Had eggplant came with lots of sauce on and nothing else. No cheese, no pasta, eggplant had skin left on. Was one of the worse eggplant dinners I have had in years. Previous owners had great food. They also try to hustle you out as quick as you get there. Waitress came to table immediately after seating and asked are you ready to order before even ordering a drink. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else for Italian cuisine. read more

I went to our local italian restaurant Viola's. I arrived at 4:45pm. I was asked if I had a reservation. Kind of threw me for a loop, when I arrived this early. After mixed messages from the hostess staff, I was told that our party of 3 could not be seated because we did not have a reservation. I was offered potential seating at the bar of which I did not want. The hostess explained that she had 11 reservations for the evening. I replied, "Are you turning us away?" She said, "Essentially, in a way, yes." Viola's website does not indicate that reservations are in fact required. We will not ever be back to Viola's and went on to Romano's where we were treated as welcome patrons and had a much better meal. Thank you. read more

My hubby and I came to St. Augustine for a few days to get away. We were recommended this restaurant by a local. Violas did not disappoint. Super friendly staff, very attentive and the food was amazing. We sat at the bar and met a very nice couple. We would highly recommend! The owner even remembered my name when we left! read more

Violas - Veal and Chicken Parmigiana - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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Super nice inside Wait staff excellent Calamari...not great too uniform and perfect? Didn't seem freshly breaded? Pesto sauce was fantastic but the blackened shrimp was so fishy I couldn't eat it. Meatball parm sandwich was great and the homemade fries are a bonus. read more

We have gone there for the last three years while on vacation and absolutely love this place. The food is amazing, the service is great and the atmosphere is wonderful. The owner is literally one of the sweetest ladies I've ever met. Her daughter was our bartender and server, and she was amazing as well. Mom and daughters traditional dinner four years, going strong!! read more

Was recommended by a local while eating at another restaurant. Great advice. Was literally salivating as meals were being delivered to others. We ordered pizza to go and were quickly devoured. Daughter in law had the gluten free pizza and was good the next day too. Look forward to exploring the rest of the menu next time in town. read more

We all fight to get in here!! Literally we call the week before vaca and make sure we have a table. Sit down in house fabulous dining with gorgeous Italian foods. Later in the week we usually get pizza take out here. It's only The BEST! read more

Always a great meal! Good wine, delicious garlic knots, yummy pasta. Make reservations!

Pasta - make your own vodka sauce and alfredo. Absolutely incredible!! Would come back over and over for this!! Cheese pizza, medium- pretty good. Probably wouldn't get again. read more

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With all the good reviews, we had to try it. We had a reservation, so we were seated promptly. Then we waited. Ordered 2 glasses of wine, and we waited. Ordered appetizer, and we waited. Very slow service. Then finally got our dinner and it was ok. The sauce was on the bitter side, not really to our liking. Maybe it was just an off night, but unfortunately we didn't think it was anything special. read more

We just moved to St Aug a few weeks ago and are trying to find some go to places. Well this IS one! Wife and I had dinner last week. Very professional and friendly staff. The owner was there as well and was very involved and also really nice and welcoming. We didn't want to fill up on apps so we just went for a couple of entrees. My wife had Veal Picatta with linguini......it was spot on delicious and the portion size was plentiful. I had the Lasagna which was supposed to be a house special and it was great. I make a good lasagna and grew up in a huge Italian family and this tasted like home. The next night we were hungry but didn't want to cook so I ordered a couple of Pizzas for take away. Again very very good. We had the white pie with lots of fresh garlic and prosciutto and the Veggie pie. Nice thin crust, ample toppings and quality ingredients. The owner said thanks for coming again which is nice to hear in todays fast paced world. She takes the time to make you feel at home. Try it you'll love it! read more

We love Violas. The menu offers a variety of Italian dishes, and everything we have ordered has been delicious, without exception. The service is top class. Reservations strongly recommended because this restaurant is in high demand. Carry out is available, which we use mostly for their delicious pizza, but also works for other menu items. I prefer sitting in the bar area for dinner--allowing for conversations with other people, watching the kitchen, wait staff activity, etc. My husband likes the individual dining tables for more privacy. Either way, take the seating offered and just enjoy the fabulous food. Violas is worth it. read more

First time visit, we will definitely return....many times! The food was very authentic, a warm and welcoming staff and atmosphere. If you are looking for REAL Italian food, this should be your go to. Just wonderful. read more

We were surprised at just how good the food was! I expected the linguine vorgole to be good but my husbands fish and chips were outstanding! The hostess and waitress were both very friendly and accommodating when we stopped without reservations. (We didn't know that they recommended them). They were able to get us in in about 10 minutes! read more

You can't go wrong with Viola's. As locals who have grown weary of the restaurant scene in St. Augustine, Viola's remains one of our go-tos and a favorite right on the island. The food is consistently delicious and the service is always great. The owners are present every time we've been there and they run a tight ship. Highly recommend! read more

Absolutely one of our favorites! Wonderful customer service and food every visit! Great wine list too!

My husband and I decided to check out Violas on our trip to St. Augustine this year. We had a craving for some delicious italian food and were not steered in the wrong direction by this recommendation from our hotel staff. We decided to attempt to call over there on Saturday night, but continuously got a busy signal. Despite the uncertainty, if we were going to be able to get in, we took a drive toward the restaurant. We pulled into the parking lot, which was jam packed with cars. We assumed that it was unlikely that we were going to successfully get a table, but we decided to park anyway. We walked into the restaurant and was greeted by the kindest woman ever! She asked us to wait a second while we figured out some things prior to seating us, but it seemed like we were up next! Woo hoo! As we waited, the bartender approached us to get us a drink. Since we didn't know the progress of a table being prepared, we declined but were super grateful to even have been noticed. The woman who greeted us came back shortly after and walked us over to our table. We couldn't believe it! We were quickly greeted by our waiter, a nice young man who had indicated that he had been working here for an extremely long time. We were happy to get him as he was confident in the menu and even provided a plethora of recommendations for us. We ordered the mussels with garlic bread as an appetizer, only to be pleasantly surprised that by dipping the bread into the mussel sauce would make our mouths water even more than we realized. Great recommendation! My husband, a relatively larger guy who can put down some food, ordered the lasagna from the menu. I was steered in the direction of a panko crusted salmon with piccata sauce, from our waiter. This wasn't on the menu, but it was a spin off of the Pank crusted mahi. Neither of our dinners disappointed. Literally, we were basically licking the piccata sauce off of my plate. We could not have been more ecstatic about our experience here and will definitely be back next year. Thanks so much for the awesome service, food, and experience. read more

Best place to eat in St Augustine hands down. You'll be thinking of this place after the fact and for good reason. They are worth the wait and or the reservation. I don't know if there are words to explain how good my food tasted. I have never had pasta nor chicken of that quality. Our order was correct and the waitress was very kind. It has been over a month since we ate at Vilola's and after eating somewhere else in St Augustine we can't wait to go back to Viola's Stop reading reviews on Yelp you have found the best place to eat . read more

Well I went there for lunch. Their website shows a lunch menu. Nope! Now on to the food review. This place gets great reviews and you need a reservation in advance for dinner. Why? I ordered chicken parm. The portion was good size but the taste was average. The gravy was ok at best. The chicken breading bland. I'm Italian I know good gravy this was ahhhh. The search for good Italian continues. read more

$21 for 4 raviolis that tasted like not so fresh fish (lobster). But besides that 4??? How is that acceptable?

Viola's was incredible! Our waitress was sweet and funny. For our appetizers we ordered the New England clam chowder & Greek salad.for entrees we ordered the Shrimp and Grits (phenomenal!!!), pesto balsamic with blackened salmon special, and shrimp scampi. Everything on this menu is delicious but the shrimp & grits just stole the show! We'll be back when we return. read more

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We love Viola's for a good Italian meal. Their food takes like authentic, "homemade" Italian food! I especially love their lasagna! We highly recommend Viola's for locals as well as those vacationing in St Augustine. read more

While in St. Augustine recently, our friends raved about Viola's. We made reservations for a Sunday evening and all of us had a wonderful meal. The place is not that large but the hostess (which I believe was the owner) had our table ready shortly after we arrived. We were totally delighted that they had our favorite wine on their wine list. After pursuing the menu, I opted for the eggplant rollatini. This came recommended by someone we met on the beach. It was delicious. Fresh sliced eggplant stuffed with three cheeses & herbs then rolled & baked to perfection! On top of this, the fried cheesecake was amazing. read more

Violas - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

The food gets Four stars. The service and ambiance gets Two. Here is why. My son, wife, and I arrived at 4 on a Saturday. We did not have reservations but we were seated right away. We ordered a pizza for an appetizer (which they cut in squares for easier app sharing). The waiter took our meal orders once he put to app order in. The place was hopping. Lots of people coming in and very few tables. While we were about halfway through the pizza, a group of older diners came in. Since we were seated by the hostess we could hear her tell them they would have to wait but it wouldn't be too long and that they would get our table since we were almost done eating. Not True as we hadn't even received our meal. For the next 45 minutes the group hovered around our table giving us nasty looks. Their heads almost exploded when we got our entrees causing one old lady to scream, " They're eating MORE!l?!" Now it didn't help that the entrees took a really long time to come out. And it's not the fault of the restaurant that rude people exist. But it is the fault of the experienced hostess to a) not know that we were nowhere close to done when she promised a quick seating and b) placing them within close proximity. The experience wrapped up nicely when, rather than serve us the large meatball app (5 meatballs for $13) that I was splitting with my son (hey, I just ate half a pizza!), they served two 3 meatball apps with extra marinara and ricotta for an extra $9. Not the end of the world but after having people urging you to eat quickly with their eyes, it wasn't a good way to end the evening. read more

Violas - Pizza margarita - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Garlic white pizza Excellent with prosciutto and thin crust cook to perfection great staff and great location read more

Violas - GARLIC white with prosciutto - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Very nice restaurant. The garlic knots were delicious. 3 in our party of 6 had the Chicken Parm and it was good, but if you're expecting a thin cutlet, it's not like that. The marinara was ok not awesome, but better than most. The baked ziti was good and a huge portion. The balsamic salmon special was amazing as was the lobster bisque. We had the chocolate lava cake and tiramisu and they were very good. All of the portions were very big. I would go again - I'd like to try the pizza. read more

An amazing experience at one of the best restaurants in the St. Augustine Beach area! A great menu, nice at-home yet classy atmosphere and excellent service. We had the garlic knots to start, along with Caesar salad, then our party had pizza, penne pasta with vodka sauce, and Parmesan/panko crusted mahi with sides of pasta and marina and sautéed spinach. All of it was excellent, and the mahi was a huge portion and some of the best I've had anywhere. I highly recommend Violas as a top choice in the area. read more

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We received an extremely overcooked Garlic White Prosciutto Pizza on 1/7/24 which was pretty much inedible. We each choked down one crunchy, dry slice each when we gave up on the black bottom, large burn bubbles top. I phoned attempting to get a new pizza. I was invited to bring the pizza back and get they would make another upon return. I didn't want to have to wait a half hour while they made another pie and I waited, standing held up by my cane. The part that burns me (pun intended) was that I arrived 5 minutes later than I was told so I wouldn't have to stand waiting. But the pizza was still in the oven. Had they removed it when it was supposed to have been ready, perhaps it would not have been burnt. read more

Violas - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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Food & Service were outstanding. Portions enormous. Being able to make reservations two weeks in advance a great feature.

Adding a review since Covid has changed things. I recommend making reservations as Violas is still as popular as it has always been, even during the odd season. They are so busy that even a reservation at the bar was necessary! It is still worth it if you want great homemade Italian food and great service! I can't say enough good things about Viola's. read more

Violas - Chicken Parm Sandwich - Seafood Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

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I ordered the lobster ravioli. I ask the waitress to add more Alfredo to the vodka sauce. She thought it was better to bring the Alfredo on the side. NOT. There Alfredo is vinegary with herbs. My husbands veal Parmesan was ok but nothing to write home about. Calamari was our appetizer....please! Frozen is the best an Italian restaurant can do? They arrived semi warm but the fan over head took care of that. Don't go hear if you have a hearing issue because the sound is overwhelming. read more

Came here with our two labs after bathing them nearby. We sat out on the patio and the service was excellent and the food was amazing. Garlic Knots, meatballs, fish and chips, white pizza with Prosciutto and red wine sangria. OMG, great high quality food. The fries are cooked from fresh potatoes seasoned perfectly. The fish was lightly breaded and perfectly cooled. The tarter sauce is out of this world! The pizza was so soooooooo good! Just come here and try it! We will be back often. read more

Violas is a quaint hidden treasure. The food is excellent along with the service. I would highly recommend giving this place a try!

830 today and since I have celiac disease, I had the gluten-free pizza which was wonderful and the servers there are just great. They're very knowledgeable and their menu and I can't wait to go back. read more

We've lived on the island for five years and it wasn't until just a few months ago that we checked out violas. It was such a great experience! Very busy - but great service and awesome food! Went back there for lunch just last week and ordered pizza... no doubt the best pizza on the island! Can't wait to go back! read more

Food was great however we arrived at 5:15 was told there were reservations and we needed to be out In an hour and 15 minutes. I thought it was rude for the hostess to say that. I have hosted at high end restaurants and we would just say we were too busy to sit you. We had teens with so could not linger anyways but typically we order apps, multiple wines and dessert but being rushed we did none that this. The waitress never rushed us though read more

Our pizza was ridiculously good the ambience great the wait staff, knowledgeable, friendly and attentive. I have nothing better to say- it was just a great dinner. read more

My husband, grandchildren, and I were visiting Fort Matanzas last week and in search of a lunch spot. We are so happy that we discovered Viola's! The staff was very gracious and welcoming, the dining area was lovely, and the food was absolutely delicious. The children's meal servings were substantial and a big hit with our grandkids. Our pizza was really flavorful- we especially enjoyed the white garlic variety. We all want to go back and try more dishes! read more

First time trying Violas. 1) Service- awesome 2) Food- based on our experience Apps- Calimari- ok/not worth it Size- small Taste- ok Clams- very good but too much basil Main - Pasta fradiavlo- delish! Chicken picatta- delish! Desert- Fried Chessecake- delish! Cannoli-- fresh shell/filling awesome For future l'm- I would ask to leave off the chocolate syrup...... it's too much read more

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Food is always good. Can't go wrong with viola. We stay in the area once a yr and always eat here on our way home.