Review La Scala - Lafayette

It was sad to see all the negative changes here. We used to eat here, but it was our first post pandemic experience here. Nice environment, friendly and welcoming staff and good starting breads are the only unchanged things. We ordered the food, soups, lamb steak and their special of the day, seafood pasta. All were average or below average. But service was even worse. Although our server was very attentive and friendly when taking the order, they never checked on us to see if we needed anything. We needed salt and pepper, which we didn't find the chance to ask for, but the main problem was small strips of metal, maybe from a steel scrubber (See photos) in the pasta. We waited over ten minutes and tried to draw our server's attention, even with waving hand, with no success. We were hungry and decided to put the metal strips aside and eat the food. Then let the server know when we had a chance which didn't happen until she brought the check, and even then, she reacted as it's not such an issue without even a proper apology or something like "we make sure that neve happens again". Just a very fast "oh, sorry" and leaving the table. Overall the service wasn't good. The last point is their table arrangement. We were given a small table in a corner, but it was too close to the next table, and the server wasn't able to service them without me moving a bit and she was too close to me the whole time talking with them.

That was delicious! I was apprehensive about visiting because I had February 2020 pre-pandemic for a dinner outing with friends. That experience was fairly disappointing. Still, I gave it a second try over the weekend, and yes!!!! So much better. The wait time was a little long, but we had arrived later in the night and it was already fairly busy by then. The staff was super great and the bread deliciously warm. I, of course, ordered the bruschetta appetizer as my meal and was not disappointed. Look how beautifully it was displayed!! That sauce they added was the incredible cherry on top!

Have loved this restaurant for years. Just such quality ingredients and amazing flavors. So glad it's reopened. Went on Friday evening. Not as crowded as I expected but everything was perfect. Service, food quality, ambience. Just wish they were open for lunch since I work evenings. If you're looking for an amazing place in Lafayette, this is it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Time to make changes in the kitchen! We were two for dinner. And this restaurant seemed so promising - lovely space in the heart of the historic downtown, the sweetest staff members (everyone we met was friendly and eager to make us welcomed) and the menu full of promising items (definitely not your standard chain restaurant menu!). But then came the food... My chicken rice soup was thick like baby food, the fried calamari were over cooked and tough, and the chicken in lemon cream sauce was such that you couldn't taste any lemon, just a heavy garlic flavor. Not a good meal. Given how nice the service staff was, I just hope they find a better cook, and soon.

Excellent food and atmosphere. I always end up getting the carbonara and it is always a delight.

We went there yesterday for dinner, it was a group of 4 people. It was under my recommendation. Unfortunately, I had a worse experience than previous couple of times. Both the quality of food and quality of service didn’t reach the expectations. For the food, we ordered 4 entrees with two soups and two salads. The tomato soup was super tasty last time I tried, but it was not good yesterday. The soup was too sour, almost like there was no sugar left in the kitchen. The stuffed chicken and the pasta were good, which is nice. For the service, the waitress, whose name I cannot remember, was always in a hurry. When we asked her about recommendations on the menu, she was looking at somewhere else while answering our questions, which made us feel uncomfortable. Also, when she put the check on the table, she didn’t even wait to hear “Thank you” from us. We needed to say “Thank you” to her back but there was no response. For the salad, she didn’t ask if we wanted a sauce or not. Unlike the previous time, our waiter asked us many things, including the sauce on the salad. We gladly found the house made Balsamic was very good. In all, the service quality made us very uncomfortable that I only gave 11% of tip to express my feelings. I might not come here again, even though I’ve been here for several times.

Quality here has really gone downhill. Nothing my party of 2 ordered on Saturday night tasted very fresh and the chewy taste of the calamari reminded me of cheap mozzarella sticks you get in the freezer section. The veggies in the garden salad were visibly old, the carrots were greying. Nothing we were served matched the price point.

An authentic Italian restaurant. The portions are large. The atmosphere is amazing! Our waitress Lexy was very knowledgeable about the drink and dinner menu. Everything was delicious!!!

The place had a nice atmosphere but the staff seemed cold and not friendly. The food was good but in my opinion Olive Garden has better food than this place. Glad I was visiting cause never go there again.

First time to La Scala; We had reservations for our anniversary two nights ago. Our waiter, Francis, was very attentive and friendly. They didn't have my usual sweet red wine (Gilisi Antonio Sangue Di Guida), but he suggested another sweet Italian white wine that after tasting I fell in love with. We will definitely return soon for dinner and won't be waiting for a special occasion to do so. The food was exceptionally perfect. The tomato basil soup was the absolute best I've ever tasted, the appetizer raviolis are as large as your hand and delicious. Our meals were perfect and all we had anticipated. I really do not have one negative remark for our visit that evening. Oh, and I loved the music playing in the background. Being new to the Lafayette area, I'm impressed beyond expectations for what La Scala is all about. We are huge (amateur) food critics and extremely particular about food. We haven't found any other restaurant in this area with a perfect score in our book. 10 STARS!!!!

6/24/16 My wife and I have been to La Scala many times, and we like to go when our child is staying the night somewhere else and have a "date night." Past experiences have always been great, and eating at La Scala was always a way to get away from the chain restaurants down the road. However, my dining experience last night has me wondering if I will return to La Scala. AMBIENCE As the weather was nice, we decided to eat on the Patio. Our waiter had a hard time opening the sliding door to the patio. The waiter also could not open the umbrella...there seemed to be problems with all umbrellas as it took another waiter quite some time to open them. Lastly, the patio smelled like Dog Poop. SERVICE The waiter was nice, but the service was questionable. First it took forever for the our pasta to come out after we were done with the appetizers and salads. the place was not busy at all, so I question why it took so long for the food to come out. Most importantly, my dish was wrong when it came out, so I had to wait for my dish to be re-made. FOOD This was the most disappointing aspect of dinner as I have always loved the food at La Scala. The only thing I enjoyed was my caesar dressing on my salad. -The dipping oil for the bread was bland, and I asked for cracked pepper to add to the oil. Usually, the oil had a great herby flavor and is enjoyable to eat with the bread. -Bruschetta Basillica....Mushy tomatoes on soggy bread. Bruschetta bread is typically crusty and had a bite. This bruschetta was soggy. The tomatoes and basil had little flavor. -Shrimp Fra Diavalo... this dish came out with chicken, not the shrimp I asked for. The shrimp was overcooked and chewy. The sauce definitely brought the heat (I like spicy food), but the sauce was bland. I felt like I ate a plate of chewy shrimp on a plate of pasta covered in hot sauce. -Sherri's Pasta with Chicken...My wife has had this dish almost every time she has eaten at La Scala. Veggies and Chicken was ok, but the sauce was really runny and bland. the worst part was the pasta was way overcooked. It tasted like it had been sitting in water since probably lunchtime.

Went for the first time tonight. Food was great. Service was so-so. She was friendly, but never asked if we wanted anything besides water and just brought us our check before we were done. Maybe we wanted dessert. Never asked. Would go back, but hopefully would have better service.

Absolutely stellar meal from start to finish. I can't say enough about the tomato basil bisque. The true treat though, knowing the effort that the owners go through to find local and humane purveyors, was being able to eat a "guilt-free", perfectly prepared veal parmasean. It tasted like veal parm is supposed to. Delicate and flavorful, not squishy and bland. Cannoli was second to none. The fresh, local cream makes all the difference in the world. Lafayette should be very proud to have an Italian place of this quality in town.

Service was excellent, food was amazing: we split a bruschetta appetizer, and I had an amazing steak and cavatappi "mac and cheese" dish. They are even open on Monday nights!