Geno’s Trattoria and Chophouse

Superb experience. The food was excellent. Service was above and beyond. Can’t say enough. We will be back.

I honestly can't be succinct while trying to convey our phenomenal experience. Jami Hines, co-owner, greeted us and was kind and courteous without being pretentious; genuinely nice. Our server, Charlee, continued with the same. Her infectious smile and absolutely charming demeanor was outstanding. The food was exceptional. Everything we ordered was perfectly done and the flavors were excellent. The combinations were superb. My husband had been to Roberto's in Saint Louis, Geno's "sister restaurant," for a business meeting/dinner. He was very impressed with Roberto's and was a bit skeptical to see if Geno's would rival. He said it was every bit as good, if not better. Thank you Jami, Charlee, and all of your staff, for helping make our anniversary dinner a wonderful one to remember.

The service was attentive and friendly (thank you Michelle and Roxy!). The short-rib ravioli is amazing and worth the drive as is the blueberry gooey butter cake and Fruli beer!!

It’s very nice to have a fine dining option in Waterloo. The menu offers many options and the Specials are great. Service was very good for a new establishment working out the details. It’s was very busy, not a table available, noise was moderate and acceptable for the amount of guests dining. Looking forward to our next visit and the progress made

We had dinner at Geno’s for the second time and both were outstanding. The hostess, server, bartender and everyone there are so pleasant. We ate at the bar this time and it did not disappoint.

My husband and I set a reservation for our wedding anniversary this past weekend. Everything was FANTASTIC! The food and drinks were delicious and the waitstaff took such good care of us knowing it was a special occasion. We’ll be back! Can’t recommend enough. Excited to have you in Waterloo!

Very good start as they tweak things to settle in. Adding the menu online here would be a good start. And eventually a website too. Food experience varied for our larger table. Excellent bar service including runner for drinks at the table. Overall attentive wait staff on a busy Saturday night. More food Strip steak special was a bit fatty for some, although that can be personal choice. Sea bass was a bit salty and could use bigger lemon for squeezing. Pasta dinners were fine. No Caesar salad available because they ran out of dressing early on a Saturday. More on service (from folks who’ve worked in the industry) Clear plates from guest tables with diners rather than empty tables first. Atmosphere definitely busy night. The decor is nice and comfortable. General feedback would like some vegetarian choices on menu for diners with that preference aside from salads. Steak photo didn’t turn out but other menu items in photos. Overall happy to have a fine dining choice in town, looking forward to continuing success and growth.

Our food was delicious. Chicken spiedini and grouper or wonderful. Roasted vegetables or delicious. However, the restaurant is extremely loud.

Great vibe and atmosphere, good service and food. Be sure to try dessert.

The dish I had was disappointing as there was very little sauce on the pasta. The pasta was very thick and unappealing. Can't think of the name except Bolagnese...spelling bad. Everyone LOVED their choices so everyone, please go to Genos for a delicious dinner. The steak was perfect for o NV e of the dinners.

Finally tried this place after never stepping foot in since the overhaul from being Gallagher's. The place is beautiful HOWEVER during our entire dinner all we could hear was the sound of chairs being drug across the floor above use which was annoying when you're trying to have a conversation. Our appetizer "fried calamari" was great then onto the main course. I had extended on ordering prime rib which I thought they had however their "prime rib" is actually a prime aged ribeye so I just went with that and a baked potato. My wife had a steak with a gravy over it with pasta and a cream sauce. I was disappointed in mine as was she, both steaks came out cooked correctly however both were just above room temp showing they had sat for some time prior to being served. I consider myself a fast eater and by the time I was 1/3 of the way through mine, the remainder was cold. Didn't want to waste it so I just powered through. The potato was done but had zero frills to it, mushy skin no salt on skin, served with only a tub of butter and sour cream. My wife's was also mostly cold however the pasta was good. Dinner was served with some cheap store bought Italian bread and did not include a salad. Over all it was a huge let down for a $200 dinner, will not be back.

We have been going to to Roberto’s in South County for years and it’s still one of our favorites. The food, the service, the atmosphere…always top-notch. I really wanted to say the same for Gino’s in Waterloo, but after trying it out several times now, we probably won’t be back. For starters, we made reservations 3 weeks ahead and still encountered a 15 minute wait with tables half empty. After we were seated, we we served a small portion of bread and butter (cold) and after it was finished, we placed our dirty bread plates at the edge of the table, never to be removed. The waitress was friendly and though she asked several times if we would like more wine, the plates stayed all night…even after our dinner plates were taken. This is obviously a lack of proper staff training. Our food took one hour to arrive, again, with a half empty restaurant. While my seafood pasta special was above average, the flash-fried spinach was so salty it was inedible. If you go to Gino’s expecting Roberto’s, just don’t.

We were really looking forward to our visit, but unfortunately the experience fell short. Our waiter never came back to check on us after the food was served, which made it hard to address any concerns in the moment. The chicken piccata lacked flavor, and the veal marsala was mediocre at best. Overall, the meal just didn’t live up to expectations, especially for the price point. Hopefully this was an off night, but it wasn’t an experience we’d be eager to repeat.

Pasta House food at Premium Price. Mediocre food.

We arrived for our reservation 30 minutes early. When we walked in the hostess barely acknowledged us and walked us to our table. She did not provide any menus, say anything about a server coming, she just walked off. Our actual server didn’t provide menus until about 15 mins after being seated. We were served cold uncooked bread while we waited. My wife ordered two lemon drops. Her first one came out in a timely manner. The second one was forgotten apparently while our server carried on a personal conversation with another table for about 20 minutes or so. I had to go to the bar and requests the drinks myself even though we had ordered them through her. Mind you, this reservation was made for my wife’s birthday and she was pretty disappointed with the overall experience. It was a lot better when the restaurant was under the Gallagher name. Note: also I reserved a table on the 2nd floor due to it being were we had our first dinner there. When we arrived we were told we couldn’t sit up there because there wasn’t a server working up there. That should have been communicated before we arrived. $180 dollars poorly spent… * note originally left this review on OpenTable. I called the restaurant to speak to a manager, who was very polite and said the owners would be in contact asap. They have not contacted me, so this review moved here.

We’ve gone here a few times and the food better than the other limited options in the area. Tonight was our last visit. The owner informed us that next time we’d be charged $5 just to split an entree. We share because the portions are more than we can eat together and all they need to do is bring an extra plate. When I asked about it, she cited “labor costs.” I pointed out that we’re repeat customers who always order drinks and appetizers, so we’re not occupying a table without associated revenue. Her response made it clear she didn’t care whether we came back or not. Here’s the thing, this place is rarely busy. We were there last week during prime dinner hours and there was literally one other table. They act like you need reservations, but the restaurant is almost always half empty. The food is decent (not spectacular) but that doesn’t justify nickel-and-diming customers who’ve been supporting you. We spend good money here, and this policy feels like punishing people for the crime of not being able to finish their oversized portions. We won’t be back, and we’ll be letting our friends know about this policy and suggesting they don’t visit the restaurant either.