LaMalfa

Because of the way the owner tried to handle one comment in my previous review that he was not happy with, I'm now lowering my rating from three stars. No attempt was made to contact me directly to discuss the information in my previously written review. In my experience, the response was vindictive instead of proactive in solving an issue. I'm leaving the rest of my review unchanged as it was an honest review.I've been to many, many events at this facility. They are able to handle very large events and have an attached hotel. The lobby, banquet rooms and bathrooms have always been clean with current, more elegant style decor and in good repair. The food is always well presented but the quality is low for the pricing. It just always looks better than it tastes. Also, pretty much every event I've been to over the past several years has had the same predictable menu. This is a decent option for a large formal event in lake county, but it could use an update of the menu and food quality to make it worth the high prices. Unfortunately, there's no competition for this type of facility in the area and the owner takes advantage of it.

My husband and I had our reception at LaMalfa over the weekend and all I can say is... WOW. From the first appointment to the reception itself, Marty and his team took care of us, answered every question, and made us feel comfortable. I never dreamed that we could afford a venue of that caliber, but even with the silver package, upgraded bar, and many other details, we got the best bang for our buck. Our guests have been gushing over the food and drinks for days. We cannot thank the LaMalfa team enough for throwing us one heck of a beautiful party!!! We would recommend this venue to anyone!

We were one of the many couples who had to postpone our wedding due to COVID. Marty and his staff went above and beyond to make sure my vision for our day came to life. The food, the desserts, the staff, the decor, everything was magical. We could not have been more pleased and with all things considered during this crazy time. We HIGHLY recommend using LaMalfa!

I have been to several weddings at Lamalfa and they got it done right every time. Food is above par, generous portion sizes and served piping hot. The stuffed sole is amazing!The banquet rooms are updated and very elegant. Staff is impeccable. Of note, some bartenders are less experienced and may not know how to make some basic drinks. Valet parking is offered, I never took advantage of it. The Lamalfa family is on site and during dinner are visible and keep things going smoothly. Enjoying a wedding at Lamalfa is always a treat!

Not even sure where to begin... We were unable to postpone, due to the governors opening of the state. Dealing with Marty was very difficult. Many unanswered phone calls when we were trying to finalize the details. As her date approached, we would attempt several calls to iron out the details (menu, music, last payment, etc).. but it took weeks for him to respond. And when he did, he stated we are NOT to call him. Only via email can we communicate. This is no way to run a business, or even plan a wedding. Planning a wedding via email is impossible, and posed so many problems in communication. Their phone lines were disconnected! We often had to call the hotel to see if they were still in business. It was horrible. And stressful! He was very poor at responding! We even had trouble making our final payment, since he never would respond to emails or phone calls. Then, finally at the wedding day- Marty was showing off the venue while we were in the middle of the ceremony and reception! Totally unacceptable!!! We were celebrating her wedding, and there were "potential clients" given tours! Ridiculous! Our hall was set up wrong, sweetheart table (when we told him SEVERAL times we did not want that, and seating was a mess! We had our ceremony at LaMalfa, and after the ceremony ended, no one was given direction for cocktail hour. Guests were lingering and had no idea where to go for cocktail hour (we were never told during our planning phase, NO COMMUNICATION!!).. We had bridesmaids hunting for staff (which were hanging out in the office) to see where we needed our guests to go. SO unacceptable! Our wedding party opened up the doors to the hall, and proceeded to cocktail hour, with NO direction or help from the staff. We had guests looking for their seats, and several guests were being put at tables where there was no place settings. We provided the seating chart weeks before the wedding. We should not have had to approach Marty and his staff and ask for them to add seating to tables, while we were celebrating her wedding. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! They did set up the seats and place settings (during our reception, but that was so un-classy! and embarrassing when our guests had to wait for seats to be provided for them During our reception! And to top the icing on the cake, the staff DID NOT WEAR MASKS WHILE SERVING OUR MEALS, During a heightened pandemic, and increasing numbers, they proceeded to serve meals with NO GLOVES, and NO MASKS! Several guests approached them to ask them to put on masks and gloves, and were told repeatedly that "this is a private event and they do not have to". We had 10 guests LEAVE before the meals were even served because they did not feel safe! So upsetting for us and our daughter! That is completely unacceptable!!! During these times, and with state mandatory masks, I can't believe they were not willing to wear masks. UNSAFE and upsetting that our guests just up and left!! NO SANITIZATION STATIONS, NO COVID PRECAUTIONS! He sent us a list of precautions prior to our wedding date (back in August) to try to reassure us that proper measures were being taken, however, THEY DID NOT FOLLOW PROPER RULES MANDATED BY THE STATE. We quoted, verbatim on our invites so our guests would feel safe attending her wedding, and when we showed up to have staff serve without any masks or gloves, it was terribly embarrassing for us! As if that wasn't embarrassing or bad enough, the staff was cleaning up tables and taking down chairs and tables at 10 pm, when our wedding was going to 11 pm. An HOUR before our reception was even to end, they were stacking chairs! Seriously!!! It made our guest feel they needed to leave, early! Most guests left when they started stacking chairs! That was unacceptable! By time the reception was actually over, most of the chairs were stacked and we had no guests left! Our experience with LaMalfa was terrible. We expected so much more class from this owner and staff. SO many disappointing mistakes by LaMalfa. With spending so much money for this reception, we were left with complete disappointment in this venue. I would NEVER recommend them to anyone. I am not sure what is going on with them. From lack of communication, his crappy attitude while we were planning the final details, his condescending attitude, lack of return phone calls (disconnected phone number) lack of response via emails, lack of direction from staff at the reception, him showing new customers tours while we were in our ceremony, mistakes at tables, lack of tables and chairs being set up correctly, and NO COVID PRECAUTIONS, no Masks on staff, cleaning up before the end of our paid time reception.. I can't even make this up.. Her wedding was beautiful but we had to deal with so many issues as they came up, constantly... I am not sure if he just doesn't care anymore, or what...But not following proper precautions, is totally unacceptable! Our guests LEFT before meals, no one felt safe!

Martin LaMalfa and his team did an absolutely spectacular job for our daughter and son-in-law's wedding. Everything was top-notch. Martin and everyone frombehind the scenes, to working the room, went above and beyond. The atmosphere was spectacular. The food was amazing and the service was outstanding. Thank you for making our daughter and son-in-law's visions come to life! People are still talking about the appetizer and dessert spread, and the meal in between. Well done. Would recommend LaMalfa party center to anyone and everyone. Well done!

Friday night seafood buffet was magnificent. I can't find enough words to describe it. It easily matched or surpassed the fancy hotel/casino spreads you see in places such as Atlantic City or elsewhere. Sadly, it is seasonal, mainly for Lent and a little longer. The selection was extensive: three or four baked fish dishes, calamari made at least five different ways, hot and in cold salads, monster size cold shrimp with house sauce, four different cold salads with shrimp, two hot offerings with shrimp, not including the sauté station with over a dozen items. And not just seafood but a slicing table with steamship round of beef, turkey breast and a ham. Chicken wings and Parmesan, many pasta offerings both hot and cold, many vegetables, hot, cold, even fire roasted (yum!)A taco table, a "smashed" potato table with another dozen toppings. And so much more!The full bar had very reasonable prices and included selections for kids and non drinkers as well. The staff was attentive, polite and professional under the ever watchful eye of Mr. LaMalfa himself. Can't wait till next year and am eagerly awaiting what the will do for summer Friday happy hours!

Excellent service every time we have been there. Private events are personalized and they truly care about each event. Buisness events are phenomenal. Very pleased with the customization and attention to each event.

Our experience at LaMalfa Party & conference center - in a word - perfect! Held our Daughter's wedding and reception on 9/9/2023. From her ceremony in LaMalfa's chapel to the reception; the night was flawless. PLENTY of food - GOOD food! Superior service. The entire LaMalfa Staff was very courteous and prompt. The ballrooms were full (and should be!) - yet we still received personal service! This was a fabulous venue for our events - hats off to Mr. LaMalfa and his crew on continuing the tradition of elegance at LaMalfa. The evening could not have gone any better. Thank you!

Attended a wedding here and would not recommend it. There was only one bartender at the beginning and when other bartenders did arrive they were rude and did not know how to make the drink specials. There was no one behind the bar at intervals throughout the evening. Most of the appetizers were cold including cold chicken wings. Odd selection of appetizers such as potato salad. The food was below average certainly not worth the money they paid. The steak, chicken and potato were dry. We had no bread plates on our table. They were slow to clear the dirty plates from the table. They ran out of glasses and were serving drinks in plastic cups or coffee cups. 50% of the stalls in the bathroom had no toilet paper early in the evening unless you picked it up off the floor. Do not waste your money on this place. I have been to less expensive venues and had much better food and service.