Decided to go to the Manteca Strings for lunch while visiting family, and found that the main dining room was closed for renovation when our group of 6 arrived. Diners were seated on the bar side which was rather dark. Our server was friendly and tried to be as helpful as she could, but we quickly learned she was literally all by herself - the only server there!! And there were at least five other parties inside when we were seated.Needless to say - lunch took more than 90 minutes. Everything took longer due to one person trying to do it all. And sadly, the food was not on the same par as other Strings we have frequented. The bread was likely day-old and not fresh or warm. The meals were ok, but we were so hungry at that point that we would have eaten whatever was put in front of us. Lastly, a young woman suddenly interrupted our meal after we had finally started eating and stepped up to our table to show us artwork she was holding. She then preceded to ask if we wanted to purchase them - while we were literally eating. When we said no, she asked if we could give her a dollar! We immediately asked her to leave. We were all left trying to figure out how she had even gotten into the restaurant - the door was obviously not being monitored. We will not be returning to this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
Mitch Alvarez
I would not go there for lunch. It felt like they were just taking orders while they set up for dinner. Had to sit in bar while they set up the band. Horrible atmosphere. Will not come here for lunch.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
ashlin ligid
Food was bad my son found a few ants in his food it was disgusting service was fine they were friendly but their food wasnt very
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
nuckle “nunya” head
Great service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lashawn Blessed
My first time coming here I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with chicken and the alfredo sauce was aweful. The sauce was not made with cream it gave made with flour, like an off white gravy. The artichoke appetizer with bread was good. I prefer Olive garden or Macaroni grill, the food is a 10 in comparison.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Skalinn R.
Good and always fresh.Alfredo wasn't my cup of tea, seemed a little to bland and thick for my liking, but it their lasagna is delicious.Service is always great. Half of the restaurant turns into karaoke towards the end on some nights, something to keep in mind if you're looking for a more quiet dinner setting.During the day it's a great intimate restaurant.
Emily
I have ordered the spinach pepperoni alfredo pasta for years, now called "Baked Fornotino." I came back from college, and they barely add any pepperoni, barely any sauce. They add a cheap oil that hurts my stomach instead of the original proportion of creamy sauce. Portions are halved, but they raised the price. (Either make smaller portions OR raise the price, not both - and do NOT lower the quality). Almost no flavor compared to before they moved locations, now it's been reduced to an oily, plain Alfredo with some color in it. Where's Gordan Ramsay when you need him lol! We tried twice this year to have a nice evening dinner, and there were little minor children running around the bar(?) area shrieking into a microphone for karaoke like dying cats. It's fine to have your kids in a family business so you don't pay for childcare, but that shrieking drove us away along with everything else. Tried an alternative dish on a second visit this year, but it was just okay, nothing special about it. I hear you guys are closing.. There are other Strings locations. Hopefully, they ask about and learn from your mistakes. I would have doordashed or come here once a month or more if the quality of my favorite dish hadn't declined, that's really the only thing that mattered re: if I gave my money to this business, but it did so I bring my family to come try it again once a year or less (twice this year though, disappointed and annoyed both times). I've been hoping the quality of the dish would bounce back, but it hasn't. I previously gave the old Strings Manteca location 5 stars. I miss and have missed for a while the memory of what Strings used to be, but that has been nothing but a memory for years due to the quality decline. This version of Strings will not be missed. Staff is nice and service is a 5 star but that's all.Kid-friendliness: They're allowed to run wild in the other room
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
Joseph J.
As long as we live in manteca we really didn't have the desire to dine in at strings, boy was I missing out , we finally decided to come here to eat, this place might look a little dated but the food was on point we order 2 pasta dishes and some muscles and the bread are to die for, probably the best bread I had, everything was good and I'm sure the other items on the menu are great too, we were seated promptly and our server was the nicest and check in on us accordingly, if your in the mood for some pasta this is the spot.
Mychelle Gallegos
Just an average meal at an average place. Nothing special.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Evelyn M.
Either it was a lobster bisque or seafood but it was delicious. We came in for a special where it was all u can eat pasta and soup. We don't eats much but did get 2 servings so pretty worth it. It's a beautiful restaurant so I suggest date nights here or family dinners or fancy chats with friends and a fancy meal.I don't recall the service because I only remember the soup, cause it was just so yummy but I would say they did a good job bringing our food without being noticed I guess.Parking is busy since they are in a high traffic area with many common locations people like to shop and eat at.
Omg!!!! Best food I've had in a very long time! I will be eating there at LEAST once a month now. . The pepperoni and artichoke dip was absolute perfection. .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Dianne C.
The food was disgusting! The chicken parm was clearly a frozen patty warmed in the microwave with the canned sauce and bland cheese. Alfredo was so gross. My drink was good. We will NEVER go back there. The interior is dated. The waitress was ok but preoccupied in the kitchen.
Rick D.
Malik was the highlight of our dinner. The food was decent but Malik is why we would come back. The young man was personable and professional. A real asset to this establishment. I hope ownership realizes how important servers are to their business. Great job Malik
Anonymous R
I placed a take out order, I was told it would be 20 to 25 min. I got there 40 mins after my call. Was told it was almost ready give them 5 more min. 15 min later they came out and told me there was a mix up and they just put my order in. It would be about 20 more or so min. At this point it had been over a hour since I placed my order and they hadn't even started it. It was getting late so I asked for a refund. I would not recommend take out orders. They are last on their priority list and do not care you have to wait so long. Pretty much said sorry about your luck. Usually restraunts would try to fix it by asking what they could do or offer a discount. I was just told sorry about that and gave my refund. I was told the food was really good and was looking forward to it, only to be disappointed.
Service: 1
Isaac Fernandez
Service was kind as I ordered my food to go. But I can’t say the same for the food. Ordered the lightest possible meal there with zucchini noodles and chicken. Came out way too oily and greasy, chicken was dry, had fourth of liquid at the bottom of the tray, and food had zero flavor and was flat out bland. Oh and to add insult injury, we got day old browned out salad with a bunch of sunflower seeds thrown in. Spent $70 for it to go in the trash. Just be better like you used to. Bread was bomb though.
Decided to go to the Manteca Strings for lunch while visiting family, and found that the main dining room was closed for renovation when our group of 6 arrived. Diners were seated on the bar side which was rather dark. Our server was friendly and tried to be as helpful as she could, but we quickly learned she was literally all by herself - the only server there!! And there were at least five other parties inside when we were seated.Needless to say - lunch took more than 90 minutes. Everything took longer due to one person trying to do it all. And sadly, the food was not on the same par as other Strings we have frequented. The bread was likely day-old and not fresh or warm. The meals were ok, but we were so hungry at that point that we would have eaten whatever was put in front of us. Lastly, a young woman suddenly interrupted our meal after we had finally started eating and stepped up to our table to show us artwork she was holding. She then preceded to ask if we wanted to purchase them - while we were literally eating. When we said no, she asked if we could give her a dollar! We immediately asked her to leave. We were all left trying to figure out how she had even gotten into the restaurant - the door was obviously not being monitored. We will not be returning to this restaurant.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 2
I would not go there for lunch. It felt like they were just taking orders while they set up for dinner. Had to sit in bar while they set up the band. Horrible atmosphere. Will not come here for lunch.
Atmosphere: 1
Service: 1
Food was bad my son found a few ants in his food it was disgusting service was fine they were friendly but their food wasnt very
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 4
Great service.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
My first time coming here I ordered the fettuccine alfredo with chicken and the alfredo sauce was aweful. The sauce was not made with cream it gave made with flour, like an off white gravy. The artichoke appetizer with bread was good. I prefer Olive garden or Macaroni grill, the food is a 10 in comparison.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 5
Good and always fresh.Alfredo wasn't my cup of tea, seemed a little to bland and thick for my liking, but it their lasagna is delicious.Service is always great. Half of the restaurant turns into karaoke towards the end on some nights, something to keep in mind if you're looking for a more quiet dinner setting.During the day it's a great intimate restaurant.
I have ordered the spinach pepperoni alfredo pasta for years, now called "Baked Fornotino." I came back from college, and they barely add any pepperoni, barely any sauce. They add a cheap oil that hurts my stomach instead of the original proportion of creamy sauce. Portions are halved, but they raised the price. (Either make smaller portions OR raise the price, not both - and do NOT lower the quality). Almost no flavor compared to before they moved locations, now it's been reduced to an oily, plain Alfredo with some color in it. Where's Gordan Ramsay when you need him lol! We tried twice this year to have a nice evening dinner, and there were little minor children running around the bar(?) area shrieking into a microphone for karaoke like dying cats. It's fine to have your kids in a family business so you don't pay for childcare, but that shrieking drove us away along with everything else. Tried an alternative dish on a second visit this year, but it was just okay, nothing special about it. I hear you guys are closing.. There are other Strings locations. Hopefully, they ask about and learn from your mistakes. I would have doordashed or come here once a month or more if the quality of my favorite dish hadn't declined, that's really the only thing that mattered re: if I gave my money to this business, but it did so I bring my family to come try it again once a year or less (twice this year though, disappointed and annoyed both times). I've been hoping the quality of the dish would bounce back, but it hasn't. I previously gave the old Strings Manteca location 5 stars. I miss and have missed for a while the memory of what Strings used to be, but that has been nothing but a memory for years due to the quality decline. This version of Strings will not be missed. Staff is nice and service is a 5 star but that's all.Kid-friendliness: They're allowed to run wild in the other room
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 5
As long as we live in manteca we really didn't have the desire to dine in at strings, boy was I missing out , we finally decided to come here to eat, this place might look a little dated but the food was on point we order 2 pasta dishes and some muscles and the bread are to die for, probably the best bread I had, everything was good and I'm sure the other items on the menu are great too, we were seated promptly and our server was the nicest and check in on us accordingly, if your in the mood for some pasta this is the spot.
Just an average meal at an average place. Nothing special.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Either it was a lobster bisque or seafood but it was delicious. We came in for a special where it was all u can eat pasta and soup. We don't eats much but did get 2 servings so pretty worth it. It's a beautiful restaurant so I suggest date nights here or family dinners or fancy chats with friends and a fancy meal.I don't recall the service because I only remember the soup, cause it was just so yummy but I would say they did a good job bringing our food without being noticed I guess.Parking is busy since they are in a high traffic area with many common locations people like to shop and eat at.
Restaurantji Recommends
Omg!!!! Best food I've had in a very long time! I will be eating there at LEAST once a month now. . The pepperoni and artichoke dip was absolute perfection. .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The food was disgusting! The chicken parm was clearly a frozen patty warmed in the microwave with the canned sauce and bland cheese. Alfredo was so gross. My drink was good. We will NEVER go back there. The interior is dated. The waitress was ok but preoccupied in the kitchen.
Malik was the highlight of our dinner. The food was decent but Malik is why we would come back. The young man was personable and professional. A real asset to this establishment. I hope ownership realizes how important servers are to their business. Great job Malik
I placed a take out order, I was told it would be 20 to 25 min. I got there 40 mins after my call. Was told it was almost ready give them 5 more min. 15 min later they came out and told me there was a mix up and they just put my order in. It would be about 20 more or so min. At this point it had been over a hour since I placed my order and they hadn't even started it. It was getting late so I asked for a refund. I would not recommend take out orders. They are last on their priority list and do not care you have to wait so long. Pretty much said sorry about your luck. Usually restraunts would try to fix it by asking what they could do or offer a discount. I was just told sorry about that and gave my refund. I was told the food was really good and was looking forward to it, only to be disappointed.
Service: 1
Service was kind as I ordered my food to go. But I can’t say the same for the food. Ordered the lightest possible meal there with zucchini noodles and chicken. Came out way too oily and greasy, chicken was dry, had fourth of liquid at the bottom of the tray, and food had zero flavor and was flat out bland. Oh and to add insult injury, we got day old browned out salad with a bunch of sunflower seeds thrown in. Spent $70 for it to go in the trash. Just be better like you used to. Bread was bomb though.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Garlic Bread