Enoteca Vespaio Reviews

Excellent food and service. Be ready for a wait as it can get busy. Portion sizes are very generous. We had the mussels as appetizers and it was a very generous portion so order it for the table. It was done very well. Rich tomato sauce and fresh mussels.
I had a pizza and it was among the best I've had, cheesy but not greasy, sausage that was spicy but not overwhelming. My wife had the shrimp and she was happy with it. Our friend had the butternut squash ravioli and she and my wife both loved it. We also had a tiramisu and it was excellent.
I'll highly recommend this place is you are in town. There's ample space for parking behind and by the side of the building.

Very impressive service. ...food was delicious....worth every penny. ..we had the spinach noodle lasagna....trust me...share it...you will have to be rolled out of there. ...

Sad to say that in spite of the fact that we enjoyed lunch, the service and care of customers was poor. We arrived after two pm, yesterday, Sunday. I was treating my daughter and 21 month old grandson to lunch. As it was a beautiful day, we requested patio seating. The patio was half empty, yet the Host insisted on cramming us into a table for two. It was a big deal for him as the larger tables were were reserved ie, being held for more than two adults and a child.

Every waiter that walked past our table bumped my daughters chair during our lunch. Our own waiter had to be asked for bread, minor infraction, yet it all added up. Although not listed on the menus, we learned there was a children s menu. We did order a meal for our little one. The meals arrived. No doubt they were delicious. However, my daughters lunch was light on sauce. Again, minor.

As we departed, the patio was still half empty. Several larger, more comfortable tables were available. Half of any restaurant experience is comfort and atmosphere. Enoteca Vespaio frankly cares more about their bottom line than welcoming their customers and providing a comfortable dining experience. The kindest person we met at that restaurant was the friendly parking valet.

The rigatoni is likely my favorite Italian dish in town.

Cozy place with nice staff. Delicious regular and daily menu options. The shrimp scampi was the best I have ever had. Excellent wine and cocktail selection as well.

Great Italian fare! Delicious food and daily happy hour. Excellent service too!

Excellent every time we think Enoteca can no longer surprise us with their food excellence suddenly and behold we encountered this beautiful dish Spaghetti Con Polpette Do Vitello.... (which translates to a very rustic & richly delicious goodness made-from-scratch by some of the finest Chefs in Austin. Oh aka translates into veal meatballs filled with Fontina cheese marsala spinach.)
Thank you

Amazing food and great service
A family favourite

The spinach salad is amazing. Great food, nice staff

Pretty good food..upscale Italian..mediocre service. This place has great potential but I guess it depends on the server you get and what time of the week you visit. We have been 3 times now and keep coming back for the food and atmosphere but the service is a crap shoot.

The service was excellent but the food was poor to mediocre. The food was over salted making it unpalatable. I find with most restaurants if they cannot prepare the food well they over salt and rely to heavily on butter. This is a pricey restaurant but their food in no way merits those prices. One other major issue, there was a long black hair in the fried calamari and although they replaced the order it made the meal, well, unpleasant after that. All chefs/cooks needs to wear a hair nets and I so advised them.

vespaio's sibling far surpasses it bigger brother. simple pastas and finger foods are excellent, there is a good, well priced wine list, and the take-out counter has enough delicacies to sate, at least partially, a craving for high-quality italian ingredients. service can be slow and sometimes surly, but sit on the patio, watch the beautiful people and ignore the waiters.

Bread with homemade butter - the bread here is fantastic, and the butter that comes with it tastes amazing. Both are made fresh and the quality of the ingredients being put into these items is apparent.

Always a great. Great food and wonderful service. Our South Congress favorite.

Great service. Chris and Johnny were fabulous.

Everything here is great. I could cut someone for their pizza.

Delicious. So many gluten free options (pasta, cheesecake, mouse, etc.) I love this places and their happy hour is my favorite

In spite of being a tourist hot spot, I still give this five stars for incredible cooking and service. We avoided this spot for years due to the location, but when we finally went we realized that it is some of the best food to have in town, and definitely the best Italian fare we've tried in Austin. On our first visit I had the veal with a roasted lemon on the side that was so out of this world, and my husband had the baked lasagna. Our seasonal dessert was the perfect end to the most satisfying dinner. Many friends have had fun celebrity sightings at this spot over the years, and I can see why. The food holds up!

Great atmosphere, incredible food and super friendly staff!

Absolutely delicious restaurant in the south Congress area. House made pastas are to die for. The paninis and pizzas are incredible too. Enoteca Vespaio for lunch time and Vespaio for dinner are not to be missed.

Great service and very high quality food. Great place for brunch.

Very good food! Friendly service! Great for a solo work traveler

Great food
Great service

Get. The. Risotto. Insanely good, one of the best risottos In the country.

Best italian food I have honestly had! Best service I have had! I have FALLEN IN LOVE with Vespaio! WILL TOTALLY RECOMMEND! Simply WOW.

I have been seeking out a go-to Italian restaurant in Austin for sometime now and have tried various spots as a longtime resident of this city. However nothing quite grabbed me like Vespaio. Both capturing the essence of what makes Austin special and Italian cuisine so palatable to the American sensibility, Vespaio is a lovely dining experience with an authentic menu that everyone can enjoy.

The food is FANTASTIC! And the overall atmosphere is lovely.. I would definitely come here again. It's hard to find really great Italian restaurants in Austin (in my opinion) so I as glad to find this gem!

Really disappointed in the way we were treated. Waited what seemed like 30 min for a tuna tartar. Go if you have time but if you are wanting to stop by for a quick bite not your destination

You must get the pepper shooters! Or the duck mousse!

This is a great restaurant. Italian, good food, friendly and efficient service. Free valet parking in back. Moderate prices for what you get.

Warm and cozy is how I would describe this place. We were here for my birthday dinner, everything was just perfect. Service, Food, Presentation, Flavors, Ambience all on point. Their Manicotti definitely hit the spot. Risotto balls were great too. Best for Date nights

Was a 4 star, but the new menu isn't. Calamari was so visibly bad that the waitress offered to take it off the bill without us asking. My wife and I are their every few weeks for years. Had our special table and wine. Disappointed we can no longer enjoy. May just be a 1 star now.

Watch out when you go here they will double charge you for your tip if you have a party greater than 6 people. When I questioned it they disagreed 3 times until I had to use my calculator to prove to them they double charged my tip. On a 250 dollar tab that adds up

Best Italian in Texas! Everything I mean everything is fresh. Shameful if you dont try it!

Loved the ambiance, service was great. Very Italian atmosphere and inspired menu, but I don't eat pork so I couldn't partake in much. The zucchini fries were to die for. The veal meatballs stuffed with cheese was magnifico, I was pissed that I couldn't finish the entire dish before leaving Texas. BELLISIMO

Some of the best Italian food I have ever had. Very authentic and anything you choose to get will be amazing. Out server, Jaime, was an amazing server and definitely one of the best I have ever had. I had the grilled octopus which I have. Never tried but made me a believer in trying things recommended by the server!

Antipasti are authentic and unique. The cioppino may be the best dish I have had in Austin. Great fresh seafood and just the right amount of tomato in the broth. Simple and delicious.

This place is great. The specials are always amazing!

Went to the Enoteca side. Good service and pleasant if crowded atmosphere. Had just an ok entree and great dessert.

Very good food, I needed to be in and out quick, and the waiter was even faster than I expected - would highly recommend

Amazing food and amazing service!! It made for an incredible night. They do a great job celebrating birthdays too!

Excellent food and a quiet, intimate experience for our date night. We've been here multiple times and it's always pleasant.

*Saw Burrata on their special menu February 28th 2020.
Could not resist ordering... Knew that the risks are great. Because I was lucky to eat Burrata in Italy this summer.

So as you can judge, I was disappointed.
Not only it was listed in menu that it had RICOTTA inside, when originally it is supposed to be STRACCIATELLA and cream. It tasted nothing like fresh cheese, that is supposed to melt in your mouth.

I am telling you, once you try the real Italian one - you can't suffice with the version that was served.

However we had no problem sending it back. Appreciated the understanding.

*Pizza was ok.
Had great ingredients but taste was off. Very salty from prosciutto and cheese. Was very hungry. But did not want more.

*I did NOT have pasta myself. Tried from friend's plate. For those interested - it was overcooked. You had one job.

Decorations were beautiful and service was good :)

Favorite date night spot! Atmosphere is lovely and the food is always tasty

Great Italian food in a small, but very cozy, romantic setting.

Food was ok. Waiter was nice. Seating very cramped. Could not get up without moving table. High prices.

They make their noodles in-house! I've been to this spot a number of times and each time I was incredibly happy with what I ordered, the service and setting.

Vespaio is always worth a visit and at this point is one of the old standbys in Austin. It's not as hip as some of the newer places, but serves up great inspired Italian dishes and well made drinks. Service is always top notch. Negatives are that it can get a little loud at times and they don't take reservations.

Very delicious pasta. I got the mushroom spinach and cream sauce pasta and it was so so good. My husband got the spaghetti with veal meatballs and enjoyed the meatballs and the red sauce.

Great location to sit on patio. Great food great service. We also tried three desserts and agreed the lemon panna cotta was to die for

This is one of the best Italian restaurants I've eaten in.

Just ate here tonight on a Valentine's date. Before I write this I wish to preface it with the understanding that I am from Chicago so my standards are much higher in quality...
Our opening olive oil sauce for the sliced bread was awful. I don't believe it was extra virgin olive oil or even virgin olive oil. It tasted like it was a third press batch. It lacked flavor even with heavy salting that I tried to add to it. There were already spices within it, but sadly to no avail. But it looked great.
Then came the meal... I had chicken parmesan with pasta. The pasta was angel hair, the chicken breast was ample, the cheese was melted and properly blackened and the entire plate looked marvelous... but then I took a bite!
The pasta and chicken were almost as flavorless as the olive oil. Which was consequently also used on the pasta.
My date had a clam pasta and she too expressed a lack of flavorful expression. But she never having experienced Italian foods from either Chi town or NYC I don't believe she really grasped the lack and totality of mediocrity this place was exuding.
Oh, they do get highest marks, on romantic settings, good menu selection, and superb culinary presentations but from a former northern who has eaten well, this doesn't come close for me to recommend it to anyone.
It was essentially over-priced hype. Because if it isn't good then at any price is too much.
I have literally ate better version of these same meals at low grade Chicago restaurants. No exaggeration! There were many hole in the wall joints in Chicago that served this for a third of the cost and 7x the flavor!
Don't get me wrong, the chicken breast was large and juicy. Nothing was over cooked or under done. And it all looked beautiful... it just completely fell short on taste which should be why anyone eats anywhere.

loved this place. great service, great foid, great wine

The food was great! A bit pricy. The only reason I only gave 4 stars was because the service was slow. And it was a Monday and there were empty tables. Not sure if that's the norm, but I would recommend it for the food.

Enoteca has great prices for being prime location in Austin. The food is great. The wine list is extensive. The deserts are unbelievable. I highly recommend this place.

We had pizza with italien sausage, it was delicous.

Hung out here after walking up and down SoCo. Pretty good place for a chat or for a date. I had the latte and it was just like any other latte that I've had - nothing special. I would come back more for the ambiance.

Started with a couple of hand crafted martinis, ordered up the mussels and finished up our drinks, perused the wine list and found an aglianico I could not resist, my wife (taffy) and I agreed on the veal piccata to share, we both loved it and found it to be plenty to share. She had coffee and I had some gelato, sat at the bar the entire time and loved the entire experience.

SO GOOD!!! My husband and I went here for our anniversary and the service was phenomenal. We are from Dallas so we were looking for a good Italian place while we were in town and this place did not disappoint!! The pasta is fresh and light. We ordered espresso martinis and they are by far the best we have ever had! Next time we are in Austin, we will for sure be back!

Food is AMAZING!!

Service was average. Not great, not horrible.

But the food...

So good! Great selection of drinks, wines, dishes and desserts. We got the lasagna and it was the best I've ever had. We also got the cannoli, you must get it! Everything was so fresh and service was great. We had Doug, he was great!

Lived up to the hype! Took my wife there for her birthday dinner. Hostess hooked us up with an amazing table. Waiter was attentive, professional and knowledgeable. Food was excellent. Ambiance was classy and established.
It's a must go type of restaurant. We'll be back when my in laws come to town.

Visited here second time. Great service, good food.

Wow! I've been here a few times, and it seems like to get better every time. This last visit, my wife got the lasagna and I got the pork loin. First, the lasagna seems to be enough for about 3 people, so plan on taking some home with you unless you're really hungry. And the pork loin was quite possibly the best I've ever had. The mix of flavors from the kale and mashed potatoes were divine.

Like I said, this wasn't the first time I've eaten here, and it won't be the last. Good stuff!

The wait staff was very friendly, and very nice, but I ordered a panini and I got overpriced Subway sandwich it's not even close to a panini.

I cannot complain about the pasta I got.
The food-wise, they are amazing. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu.
The interior is too crowded and feels a bit uncomfortably, but there are seats outside, which is a little better.
Because it is crowded and packed, the servers are too busy and not as attentive, which is why I only gave "very good". But still, they were professional and nice.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Austin. Nice lunch specials, good desserts.

Small, cozy, upscale Italian restaurant. Perfect for date nights & special occasions.

Toscana pizza may be the best sausage pizza I ve ever had.

This is a mainstay for solid Italian and wine, always have a great time having dinner here year after year.

I'm a stickler when it comes to legit Italian food, this place doesn't disappoint and reminds me of my days in Milano.

Great food and atmosphere. Wait staff are polite and helpful. Only complaint is the tables are a bit small.

We had a great meal here during SXSW, it wasn't too crowded.

Very helpful
Very crowded. There for a special occasion-.my sister's wedding.

people on yelp loved this place I thought it was ok. The food was fine the waiter was really forgetful. It didnt live up to the hype