We had dinner at Vela in Doylestown tonight and it was exceptional! Our server Ciera was awesome. She suggested her favorites from the menu and I have to say we totally agreed & enjoyed every bite! The desserts were equally as delicious! Ciera was so gracious. I wasn't sure of which wine I would prefer with my dinner. She suggested I taste the wine first so I got the perfect wine to compliment my meal. My husband and I will definitely be back soon to try the other delicious culinary dishes prepared by the chef & owner Donna! Buon Appetito. read more

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My favorite Doylestown spot- I always come running back. Every time I go for my classic little gem and rigatoni combo and it never fails. The ricotta adds the perfect density to the sauce that creates a nice light cream. Broccolini and sausage also pair very nicely with all the flavors. I always come running back and look forward to it every time. read more

Vela - Little gem - American Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

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Delicious food but took 90min to get the entree. Then only 2 entrees came out of 3 ordered. Followed by another wait- No explanation, no compensation- won't be coming back. Given the prices they charge, the service & communication should be better. read more

We went here on a Saturday night and the dessert was delicious and our bartender was excellent and accommodating! Beautiful atmosphere-clean, open, modern and cozy, they even have a pizza oven. I can't believe we waited so long to go to this lovely place. Thanks to Jonah from Lillies of the Field for the recommendation. We'll be back for sure!! read more

Entree was terrible. Overcooked, not fresh mahi mahi special that was bland, cold veggies, missing an ingredient (mango sauce/coulis). Sloooooow service even with almost no patrons. read more

The atmosphere is nice. We have been to the restaurant two times. We thought the menu the second visit was very limited and quite pricey for what you receive. The wait staff was okay. The cocktail menu was interesting and the wine list was nice but both very pricey as well. Of course it is Doylestown so not surprising. We probably will not go back for an extensive time if at all. There are other places for a fine dining experience for the price , service and menu selection. read more

Came to Vela for a wedding. The atmosphere was beautiful and the bar excellent. Everything was top notch from the appetizers, platters, entrees and desserts. The rustic wood fired pizza was also delicious and the service impeccable. I'd love to come back for dinner as a patron and try some of their other dishes. read more

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Food was slightly above average. Quality only slightly below price Staff was very friendly but service was a tad on the slow side Restaurant is extremely clean, spacious and comfortable. But I would have liked a tad more AC. Bathroom was very clean but no urinal screen isn't ideal Old fashioned was solid. Overall a pretty good stop read more

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I was skeptical to try this place due to reviews but I'm glad I did! 4 of us came here to switch up our usual Italian restaurant and we were not disappointed! We tried a little bit of everything... octopus, meatballs, white pizza, margarita pizza, pork ragu pasta, gnocchi with sweet peas, swordfish and 2 desserts. It was hard to pick a favorite because nothing was bad but I think the meatball app and pork ragu pasta were the top hits. I'm not a big fish person but the swordfish was good too! Our waitress (I sadly forget her name) was friendly and had a lot of good recommendations. I also liked how big and modern the restaurant was. We will definitely be coming back! read more

The owner's apathy to our dissatisfaction of waiting for more than an hour for our meal was shocking. He was rude, unapologetic and icy cold. Everyone in my party said they would never return. read more

Always fantastic food, drinks and service! Delicious meatball appetizer, always wonderful specials. The burger is amazing too! Outdoor seating when the weather is nice too. Highly recommend Vela. read more

Modern spacious decor. Very good service. Great for date night or a special occasion. The only reason for 4 stars is the pasta pappardelle was a bit bland and overcooked. read more

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Under-cooked striped bass returned with long delay in replacement. As a result my wife and I watched each other eat our entrees one after the other. No proactive offer of any kind of recompense on the poor experience, despite a $200 check for two people. I was pissed. My better half didn't want the stress of protesting and she is always my priority. My short rib was mid, starters were very good but under-seasoned. Shaken cocktails were over-diluted. read more

We ate here Saturday July 14, 2018. Greg the manager said they have been open only 3 weeks. We were pleased with the décor, specialty cocktails, food, and service. This place has a modern open space design with lots of windows and high ceilings that ad to the atmosphere. We will absolutely return for another visit. The special beet salad was crisp and delicious. For my main entrée I enjoyed one of the specials -- Halibut with cous cous and spinach. We also ordered a side of cauliflower and potatoes au gratin which was rich and savory. Finished off the meal with blueberry crisp. All round outstanding meal. I highly recommend coming here. Enjoy! read more

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Wonderful experience. The food, service and ambiance was fantastic. It was our first visit here, and look forward to returning. Very classy establishment! read more

Vela - Gnocchi - American Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

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Favorite place to eat and drink in Doylestown A sophisticated menu but simple elegant tasty food with great deserts as well The bartenders Jared and Shay are wonderful Our server Abigail was lovely and polite. Just the right amount of attention I love the homemade gnocchi and the short ribs however don't turn your nose up to the filet and chi read more

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This was our third time at Vela, we love the atmosphere and holiday vibe this time of year. We had a 6:00 reservation and waited an hour & a half for our dinner. When asked where our food was, our waiter was rude to us! We will not be returning. Plenty of other restaurants in the area to go to! read more

Great food. True attention to detail. Nice wines. Good service. Nice People and easy parking.

I've been to Vela over the past year several times and initially it was a good experience. However the past few times it was not- bar area staff were snobby and dismissive and ignored our table. Decided to give it another shot for happy hour only to find out you need reservations now at the bar ( it was 5 PM) and the staff was condescending. If that is the tone and atmosphere you want to experience- go for it. My friends and I will are not interested read more

To be honest, I've been let down by this place. This will be a short and easy review: 2 to 2.5 hours for burgers and pasta, easy meals. Waiter was aloof and wondering around the whole time. Manager checked in on us a lot which was a highlight of the meal, food was decent; not worth the price, prestige, or time. read more

Dear Vela - I have been to your restaurant many times and have enjoyed the menu and service. However, when at the bar recently, and albeit a tenured bar staff, they need to up their service game. There seems to be a pre- disposition to attentive service to " regulars " and an "invisibility " to others. I sat at bar, was served after long wait, and then somehow became invisible. Albeit I had menu in hand, the couple to my right (regulars) were asked three times for food order/drinks, and then couple to my left who were seated 10 minutes later got drinks, as well as food order request, I somehow was invisible to bar staff. After 20 minutes of no requests, eye contact, etc from staff I closed tab and departed. I get relationships, regulars, you're understaffed, overworked, etc., but up your game and realize you service the WHOLE bar. Thanks and accept this as positive criticism to make Vela the best restaurant in Doylestown. read more

I have been a regular customer at Vela since that have opened. I was so disappointed tonight. the food was cold. The staff was dismissive. I would not recommend this restaurant. it used to be so good but is now going down the tubes. Don't waste your money on sub par. read more

Food and service was excellent, the level of noise was reasonable and allowed for conversation.

Great atmosphere, super clean, below average service, terrible food. I love places with small menus. It usually means they're efficient, everything gets special attention, product moves fast so it's always fresh and you don't have to read a 30 page Cheesecake Factory style menu. Then have to decide between regular nachos and Irish nachos. The menu is designed well. Execution not so well. The pizza was the worst I've had in a long time. And really if you can't make a quality dough for pizza. And your Italian. Your in trouble. We had a pasta dish and again if your rigatoni are mush and the opposite of Al dente then find a chef that understands that there is a method to cooking pasta. Lastly, food should come out in a timely manner. Our pizza came out right away, but then we ended up waiting an hour to receive the rest of our food. I hope they can get it together because it is very comfortable inside read more

Good but not great. I will return but would not rave about it or take people there to impress.

All I can say is that the plates of food brought to our table looked good but nothing had any flavor . The pizzas were slabs of dough with sauce and cheese and no flavor . The steak was over cooked for rare and the portion size on the dollop of mash and literally 3 baby roasted carrots was made for the supermodel diet . The roasted chicken was fine ( needed salt ) but again size wise it was a very small portion. Not a inexpensive meal and we all left hungry . read more

The food is good but I do not recommend sitting at the Bar. The female bartender is beyond rude. She won't even give you eye contact. She took forever to even ask us what we wanted to drink. When she gave us menus I had to ask her to take our order. She actually said to me I'm busy. She was only wiping down glasses. When I say rude I'm actually being nice. Not worth the BS and the prices are very high. read more

We had a party of eight with a lot to celebrate and Vela was so accommodating! We arrived a bit early for our reservation, expecting to grab a drink at the bar, but the manager already had our table set up and ready for us. It was comfortable seating and the atmosphere was great. Our server was attentive and knowledgeable, easily helping us navigate the menu. We tried an assortment of appetizers that were enough for us to pass around, everyone getting a taste or two. The octopus and polenta really stood out! I highly recommend. As for entrees, they were the perfect portion size. The gnocchi (not pictured) and bucatini were great. The meat in the bucatini added a slight smokiness to the dish, which was excellent. The short ribs (not pictured) were extremely tender and super lean, but the dish could've used more vegetables. I think they could've spared more than 4 green beans and 1 carrot on the plate! Again, tasty, but might not be enough for some, depending on appetite. A few of us ordered the striped bass and all felt the same way - it was certainly not bad - light and fresh - but definitely lacking flavor. I couldn't tell you the last time I added salt and pepper to something I ordered out. I don't like things very salty to begin with, but it really needed something. While I wouldn't order that again, I'd definitely return for any of the appetizers and pastas! That's where Vela earned its stars. They also had nice cocktails and a decent wine menu, so it would be a great place to go for a drink/shareable bites. read more

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The quality has reached an absolute low. Can't go here anymore. Staff turnover and simple ignorance is running the place into the ground. Dishes I once always enjoyed are now hit or miss. Sorry, can't do it any longer. I'm done read more

Been here twice in a week. The cocktails are exceptional. The shrimp starter, the octopus starter and the baked oyster special were all great. read more

What a shame - nice place and food was decent but waiter was apathetic and rude. We waited 30 minutes for our drinks and the six entrees for our party came out an hour later, one at a time over 20 minutes. We asked our waiter if they had cappuccino and he responded yes and then walked away. When leaving, we politely gave the owner this feedback but he didn't care at all, responding "we should do better". Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

Probably a 3 star experience. Came with a group. The reviews for this place are accurate. Well made food. Portions on the small side. Menu too limited. Drinks pricey. Good atmosphere in Dining Room. Great place for groups and intimate dining. Started Pocket full of posies cocktail. (Rum, Swedish Punsch, lime, Demarra). It was nice and tart, not overly sweet. $12, kind of expensive for such a small drink. Had a beer afterward. 4 drafts and 6 bottles available. Why only 10 beers? 26 wines. 18 available by the glass($11-$15 ea). Also pricey. I shared the Baked Oysters. With cream sauce, potato, leek and green peppercorn. Tasted like a high end potato leek soup. Absolutely no oyster flavor. I would not recommend this. We shared the Meatballs. 3 to an order. This was one of the best tasting meatballs ever. A good blend of meats, cheese and bread in a mouthwatering sauce. Wanted a salad so had the Yellow/red beat salad. It was served with endive, onions and a red wine vinaigrette. Was there really any vinaigrette on this? Spices? Salt and pepper? Not good. Spinach/Endive/Onion/Fontina pizza. This was a bright spot. Great tasting crust. Salty fontina. I would order this again. For dessert I had the Pecan tarte. Good crust but it had very little filling and was over baked. Served with bourbon ice cream, but I don't eat ice cream. Meh. Wife had "Apple Pie". It's in quotes because it was more of a deconstructed tarte. Sliced apples(she swears they were canned) that had very little seasoning and no sauce. Topped with a crostini and vanilla ice cream. Don't waste the calories on dessert here. Our Server Jared provided excellent service and had a great sense of humor. $374 for 6 people. A bit expensive for Doylestown. This is what it costs at Honey. Go there instead. read more

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Modern ambiance with high ceilings and noisy. utensils and glassware were perfectly polished. Menu is limited. I believe it was 4 of each course. Service was slow. Wine was good but expensive. Whistlepig Rye Manhattan was perfect. Meatball (3) appetizer were very light and airy and no Italian flavor. Bread was served with dipping oil, no butter. Boneless beef ribs (2) with two minature root vegetables was very good and cooked perfectly. Filet of Beef with small portion of spinach and 3 slices of small potatoe. Crust on meat was hard, but otherwise tender and perfectly cooked. Apple pie was stewed apples and ice cream. Not worth the price. Overall, dinner was expensive for the portions. Dress is casual. Large bar area. $155 for 2 (before tip). read more

Vela - Filet of beef - American Near Me - Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Very underwhelming to say the least. Based on the reviews I thought it was going to be great but I was really disappointed. The service was mediocre. Anything we ordered took a long time to come out. The food wasn't very good. My husband and I split the polenta and meatballs and we didn't finish either because they just tasted bad. The polenta was watery and an egg like consistency which was unpleasant. The entrees we had were either cold or to hot to eat. My meal was too hot to eat even after letting it cool for a couple minutes. My husbands was cold like it had been sitting out. Super underwhelming especially for the area. I would not recommend this place. read more

Love the food from the wood burning oven! Casual cool atmosphere. Outdoor dining opened last week. It is our go to Friday night out. read more

New favorite place in Doylestown. The menu is not extensive, but this allows them to focus on creating superb dishes. Beer selection is great - good seasonally appropriate craft beers and common American beers. Atmospheric, comfortable, and appealing. Great for couples and groups (they have a large party room). Bar is large and well equipped. Noise level is generally quiet, even with a full house. Bar area may get loud, but it is set away from the main dining area. Service is professional and attentive. read more

Had a bunch of dishes at the bar tonight. It was all really tasty and having a hard time finding any faults. Only sampled some of the menu so will need to come back and try more. Started with meatballs app - very tender the way I personally like them but might not have the bite some may expect. Sauce was great. Had the little salad or something like that...well executed but perhaps nothing special. Radishes were good though. Gnocchi came next and that was a real treat. Absolutely perfect gnocchi and the sauce just as good. That was worth the trip itself. Needed some protein so ended with the side dish of onions stuffed with sausage and cheese. Wow that was tasty. Had good wines and seems like they have their service in good shape. Look forward to going back and digging deeper into the menu. We sat at the bar and those guys knew their stuff. Hopefully the rest of the staff are as good. read more

Great ambiance and menu. Excellent service and cuisine. It's a favorite when going out with friends.

Great for a night out and/or Date Night! Food was Good, Cocktails good and the Costumer Service Excellent. My husband and I came on a Friday Night, no reservation BUT was greeted nicely. We were told that a table will be ready in a few minutes and was offered to sit by the bar. It was an excellent idea. Bartenders were attentive (ON a BUSY Friday Night!) I think his name is Sean. We ended ordering food and eating at bar. The ambiance was very nice. It has a very upscale but friendly vibe. Took 1 star off for the small portion size of plated food compare to it's price. read more

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I had come here when it opened and at the time, the prices were high, service was slow and food was average so despite the nice ambiance, we never went back. I went back today with friends, as I think it's always worth giving a restaurant a second chance, particularly if you went initially right after they opened. My experience today: three of us came in without reservations - it was packed because of the holidays, and the host asked if we minded waiting at the bar for 15 min; we didn't, but he forgot about us so we ended up getting seated closer to 40 min later, around 8.15. Once seated we ordered in a reasonable timeframe, 2 appetizers, one pasta dish and two salads with a protein. Waited an hour for the 2 apps (almost exactly 9.15pm), didn't even get bread - asked for it when apps came - dinner came a bit before 10pm, and my friend thought she'd want a crème brûlée but she gave up on it because it was going to be another hour. We spent a nice evening because we were in good company and we were having fun but we definitely started the evening being very nice to the server and ended mildly annoyed at him. I understand it was busy but his sense of urgency was definitely lacking. Will likely wait another 5 years to give it another try - there are a lot of good places with good service in the area where the food is less expensive too. read more