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- Neighborhoods:
- Yorkville, Midtown
- Categories:
- Restaurants
- Price:
- $$$
- Cuisine:
- Italian
- Restaurant Special Features:
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- General Info:
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At a Glance
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89% ambiance
“Wonderful atmosphere and amazing food!”
100% dessert
“The service and food were not compromised by preparing off site and the staff just as accommodating and friendly as ever- of course the garden at the restaurant is perfect for beautiful nights and great food, wine and dessert!”
92% drinks
“our server was outstanding, constantly giving us great suggestions for both food and wine.”
93% food quality
“The bread was delicious.”
84% menu variety
“Our waiter was good but didn't seem to know much about the extensive and impressive wine list.”
95% overall
“anyway, great food, great place, amazing garden.”
58% return potential
“Vespa is a great neighborhood find and I cant wait to go back when its not raining to sit in the outdoor garden.”
82% service
“The staff is helpful, polite and always smiling.”
95% value
“If you are looking for fun and good food at reasonable prices Vespa Restaurant is the spot.”
80% wait time
“Without a smile or an apology the hostess says we must wait another 30 -40 minutes for a table outside, and that she couldn't honor outdoor reservations anyway.”
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Vespa Restaurant
Tips for Vespa Restaurant
May 28, 2012
Great Pasta and a Patio in the Back.. I wanted to try out this restaurant ever since I walked by it on 2nd Avenue and saw the cool Vespa outside. I always wanted to ride one, so I tried the restaurant. It has a really pleasant outdoor patio in the back. You can’t do summer in the city without eating outside. I had a Penette pasta that hit the spot. I love eggplant. I must say though that I need to hit the gym hard to work it off.
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September 08, 2010
Great Homemade Pasta. The pastas are all homemade and flavorful (go for the orecchiette bolognese!); it's an awesome place to have a quit dinner for two but even a larger party is ok...very warm and cozy.
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June 22, 2010
Perfect for Any Crowd. I've been hear with parents, friends' parents, friends and everyone loves this place. I like that the menu changes each season - like for example, every season there is a scallop dish, but in the winter its a cream scallop dish, while in the warmer months, the dish is lighter. Salads are big enough that you can split with a friend. I'd highly recommend any scallop dish though on the menu.
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June 15, 2010
Just a terrific place....
I was looking for a place to have my 40th B-day dinner party, and my girlfriend came across Vespa in her research. After a couple of emails with Giacomo, one of the owners, we went there for dinner to sample the food and atmosphere. Giacomo took good care of us, bringing us a sampling of food and wine, and everything was really good. So we decided to do the shindig there for about 50 people in the back patio. We worked out a menu with Giacomo and Marlo (the other owner) and everything seemed fine, but I have to say I
remained a little apprehensive, because you never really know how these things work out... Everything turned out perfectly. I really couldn't have been more pleased. The food and the service were great, and the back patio looked magnificent. Giacomo and Marlo were terrific hosts, and did all kinds of mentschy things, serving a picky friend her favorite (off the menu) wine, cooking a vegan friend a special meal and just making sure everyone had a wonderful time. My friends and family are still talking about what a wonderful evening it was.
I've lived in NYC for almost 20 years now and have been to hundreds of restaurants in the city. In terms of the quality of food, service and atmosphere, not to mention that neighborhood atmosphere where the owners are on hand to make sure everything is perfect, nothing compares to Vespa. We will going back for many years to come...
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December 20, 2008
yum. love this place - great ambiance, extensive menu, friendly service. fab outside courtyard is wonderful in the warm weather. love this neighborhood gem!
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September 01, 2008
Wonderful outdoor patio, Great wine list!. My husband and I went to Vespa for the first time Sunday evening. The food was outstanding and the service was wonderful. I have a food allergy that unfortunately makes it hard for me to eat Italian food but Vespa cooked everything perfectly. When a problem did occur the female manager Angela handled the situation appropriately and professionally. My husband and I strongly disagree with another reviewer who claimed that the female manager was rude and not professional. We were treated great by her and all the staff. We would recommend Vespa to anyone and we look forward to going back.
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August 28, 2008
Loveee this Place. I can not tell you how much I love going to Vespa when I am in town visiting my sister. Whenever she knows I am coming in she calls and makes a reservation. We love to come in around 6:30 to beat the crowd that wants to sit in the Garden. As always we start off our night with either a Vespa Royale or Raspberry Mojito (can't go wrong with either)...The menu changes so we like to try new things so we always talk to the owner and he reccomends some great dishes.. The staff is always helpful and polite when we want something and have a question. As long as my sister lives up here we will always come to visit Vespa when I come into town (probably will come here even if she moves)....
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August 27, 2008
avoid the female manager. I have to say that I love Vespa, but this past experience put a bad taste in my mouth. My husband and I went to have dinner few days ago and our dinner was ruined by the rude female manager. We were looking to try something new this time around and asked our waiter to clarify some selections, when he couldn't he was nice enough to grab the manager like we asked. There were two managers and the female one came to our table and had a real attitude. My husband couldn't believe the way she was talking to us. Plus our questions were not fully answered. On the way out I told the other manager our experience and I hope that he spread the word about her behavior. If we plan to eat there again I will make sure I don't see that awful manger before I walk in.
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August 21, 2008
Amazing food ... mmmm.
Came here for drinks and apps with friends. Got to sit in the garden, which is awesome. Apps were so good we went ahead and ordered dinner. We all had something different, each of which was delicious. I'm still thinking about my cavatelli today!
Our waiter was great, too. Very nice and on top of things. The only bad part of the night was the manager/owner, who was not friendly and was trying to get us out of there as quickly as possible. I ignored him entirely because I'm a paying customer, too.
An added bonus is the HOT male hostess. Trust me, you'll know him when you see him.
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July 23, 2008
What a Great Night.... I love coming to Vespa on a beautiful summer night....The garden is always busy but the service is excellent....The new menu is to die for....Love the squash blossoms and the skirt steak.....The gelato selections they have are unique and is great after and full meal in the garden....Top everything off with a vespa Royale and Vespa makes my night....
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Best of Citysearch
Won for:
Outdoor Dining
(2006)
Nominated for:
Italian Food
(2007)
Outdoor Dining (2007)
Italian Food (2006)
Italian Food (2005)
Outdoor Dining (2005)
Outdoor Dining (2007)
Italian Food (2006)
Italian Food (2005)
Outdoor Dining (2005)