Restaurants near Padre Shopping Center

My husband and I went for my birthday on a Thursday night. It was very quiet and had very few patrons. They seated us at probably one of the best tables on the patio. Everyone from the valet, the drivers of the shuttle, the hostess, the servers extraordinaire all were very nice and pleasant and constantly wished me a Happy Birthday which I had thanks to them. The restaurant, Lulio, was totally renovated and much improved. It is heated to a very pleasant temperature with heaters in the ceiling. They do have portable heaters if you need more heat. But no one was using them this night, It was sprinkling a bit, but there is a covering now with the renovation so rain is not a deterrent. Like I said the servers were extraordinary. Friendly, knowledgeable, funny, helpful, polite and attentive. There is a small menu. I had the 24 oz. bone-in ribeye steak. The steak comes with two sauces, grilled peppers and three kinds of salt. My husband had Ouzo Rigatoni. We shared the compressed watermelon salad and the charred carrots and dessert. Everything can be shared. Endless bread sticks and olives came with our meal. Needless to say the food was delicious. The charred carrots were a big hit. The meat was tender and tasty. I don't remember the name of the dessert, but it was phyllo dough with sea salt caramel gelato and pistachio on top. The phyllo dough had been shredded and toasted and resemble shredded wheat. Not a fan of shredded wheat, it was not to my liking although it tasted very delicious.

I had the lasagna Bolognese and it was delicious. The sauce and spices were perfect and our server was very helpful selecting some wines and desserts. Overall very good place to dine.

Matt was our server and he is always so kind, knowledgeable and efficient. The remodeled bar and new furniture are lovely.

Great quick service. Beautifully played dishes and delicious food.

Beautiful interior, very good attentive service, full menu with lots of choices. For Mother's Day presented all mothers with a red rose. They need to work on the parking lot as it can get crowded quickly.