" Cute Place With Good Food "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

I've been here several times with a large group of 10 and a small group of 3 and everything in between. This place is small and there's no sign posted, but that's part of the charm. I have tried practically everything from the menu and most items are solid. The appetizers are delicious, the pastas are well-made, and the desserts are divine. I've encountered the reminder calls as previous reviewers mentioned, but I understand that with the limited space, they want to eliminate the chance of no-shows. The service has always been quite friendly and I've never had any problems. The only thing is I wished they had pizza on the menu as a proper Italian restaurant - although I know it requires an oven that the kitchen might not have space for. Overall, I think this place is a welcomed addition to the handful of worthy Italian restaurants in Shanghai.

" Dear Eduardo... "

Value for money		Suitable for...
The food		.. a date
The service		.. business dinner
The decor		.. with friends

Dear Eduardo,

I finally had dinner at Closed Door on Saturday night. Called on the same evening for a reservation, and was told if I came early, I could have a table rather than the bar. So I arrived early. Food was fine (ass't bruschetta, curry shrimp, grilled salmon with saffron risotto, though perhaps a bit oversalted), quickly served, though waitstaff on the whole seemed scared and stiff like they're working in a morgue. And they didn't serve us bread.

But it didn't bother me, until at 7:45, one server came over and said, 'You have to move now because our 8pm reservation is here for the table.' I couldn't believe what I heard, so I thought I misunderstood what was being said. I said, 'What?' and another server/undertaker came over and said, 'Can you please move to the bar or outside so we can give the table to the 8pm...'

Now, it wasn't 8pm yet (7:45), I believe there were still a few tables open, we had just finished mains, hadn't ordered dessert, and my wife still had half a glass of Prosecco. Of course I was shocked. Rather than be shuffled around to make way for the 8pm, I asked for the check, let my wife finish her wine, and left at 7:58 to free up your precious table.

Eduardo, I'm a reasonable guy, and in a situation like that, wouldn't you agree there is a better way to handle it? Invite me to re-seat at the bar or outside, and offer a complimentary dessert or wine, "Excuse me, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but could we move you to the bar and offer you a dessert on the house?" Or comp the 8pm a glass of sangria while they wait at the bar. Or when I'm first seated, you can tell me that there is an 8pm reservation for this exact table, would I mind moving at that time?

Well, the bum's rush ruined a perfectly nice evening. I was going to tip the staff until they decided to evict me. Yes, I tip for good service because I know waiters here get paid very little. And I live across the street so I was hoping to find a good, convenient, non-smoking restaurant. Yeah, I could've been a regular. I've been to everyone of your other venues here (except Vargas). If you already have enough business that you don't care about one or two unhappy customers, fine. Otherwise, I hope you can train the staff on some finer points of customer service. Remember, if you treat every customer like a VIP, you will never want for business.