"We waited about 10 minutes after being seated before anyone asked if we wanted drinks, and then another 10 minutes to take our food order. Following this, loud music was played to celebrate someone’s birthday – it was so loud that it made conversation difficult, and I even saw an elderly woman plug her ears.
I lost track of how long we waited for our starters to arrive, but once they were cleared, we must have waited almost an hour for our main courses. During this time, we weren’t approached for more drinks, so we had to find a waiter ourselves, which ended up being the last time we were offered anything to drink.
After an extensive wait, we inquired with a waiter about our food, and miraculously, he returned with our order just moments later. The two pizzas we had ordered weren’t freshly cooked; they were warm, as if they had been sitting under a heat lamp. The risotto seemed to be reheated, steaming hot on the bottom but overly saucy, resembling rice pudding. The pasta dish looked like it had been microwaved; the sauce was piled on one side while the pasta sat separately, not ideal presentation for a supposedly fresh dish. While hot food is fine, the extensive wait made it feel suspicious when our meals finally arrived steaming.
When our mains were cleared, we raised these concerns with a different waiter, who apologized and said he would speak to his colleague since both the owner and manager had already left. When the colleague came over, he immediately asked if we wanted coffee or desserts, entirely ignoring our previous comments.
We shared our experience with him, and while he apologized, he still didn’t offer to take a drink order or get our bill; we were left waiting until we requested it. At some point during our wait, the manager returned, and when we paid, my friend asked to speak with him. The manager was cleaning the bar and seemed disinterested in what my friend had to say. Afterward, my friend told me that the manager claimed we were simply looking for a free meal. At no point did we ask for a discount or anything complimentary; in fact, we hadn’t even considered it before that evening. He also went on to say that our wait time was acceptable because we had only spent £80, almost as if we were expected to justify our experience based on the price.
This isn’t some Michelin-star restaurant; it's supposed to be one of the best Italian places in Chepstow. Based on this experience, I will be choosing Panevino Italian in the future, and I recommend you consider doing the same if you're reading this review."
