Angelicas

I used to go to Angelica's, then stopped going because I did not find that they were that special. Angelicas has recently remodeled, so I thought I give them a try again - in case they had improved. Well, it's worse than before. I've gone twice now with friends to listen to music and have dinner & drinks. The dinner we had was bad. It was seared ahi tuna - there was nothing "seared" about it and the tuna tasted watery and was cold. The rice & veggies that came with it were totally cold. Terrible dinner! The second time we went, we opted for drinks only. My friend and I ordered the glass of champagne. Were told they were out of it (and this was early in the evening, 7pm), I asked what they had that was compatible. I was offered a sweet Asti Spumanti type of sparkly wine, which I did not take. The offered something else that was not as sweet, but not that good. My friend wanted the same - hers was a room temperature bubbly. Then when we ordered another round, they tried to sneak that sweet stuff again! The music is good - that's the only thing that's good about it - even though the sound can be improved upon. The singers can be really loud for such a small space. Definitely not going back there. There are way netter places in Redwood City for dinner and music

they added a $30 service charge to a $71 dollar bill. A 40% tip? Really???!!!

My family lives in Redwood City and before the renovation we had met up at Angelica's a few times before for either dinner or a happy hour.  We really love the back courtyard/patio with its decor especially since there are so few options in Redwood City with great outdoor seating.  We had been very much looking forward to trying it out since it re-opened.

However, after our experience tonight I doubt any of us will be going back or recommending it to any friends.  Overall the service was poor especially when you look at the cost of the food and although everyone thought there food was nice nobody had a dish that they were raving about that I felt would justify the price of some of the items.

We went for my cousin's birthday and we were a large group of about 12.  There also happened to be a wedding party going on the back courtyard so it was a busy evening.  However, my cousin made the booking for our party a few days before we went. If they didn't have the staff to handle our group(in addition to the wedding party and the usual Friday night crowd) then they should have just told her at the time of booking or just given her a forewarning.  Also at no point in our meal was there any apology/explanation for any of the delays we experienced.

We ordered our drinks, however we were only given 2 drink menus for 12 people so we had to ask for more menus. At the time we ordered drinks our waiter didn't take our appetizer order; he came back about 10 minutes later.  By that time he really should have taken our meal order as well. So about 15-20 minutes after ordering our drinks they came out. We had to ask our waiter twice if we could place our meal order as by the time the drinks came out he hadn't taken it.  Our appetizers then came out  However, we ordered bread for our table and again had to remind ask about it as it didn't come out by the time of the appetizers.

Our meals took long to come out and I know it was a large group but only half the meals came out first.  Then about another 7 minutes later another 3 or 4 came out.  And there was one person that did not receive her meal until 2 of the people in our group had already finished their plates.  

The issue with the very delayed meal started with the person ordering the duck(I believe) and the waiter wasn't sure if they had it so he said he would check when he put the order in and let her know if it wasn't.  About 15 minutes after he took our order he came back and said they were out of it so she ordered something.  This was the meal that came out last after others had finished eating and it just made her feel like she had to rush through her meal.

Appetizers are $12-$14 and Entrees are $15 - $30.  The food was good but not great.   I had the fettuccine with the pesto sauce.  I liked the sauce but there was way too much of it and the sauce became too rich about halfway through eating it.   So based on the quality(and service) I just felt the food was overpriced.  Also the menu seems to have changed quite a bit since the renovation.  I really enjoyed the crepes they used to have on their menu but they don't have them anymore.

I knew this ahead of time after checking the menu online but not a good choice for vegetarians.  No vegetarian entrees.  Two vegetarian entrees but little variety between them(fettuccine w/ Alfredo or pesto sauce and mushroom ravioli w/ pesto sauce).  The menu has changed a lot and I preferred the old menu.  I really liked the crepes they used to have.

I don't recommend this place for groups as the service does tend to be slow or just to be very aware of that going into it.  I think this would be a good happy hour stop or just a good place to grab drinks and sit outside.  If there was vegetarian appetizers then could see it as a good place to stop after work to meet up with a friend for a snack and a drink.

The people that own it are very nice and friendly and the staff were very sweet in finding my grandma a chair with a cushion when she asked for one.  All the staff seemed nice and friendly however that does not equate into the quality/timely service you expect at those prices. I really enjoy their vast cocktail menu.  They have a good variety that are well presented and taste great.

We were very excited to try out the updated place; unfortunately it did not leave a good impression.  Hopefully some of the service issues are just growing pains in relation to the reopening and it gets sorted out.  But based on the cost in relation to service and food we won't be going back anytime in the foreseeable future.