Click here to see my review on yelp.
I’m going to give Venetian Theaters 3 stars. It’s on the same level of quality as the Studio Movie Grill, with a number of things that are better and worse. I’d imagine that if you live in Dallas, you probably have been to a Studio Movie Grill. As a result, I’m going to do a lot of comparing between the two.
I apologize to those that aren’t familiar with the Studio Movie Grill, but SMG kind of sets the average in Dallas for this kind of entertainment. I’ll also mention AMC’s “Fork and Screen” as well. (I have not yet been to their cinema suites.)
Let’s start with what’s better at Venetian Theaters, and then we’ll get to the things that aren’t quite as nice.
Great / Better than Average:
-It’s a family owned business, and it shows. The staff is very friendly and have gone the extra mile. They dress their employees very well, and they’re very welcoming and cordial upon your departure. They’ve got AMC and SMG LICKED here.
-I’ve only been here once, but the food seems to be quite good. I may have just ordered a good dish (built my own pizza), but it seemed like the food was a step above where SMG is. I’d say it’s on par with AMC here.
-Their chairs are much nicer than Studio Movie Grill, though not as nice as the custom-made AMC chairs.
-The stadium style seating works well no matter where you’re sitting. You only have “counter” style seating in these theaters, so you don’t have the “back of the row” table option, like SMG offers. I don’t care for the back of the row tables, as in those cases, the stadium seating doesn’t work well, and you have waiters walking in front of you to boot.
-The “down lighting” is effective for getting around the theater and getting into and out of your pockets / picking out your credit card / etc. (I.e. – there’s ample lighting pointing down underneath the counter where your food is.)
-It seems like they have a pretty cool bar setup.
-The servers seemed to be pretty attentive.
Not So Great:
-The rows are narrow and don’t allow for you to have much space in front of you. There’s a bumper that prevents you from rolling back to get more room. I’m not that big of a guy (wide or tall), but if I was, I’d probably have a pretty substantial problem with the seating.
-The “down lighting” does not light up your food at all, making it difficult to eat your food. You have to use the lighting of the movie to help see where your food is. If you have finger food (like chicken tenders), this makes things somewhat difficult.
-The fresh paint and varnish smells are still somewhat intrusive upon eating.
-They need to do something with their lobby. They probably will, in time.
I noticed some other reviews complaining about where the switch was that you need to use to order food. I didn’t find it obtrusive at all.
I think I’d be lacking to mention in my review that there’s a TON of potential here. I will be back, and it will be interesting to see what improvements are made.
Also, I didn’t take advantage of it, but keep one eye on Groupon. I think they periodically put out the “movie ticket and drink” deal for $6.00 a head on Groupon (again, similar to the SMG.) This is probably worth doing if you’re on the fence and want to try Venetian, but aren’t sure.
One more parting tip… I’ve never been to one of these types of places where the theater wasn’t like a meat locker. It’s always freezing in these types of places… Make sure to bring a fleece or something that you can put on / take off during the movie so that you’re comfortable.