Had an early lunch here on Mother's Day. We had a reservation and were seated promptly. The host was courteous. All the food we ordered was tasty. The dining area was clean. Valet or parking at the Broad are the options. Would definitely come back for the calamari!
Clifford D.
Excl Top notch be careful ask price on specials all good but can be very expensive. Standard menu items Are varied and all good
William A.
Went to the Festival of Choir at Disney Concert Hall. We were a bit hungry afterwards, so we looked for a place to eat. A block down we found Vespaio and we walked in. We ordered some drinks and burgers along with eggplant. Service was great and the food was superb. The eggplant was hot And needed nothing more. Perfect blend of seasonings in every bite. My Waygu burger melted in my mouth. The drinks washed down with the DTLA Sunset Margarita. Was great with a jalapeño varnish. This added just the right balance of heat. The atmosphere was warm and charming with indoor setting. Their wine list is extensive and they have a great bar. This is a French restaurant so you can find all your pastries and breads there just walk in and veer to the right. Service was impeccable, we never had to wait for service or repeat requests for anything. There is a nice pocket park in front with a lovely collection of Olive trees. If you are ever in DTLA near the concert hall drop in and say hello. You will appreciate it. I plan on coming back just for the drinks.
golakers32
Very disappointing experience. Seafood pasta tasted old and low quality - inedible. Pasta was mediocre. Bad wine list. Understaffed and poor service. The table next to us was upset too. Gone way downhill. Not worth the price. Avoid. Much better restaurants for pre theater dinner.
Bruno B.
For the 2nd time, we wanted to stop in and try this place. Our mistake was that we were wearing jeans and a t shirt. 10 minutes no water, no waiter, no nothing. Anyone else that was dressed up got immediate attention.
KathleenF
Wait staff was outstanding, attentive, friendly with great follow up. The grilled octopus dish had great flavors but the octopus was cut too thin and was tough. Outstanding Aperol Spritzes! Great location for attending the LA Philharmonic.
Cynthia S.
The service was great, ambiance was really nice and food was perfect. I had a perfect staff appreciation lunch with my attorneys.
mary K.
HORRIBLE hostess service and distressed manager. Never go here before the theater! My party of 4 had 6:00 reservations and at 630 we're still waiting to be seated. The hostess area was a congested mess with people expressing concern not having their times for dinner being met. Then when a booth opened up the manager sat a party of 3 before me and their reservation was for 615..15 mins after mine!! When I asked why they got seats before me, the hostess stared at me like a deer in headlights and the manager started to cry (not kidding) when I pressed her to seat me immediately. Then she told me she wouldn't seat me at all. The place was a disorganized and catastrophic mess. No one knew what they were doing. We wound up going the next block down to a lovely steak restaurant that sat us in the bar area. It was perfect!! Avoid this place at all costs when trying to make a show.
KevinA
We wanted a nice pre concert dinner at this conveniently located restaurant, but instead were stressed, annoyed and disappointed which started our evening out on a very sour note! The hostess desk was slammed with angry people trying to get seated. Once we were seated, our waiter was short and rude...never offered us water or drinks! Food was marginal too. Our server never checked in on us and never offered us dessert or coffee. Felt like a cafeteria versus a nice restaurant.
Steven
Food was good, but the service was chaotic and disorganized. Arrived for my reservation on time, but still had to wait for a while to be seated. Our table was sort of a makeshift table that was seemingly placed there due to needing more tables to accommodate all the reservation. It seemed overbooked. Our seats were flimsy (those foldable canvas "director" chairs) and the table didn't feel sturdy. Seats and tables definitely not the "regular" tables/seats. We were also halfway into the corridor, so people and waitstaff were brushing against us as they made their way to the restroom. The wrong dish arrived on our table, it sat there for a couple of minutes before one of the lead waitstaff caught it and he rushed over and took it off our table and said that was not the correct dish. So we had to wait for them to prepare the right order. This was all a bit disappointing. The food was good but not superb, the service wasn't bad but it wasn't at the level expected of this price point.
Four of us went to dinner at Vespaio and had a wonderful meal. Francis, our server, was excellent: friendly, attentive, and efficient, as were the other servers. Everyone loved their meals and cocktails.
SteveM
Soup was ok, gluten free pizza was good. Drinks were tasty but pricy and fairly watered down. GF pasta dish was served as a pile of penne swimming in red sauce—no Parmesan, no basil, boring. When I asked for Parmesan I was brought dried grated cheese. Very disappointed to pay $30 for a dish I could have done much better at home.
DMan
Everything was delicious! Server was fantastic and speedy considering we went there before a performance. My friend and I both had one of the specials, halibut, it was very good and a nice big filet. A bit pricey though, I had one “well” drink, my friend had a soda and it was $135-no appetizer and no dessert or coffee
JillL
The food is delicious and service was good considering how busy they were. They need more wait staff. Our server was very nice but rushed in explaining the specials and taking our order. Also, it took longer than it should for us to get our bottle of wine.
Belgo
This restaurant is a good option for pre-opera/symphony/theater. The portions are decent, and the prices reasonable given the location and setting. Usually we have good service, although this time the busboy repeatedly didn't listen to us and/or turned his back to us while we were still speaking. At these prices, I'd like the staff to listen when we're talking, and at least ask us to repeat if it's too noisy to be understood. Also, be wary of their multiple "specials": ask for the price. This is one of those places wherein the waiter lists a lot of "specials," which are not printed anywhere, and doesn't say how much they cost. I'm glad I asked the prices. A chicken dish (chicken parmagiano if I'm recalling correctly) was $52--far higher than any of the prices on their printed menu. That being said, there are a lot more dishes to choose from (even in their printed menu) than their competitors which are closer to the venues (Kendall's and Abernethy's). Some tables are quite close to one's neighbors, although there are some tables with more elbow room.
Had an early lunch here on Mother's Day. We had a reservation and were seated promptly. The host was courteous. All the food we ordered was tasty. The dining area was clean. Valet or parking at the Broad are the options. Would definitely come back for the calamari!
Excl Top notch be careful ask price on specials all good but can be very expensive. Standard menu items Are varied and all good
Went to the Festival of Choir at Disney Concert Hall. We were a bit hungry afterwards, so we looked for a place to eat. A block down we found Vespaio and we walked in. We ordered some drinks and burgers along with eggplant. Service was great and the food was superb. The eggplant was hot And needed nothing more. Perfect blend of seasonings in every bite. My Waygu burger melted in my mouth. The drinks washed down with the DTLA Sunset Margarita. Was great with a jalapeño varnish. This added just the right balance of heat. The atmosphere was warm and charming with indoor setting. Their wine list is extensive and they have a great bar. This is a French restaurant so you can find all your pastries and breads there just walk in and veer to the right. Service was impeccable, we never had to wait for service or repeat requests for anything. There is a nice pocket park in front with a lovely collection of Olive trees. If you are ever in DTLA near the concert hall drop in and say hello. You will appreciate it. I plan on coming back just for the drinks.
Very disappointing experience. Seafood pasta tasted old and low quality - inedible. Pasta was mediocre. Bad wine list. Understaffed and poor service. The table next to us was upset too. Gone way downhill. Not worth the price. Avoid. Much better restaurants for pre theater dinner.
For the 2nd time, we wanted to stop in and try this place. Our mistake was that we were wearing jeans and a t shirt. 10 minutes no water, no waiter, no nothing. Anyone else that was dressed up got immediate attention.
Wait staff was outstanding, attentive, friendly with great follow up. The grilled octopus dish had great flavors but the octopus was cut too thin and was tough. Outstanding Aperol Spritzes! Great location for attending the LA Philharmonic.
The service was great, ambiance was really nice and food was perfect. I had a perfect staff appreciation lunch with my attorneys.
HORRIBLE hostess service and distressed manager. Never go here before the theater! My party of 4 had 6:00 reservations and at 630 we're still waiting to be seated. The hostess area was a congested mess with people expressing concern not having their times for dinner being met. Then when a booth opened up the manager sat a party of 3 before me and their reservation was for 615..15 mins after mine!! When I asked why they got seats before me, the hostess stared at me like a deer in headlights and the manager started to cry (not kidding) when I pressed her to seat me immediately. Then she told me she wouldn't seat me at all. The place was a disorganized and catastrophic mess. No one knew what they were doing. We wound up going the next block down to a lovely steak restaurant that sat us in the bar area. It was perfect!! Avoid this place at all costs when trying to make a show.
We wanted a nice pre concert dinner at this conveniently located restaurant, but instead were stressed, annoyed and disappointed which started our evening out on a very sour note! The hostess desk was slammed with angry people trying to get seated. Once we were seated, our waiter was short and rude...never offered us water or drinks! Food was marginal too. Our server never checked in on us and never offered us dessert or coffee. Felt like a cafeteria versus a nice restaurant.
Food was good, but the service was chaotic and disorganized. Arrived for my reservation on time, but still had to wait for a while to be seated. Our table was sort of a makeshift table that was seemingly placed there due to needing more tables to accommodate all the reservation. It seemed overbooked. Our seats were flimsy (those foldable canvas "director" chairs) and the table didn't feel sturdy. Seats and tables definitely not the "regular" tables/seats. We were also halfway into the corridor, so people and waitstaff were brushing against us as they made their way to the restroom. The wrong dish arrived on our table, it sat there for a couple of minutes before one of the lead waitstaff caught it and he rushed over and took it off our table and said that was not the correct dish. So we had to wait for them to prepare the right order. This was all a bit disappointing. The food was good but not superb, the service wasn't bad but it wasn't at the level expected of this price point.
Restaurantji Recommends
Four of us went to dinner at Vespaio and had a wonderful meal. Francis, our server, was excellent: friendly, attentive, and efficient, as were the other servers. Everyone loved their meals and cocktails.
Soup was ok, gluten free pizza was good. Drinks were tasty but pricy and fairly watered down. GF pasta dish was served as a pile of penne swimming in red sauce—no Parmesan, no basil, boring. When I asked for Parmesan I was brought dried grated cheese. Very disappointed to pay $30 for a dish I could have done much better at home.
Everything was delicious! Server was fantastic and speedy considering we went there before a performance. My friend and I both had one of the specials, halibut, it was very good and a nice big filet. A bit pricey though, I had one “well” drink, my friend had a soda and it was $135-no appetizer and no dessert or coffee
The food is delicious and service was good considering how busy they were. They need more wait staff. Our server was very nice but rushed in explaining the specials and taking our order. Also, it took longer than it should for us to get our bottle of wine.
This restaurant is a good option for pre-opera/symphony/theater. The portions are decent, and the prices reasonable given the location and setting. Usually we have good service, although this time the busboy repeatedly didn't listen to us and/or turned his back to us while we were still speaking. At these prices, I'd like the staff to listen when we're talking, and at least ask us to repeat if it's too noisy to be understood. Also, be wary of their multiple "specials": ask for the price. This is one of those places wherein the waiter lists a lot of "specials," which are not printed anywhere, and doesn't say how much they cost. I'm glad I asked the prices. A chicken dish (chicken parmagiano if I'm recalling correctly) was $52--far higher than any of the prices on their printed menu. That being said, there are a lot more dishes to choose from (even in their printed menu) than their competitors which are closer to the venues (Kendall's and Abernethy's). Some tables are quite close to one's neighbors, although there are some tables with more elbow room.