My wife and I came here for our 5 year anniversary. Very fancy looking place but we never felt like it was too fancy. Our server was great, always getting us refills and checking on us. We started off with the bread and calamari. The bread was so good. The calamari... quite possibly the best calamari I've ever ate. Then I ordered the halibut. The halibut was very good, great flavor and flakiness. The couscous that it was sitting on was strange, I've never had couscous before so I can't say anything bad, maybe it's just not my thing. Asparagus was very good, cooked perfectly. I snuck a few bites of my wife's steak and it was delicious, I'm gonna have to come back and get steak. read more

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This review is long overdue... I came across Vele while on a trip to Springfield. Vele was recommended everywhere as a good place to celebrate an anniversary, so I quickly tried to grab a reservation. Vele is a popular place so they didn't have reservations available. I did a Hail Mary and decided to call them when they opened to see if they had any availability. I was lucky because they had availability around the time we wanted to visit. When my husband and I arrived it was busy which I expected because of the popularity so there was a small wait even with a reservation. That was fine because I was excited to check out the place. When we first sat down our waiter was attentive and friendly. The tables are very close together so you could overhear how he treated other guests, he was pleasant to everyone. I'm not sure when the shift happened but the waiter seemed to lose interest in our entire section because he barely came around after taking our food order. I was celebrating a wedding anniversary so I planned to have at least two drinks but was limited to a single drink because our waiter disappeared. The entree came out in a reasonable time and it was delicious. As the dinner went on we slowly ran out of water (he didn't come by to refill the glasses) and our drink. After the initial excitement of the drinks and entree we realized we'd been sitting 30ish mins without the waiter coming over. We wanted to wrap the entree portion and grab desserts. Earlier I could overhear our waiter asking other tables if they wanted to order dessert so I assumed the same would happen with our table but that didn't happen. It got the point had to flag down our waiter or someone else working the floor to get our check. Our whole dinner experience was almost 2 hours but that consisted of one drink, one water glass, and an entree. I ended up speaking with the manager because I wanted to confirm if they still had desserts available because it was an hour and some change before they closed so I assumed they may have stopped selling desserts but no. The waiter was just ignoring us. It was an odd experience and left a bad taste in my mouth. The manager was extremely friendly and apologetic but having your anniversary dinner soured was enough to want to wrap the dinner up. He did give us an anniversary dessert to go which was delicious which made this experience so unfortunate. read more

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Wade is the best bartender ever. He knows his stuff and he knows his customers. (On the other hand, I wish the menu had more to offer vegetarians and vegans.) read more

VELE is a must go to. The ambiance of the restaurant is small as they only have so many tables but this allows you to breathe. They had a couple drink specials that seemed interesting but we ended up getting cocktails that they had on their normal menu. The food was amazing! I would highly recommend the Caesar salad as everyone at our table ordered it once one person ordered it and had other people try it. We ended up not getting dessert but the staff was welcoming and observant with getting a steak knife after the steak was served without a knife. Very great place that I would love to come back to. read more

VELE - Appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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I live almost two hours away and booked a reservation here after reading a few yelp reviews. That being said the food was amazing and our server Nature was very friendly and prompt. From the parking lot the place looks like a normal strip center eatery. Once you enter you see upscale and clean. I highly recommend the Crispy Broccolini and the Tuscan Bread. We will absolutely put this in a regular rotation, worth 4 hours of driving for the round trip. read more

Lamb lollipops, calamari and steak bites were all great. Staff were friendly and accommodating, even offered a custom vegan pasta dish off the menu. The overall restaurant has an upscale feel and seems like a good place for a special occasion. read more

pathetic meal. we had 3 ribeye dinners and you could not even cut them. you couldn't chew them. when mentioned to the manager he didn't care at all. 68.00 for a piece of crap steak that went to my dogs. stay far away from this place. 2 other people had problems as well. read more

This place was exceptional . Ambience was amazing. Service was spot on from the time we walked in the door. Michael was our waiter and did an excellent job. Food was phenomenal. Highly recommend. read more

Have eaten at Vele number of times. Service always good but at times get the feeling management doesn't value the customer. For example after we finished our dinner and paid the bill, which was a nice sum, decided to order more drinks but told our table was needed. so we had to leave.We were reminded there other tables to serve. In addition, using term coastal Italian for Vele doesn't sync with Italian dining because in Italy, your table is your table for the evening. That is true for France as well. The food was good , however, Polenta and meatballs should be served a lot hotter than just warm. Believe me, I know. The smoked Old Fashions were excellent. read more

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

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! read more

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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!). read more

VELE - Surprise anniversary gelato! - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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. read more

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

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

this is my first time eating at vele tonight. I got a bottle of wine, the seafood spaghetti the salmon and it's the best food I've ever had in Springfield. I just don't see how anyone can give this restaurant less than five stars. The customer service was amazing. The food was amazing and the dessert was amazing. I really felt like I was in the Chicago restaurant and it cost half of what a Chicago dinner would cost. If you haven't checked it out please do. read more

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 read more

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Really wanted to love Vele, but there were a couple of misfires that made it difficult. Pretty cool vibe inside--dimly lit, intimate, modern setting with very cool, angular water glasses. Graham, our server, was fantastic--attentive, friendly, and patient. We started with the strawberry chamomile and cherry lime Italian sodas to drink; the former was the better of the two, and I think they would read better if they were stirred before arrival. Or advise that I stir them, because drinking them "as served" is not recommended. I know it's an "Italian soda thing" so maybe I'm wrong. We tried to start with 6 oysters and hamachi crudo, but they were out of the hamachi, so we did a dozen oysters. Hot apps were the grilled octopus and scallop app, but Graham informed us that they pulled the scallop app ($32) in favor of a scallop special, "so a lot of people have just been getting that and sharing it as an appetizer." Made sense to us, so we did that. Of the 12 oysters, more than half were badly shucked, improperly cleaned, or both--at $3/oyster, that just doesn't fly with me. I don't gripe about a small piece of shell here and there, but we are talking about several chunks of shell and/or a considerable amount of grit in 7 oysters. I will say they did a good job of ensuring the oyster liquor was preserved, and the mignonette was good. Octopus was nicely cooked (sous vide and then finished on the grill/plancha), but the portion was small ($25 for one tentacle) and I think they missed an opportunity with the sauces. The red pozole sauce made up 95% of the plate, and it basically read like a chipotle mayo. The gremolata, which was just a barely discernible, half dollar sized smear on the plate was excellent...would've loved A LOT more of that! Entrees: Mushroom campanelle (star of the show) and the aforementioned scallop special. The house-made pasta was very well done, and the wild mushroom sauce was elegant and flavorful. It needed a bit of salt, but there was a shaker on the table (generally a red flag in an upscale restaurant, but I was grateful for it in this instance), so after a little seasoning it became our favorite dish! Fairly priced, great portion, and well prepared. The scallop special looked like melted deviled eggs...5 scallops on a sweet corn puree with crispy bacon bits. Solid dish (despite its appearance)! The scallops were very well cooked, and the flavors were balanced nicely. I'm sad to say that one of my scallops was ALSO gritty from improper prep--at the time, I was willing to excuse it until we got the bill and discovered the dish was $48. That felt pretty bait-and-switchy compared to the $32 app, and at that price each scallop should be spot on. They weren't. Crème brûlée and deconstructed/reconstructed tiramisu ball for desserts were both good; not mind blowing, but definitely tasty. All in all, two people sharing a meal with no alcohol for $192 (before tip) in this market sets the bar pretty high, and Vele didn't meet it. Can't believe I'm saying this, but we got better bang for our buck in Orange County, CA. Sorry! read more

We are long-time customers of Vele and always have a great experience. Last night was even more outstanding. I have recently been diagnosed with a severe new food allergy after tick bites and while I am sure this can be a huge pain to restaurant personnel, they took great care to make sure I had a safe and enjoyable meal. Nikki and Nick are fantastic and the chef's were quite careful with their recommendations. I called ahead and left a message and management called back to ask questions and make notes for the team. A great experience and so nice to eat out again while celebrating our anniversary and feel normal. read more

Okay, I visited this place last week and plan to go back tonight! Food is great, service was wonderful, drink and bartenders over the top! Don't think about it, just go! read more

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! read more

VELE - Halibut - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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! read more

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

One of the best restaurant ambiances I've been to in Springfield. The service was good and at a fine pace. All the food was consistently not good. I did notice most people get oysters, seafood, and drinks so it might have just been we ordered poorly. The caprese salad was wilted (probably made earlier and left out) and drenched in too much sauce. The sauce was citrusy and somehow had an almond taste too which really doesn't go with the caprese. We got the eggplant bruschetta which was a bit bland and heavy. The filet mignon appetizer with risotto had excellent meat. The risotto was salty but salty is the local palate. The chicken parm was very dry and bland and came with just basic spaghetti. I'd have expected something a bit more interesting. The mushroom ravioli was also very salty. We got the pistachio cheesecake which seemed like a slab of undercooked cream cheese with no discernible pistachio taste. The portions for everything were huge. This place has a lot of potential. Maybe they could make portions small to improve quality. read more

Steak tartare is to die for. This restaurant is a gem in the middle of corn field. Also don't forget to stop by at their sister restaurant:: The Garden in New Berlin! Both needs reservation read more

First time eating at Vele. I love the ambiance and updated decor. Waitress was so attentive and gave us really good selections. The food and drinks were top Notch. I definitely recommend this establishment. read more

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Amazing food! I love the atmosphere of the restaurant, the servers are so nice and fast. Beautiful for a nice night out! read more

VELE - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Great place to have your dinner including special occasions. This place is big. Lot of items to choose from. No problem in parking. You have to be patient to have your food. It took almost an hour to get my appetizers. The service is very slow . But food was great and tasty. read more

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We rolled in late from driving all day looking for a nice dinner and drinks. After calling Curate, their sister restaurant, they recommended trying Vele since their kitchen was closing. Vele put their manager, Joe, on the phone to take care of us. He took our order over the phone since their kitchen was closing and welcomed us upon arrival. Our food was perfectly plated, delightful and hot. The lead bartender was also personable and shared his creative milk punch tequila concoction, which is competition worthy. Staff made sure we were taken care of and Joe gave suggestions of a farmer's market during our brief visit. If we were locals this might be our new Cheers. Cheers! read more

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. read more

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Good food, creative and taste really not bad. Nothing impressive though. Small portion is never my problem, but when it comes to surprisingly petite, it's a little offensive. The photo is a $18 grilled squid, 4 small bites (each a size of one single peanut) literally. Very good cocktails, I had 3 different kind. Service is a bit slow, but very friendly. Will I return? Probably i'll give it another try, will update my review then. read more

VELE - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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

Vele has great service, delicious food, and lots of drink options!! Definitely recommend! read more

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Went here for a birthday dinner. Ambiance is very nice and good for a romantic date. Bar is super cute. Drinks were 10/10 great - delicious and strong. Creative combinations and presentation. Service was decent for having a table of 10 people. I feel like the food could have been better for the price? Appetizer was over cooked. The pasta was good, but very greasy and hard to eat. It was good, but for the price I had higher expectations for the food? Would go back again to try more things on the menu :) read more

Vele checks all the boxes and is my favorite place to eat in Springfield! I'm a huge fan of the Garden in New Berlin and so my friends and I were over the moon when we heard that a sister restaurant was opening downtown. Now it's been around for over a year and Vele is easily my favorite place in Springfield. It's where I bring my parents when they visit, it's where we celebrate birthdays when my friends are feeling fancy. I am always a huge fan of ordering lots of the dishes and sharing, so make sure that you choose your company wisely. Remember, sharing is caring. Some of my favorites are the charcuterie, shrimp and crab cakes, ox tail pappardelle, wild mushroom ravioli, and the lamb lollipops. Oh the lamb lollipops, that dish is the stuff of dreams. It is a must have! Also, the drink selection at Vele is awesome. They have a great variety of wines but it's also have an awesome selection of cocktails that are worth a try. Vele has definitely upped the restaurant game in Springfield and definitely gives the Garden a run for it's money with the convenience of being downtown! read more

Same owners as Curate but the menus are a bit different. You can easily discern that both restaurant's are ran/organized the same way with slight variations. For me personally, Curate's atmosphere is more enjoyable and I had a slightly better meal at Curate. The prices are a bit steep for Springfield and our bartender was overly exhausting/pretentious but would not take much of a nudge for us to take a return visit. read more

VELE - Filet - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

Took a friend to dinner celebrating her birthday. All of the food was delicious. The service was great and the vibe was relaxed elegance. We both loved it ! read more

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Okay, first off, I brought along a tough customer: my mother. She can inadvertently be rude to staff with her pickiness and advice. That said, the service staff was terrific. The place is pricey, and doesn't include a side salad for heavy menu items like the lobster linguine in cream sauce. That's a bit problematic, but certainly not unforgivable. Apart from that, the food is uniformly terrific. I had the Caesar salad with salmon and the salmon was one of the very best I have ever had. The salad was also delicious. We sat outside. Gnats and flies. I know there is only so much a restaurant can do about such things, but there are certainly devices available that could curb these pests. It really was a constant irritation throughout the meal, which is a shame. At these prices, I feel the restaurant should be doing absolutely everything in its power to try to control the surroundings whenever possible. The table was uneven and bumping around frequently no matter how careful we were with our feet and cutlery on our food. This should be an easy solve with little plastic wedges to balance the tables and yet, this was not done. That is a shame. Finally, the front door, through which the customers and service staff were entering and exiting consistently (of course) was faulty and makes A LOT OF NOISE. The noise of the door was constant and distracting. Again, for these prices, that door should be silent as the grave. Overall, a wonderful place that has yet to go the extra mile to deserve more than a four-star rating. Since I cannot give the 3.5 rating this establishment deserves (imho), I give a three-star rating in the hope it brings about the simple changes that would make this restaurant wonderful and truly memorable, because the service and food are top notch. read more

GREAT food!!! Lots of "unusual" choices" to choose from. Servers have always been fun and helpful. Beautiful decor. read more

i stumbled across vele while passing through springfield and i'm so glad i did! this restaurant has a grand variety of food and drinks, the service was great, and so was the ambiance. we ordered the ribeye steak and the lamb chops, both which were amazing and great portions. the steak was cooked to perfection! read more

VELE - steak - Seafood Near Me - Springfield, Illinois

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