Generally, I wouldn't write a review with my dissatisfaction, but Terroni is an exception.
Terroni is ranked well for its ambience and location within the downtown core, and the food is passable (3/5), however the entire experience (2/5) was tainted with its less than welcoming service (1/5) for our going away lunch for a colleague.
1) The hostess welcomed us with a rude response when asked if they could accommodate our small ask to serve self brought cupcakes at the end of our meals. We understand that you are a business, but to bluntly tell us that we would have to sign a waiver in a stern tone and to charge us $4 EACH for every cupcake we consumed is laughable. Had we not had a reservation and were time pressed, we would have walked immediately. The hostess should have been more respectful and accommodating.
2) We were denied and provided a stuck up response when asked if balsamic vinegar could be brought to the table. Her rebuttal was that the olive oil is of very high quality and should not be tampered with, however at most Italian restaurants this is a staple and we do not understand the strong objection against our simple request. Is this unreasonable?
3) We were charged 18% gratuity, despite the above 2 points and received generally smaller than average portions. Some colleagues had a $25 lunch pasta that consisted of 5 pieces of vegetarian ravioli with ricotta cheese in it. Not impressed. I understand a 18% tip is customary for large groups, but this really pushed most of us over the edge.
Needless to say, we will no longer be bringing our business, nor clients to Terroni with a less than welcoming Italian service that you would expect with a mid tier restaurant.
At the end of the day, a restaurant is a private venue, however for all the bells and whistles this place makes you jump, you can get much better Italian food an accommodating Italian restaurant elsewhere.