We went there for our anniversary celebration. The outdoor seating was beautiful with the view of the ocean and nearby islands. I ordered the Seared Grouper (CERNIA SCOTTATO) with lobster and creamy mushroom sauce. It was delicious. My wife is vegetarian and she enjoyed the Fettuccine Alfredo. The atmosphere was nice - very family friendly. We had a great time with our 3 year old son. People were generally very polite. I would have given this place a 5 star but for the service which was extremely slow and the waitress kept forgetting some of our requests. Would I visit this place again? I think so! read more

Essenza - Grouper - Italian Near Me - Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

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I'm writing this review on the Customer Service alone. We had the same waitress help us two nights in a row and she was so pleasant and provided exceptional service. She even remembered everything we preferred when we returned the next day! Her smile would light up any room and it's great to be around people like that while on vacation. read more

Essenza - Short Rib Ragu - Italian Near Me - Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

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Do not order drinks from the Jack the bartender!! He overcharged us for several drinks during our stay at the Ritz. On more than one occasion, he brought drinks to my husband and I at the pool area without us ordering anything at all and made it seem as if they were on the house for the newly married couple. Little did we know he was charging every single drink to our room. It's not that we expected free drinks, it's that we never ordered these drinks and he made it seem as if they were complimentary. That being said, Jack does not represent the exemplary service we received at the Ritz. Amazing people who work there, so I really hope they let go of this dud. read more

We had a nice, mellow dinner at Essenza and ordered the caprese salad, the beef carpaccio, and chicken cutlet parmesan. The food was good, if pricey for what they are. The carpaccio was the highlight of the meal, but the real standout was the service. Our waiter, Kervin, was absolutely wonderful- a total pleasure. read more

Essenza - App in a nice, low lit environment.. - Italian Near Me - Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

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Had dinner here last night. Beautiful restaurant, inside and out, very nice bar area as well. Food was fantastic- chicken Alfredo, Mahi fish, and some pork dish.The bread they serve is AMAZING. We requested a 2nd basket! Service was spectacular with Kervin as our waiter. Very nice guy. Highly highly recommend this restaurant to anyone here on the the island! read more

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An amazing meal. My son is allergic to soy. The chef can to talk to us about accommodate the meal and a cake for his birth day. Thank you so much for working with us. read more

Essenza - Italian Near Me - Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands

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We enjoyed a lovely birthday dinner here. Our server Kervin was so friendly and knowledgeable. The seafood and pasta were perfect. We will definitely be back! read more

I went here every night I stayed at the Ritz because it is the best food I've ever had in St. Thomas, and I've been coming here regularly for years. The hostess Shirley was a sweetheart, Austin the manager was extremely professional and accommodating, and all of the waiters were friendly and fun. The setting is beautiful and comfortable, and the prices are very reasonable for St. Thomas. The first night I had the seafood pasta special (cream sauce with mussels, shrimp and lobster) and loved it so much I told the manager it should be a regular item on the menu - so he made it one! I would also highly recommend the mojitos, the spaghetti with meatballs (so flavorful!) and the grouper, which was cooked to perfection. I will be coming back here every time I stay, because it was delicious and consistent. read more

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This place is touted as the best option at the Ritz. We weren't overly impressed but it's not a bad option if you want to stay close. We ordered the octopus app but they told us the chef wouldn't have it ready for another couple days. So, we asked if the chef would do an appetizer portion of the bolognese pasta, but they chef said no. The bartenders took good care of us but the food took very long. FYI, this is the only bar at the Ritz that you can have a drink after 9 pm. read more

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant. I honestly think a major reason for my 4 star rating is Clarissa who waited on us. She is amazing at her job and makes you feel like you are eating in her own kitchen. We stuck to the basics, caprese salad (amazing) the chicken parm and chocolate cake for dessert. The only reason I give this 4 stars and not 5 is mainly because it is a bit pricey. Clarissa, thanks again for a great time. read more

This was my least favorite meal in St. Thomas. It was ridiculously expensive with a very small portion of fish. I got a scoop of ice cream for 10. Wasn't happy about it. read more

Completely disappointed. Not Ritz Carleton quality. I ordered the OssoBucco and it was not edible. I sent it back and the manager decided to taste it. She even admitted she had to spit it out. My daughters piccata was in a think mustard wine sauce. The entire meal was vile. read more

Best of All Dining You can take away the patio overlooking the bay which provides an ideal atmosphere and the evening breeze. You can take away the smooth and gracious Ritz service which contributes to the polish and pleasure of any meal. You can even take away the excellent cocktails which prepared us to enjoy and be pleased with our meal. You can even take away the stars and Gib, the bartender's one liner "win a free drink if you can name that bright star" - actually Jupiter, the planet. Strip it right down to just the food and our evening was still a winner. Perhaps you should understand we do not usually do Italian gladly. In USA it too often means, "Add marinara." But the varied flavors and textures of this meal made it arguably our best on St. Thomas, certainly on the east end. They say "Essenza offers familiar Italian dishes crafted and served to feel like home." I really felt this rose above home if only because some of these dishes were too rich for regular "home fare." This is not so-so Italian but fine dining, incidentally Italian. From the crusty herb bread to the generous panna cotta we exclaimed over dish after dish with their well blended flavors. I am a fan of bruschetta and theirs was excellent with the topping served separately from the toast so the bread was not soggy. I appreciated that as I love crunch. We can also vouch for the Risotto, Fiocchi and Ravioli. Each of us enjoyed ours and had a bite of the others'. We did not need Secondi after this and the panna cotta we had was huge enough for us all to enjoy a sweet bite to finish our meal. I could have said generous but it was huge. I am not sure whether this is the normal portion or not. We loved the staff who clearly showed what a difference it makes when a crew is part of a "happy ship." The management has gotten this so right somewhere. The kitchen, reshaped less than a year ago from a "fusion" menu, is spot on with the Italian fare. Essenza is meeting the standards one expects at the Ritz. Long may it last. read more

Maybe one of the best meals that I have had....ever. Salad, bread, and the pan seared grouper was out of this world. My wife had the lasagna and it was great as well. The dessert was amazing and hard to explain. Kinda like fried funnel cake nuggets with Nutella ice cream and home made whipped cream. My only regret is that we did not take pictures of the food to share. The service was spot on as well. read more

Probably my favorite meal from the Ritz! We ate here twice for dinner during our week long stay. Ate inside once and outside once. Service was obviously great because c'mon now, it's the Rtiz... But let's discuss the food shall we? 1. I believe it was the same bread as Bluewater, but that's alright because it's bomb 2. We ordered the Insalata Del Contadino to split as a starter for one meal and it was huge and delicious. Would recommend. Definitely was large enough for two people. 3. The other meal with ordered the Capasante Pettini as the starter for the other meal and it was TINY. Barely two bites worth of food. Really tasty but too small to count for anything. 4. Both nights I ordered the Fiocchi. It was stuffed with caramelized pear and spinach, covered in a gorgonzola cream sauce, and had toasted walnuts. This baby was DELICIOUS!! The portion was very large as well! Both nights I couldn't finish it all. It was sweet and savory at the same time and just magical!! 5. Wasn't crazy about the desert selection... 6. My boyfriend ordered the veal one night and the lamb chops the other... He said it tasted great, but wasn't a large enough portion for the price. BUT THE BEST PART IS IF YOU SIT OUTSIDE THERE IS A CHANCE YOU WILL SEE CATS RANDOMLY WALKING THRU!! WHY? WHO KNOWS AND WHO CARES!? FREE CATS FOR PETTING WHILE YOU WAIT ON YOUR FOOD! CAN I GET A HALLELUJAH!! read more

Ordered caprese salad with burrata cheese. The cheese was uniformly firm and carbonated! When we mentioned this quietly to the manager she told us burrata was supposed to be like that! Didn't eat it. We also ordered fettuccine with garlic cream sauce. The flavor was okay, but it came clumped in a gummy cream sauce...couldn't separated the strands of pasta. Didn't eat it. Out of four of us the only good food was the bread and the pizza. I think they have a wood fire oven. I hope they get someone in there who knows food a little better. The atmosphere is lovely, but this is a never again. read more

Weak... zero stars. Ruined the ritz for us. 45 minutes for a refill. 3 of 3 courses were wrong. No attention to food allergies. Management comp'd meal after coming out twice, chef is great and sincere but wait staff was lacking in all aspects. We had a better meal at subway. read more

AWESOME Restaurant. My wife and I (newlyweds) enjoyed a romantic dinner on the deck with great view of the ocean. Our server LaShaunda was engaging, pleasant, courteous and fun. Her accent and charm added to the 5 star atmosphere. I highly recommend their delicious Caesar salad to start with. We will return to this restaurant again and again to sample a lil bit of everything on the menu. Dinner was topped off with the most delicious Chocolate mousse with Gold shavings and a white chocolate stick. You have to let them photograph you for their Thank You card. The actual hard copy "Thank You" card will have a photo of you that becomes a video when you view it with your phone after you download the Life Print app. They present the card to you minutes after they photograph you at your table, but when you hold a phone with the Life Print app over your photo on the Thank You card your picture becomes a video. Talk about IMPRESSIVE!! Truly a personal touch. read more

My wife and I spent lots of time at Essenza during our recent trip to the Ritz, primarily eating and having cocktails at the bar. We had a great time here! Jack was awesome and took such great care of us during our stay! Even when he was super busy he was friendly, made sure we had everything we needed, and made us feel at home. Absolutely 5 star service from Jack. Melanie the manager was also great and would check in periodically to make sure all was good. The food was generally very good, but keep in mind this is part of a resort and I think having good food is the goal; but it's not destination dining. That said, the rigatoni was stupid good and I had it twice over the week. If you like a good cocktail for dessert, ask Bert to make you his famous Bushwacker. It was unreal and a great way to finish dinner. All in all we had a great time here during our stay and wouldn't hesitate to recommend. read more