I've been a regular at Bar Vetti for years and it's still one of my favorite spots in Louisville. The pastas are consistently excellent, the service is warm and attentive, and the sexy, stylish decor makes it a fun place to linger. It's perfectly located in the vibrant Nulu neighborhood too.In the colder months I always go for the cacio e pepe, and once spring hits I'm all about their smashed meatball sandwich. The cocktails and wine list are outstanding as well. Highly recommend if you're in the area! read more

We stopped in for brunch on a Saturday between bourbon tastings. There is not much pasta on the brunch menu, which was a bit disappointing, but they do have meatballs. They are smothered in cheese and sauce on a bed of grits. The grits are great but I would have liked a little less sauce to enjoy them straight. The meatballs have a good flavor but could use a little more fat; the cheese helps a bit. The spritzes are fantastic and you should definitely start with one. Get the Venetian if you like a pop of bitterness in your drinks. read more

bar Vetti - Meatballs and grits - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Came here because everyone said the food was awesome: Fancy Pepperoni Pizza: Absolutely great, crust was awesome, tasted like homemadepizza Orecchiette: Awesome. Like lasagna. Highly recommended. Great flavor and loved the cheese Rigatoni Cacio E Pepe No. Gross. Bad. DO NOT GET THIS its so shit. tasted like the peppered teh fuck out of it read more

Still love bar Vetti's brunch. Sad brunch pizza is no longer a thing but the Kentucky purgatory with grits and a soft-boiled egg is consistently delicious. Can't go wrong with focaccia or potatoes, but get a side of Calabrian aioli if you go the potato route. Very happy you can order a single pancake if you don't want a stack. The strawberries & cream is my favorite (though it's seasonal). read more

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I LOVE the service at the bar. My bartender Bentley was so sweet and patient while I figured out what I wanted in and settled in after a long event day. And MY GOODNESS, the Lamborghini Diablo they made was so delicious. We're talking tequila, apertif, pepper puree and lime. A lovely balance of tart, bitter, and pepper flavor. Just a hint of heat. The atmosphere was lively and filled with laughter--always a good sign that a place knows how to host us as we enjoy their menu. One of my favorite places to frequent in Louisville and certainly whenever I stop by NuLu. read more

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Went on a Wednesday with a reservation and was seated promptly. Had a great server throughout the night who was attentive and made suggestions. Place is pricey (but fits the area of Nulu). All the food we had was delicious. read more

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Cute restaurant in the downtown Louisville area. Came for lunch and had a mushroom frittata which was mouthwatering good! All the ingredients were fresh and curated perfectly. Enjoyed our lunch, would love to dine here again when I'm in the area. read more

Did you know bar Vetti is open for lunch? I stopped in today with limited time, and the service was impeccable. The staff accommodated my short time frame and knew exactly what to recommend and how long the menu items would take. I ended up sitting at the the elegant, contemporary bar, and the bartender was lovely to chat with. My chopped salad was creative and not heavy but filling with quality and unique ingredients, most notably mortadella!I learned from the bartender that the restaurant also offers a weekend brunch; the menu looks amazing. I will have to go back! read more

bar Vetti - My chopped salad with an Italian theme, of course! - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

I just found another favorite Louisville restaurant! I came here with a friend on a Monday night and even though we didn't have a reservation, we were seated promptly. We started off with the Cast Iron Fonduta which was delicious along with the Winter Spritz mocktail which was very tasty. My friend had the Caesar Salad which she claims is the best one she has ever had! I had the Lobster Creste di Gallo and it was SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD! The restaurant is nicely decorated with an elevated feel. Needless to say, I will definitely be back! read more

bar Vetti - Cast Iron Fonduta - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Bar Vetti is one of my favorite spots in the City! I've been here several times and have never had a bad experience. The food is from scratch and made to order and the drinks are always delicious. My favorite is the Sicilian Spitz, which consists of Lazzaroni limoncello, Cinzano prosecco and lemon. It is light, crisp and refreshing ... even in the winter on this very cold Saturday. I've even tried recreating it at home but it's just not the same. They also have a SPAGHETT which is a Miller Highlife, Aperol and lemon. I know it sounds odd but I promise it's soooo good! For Brunch we got the McVetti, which is their version of a breakfast Sammie (3D Valley Farm egg custard sandwich on a potato bun, with provolone cheese and mayo or Calabrian aioli (Spicy) and crispy potatoes plus your chose of meat, hands down we get the Jake's country sausage every time. I also tried something new and got the fried mortadella, which is mortadella (like bologna) provolone, aioli, sunny egg,, potato bun, and crispy potatoes. Hot damn! This is definitely my new favorite brunch item!!! Also if you've ever had it, get the tiramisu gelato .... I am not a huge dessert person but this is one of the best I've ever had! Bar Vetti is a 10/10 recommend, every time! read more

bar Vetti - Tiramisu Gelato - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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I've enjoyed Bar Vetti for drinks and apps with friends, date nights, brunch birthdays and every single time it is wonderful! - Fast & good service - Very accommodating to large groups - delicious, large portion & unique meals - upbeat atmosphere with a great playlist I highly recommend whether you're looking for a new cocktail spot, or a special event! read more

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Bar vetti is definitely a trendy hot spot in the center of NuLu. Make a reservation for a weekend dinner as walking in can mean a long wait. They have a modest mix of popular and new cocktails. I tried the Diablo. Was hoping it was more of a spicy margarita drink, but it wasn't spicy. Instead it's quite sweet. The old fashioned was solid. We tried a mix of apps including the Caesar, Beet Salad, and their in house focaccia. The salads were great, light and flavorful. I'd order those again. The focaccia was also delicious, but it was mostly air and for the price, the portion was pretty measly - 4 small slices. The Maflade and Orecchiette pastas were a bit one noted. The didn't have any of the deeper mushroom or Sausage flavors I was expecting. And they arrived pretty cold. The server did have the kitchen remake the pastas so they were hot on arrival the 2nd time. read more

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I am absolutely obsessed with their caesar salad! It is the best I've ever had!! The dressing on it is unreal and it's topped with granola which sounds weird but totally works! They have a great brunch menu on weekends too. They're open for lunch some days during the week and have a prix fixe menu for fairly cheap. I'm not the biggest pasta fan so I don't love theirs tbh, but everything else I've had is very tasty. They have great drinks too. read more

We met friends here (we were visiting from out of state). First ... parking on a Friday night is almost impossible. We ended up on a side street about 3 blocks away. Ok.. not a deal breaker and we got our steps in. Atmosphere is nice. Plenty of seating and the lighting is good. Menu is ... I wouldn't say limited... but it's on the smaller side for choices. Our friends got the pizza and it looked great! We shared the Fonduta and meatball appetizers. Both were decent size for 2 to share. It's a bit pricey here, but the food was delicious. read more

bar Vetti - Gouda fonduta - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Recommend for lunch special, or drinks & snacks. Not dinner or brunch. I went for their 3-course prefixe lunch menu for $25. They offer this Wednesday-Friday 11am-2pm. Roman supli was delicious. Warning they were super salty. They had a great crunch and cheesy goodness inside. Kale pesto was just OK. Flavors weren't anything special, and the noodles were boxed. Portion size was great. Panda cotta was delicious. The cream was so good and tasted fresh. It was sweet but not overwhelming. I'm not a fan of fruit sauce with dessert but I tried it just to know and it was also delicious. I've also been for brunch before and got the breakfast sandwich. It was delicious but breakfast didn't have the best bang for buck. Definitely recommend for this lunch but not my favorite spot for dinner. But great place for drinks and snacks overall. It's an elevate ambiance, not cozy but more chic. Service is nice. read more

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It's small but cute inside. We made a reservation for Sunday brunch, and we were seated right away by the nice hostess. My friend and I shared the Bottle Service Mimosas, and we both enjoyed them while waiting for our food orders. I ordered the Mushroom Frittata and it was fabulous! Best tasting frittata I've ever had. The only issue we had was slow service. We enjoyed our brunch time together, but hopefully we will get our food and drinks and checks quicker next time. read more

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Bar Vetti is truly special slice of heaven... the food is the epitome of a transcendent culinary adventure, and it is both a beautiful piece of classic yet rustic Italian fare... you may be in a trendy, vibey space, but the food is 100% classic Italian made by a grandma in a tiny country kitchen in the hills outside of Rome or Florence. I could brag on all the food - because I sample every plate on the table, whether my friends like it or not - but this review is all about celebrating the cacio e pepe. This dish is so beautifully creamy and peppery - and dare I say, it out-peppers the best of this dish I sampled throughout Rome in 2023. I ate each individual rigatoni from my fork after drenching each piece of pasta in the heavenly sauce... it was pasta porn... for my mouth. And the sounds I made were worthy of the title. I literally crawled the streets of Rome to try the best of the best it had to offer - and while bar Vetti's Cacio e Pepe was missing the cobblestones and the sun-baked, faded cafes... it packed all the flavor. Kudos to the staff for not ejecting me or my friends from our dinner - it takes a lot to deal with my obnoxious food-gasms and dirty jokes, especially after a few spritz's. My only complaint is that in Italy, my spritz's would be under 5 euros, and I was not that lucky with the bar bill here. Truly one of the best dining experiences in Louisville. read more

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I remember when bar Vetti first opened several years ago: there was a lot of buzz and people either loved it or hated it. I tried it very early on, and my experience wasn't good. It felt like a restaurant that hadn't found its footing yet, and I refrained from panning them in a review on the basis of their newness. Several years removed now, the place has secured a pretty good reputation in Louisville. It's still around - no small feat in our competitive foodie city - and it tries to address the fact that we don't have a lot of stellar Italian options locally. I've been meaning to give this place another try and yesterday I finally did. My friend Robert - who also had been meaning to give bar Vetti another shot - went with me, enabling us both to try a broader portion of the menu. We got cocktails and agreed they were unimaginative but solid. The place is known for their rigatoni, but I have a hard time getting excited over paying $30 for noodles, pepper, cheese, and butter; I can make that at home. We shared a Caesar salad. Their take on the Caesar isn't traditional, but I'm not a salad guy and I thought it was exceptional - maybe a top 5 Caesar salad! If you like Caesars, don't skip it. I had the Orecchiette entree, which was flavorful enough, but it came out cold. Robert's swordfish was cooked nicely, but forgettable in terms of the flavors. The portions were a bit slight in my opinion. I liked our spicy broccolini side more than Robert did, and we agreed that the chocolate budino dessert was above average. Our server was personable and helpful with recommendations. Nothing we had was below 2 stars or above 4. So bar vetti didn't really raise the bar on my opinion. Grassa Gramma matches or exceeds the food here, and the ambiance is better. read more

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No idea this place had brunch. Kentucky purgatory is fire. Like a rich breakfast pizza dip that pairs great with their fresh baked focaccia. And not to mention they put the UofL game on for me! read more

bar Vetti - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Always enjoy especially brunch time got to love good food and some mimosas to start the day off right

Came in on a Monday evening as a party of 6 with no reservation and we were sat quickly. Service was fast and the cocktails were delicious. I also really enjoyed the burrata appetizer. I had orecchiette and that was delicious! My sister ordered the cocoa mafalde and it was underwhelming, so minus one star for that. My friends ordered pizza and those also looked good read more

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Went to bar Vetti to celebrate our 8 year anniversary of dating and it was so good! Unfortunately their pasta machine was broken so we couldn't try that because my now wife has a gluten allergy. But i was able to try the focaccia bread it it was lovely. We split the Caesar salad and it was absolutely delicious. For our entree we got the swordfish and the flat iron steak with mushrooms risotto also delicious i definitely recommend. Our server was great, very kind and attentive to us. We will definitely be back. It's a great spot for a date night. You won't be disappointed read more

OMG this place is great. Ambience, FOOD, Service. We were staying at the AC Marriott next door and this was next door and convenient. What a find. The drinks! Great staff! Sat at the bar, reservations recommended. Had meatball burger the first day, second day the breakfast plate. Delicious sausage, potatoes in tallow! Yum! read more

bar Vetti - Espresso Martini with Amarula! - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

Consistently great service, food & drinks. It's always a date night go-to & we always leave happy. I can say that we have eaten most of the menu & have always liked our meals. Their focaccia is one of my favorite breads. They are always kind enough to split our plates for us when we share our meals. Be sure to check out the seasonal drinks too! read more

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We came to Bar Vetti and really enjoyed the modern, sleek décor with a bar in the center of the restaurant. I tried their take on a dirty martini, called Something About Maré. It's made with Gin Mare, Salver's Aperitif, and caper brine, and I have to say, it was a fun twist on the classic dirty martini and actually very good. For appetizers, we ordered the meatballs made with red sauce, parsley, and parmigiano reggiano and served with Blue Dog sourdough. They were flavorful, though a bit on the salty side. I ordered the Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe which was absolutely delicious, creamy, buttery, with plenty of black pepper and pecorino cheese. My hubby had the Orecchiette which is a popular dish. It's made with Jake's country sausage, ragu, basil, and ricotta breadcrumbs, which was hearty and comforting. For dessert, the ricotta bomboloni was a warm, soft Italian-style doughnuts dusted with maple sugar and served with jam. It was a treat to end the meal. Service was a big plus here. Matt, our server, was super attentive and made us feel well taken care of throughout the night. That said, I'm giving this restaurant three stars due to finding some abrasive stringy material, in both of my daughter's dishes. It was disappointing and concerning, especially since everything else was enjoyable. Overall, the food was very good, the service was excellent, and the atmosphere was stylish yet comfortable, but the issue with my daughter's dish did affect the overall experience. read more

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Came to BV for Valentine's Day. Great atmosphere and service. The service is just sometimes slow which I don't think is thé worst complaint to have. The food makes up for it entirely. Brunch and Dinner are amazing! read more

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Perfect place for a date night or girls night out dinner. We called for a reservation the day of, but the time available was later than we wanted (so make sure you plan accordingly). However, we were able to walk in and set at the bar. The service was top notch and we loved watching the bartenders make all the different drinks. Highly recommend the espresso martini and if you're looking for a special pour the Foresters Birthday Bourbon is a great choice. Smooth with a hint of spice and leaves you wanting more. We started dinner with the house made focaccia and Fonduta it was creamy and full of flavor. For our main courses we had the rigatoni and the spaghetti. Add on the meatballs they are flavorful and both meals were very fulfilling with leftovers for later. I'm a pizza junkie and always down to try a pizza that comes with hot honey. The Fancy Pepperoni did not disappoint. Not too spicy just enough to make you want more. We are looking forward to coming back for brunch. The only downside to dining in NuLu is the parking. If you can't get a street spot be prepared to pray upwards of $20 for 1-1-5 hours. read more

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Excellent meal! We had a large group (13 people) and our waitress was amazing!! The Caesar salad was delicious and so was the lobster al forno. read more

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Beets & Ricotta with pistachio and mint for me. Pork Tenderloin sandwich for him. Great service. Relaxing and chill spot to refuel. read more

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Cam here expecting amazing Italian and we halfway got what we expected. I have celiac so was excited that they had GF pasta (turned out to be generic cardboard box penne- I'm still appreciative, it's always better than nothing!) My husband also got pasta (not gf). Both of our pastas were significantly undercooked, which you wouldn't expect from an Italian specialty restaurant charging $35 per pasta dish. Extremely limited wine by the glass menu (for red they only had Pinot, Sangiovese, and a blend. I typically get a Cab but since they didn't have one I went with the Sangiovese. It was not great. Left half the glass when I left.) Our server was very unpleasant, I don't think she even told us her name. Overall the food was good! Just not worth the price tag. read more

Great service, great atmosphere, great food! Stopped in for Sunday brunch and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. My party of two arrived a bit ahead of our reservation time and they were able to seat us immediately. The hostess at the front of the restaurant was very friendly and welcoming. Upon being seated, our server came over and introduced himself, took our drink orders and allowed time for us to review the menu. When he came back to take our order, he did a great job explaining the menu and offering suggestions. Our food came out in a timely manner and everything was wonderful. The portions were plentiful and everything was absolutely delicious! Definitely a great place for brunch with family or friends. I highly recommend. read more

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Date night must. We got lucky on Monday of valentines week and they had their weekend specials ready. $135 for Caesar salad (unbelievably great) fresh focaccia with dip, Hot fontina dip, cacio pepe rigatoni, hangar steak over an amazing mushroom risotto with white truffle and homemade Italian zeppoli (lemon) donuts. Service was awesome. Matthew was on the case and we sat opposite the bar and watched their staff really crush the cocktail orders. Recommend highly. They have pizza but that's another story read more

Very enjoyable meal and nice spot in NuLu (Parking is free in the garage but we didn't know that so we got a nice walk too) read more

food 10/10 service 10/10 ambiance 10/10 easy street parking, didn't have to wait, so good! read more

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Bar Vetti is my treat-yo-self restaurant. I love to order the Cacio e Pepe with a nice wine. Date night, girls night, Brunch, Bar Vetti does it all. Menu rotates lots of exciting, fresh, innovative dishes. Staff is always attentive and prompt. Kitchen is efficient and crafts beautiful meals. Highly recommend to all my friends (and now all of Yelp!). read more

bar Vetti - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

A Bar Vetti brunch is 5-star, 10/10 status! So many options and it's so good. I didn't get to go for the brunch special for the 3 course brunch deal but this was still divine. A must try is the tiramisu pancakes. And I also had the meatballs and will say it had a lot of sauce but other than that it was delicious. read more

bar Vetti - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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Had a great experience here. The food was delicious, our server was attentive and friendly and the ambience was perfect for a night downtown. Everyone kept telling us the Caesar salad was the best and we didn't believe them... we were wrong. It was fantastic! We also got the focaccia, the carbonara and the orecchiette. All of which were delicious. For drinks, we recommend the paper plane and the mother wolf (their espresso martini). Highly recommend this spot! read more

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Bar Vetti was one establishment we dined in during our time in Kentucky. If you enjoy a Ceasar salad, then you must have one here! We split the half order and it was plenty for us as a start to our meal. We also shared a pizza and the spicy broccolini side dish. Every item was well prepared and tasted delicious! The service was also fantastic. We will definitely return if we are back in the area! read more

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The food was fantastic and the service was truly wonderful, attentive, friendly, and made the whole experience even better. I had such a great time enjoying it all with my girlfriends. It's a perfect spot for a fun night out downtown, and I'll definitely be back! read more

It's been five years since I first visited bar Vetti, when it was in its previous location, and it's as delicious as I remember! My best friend and I came here recently for a girl's night. Pasta on a cool winter night -- doesn't get much better than that. I went with my pasta favorite, cacio e pepe. I love that this dish has become a thing. And this rigatoni was as good as when I last got it at bar Vetti. It was pepper-y and cheese-y. It was a perfect enough portion to fill me up without making me feel overly full. I also like the choice of using rigatoni with this. It is such a great carrier for the sauce, unlike spaghetti. We also split some focaccia bread. Just perfect. IMO bar Vetti has the best Italian in Louisville, and even better, the vibe isn't stuffy and overly formal. It's a fun, fuschia-filled spot with friendly staff. Our waitress chatted with us for a bit and recommended some great wines. The prices are a bit steep but so worth it. And the owner has a reputation for fairly paying the staff, so I feel better knowing that what I pay is going toward that. Again, best Italian in Louisville. Get it! read more

bar Vetti - Rigatoni Cacio e Pepe - Italian Near Me - Louisville, Kentucky

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