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Vespaio Ristorante

4.1 (809 reviews)
PriceyItalian
Updated over 3 months ago

Vespaio Ristorante Photos

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VESPAIO RISTORANTE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Romantic
Outdoor seating
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Vespaio Ristorante

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SMOKED-WATERMELON e Spinach & Prosciutto Salad
Stephanie K.

It's the little things that make Austin home, and Vespaio has long been one of those cultural institutions, holding down SoCo. For many good reasons - their staff is not only some of the most thoughtful and attentive in the biz, but like family after working together for so many years. We come for the food like housemade burrata and handmade pasta & pizza, but it's the culture and personal touches that make this place an extension of home. If your Valentine's plans don't include a reservation here, I'm sorry to say your chances are running out - hiked rent has closing day marked for 28Feb. Show your support by offering your favorite chef and servers some home-grown love!

Pappardelle bolognese
Vivian L.

Cozze alla posillipo is a MUST. Mussel dish part of antipasta. Got the half portion of the bolognese and it was filling enough for me. Surprisingly the season dish with pork chop and blueberries was the favorite. We got plenty of desserts. Panna cotta, kitchen sink gelato, and blueberry sorbet. Fav was kitchen sink. Service is fast. server was knowledgeable and gave great recs.

Calamari Fritti Arrabbiata
Danielle F.

I wanted amazing pasta and that's exactly what I got! Great sauce, delicious noodles, just perfection! Calamari was great too. The server recommended good wine. Terrific dining experience!

Suppli
Kelsey D.

Vespaio is one of my favorite restaurants in Austin. If you enjoy fresh, homemade Italian fare, then this is the place for you. Perfect for a special occasion, the interior is beautiful (especially in the wine cellar room by the front windows). It can be rather pricy, but I think the evident high quality of their food matches the price point. It's imperative to start your meal with the suppli, if you enjoy a good arancini. Vespaio has the best risotto balls I've ever tried, with a crunchy outside and creamy fontina-stuffed inside, over a robust marinara sauce. My favorite entrees are their spaghetti alla carbonara, with a perfectly cooked poached egg on the side and topped with a crunchy parmesan frico that dreams are made of, and the lasagne alla bolognese, with creamy layers of besciamella and fresh mozzarella between green spinach pasta sheets. They butcher everything in house and aim to use the whole animal, which I appreciate, and make all of their pasta too. The wine list is extensive, and their cocktails are creative and tasty. It is located on South Congress so usually pretty easy to find (paid) parking too. I highly recommend this spot for your next special celebration, or even if you're just craving some homemade pasta.

Rey K.

One of the best Italian restaurants I've been to in a long time. My partner and I had split the pasta. We had the pappardelle bolognese and spaghetti cacio e pepe. This is a must go place. I ordered drinks and they were heavy handed. I had to get a side of pineapple juice. :) the dessert was awesome we had bread pudding. Im going to go back for sure. Im dying to try their ravioli. Our server was the best and the atmosphere was great.

View of the chefs at work and brick oven.
Roxy L.

Food was excellent we came here to celebrate our son's Birthday. I had a juicy tender steak with French fries and spinach. My son ordered lasagna which he said was amazing and delicious. Our server was on top of our needs and had a special birthday cake for our son at the end. The ambiance is nice with a view kitchen of their brick oven.

Nicole S.

Vaspaio is upscale and dark, perfect for date night. The service was friendly and happily gave recommendations. The food was all delish. The burrata was creamy and the bread was perfectly paired. I had been craving carbonara and this hit the spot perfectly! It was a big portion and so creamy dreamy. This is a lovely spot on south congress and worth a visit. While pricey it's worth it!

cuttlefish and black ink pasta
Tracey Z.

Delicious food! I loved the bee theme! The ambient lighting in this restaurant makes for a great mood. My only note is that you should expect to be here for at least 2 hours. The service is slow and the food is slow to come out. Everything is handmade from scratch when you order it so it takes a lot of time. I got the risotto del giorne which was very strong. I liked the crispiness of the chicken skin and it went well with the dish. I also loved the apple pieces, they were a nice burst of sweet flavor. The risotto itself was very rich, it feel like there were too many flavors competing in the dish, so my mouth was kind of confused. The tiramisu is a good end to the meal.

Suppli
Kelci M.

Vespaio is intimate, fresh and service is friendly and accommodating. Here's what we ordered: Burrata: 7/10. Standard burrata. Nothing special. Caesar salad: 10/10. This was so fresh and I loved the fresh reggiano cheese on top. I'd definitely order this again. Suppli: 10/10. These balls are stuffed with rice and cheese, what's not to love? I also enjoyed dipping bread in the bed of marinara sauce. Spaghetti cacio e pepe: 10/10. I got a half order and it was filling and amazingly fresh pasta!

Lasagne Alla Bolognese
Brandy C.

Sadly, I've only been to Vespaio twice and both visits were separated by 4 years. Although it had been quite some time between the two visits, their quality remained great! If you're planning to visit, I'd highly recommend making a reservation. It's a tight space and the tables have always been full when I've visited. It's an intimate space and great for date nights. They have a fantastic wine selection and plenty of food options to try. Both times, I opted for the Linguine Misto Mare (I like what I like I suppose lol). Again, having ordered the same thing twice over the span of 4 years and it still tasteeamazing both times should speak volumes!

Ravioli with a sauteed mushroom and onion sauce.
Sarah C.

We've been here twice now and enjoyed the food both times so its time to leave a review! The first time we walked in for dinner and while there wasn't a table open they were able to immediately sit us at the bar. I got the Tagliatelle con Funghi which was creamy, rich, and delicious! I can't remember what my husband got but we both enjoyed our food and a glass of wine. More recently we made a reservation, though it was also a week day and not too busy when we arrived so we probably could have walked in fine. We parked on the street out front and I'll admit did not pay through the meter but were fine for about an hour visit. Not saying I recommend doing that but we were fine. For the food we started with the fried risotto balls- delicious and the fresh marinara was top notch and cut down the richness of the cheese risotto. For mains we both got specials that I don't see on the menu now but both were fantastic! The husband got orecchiette I think in a tomato sauce with sausage- clean, simple, and cooked perfectly. I got ravioli in a sauce with sauteed mushrooms and onions- the husband thought it was too rich haha but I loved it!! Service was good but nothing stands out in my memory, maybe because I was so focused on the food lol. Price wise, it is fairly expensive, but the portions are satisfactory (I took home half of my main) and it is delicious. Worth it for a date night!

Cynar cocktail
Emily K.

A hidden gem. I don't know how I've let this one slide under radar. The perfect atmosphere beautiful old-school, perfectly dim but not stuffy at all. We had a taste of almost the whole menu from antipasti and bread to appetizer, pasta dessert, wine, cocktails and liqueur. Everything here is made from scratch and they know what they are doing! The perfect fluffy bread, dense focaccia, and garlic cheese crisps paired with the marinated mushroom peppers cheeses and pickled vegetables. I would have been thrilled with just that for my meal accompanied by a delightful, refreshing Prosecco. We moved onto the mussels. These mussels were everything I want in a mussels dish. White wine based tomato broth thickened with big chunks of seasoned tomato cooked down, perfect for dipping the grilled bread in. This was paired with a cynar based cocktail somehow showcasing all the flavor of this unique liquor with no harshness. The herbal notes played well with the tomato broth. We proceeded to the star of the show. A duck confit stuffed tortellini with sage, walnuts and an apple gremolata, or as I now call it, manna from heaven. Convinced I couldn't eat more but knowing no meal is complete without dessert we topped everything off with a chocolate torte with raspberry caramel sauce paired with homemade limoncello. Decadent and delightful from first to last bite. From the moment we walked in to the moment we left everyone was welcoming, thrilled to see us, incredibly knowledgeable and eager to make this an unforgettable meal. Job well done all around.

Lasagne Alla Bolognese
Tashombe H.

We had a great experience. Two of our party of 4 arrived on time and were seated to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We were welcomed to a table with a card signed by staff. I appreciated the effort at recognizing our reason for the night. Our server was great. The rest of our party was about 20 mins late. Our server was patient. Bread for the table was brought. We had calamari, bruschetta, and fried olives. Although everyone enjoyed each dish, the castelvetrano olives were an unexpected standout. I had the small Bolognese as an entree and it was plenty as a main dish. It's pork forward which made the dish seem a little drier than I prefer. I enjoyed the dish. Others had lasagna, shrimp scampi, and ravioli. Everyone enjoyed their dishes and lasagna was the only dish taken to enjoy later. For cocktails we had Heaven or Las Vegas, Gepetteo, and Billy Ray Valentine. Each drink was a good pour with balanced spirits and mixer. No complaints. Dessert was also enjoyed -- tiramisu and peach pecan sorbet. Our server was excellent -- offering attentive unintrusive service. Other team members kept our water glasses full, delivered dishes hot off the line, and worked to clear the table between courses. I'd definitely return when I'm back in the area. My guest who live in the area stated that they would add it to their list of restaurants to recommend and bring other guests in the future. Well done.

Dinner

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6 months ago

Everything was very good! A great place to grab a bite before a show downtown. Parking is a bit difficult so you might want to valet.

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Red Ash - Frutti Di Mare

Red Ash

4.4(1.6k reviews)
1.3 mi•Warehouse District, Downtown
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The food and service here were amazing! I highly recommend making reservations. I'm not sure that…read moreyou will get in otherwise. I could eat their bread all day long, it's so good. The bruschetta was the only appetizer that I wouldn't order again. It wasn't bad, but not my favorite. The bone marrow was smooth and buttery, definitely my favorite appetizer.

We've always heard so much hype about Red Ash and just had to try for ourselves. Takes a few…read moremonths to get a reservation. I had made a reservation a few weeks prior for our anniversary month. When we sat at our table they had a cute little greeting card from the staff wishing us a happy anniversary. Pro Tip: Just make a reservation way in advance and if you make it you make it. Even if you don't think you will be able to make it. If you can't go just cancel with enough advance. We started with the Meatballs that pair wonderfully with their Italian Bread. Flavorful and plentiful dish and def get the bread! Next came the Bone Marrow & Tuna Crudo. I will say though for some reason after we finished our Meatballs it took them quite a while to bring our dishes after that. Bone Marrow was divine and also paired well with the Italian Bread. Tuna Crudo was not what I expected because it was warm and I was expecting it to be cold. But it was good and I love eggplant. Our main dish was the Agnolotti Alla Piemontese. From the description it seemed to hit all the boxes since we are meat lovers (contains braised beef & pork shoulder) and truffle. I love me some truffle. When we ordered the Agnolotti Alla Piemontese I asked him does it have a lot of truffle flavor because I love truffle. He said oh we can definitely add more truffle if you would like when the dish comes out. When the dish came they had the chef come shave an extra truffle on the dish. I honestly could not taste the difference. Was not enough truffle flavor for me. Note the extra truffle is an added charge. Overall lovely experience. If we return we will need to try some different dishes to give it another try.

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Fresh and crisp Caesar salad!!

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Sammie’s - Rigatoni Bolognese

Sammie’s

4.1(429 reviews)
1.6 mi•Market District, Downtown
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I have to apologize that it has taken me this long to write this sweet and short love letter to…read moreSammie's. Back in the Dec. we did a guys trip to Austin and the culinary highlight of the weekend was Sammie's. Stepping through the doors felt like stepping into elegance and onto the set of Goodfellas. From the hostess to the waiters to the manager everyone was super attentive and on top of their game. You can't go wrong with anything from the bar. I have never been a fan of Negronis but the one at Sammie's changed my life! I order them everywhere I go now searching for that Sammie's Negroni high but nothing comes close to it. The food was EPIC! Take a look at my pics everything we ordered was prepared to perfection but I still dream about the veal which took the whole table to devour. Also the Caesar Salad was .

Sammie's is absolutely delicious, but expect to pay for the ambiance, the food, and the fact that…read moreit's an Austin staple. My fiancé and I had an amazing time, and the food and service were great again. Our waitress went out of her way to make recommendations, make our night so special, and ensure our drinks were never empty. We got the mozzarella sticks (with an incredible cheese pull), the Caesar, and I had the Cacio e Pepe. I don't remember what he got, but the dessert was spectacular - Millefoglie al Cioccolato. Everything was delicious, but we were just a little shocked when we got the bill. (It was much more than what we expected) I would love to go back to lunch and do their jazz and lunch event.

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Cousin Louie’s Italian American

Cousin Louie’s Italian American

4.0(89 reviews)
13.8 mi
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Never heard of this place but got a coupon in the mail for a buy one lunch, get a free lunch…read more Decided to try it as I'm always looking for decent Italian food. As it turns out the coupon was only good during the week and it was Saturday. No big deal. I ordered a Meatball Sandwich, my friend an Italian Sandwich (after asking our excellent young waitress about it). She brought out two very tasty types of bread with olive oil for dipping. The sandwiches came with Garlic Fries. The Fries were delicious but unfortunately mine were lukewarm. I certainly could have asked for a fresh portion, but was hungry enough not to bother. That's the reason my rating wasn't 5 Star. Because the restaurant was pretty empty on this Saturday afternoon, I feel the Chef shouldn't have sent out fries that weren't piping hot. The Meatball Sandwich however was marvelous. Freshly made, tasty meatballs with sauce and cheese on their focaccia bread was a real treat. I took half home and ate the rest for dinner. All in all, I'd come back here again as the food was excellent as well as the service.

Great Name.! Amazing Expectations! Beautifully decorated space! Franky''s crooning in the…read morebackground. Lots of families out celebrating. Must serve tons of spaghetti and meat sauce for the kids. But we're not here for the early bird family special. This is big time birthday celebration for the patriarch of this gang of Bostonians out for some wicked Italian food. We started with the beautiful bread basket nice fresh slices with some soft focaccia. The Calamari was standard some crispy tentacles with tough chewy meat. Meatball appetizers were big and beautifully blended globs of ground beef and sausage served with sauce. Now the it's Primo time. The Molto Grande Patti. Pork Chops with Giardiniera . Somebody forgot to make golden brown cutlets so they served an overcooked slab of pork chop underneath an assortment of pickled vegetables over a bed of pasta in red sauce. The only taste was pickled everything. Back to the kitchen and off the table. Veal Piccata consisted of two slices of meat, non tenderized, non dredged in flour and non pan seared. Served atop linguini swimming in a sea of lemon sauce and capers. What a wonderful disaster this was. Then the Lasagna served in casserole. If the traditional Lasagna is too time consuming to make then don't fake it with a casserole that the old Irish Lady makes. Good lasagna is made with layers of pasta, rich sauce, gooey cheese made with ricotta, mozzarella and parmigiano cheeses and loads of ground beef and sausage. Come on that's too easy to mess up with this awful thing you put in front of me. Ok the Penne was cooked to perfection. The sauce with green floating in it tasted good once I got past the floating algae. Sorry Folks but Cousin Louie's is best left for the kids spaghetti feast. No place for grown ups to dine.

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