Siena Restaurant
Siena’s Pizzeria is not good. It has taken the place of a beautiful open field there at the rounded, historic corner of Masonboro Loop and Masonboro Sound roads, just a few months ago now, along with some other retail and office ventures — a dry cleaner, a mortgage broker (?).
The pizza is thin and — above all — very, very salty. It tastes as if a much larger piece of food had been cooked down into salty two-dimensionality — a salt reduction. Like on those old science fiction movies where things are shunken by giant lasers. Or like Lot’s wife.
Their health score is an 87 — and high eighties ain’t a B+ in health scores. We’ve tried the margherita and the pepperoni — the restaurant is close to our home and the space itself is inviting, with a bar right inside and some nice common space outside, a little bridge of over a man-made pond in back swarming with tadpoles, a shared patio with Mason’s Haunt next door. We’ve ridden our bikes there a couple of times now — You can get to the restaurant using roads other than the bike-averse Loop road, and that’s one of the reasons we wanted to like it. We had hopes about our little ecosystem of bike jaunts and renourishment and beer.
It’s positioned as upscale, with the sponge-textured wall tones, black uniforms for the staff, Morretti beer, and the framed posters of Florence etc. that are obligatory for a certain haute mall vibe. But these are so much lipstick on the salt-lick if the food is as bad as it has seemed to this eater.
Just can’t agree with the above comments. I have eaten at Siena several times, both sit in and take out. I really like the pizza, particularly compared to places like Michaelangelos and such. It/s thin crust, and nice and crispy.The bread is great, hot from the oven. Crab dip compares to Romanellis’s. Wasn’t a fan of the linguine w/clam sauce, but not the worst I’ve had. I do like the atmosphere and its nice to be able to walk next door to Mason’s Haunt for excellant deserts. All in all, pretty nice to go. Hope not too many people find out about it.
Hi Ron — Thanks for the counterpoint. As much as anything, pizza is a matter of taste — and that’s all I’ve tasted at Siena. But I prefer — and now benchmark with — Mellow Mushroom’s puffier, less-well-cooked and low-gravity feel.
Like you I really want that corner to be a place to go– but not a place everybody goes.
I really wanted to like Sienna’s also, live right up the road. We tried it three times, so I gave it plenty of opportunity.The space seems like it could be nice, but it’s REALLY loud. Outside is nice, the waitresses are great, but the service was always slow, pizza just OK. We’ll just keep making our own on the grill. There is enough traffic flowing by there to keep them very busy without my family, I’m sure!
I don’t mind Siena and also live nearby and love the convenience. We’ve eaten in once (so-so) and ordered pizza for pick-up twice. The pies are above average and the small size is a bargain at about $10 including 2 toppings. Ian, if you have problems with salt, I had an oyster dish at Mason’s Haunt that had so much sodium in it, it took 2 beers to get it down.
I agree. We also like to bike to both Siena and Mason’s Haunt, but we have yet to have a good meal at either one. Also, the prices seem high for such subpar food. We are disappointed….would’ve loved to have restaurants that were within biking distance. For now, we’ll continue to go to Dan’s Mason’s Bistro.
Dan’s is great. We don’t go there enough. That’s our ‘hood!
Whenever we do, it’s cozy, the food is great (but expensive), the people are nice.
Dan’s chef got mentioned in that top chefs article in Wilmington magazine a few months ago.
Yes, I think Dan’s is one of the best restaurants in town. We tried out Cape Fear Seafood a couple of weeks ago (down at Monkey Junction near Block Buster). It was GREAT. Nice atmosphere and great food. It will be a special occasion place for us though. Too pricey for the kids!
Great tip, Chris. Thanks. I’ve wondered about that place. It’s new, isn’t it?
Not a very auspicious location.