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    VELE

    4.4 (178 reviews)
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM

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    Recommended Reviews - VELE

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    Reviews With Photos

    Crab/Shrimp Cakes
    Lisa B.

    First time visiting this restaurant. The food was amazing. The service was even better. We sat outside per our request and we were the only couple out there. The waitress was just as attentive as if we'd have been in the middle of her section inside. My husband said the sea bass would melt in your mouth. The filet was tender and moist. The crab/shrimp cakes were delicious. We hope to get back soon!

    Surprise anniversary gelato!
    Corrine H.

    Headed to Vele for our first time, and it was for our anniversary. We were shown to a table already pre-set with a lovely anniversary card. From the start, the service was attentive and friendly (Nick was a standout!). Food was delicious and perfectly prepared (husband had the filet and I had the spicy seafood pasta). Bourbon and wine selections were spot on. Surprise anniversary dessert put the cap on a truly lovely evening. We'll be back (and we won't wait a year!).

    Grilled Caesar salad

    Very good food I would just request sauces on the side if you don't like your food have a bunch of stuff touching

    Grilled oysters
    Leyang Z.

    Had my first dinner there in Springfield! The experience was in general OK. I ordered 2 grilled oysters and their beef tenderloin bite for appetizer, and had a scallop entree. Both app were tasty, the oysters were good and the tenderloin bites were perfect! The beef was tender and juicy, and the onion orzo had a slightly firm and chewy texture, as if they were dancing in my mouth. Plus, these went well with the cream blue cheese and mouth-melting mushrooms. For the entree, the scallops were cooked to pefection but not so for the crispy butternut squash (in fact, a bit bitter). Service was OK except that the waiter gave me 6 grilled oysters by mistake. The decor of the restaurant was beautiful and it had great dining vibe -- at least not too loud nor not too lifeless.

    Linguine Pasta
    Anais L.

    Food was amazing, fresh, and came out very fast. And the service was amazing, she would always check on us and kept pitching water for us. Gave me so much chicken in my pasta, very generous! Love everything on this menu! Extra points because they played Clairo!! Hidden gem in Springfield, IL

    Halibut
    Catherine K.

    If you want an all around exceptional dinning experience, you MUST go to VELE. My company comes here a lot for work dinners, and I've yet to have something from VELE that's just average. The appetizers, the entrees, the cocktails, the desserts... It's all incredible! The service is always wonderful, and they been extremely accommodating with large groups + allergies! I was plant-based at one point, and they made sure to find something that was delicious for me. I also have a tree nut allergy, and everything on the menu is clearly labeled, plus the servers go above and beyond to make sure people don't get cross contamination in their food. Now that I'm no longer plant-based, I usually order the Halibut, and it has a perfect blend of flavor profiles between the herbs, sundried tomatoes, and cream sauce. Our group usually orders the calamari, steak bites, and tartare as well. This place is worth all of the hype it gets. And if you haven't tried VELE yet, consider this your sign to go for your next family dinner, date night, or group outing!

    Cocktails!
    Rebecca A.

    After being in SPI for over 30 days due to a family emergency, I was able to see a couple of best friends since being in town. We decided on dinner at Vele. We made Saturday night reservations and sat out on the patio since the weather was perfect. Colton was our server and came right out to take our drink orders. I did two specialty cocktails during our time there. Mrs. Sperry a gin cocktail and the Paloma Sour a tequila cocktail. Neither was mind blowing but neither was bad either. My friends and I had decided we were here to share and get a chance to try a few different things since none of us had ever eaten here. Their known for their grilled Caesar so we started there. It was a hit. Really enjoyed that they brought a portion out for each of us on individual plates. We didn't have to try and cut and share from one salad. Nice touch. The dressing was really good! Next up the shrimp and crab cakes. For me this was borderline hit/miss. The cakes were perfectly crispy and not greasy at all. The sauce, Garlic Piquillo Pepper Aioli was awesome. And lots of it on the plate. My turnoff was all I tasted was raw red onions. There was some on top of the cake and I'm guessing inside of it too, because that's all I tasted. And unfortunately I didn't get any shrimp or crab flavor. The third bite of the night was from their goat cheese arancini. Again perfectly fried and crispy. A rice ball with cheese and more of the Piquillo Pepper Aioli. I would have loved this as my favorite bite had the goat cheese been turned up a few more notches. Our final savory option were their filet bites. This was a miss for me. It was freezing cold by the time it got to us. I'm guessing it was sitting somewhere for a while as a food runner brought it to us, not our server. Since my knife had been cleared with my salad plate I tried to cut a filet bite in half with my fork and wasn't able to. The meat was flavorful and tender, just not tender enough to cut with a fork. My friends both didn't mind that it was cold and enjoyed the dish, so to each their own tastebuds!!!! A couple of the savory dishes that I had my eye on that we didn't try and that I'd return for was the tuna tartare and grilled oysters. Finally we ended the meal on a very high note and hit as the Bombolini was awesome! Not only was the doughnut flavorful but running one through the Crème Anglaise and Salted Caramel made for a perfect bite. As others have pointed out in their reviews for Vele, it's a great spot for date night, girls night, even homecoming apparently as there was a ton of teenagers dressed up and having dinner on the Saturday night we were there!

    1840 sour

    Love the look and ambiance of the place. All the food was great and so was the service. The star of the show was the grilled oysters. The black spicy seafood spaghetti was also very good. The smoked Danhatten had a very cool presentation. Would highly recommend.

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    1 month ago

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    3 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Extremely difficult to get a reservation at Vele! Many restaurants in Springfield with a much shorter waiting time!!!

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    4 months ago

    The food has been very good with good service and the wait staff is excellent! Sally Briney

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Enjoyed while celebrating for my son's 22nd birthday on a night not needing reservations but highly recommend so whew!

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    2 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Our favorite place for a special meal, and to take guests. It never disappoints and the Chicken Picatta is the best.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Great ambiance and delicious food. You can't go work with grilled octopus and ribeye,

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    3 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Wonderful food, great service. This has become our go to restaurant for special occasions and guests.

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    3 years ago

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    Ask the Community - VELE

    Aunt Lou’s Soul Food - Chicken strips collard greens red beans and rice and cornbread

    Aunt Lou’s Soul Food

    (31 reviews)

    This spot is top notch and a lifesaver for the downtown area! I've come to expect a great meal…read moreevery time I visit. The server's are always thoughtful and ready to acommodate when they can. I love the wings, mac and cheese, and the savory pork chops! The layout and set-up of the restaurant is a modern open layout. My only recommendation is to get em early cause their food options do run out; it's still on my list to try the banana pudding.

    WOW!!! So glad we stopped in today, I've been driving by regularly but never had time to stop. Our…read moreserver was amazing and on top of our drinks, checked in several times to make sure the food was good. I believe the owner (or possibly the chef) stopped by and made sure everything was up to par as well. I honestly thought it was going to be a much smaller space as when I'd driven by it looked small, but there was so much seating inside! The decor was beautiful, too, and the music was awesome. We both had chicken and waffles and my LORD it was so good! The waffles were so crispy and flavorful (I've seriously never had waffles so good in my life) and the chicken was breaded well, perfectly seasoned, and was super fresh. I'm pretty picky about sweet tea. If Wilford Brimley doesn't side eye me with serious concern as I drink it then don't even bother. This was so perfectly southern sweet I was in heaven. Sweetest sweet tea I've had in Illinois. I'd go back for that alone even if the food was just okay. We had decided on fried green tomatoes (which were soooooo dang good and zesty!) when she told us they JUST got fried okra and I said both. Just give us both. I'm a fried okra fiend and was so happy I could've cried. The okra was fresh and perfectly crispy, and the seasonings, again, were immaculate. Absolutely cannot wait to go back. (I just need to give my stomach a lil rest, we both took home over half of our meal there was so much.)

    VELE - seafood - Updated May 2026

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