This Italian restaurant is fantastic. I love the food the service and where it's located. Besides it feeling a little bit crowded it is a place I recommend.
Amazing little place fantastic food, 5* quality . Try it to believe it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kid Kiks
Pros : We had a really nice waitress and hostess. Attentive and friendly. Orecchiette was really good! A touch salty for my taste, but overall flavorful and not something you feel like you could whip up at home easily.Cons : Salad was soggy and basically spring mix with cherry tomatoes and a couple of pomegranate bits. Calamari was the most overcooked I've ever experienced, I didn't even realize it could be that dry and tough. Scallops were overcooked as well and truffle sauce was a little runny.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
Trey Beck
I went tonight with my fianceé and she ordered the steak special and it was undercooked amd the second time the quality of the ribeye steak was poor and did not align with the price point. They charged us for the dish she didn't eat. The staff was nice, but how the food was served was unacceptable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Denise Hutter
Excellent service. Nice location. How do you ruin Italian food?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Gene Stark
Food was decent, the servers were friendly, but the overall Service was meh. We were a group of 6 guys who were celebrating a pal's birthday (cost was not an issue).We had issues receiving the following after many requests:* Additional Bread - requested 6 times* Red Pepper flakes - requested 4 times* Refilled water glass (never happened)Appreciated dining at Via Vai but they aren't the only restaurant in town. Won't be back for a very long while.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Carolina Pavez
Loved the atmosphere, deliciuos food. The service of the waitresses and hosts is great. I will recommend it 100%
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cassandra Wischstadt
Love, love love this place, the food is authentic and makes you feel like the chef made it just for you, no mass production here. You may as well consider yourself having a private chef for the night!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pesto Gnocchi, Gnocchi, Panna Cotta with Honey & Berries, Lobster Ravioli, Calamari Fritti, Mushroom and Sausage Fettuccine
Paul Y.
Wow! What a wonderful meal! The food was super authentic, Ivan is a magician in the kitchen, and he made the PERFECT al dente pasta. Marco is super friendly and the entire service staff is extremely attentive. The prices are very fair and the wine selection is unique too. Most of all, they make you feel like family instead of just as a customer. A++!
Mikey H.
I had heard that one of my favorite servers had come up here to open this new Italian restaurant. My friends call me a stalker, but it just so happens that Lorenzo has worked at two of my favorite restaurants, Il Postino (sadly has closed) and Piacere - South Park. He wasn't working when we came for lunch but our server was great! I can't remember her name but both young women working during lunch were great!We ordered a Malbec and an Italian style soda for Jo, whose birthday we were celebrating. We started with the crispy calamari and bruschetta, both so good! For lunch, I had the pesto with tagliatelle and chicken, amazing! Flavorful basil! I had to admit it was best I've tasted in a long time! Jo wanted spaghetti carbonara, and was skeptical about it here cause he had it at some place he loved. But in dove into that dish like it was his last meal, claiming how delicious it was! LOL! The others had the Petto Di Pollo Limone E Capperi...so good! Though Des thought it was too lemony. What? Scooter thought it was perfect!We ended with dessert and I had to try the nutella cheesecake, so good! Scooter had the affrogato and loved the presentation! The birthday boy enjoyed his canoli!What a great place to come to! Lorenzo came in just before we left and it was great to see him and find out a little more about the restaurant. We will definitely come back up since I've never really been to Carlsbad but what a great place to come to!
Such a great addition to Carlsbad Village! Italian is my favorite cuisine so I can be a little extra picky, and Via Vai did not disappoint. I've gone twice and both visits were fantastic - from the food to the service and the details in between. Several of the staff has authentic Italian accents and they're knowledgeable about the various dishes, specials & wine they have. I enjoyed the chicken Parmesan - great portion size, reasonably priced and phenomenal flavor. Looking forward to my next visit!
Carla L.
I had a wonderful experience here and everything gets a five star in my book.Lorenzo and Diego were awesome servers. I loved the Pinot noir from Italy and the zucchini soup was scrumptious. I opted for the pasta putanesca and it was perfect - al dente!The restaurant was super cozy and pretty, especially because of the Christmas lights.For dessert, the panacota was just right!Can't wait to come back. Kudos to all.
Thomas T.
Great Italian food and great place to eat, especially on a weekday date night when it's not too crowded or busy. Glad we came here. Very good food and service. Not the best I've ever had but definitely quality food and attentive service. For starters we got the Artichoke app. Different but delicious. What I liked about this is that it's easy to eat. Not like those huge artichokes the size of pineapples that you have to take apart like a Lego set and eat. I then got their Caesar salad. It was whatevs. Basic and nothing to write home about. I got the Linguine Pesto with Chicken. Very tasty and hearty dish. If you like pesto and sun dried tomatoes I highly recommend this dish. My date got the White wine Chicken with Carrots and Capers I believe it was. She loved it. Said it was better than my dish haha. Ended with Tiramisu and it was also on point. Great service. Didn't catch our servers name since she didn't introduce herself. Their wine selection is very basic. But it's enough for what you need here Love their outdoor patio area with heaters.
Mike Hauncho
Great service and good food. Small location that gets very busy. The food was very good, but not great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Carbonara
*Rick *Knell
Ceasar salad 2 *, carpaccio 3*, bread plus dip 4*, wine 5*, dinners Cioppino and Sea bass, both 6*. All and all a 4 star experience, we definitely will come back.
This Italian restaurant is fantastic. I love the food the service and where it's located. Besides it feeling a little bit crowded it is a place I recommend.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Gnocchi, Meatballs, Sauce, Pesto, Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina, Spaghetti Carbonara
Amazing little place fantastic food, 5* quality . Try it to believe it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Pros : We had a really nice waitress and hostess. Attentive and friendly. Orecchiette was really good! A touch salty for my taste, but overall flavorful and not something you feel like you could whip up at home easily.Cons : Salad was soggy and basically spring mix with cherry tomatoes and a couple of pomegranate bits. Calamari was the most overcooked I've ever experienced, I didn't even realize it could be that dry and tough. Scallops were overcooked as well and truffle sauce was a little runny.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 5
I went tonight with my fianceé and she ordered the steak special and it was undercooked amd the second time the quality of the ribeye steak was poor and did not align with the price point. They charged us for the dish she didn't eat. The staff was nice, but how the food was served was unacceptable.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 1
Service: 3
Excellent service. Nice location. How do you ruin Italian food?
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 1
Service: 5
Food was decent, the servers were friendly, but the overall Service was meh. We were a group of 6 guys who were celebrating a pal's birthday (cost was not an issue).We had issues receiving the following after many requests:* Additional Bread - requested 6 times* Red Pepper flakes - requested 4 times* Refilled water glass (never happened)Appreciated dining at Via Vai but they aren't the only restaurant in town. Won't be back for a very long while.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Loved the atmosphere, deliciuos food. The service of the waitresses and hosts is great. I will recommend it 100%
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Love, love love this place, the food is authentic and makes you feel like the chef made it just for you, no mass production here. You may as well consider yourself having a private chef for the night!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pesto Gnocchi, Gnocchi, Panna Cotta with Honey & Berries, Lobster Ravioli, Calamari Fritti, Mushroom and Sausage Fettuccine
Wow! What a wonderful meal! The food was super authentic, Ivan is a magician in the kitchen, and he made the PERFECT al dente pasta. Marco is super friendly and the entire service staff is extremely attentive. The prices are very fair and the wine selection is unique too. Most of all, they make you feel like family instead of just as a customer. A++!
I had heard that one of my favorite servers had come up here to open this new Italian restaurant. My friends call me a stalker, but it just so happens that Lorenzo has worked at two of my favorite restaurants, Il Postino (sadly has closed) and Piacere - South Park. He wasn't working when we came for lunch but our server was great! I can't remember her name but both young women working during lunch were great!We ordered a Malbec and an Italian style soda for Jo, whose birthday we were celebrating. We started with the crispy calamari and bruschetta, both so good! For lunch, I had the pesto with tagliatelle and chicken, amazing! Flavorful basil! I had to admit it was best I've tasted in a long time! Jo wanted spaghetti carbonara, and was skeptical about it here cause he had it at some place he loved. But in dove into that dish like it was his last meal, claiming how delicious it was! LOL! The others had the Petto Di Pollo Limone E Capperi...so good! Though Des thought it was too lemony. What? Scooter thought it was perfect!We ended with dessert and I had to try the nutella cheesecake, so good! Scooter had the affrogato and loved the presentation! The birthday boy enjoyed his canoli!What a great place to come to! Lorenzo came in just before we left and it was great to see him and find out a little more about the restaurant. We will definitely come back up since I've never really been to Carlsbad but what a great place to come to!
Restaurantji Recommends
Such a great addition to Carlsbad Village! Italian is my favorite cuisine so I can be a little extra picky, and Via Vai did not disappoint. I've gone twice and both visits were fantastic - from the food to the service and the details in between. Several of the staff has authentic Italian accents and they're knowledgeable about the various dishes, specials & wine they have. I enjoyed the chicken Parmesan - great portion size, reasonably priced and phenomenal flavor. Looking forward to my next visit!
I had a wonderful experience here and everything gets a five star in my book.Lorenzo and Diego were awesome servers. I loved the Pinot noir from Italy and the zucchini soup was scrumptious. I opted for the pasta putanesca and it was perfect - al dente!The restaurant was super cozy and pretty, especially because of the Christmas lights.For dessert, the panacota was just right!Can't wait to come back. Kudos to all.
Great Italian food and great place to eat, especially on a weekday date night when it's not too crowded or busy. Glad we came here. Very good food and service. Not the best I've ever had but definitely quality food and attentive service. For starters we got the Artichoke app. Different but delicious. What I liked about this is that it's easy to eat. Not like those huge artichokes the size of pineapples that you have to take apart like a Lego set and eat. I then got their Caesar salad. It was whatevs. Basic and nothing to write home about. I got the Linguine Pesto with Chicken. Very tasty and hearty dish. If you like pesto and sun dried tomatoes I highly recommend this dish. My date got the White wine Chicken with Carrots and Capers I believe it was. She loved it. Said it was better than my dish haha. Ended with Tiramisu and it was also on point. Great service. Didn't catch our servers name since she didn't introduce herself. Their wine selection is very basic. But it's enough for what you need here Love their outdoor patio area with heaters.
Great service and good food. Small location that gets very busy. The food was very good, but not great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Spaghetti Carbonara
Ceasar salad 2 *, carpaccio 3*, bread plus dip 4*, wine 5*, dinners Cioppino and Sea bass, both 6*. All and all a 4 star experience, we definitely will come back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bread Basket