. I’m going to say it outright, it didn’t.
The location is a disappointment but, we were willing to overlook that. The menu is smaller it even that is understandable.
Both the food and service were sadly lacking. The recipes have been adapted for either cheaper ingredients or the current chef has given up trying. While the wait staff was friendly enough, the length of time between ordering and receipt of food was extremely long and the restaurant was not even close to full.
While we were waiting, we spoke to one of the new owners and found out that the previous owners had passed on the business. Obviously they have a long way to go to win back the reputation from the previous owners. I wish them well, but they are going to have to try a lot harder.

We came here two nights while in town for the Wine Fest, mostly because the staff and how friendly everyone was– and it was walking distance from the Courtyard. The first night we ate in the dinning room and enjoyed the bread, the salad, the entrees, and the desserts! Not to mention the fabulous Pinot Noir they had! Yum. Everything was great. Huge portions! So full!
When we came back again, we just went into the lounge where there wasn’t a wait, and they had some football games on to watch. We enjoyed the Pinot Noir again, and got to taste a few other wines just to be sure we picked the right one. This time we ordered apps and split an entrée because of the huge portions, and staying in a hotel with one mini fridge won’t cut it for the amount of leftovers. Our server on this side, still super friendly, but you could tell they were def having some issues– just took a little longer– No major bother, this place is still a solid 4 stars in my opinion. The fried ravioli and the linguine and clams get’s my vote for sure!

Lived in GJ for 7 yrs and we just tried this place for the first time. It was great. The grilled salad is very interesting. I would recommend it. Better than olive garden.

Came here for dinner with a group of 7.
Instantly noticed the towels that are used in place of napkins at the tables… raised an eyebrow but still wanted to give them a chance.
We were brought bread by a sullen waiter. This bread was like the flavorless fluffy bread sold at a grocery store. And to add insult to injury, it was served with margarine. MARGARINE. This is unacceptable for an Italian restaurant. Butter? Olive oil? Seems pretty basic.
I could describe each dish that was ordered by my party of 7 but I’ll just say: all of it was very unsatisfactory. Tasteless. Unseasoned. Overcooked.
No one enjoyed their food.
I can’t recommend Pantusos. I won’t return.

Great Food… Crappy service. The first time I came here it was because I was at a nearby hotel… They burger was amazing I couldn’t wait to come back and try it again! Well fast forward to a year later and I’m back in Colorado and visiting the same spot for a great burger and to my surprise it’s mediocre. I should of just went to Wendy’s down the street I mean an hr to make a burger really? No thanks.

What a pleasant surprise!!! The food and wine were delicious and our server, Leslie was delightful and accommodating. We will make a point of staying at the attached Clarion because of the restaurant. Thank You Leslie!!! Tom and Cathe from Las Vegas, NV.

My fiancé and I came in for the first time tonight as we wanted to try something new in town. The décor was pretty nice and it has a nice relaxed atmosphere. The staff was friendly and kept on top of things.
The website and in room menu at the La Quinta, stated that appetizers are half off from 4−6pm. What it didn’t state was it’s only in the lounge area. Krista, the owner came out and apologized for the misunderstanding and gave us the cheesy garlic bread for half off.
My fiancé ordered the spaghetti and meat ball. He liked the pasta, but to him the meatball tasted like meatloaf and the sauce like Ragu. He also had a side salad that was supposed to be a caesar salad, but it was grilled. They switched out his salad for a cold Caesar salad.
I ordered the florentine manicotti and a hose side salad with balsamic vinagrette. The salad was decent. The manicotti was ok. The sauce lacked flavor and the cheese and spinach filling was dense. The pasta rolls, looked like thick pieces of lasagna noodles that weren’t cooked all the way.
The cheesy garlic bread was french bread with garlic powder and mozzarella cheese and some parsley sprinkled on it. Would have been better dipping it in the sauce.
Don’t think we will be coming back here.

Dinner was awesome. Homemade ravioli! The area is very lucky to have such a wonderful. The service matched the fantastic food.

Our motorcycle group rolled into town recently and we stayed in the adjacent hotel for the night. Our group dinner was scheduled at Pantuso’s for 8pm… local time.
I rolled in at 9:10pm…local time, as I did a side trip into Utah before meeting up with them but forgot all about the time change going into Colorado, thus I arrived at the restaurant AFTER they closed.
Both Jade, our server and Krista, the owner, were extremely gracious, pleasant and accommodating for this late arriving diner.
Anyway, the food was delicious, the ambiance was relaxing and the service was OUTSTANDING!!!
We all enjoyed ourselves and unanimously agreed that we would definitely come back here again.
Thanks for a job well done!!!

Great authentic Italian food. Large portions. Excellent service. Don’t let the location fool you. The baked ziti was amazing!

I drive trucks for a living and make the drive from Denver to junction weekly. I was turned onto this place by a buddy that worked here years ago. He always gives me different meals to try. I haven’t had a bad meal yet. My favorite is lasagna bolonaise.

I really wanted to like this place but there are pros and cons here aplenty. This review is based on a lunch experience.
Pros — very friendly and welcoming service from both the host and the waitress. Salad bar was well stocked with lot of good things. Meatball was outstanding — tender and well flavored and large! Also — the sandwich platters at the adjacent table looked great. Soup was good. The dining room was nicely appointed.
Cons — salad bowl size was ridiculous. It was a typical smallish cereal type bowl. I know they are trying to keep the serving size small, but it was hard to even get some of the items (like peppers) into the bowl. Once in the bowl, you couldn’t toss anything. If they allowed multiple trips to the salad bar, or even used a flatter bowl, things would have been better. I’m not sure what it is with Grand Junction and one-​trip salad bars. Are they afraid to give us healthy options? This complaint is city wide — even salad bar only places don’t give you a second trip in spite of high prices. But, I digress. Just used to more generous salads available almost everywhere else in the country.
I had the bowl of minestrone and salad bar. Soup was quite tasty and clearly made in house. Nice sized serving — big shallow bowl. Oddly, though the menu said it was served with bread and butter, I was given a fistful of saltine packets. In an Italian restaurant, I expect good and hopefully homemade bread. Not crackers. The salad was so tempting looking, but ultimately unsatisfying. I hated to just fill my bowl halfway to be able to toss it… but filling it wasn’t good either. I’d say if you are trying to save money — give us a big bowl and don’t put out all the meats and cheeses. Save those for the entrée.
My husband had the spaghetti with meatball. As stated above — the meatball was lovely. The spaghetti, however, was cooked to the texture of Chef Boyardee. The sauce was very simple — but lacked seasoning and had an overly acid taste. Texture was fine. The serving in the same size bowl as the salad bar, while big enough for us, would have been woefully inadequate for most people.
The table next to us got meatball sandwiches. They looked good — loaded with the yummy meatballs, sauce on the side and lots of french fries. Seemed like a better deal and if the bread was good — I’d say this was the way to go.
Bottom line, you can eat well here. But, you should stay away from the pasta. Keep your salad expectations to a small side salad from the salad bar. Enjoy the nice people and dining area, Eat more soup. Get the 2 meatball lunch instead of the spaghetti and meatball.

As road side hotel restaurants go, this is a pretty good place.
The food is not going to change your world, but it was nice after a long day of travel.
Wait staff were attentive and friendly.

Last visited a decade ago. Food just as good as I remember. Service was much faster, though the ambience of the new digs is sort of chintzy. I’d come back.