Tony Romas
Mall of Arabia
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Tel: 02 6123534
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Tony Roma’s…rings a bell doesn’t it? That’s because its a well-known American international chain of casual dining restaurants with almost 200 of them scattered across the globe, who is well-known for its signature ribs. Their byline actually reads “ribs-seafood-steaks.”
Here in Jeddah, their first flagship restaurant opened at the Mall of Arabia (MOA). I have already sampled Tony Roma’s offerings in their Alabang branch location in Manila before and reassured by that enjoyable encounter, I told myself why not relive my Tony Roma’s dining experience in Jeddah and invite some friends too who haven’t tried this restaurant?
I didn’t quite subscribe to the idea of Tony Roma’s opening in the food court galleria of MOA. Although they’ve cordoned off a generous seating area specially reserved for their customers and aside from the several tables and booths dressed in dark wood & brown mock leather they had inside the restaurant proper that would guarantee you a seat (pity those other food stalls whose customers are left hunting for tables around the vast courtyard!), the high-decibel noise levels of the crowd that reverberated and echoed across the cavernous hall is quite discomforting for proper dining ambience. I would love to see a big and spacious stand-alone Tony Roma’s restaurant, like a Friday’s or Uno Chicago, where customers would be more comfortable.
Their menu neatly featured starters, salads and pasta, their signature beef ribs, signature steaks, burgers and sandwiches, chicken and seafood choices. For families, they also offered a Kid’s Menu (a main entree – chicken strips, hamburger or beef rib, with dessert and a drink) for only SR 18 that would satisfy the young ‘uns.
For starters, we got a full order (at SR 24) of their famous Onion Loaf – these are large, breaded and seasoned onion rings deep-fried and formed into a tower-like block that comes with a rich barbecue dipping sauce. Delectably crunchy on the outside and tenderly juicy inside with the sweet taste of white onions… Instantly, that opened a floodgate of my Manila memories with every bite!
Veering away from the typical Ceasar’s Salad choices that normally accompany many a rib or steak dinner, we gave Tony’s Asian Salad a fair try. An interesting choice – fresh Asian greens with fried noodles, and sprinkled generously with red peppers, cilantro and sesame seeds with a choice of grilled chicken breast or hammour. We opted for a full order with the grilled chicken breast, which at SR 35, was enough to share between 2-3 diners with average appetites! What made it a stand-out was the special Asian flavored dressing (a sweet & spicy blend of citrus balanced with soy and garlic) and the crunchiness of the fried won-ton noodles that gave it some character and ooomph! (for want of a better adjective). So far, so good…
Finally, for the main entree, the signature bountiful beef ribs was a must-have. A half-slab order at SR 57 gave one four medium-sized ribs, the sight of which however left me and my friends a little disappointed.
Don’t get me wrong now – it looked simply tempting with the requisite charcoal grill patterns across the bone and amply drenched in Carolina honey sauce. What got me a little stumped with it was the sparse amount of meat that clung to the bones which I would simply describe as “bony.” I just managed to gnaw at what available flesh there was – a little chewy too – to satisfy myself. It was a far cry from the Jurassic ultra-beefy ribs being served up by Chili’s (one of their all time favorites), two tender dino-sized pieces which you couldn’t finish in one sitting.
Afterwards, we inquired with our waiter how come the ribs were wanting in meat and they just replied that this was their standard serving size – a convenient stock reply which left me with more questions than answers. Strange, but I recall my Manila experience was something different altogether. Maybe the restaurant, having just opened at the time, was still going through birthing pains and we caught them when they got a less than meaty supply of ribs at the time (take note Tony Roma’s waiters – a better answer!)
I would welcome anyone who’ve dined there recently who would say otherwise about the ribs because that would reassure me that this Tony Roma’s gaffe was just that – a temporary glitch – that has since been corrected by its management. When the time comes that somebody does, I would come back in a jiffy, if only for Manila!
This post was submitted by saga_talk.
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Ate there a few weeks ago..order the steak well done… what came was maybe cooked for a few minutes… Did not complain as you dont know what they would had done to the food… just paid and left… went to mcdonalds,,,, at least I knew there Ill get screwed over for a lower price…thanks..
i go to TR once a month at least
their ribs with carolina sauce is the best in town, don’t miss it
There is an old saying; “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.” Well I have been shamed twice by TR. I have eaten there on numerous occasions in the past and truly enjoyed the ribs. But for the last two times I have gone there, the waiter has informed me “sorry no ribs”.
Well that is sort of like going to McDs and asking for a burger and getting turned away. It is quite obvious that TR is going down rather soon. You can tell by the service and quality of the food. It is a shame, there is that word again, but quite clear. Not that I am a bigger spender, but they have lost the patronage of 4 customers after last night’s showing. Good luck if you decide to eat there. Hopefully you will have a better experience.
Does anyone know when the ribs will come in again? I can’t wait to have more but Tony Romas ran of ribs for a while.
Tony Roma and Zyng both are run by AL-Hukair, and they are not doing tvery well. They are exiled inside a mall in the food court area no less. So I won’t be surprised if they close down soon. At least this is the impression I got when I visited Zyng a few weeks ago, they ran out of noodles if you can believe it. It is a really sad sad story.
Hey Clipper,
thanks for pointing to this fact! I was about to write something similar, but not sure how the audience may take it.
When I tried the first time Beef Ribs in Jeddah I was very disappointed and never tried them again. Nothing comes close to Ribs elsewhere.
The best I’ve tried so far are from Kenny Roger’s. A small chain in South East Asia, delicious!
Warning if you are expecting Tony Roma signature ribs you wont get them in Jeddah (of course not). So no one should be comparing them to anything outside the Kingdom.
Tony Romas is famous for Baby Back pork ribs. TR does not have signature beef rib. Your disappointment is due to the fact that beef ribs are totally different (meaty or not meaty beef of course is totally different). Your experience in Manila was different because you had different food; they dont serve beef ribs in Manila.
People should probably do review comparisons of beef barbecue ribs here in Jeddah since comparing them to restaurant experiences outside Jeddah is apples and oranges. There are specialty Beef Rib restaurants in the US, particularly in the south, but they are not international.
Ladies and gents, thanks for your interest in my review but please let me clarify.
Ribs are a favorite of mine and there is certainly a difference between pork ribs and beef ribs – just by mere visual inspection, apart from taste and all that. What I enjoyed in Manila were indeed the “signature” pork baby back ribs and they were one of the best. I was fully aware that the subject of my TR Jeddah review was beef ribs but out of respect for cultural sensitivities, I chose not to distinguish the difference. In hindsight, that may have been unfair to TR to compare to what I had in Manila, but it goes beyond that…
I may have referred to the beef ribs as their signature ribs, but be it pork, beef or lamb, signature or not, the bone of contention is the customer’s expectation & satisfaction. As a worldwide chain, TR owes its customers the same level of satisfaction whether it’s in Milan or Manila – they maintain standards of food quality, presentation and customer satisfaction in all of their outlets worldwide. In this respect, Jeddah and Manila are no different – they are both TR restaurants and the only distinction remains in the menu offerings. It is no secret that global chains adapt their menu to suit local tastes and culinary traditions.
A great part of the dining experience is the anticipation of having an enjoyable meal when a diner walks into a restaurant. I know this is what I expected. And when one walks out unhappy, then there’s a problem. I will certainly not offer any excuse for that.
If TR decided to open in Jeddah sans their signature pork baby backs, they must know something we don’t – but still my hats off to them for having done so. Jeddah deserves a TR restaurant. My only gripe remains the same: that customers should get what they pay for – a satisfying ribs dinner (pork or beef or whatever). Customers need to voice out their opinion for benefit of TR’s management.
Goin to TR should not come with a warning. Why would TR Jeddah ask their customers to expect something less? I believe therein lies the challenge to them to make their beef ribs equal if not superior to their pork baby backs.
I really enjoyed the beef steak