Hi We frequently dine at Vespa and have done so for the last 10 years every time we’ve come to a movie in Amherst. Consistently we have had delicious food, inventive drinks, but very disappointing service when we are seated in the area attended by a particular waiter. Each time we realize he will be our waiter for the evening, we bristle, readying ourselves- Honestly, we would not come back if it weren’t for the delicious food.
Last night was no different. He was brusque and dismissive. I don’t know his name because he did not introduce himself. He’s tall and slender, and I believe he had a bit of a beard. We watched him be rude to the table beside us as well. We sat at the four person table, in the middle section, against the wall, just before the hall leading to the WC.
We are curious as to how he continues to serve customers at a place that seems to care so much about customer experience
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
Kit Johnson
I took my husband to Osteria Vespa for our anniversary. The service was good and the food was delicious. We had the gluten free focaccia, the burrata caprese salad and the pork tenderloin Saltimbocca. The gluten free focaccia came out nice and hot, it was soft and pillowy with a wonderful crispy crust. The salad was pretty good, I liked the addition of the cara cara oranges. But the star of the dinner was the saltimbocca. It was so delicious and mouthwatering, and the roasted potatoes were great. The broccoli was a little bland and could have used a little char or something. Dessert was just as delicious. I got the Lemon crème brûlée and was very pleased with the bright lemony flavor and the creamy texture. My husband got an affogatto and he said it was good. We would recommend going to Osteria Vespa for a nice dinner or a celebration like an anniversary or a birthday. It’s a little more pricey but the quality was worth it.
The cocktails were not for me: I don’t drink very often but I was excited to get a cocktail with dinner, unfortunately I didn’t see anything on the cocktail menu that sounded good to me. They had a large wine selection but the only wines that my husband and I were interested in were sold by the bottle and not by the glass. I ended up ordering an Italian soda with pomegranate (which was very good), and my husband got the amaro daiquiri with bitter melon. I tried it and it was REALLY bitter. It reminded me of the pith of grapefruit. I am not a big drinker so you can take this part of the review with a grain of salt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amy Hampson
We frequent Vespa and always have a good meal. Tonight, however, we had one of the best plates of food we have had in Amherst during the 24 yrs we have lived in this town. The scallops on the menu right now are phenomenal. Perfectly cooked, balanced and absolutely fabulous. Hopefully, it becomes a staple on their menu and they dont ever take it off. Id eat it once a week - easily! PS - Please consider bringing back the frites as an appetizer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lisa Morales
Easy to go before or after a movie next door. Service was uneven, brought wrong entree and never brought wine I ordered. Prices are quite high, $7 for a piece of bread is unreasonable, $14 for a small glass of unremarkable wine. Caccia e pepe was good, $25 for pasta without meat, bread, salad or vegetable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
ConnieH440
Had dinner with our adult son. Repeat visit for us. The Calabrian chile shrimp with focaccia and red sauce appetizer was fabulous and not too spicy. I had the fresh corn and veg risotto, very good. The skirt steak dinner was medium rare as ordered and had a hefty portion of the meat. The only disappointment was the cacio e Pepe with mushrooms which was not cheesy or peppery. Desserts were very good, had a lemon creme brûlée and a chocolate mousse. Service was friendly!
Kelli Smith
Fantastic find! We were here the night before a couple college visits and it was a terrific choice for all 3 of us that ordered. The focaccia bread on the app menu is a must. Drinks were top notch. Unfortunately, we dug in before I took a good picture!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
billbI1337QU
Very good food, pleasant servers, very pleasant atmosphere. We ate inside , but you could opt to eat outside. It is conveniently located near the center of town.
Randy Calvo
The staff is wonderful and entertaining. Plus the mousse is outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Donna Campora
Cute place and the chicken piccata was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
214barrya
My salmon dish, on a bed of couscous, was a bit over-salted (not unusual when dining out) but very tasty. My wife enjoyed her salad with grilled chicken, which she said was "excellent." I would not order the focaccia again. It was over baked (and hard) on the bottom, and the balsamic dipping oil was *way* too acidy. We had to ask for just olive oil. And while not a fault of the restaurant, the noise level was super high . . . . so if you are looking for a quiet, romantic dinner, I would *not* recommend this place on a Saturday night. Would we go back again? Perhaps on a week night. But not rushing to return. Which is a shame, because it is a pretty restaurant.
Everything is always excellent. The food, staff and atmosphere. The cocktails are different and really good too. The prices are very reasonable. Love this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
cheese413
1st time here. Food, service and atmosphere all great. Excellent cocktails prepared well. We are not GF but they have many GF options available. Started with homemade focaccia and panzelle (?) which is made from chickpeas both delicious. We got the Cacio Pepe - homemade pasta with added mushrooms and the faroe salmon dinner - cooked perfectly with tomato jam (tasty topping). Wedge salad large and tasty too. Gelato for dessert and also get the coffee. Enjoyable night and will definitely go back.
Johan van Waveren
Marvelous oysters, fantastic asparagus, pasta & pepe was great, tagliatelle al pesto was not. Brilliant atmosphere, great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Rachel Hall
It says fresh local Gluten Free pasta on the menu but it was not, and when I asked if it was homemade they said no. The gf bread was great but not sure why they charge $6 extra for the non homemade gf pasta. If your GF stick to the cocktails and the bread.
Food: 2
Service: 3
Rebecca Robbins
Had dinner with a friend. We both loved our meals. The service was friendly and professional. I thought the prices were reasonable considering the high quality of the food and the lovely atmosphere.
Hi
We frequently dine at Vespa and have done so for the last 10 years every time we’ve come to a movie in Amherst. Consistently we have had delicious food, inventive drinks, but very disappointing service when we are seated in the area attended by a particular waiter. Each time we realize he will be our waiter for the evening, we bristle, readying ourselves- Honestly, we would not come back if it weren’t for the delicious food.
Last night was no different. He was brusque and dismissive. I don’t know his name because he did not introduce himself. He’s tall and slender, and I believe he had a bit of a beard. We watched him be rude to the table beside us as well. We sat at the four person table, in the middle section, against the wall, just before the hall leading to the WC.
We are curious as to how he continues to serve customers at a place that seems to care so much about customer experience
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 1
I took my husband to Osteria Vespa for our anniversary. The service was good and the food was delicious. We had the gluten free focaccia, the burrata caprese salad and the pork tenderloin Saltimbocca. The gluten free focaccia came out nice and hot, it was soft and pillowy with a wonderful crispy crust.
The salad was pretty good, I liked the addition of the cara cara oranges. But the star of the dinner was the saltimbocca. It was so delicious and mouthwatering, and the roasted potatoes were great. The broccoli was a little bland and could have used a little char or something.
Dessert was just as delicious. I got the Lemon crème brûlée and was very pleased with the bright lemony flavor and the creamy texture.
My husband got an affogatto and he said it was good.
We would recommend going to Osteria Vespa for a nice dinner or a celebration like an anniversary or a birthday. It’s a little more pricey but the quality was worth it.
The cocktails were not for me:
I don’t drink very often but I was excited to get a cocktail with dinner, unfortunately I didn’t see anything on the cocktail menu that sounded good to me. They had a large wine selection but the only wines that my husband and I were interested in were sold by the bottle and not by the glass.
I ended up ordering an Italian soda with pomegranate (which was very good), and my husband got the amaro daiquiri with bitter melon. I tried it and it was REALLY bitter. It reminded me of the pith of grapefruit. I am not a big drinker so you can take this part of the review with a grain of salt.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We frequent Vespa and always have a good meal. Tonight, however, we had one of the best plates of food we have had in Amherst during the 24 yrs we have lived in this town. The scallops on the menu right now are phenomenal. Perfectly cooked, balanced and absolutely fabulous. Hopefully, it becomes a staple on their menu and they dont ever take it off. Id eat it once a week - easily! PS - Please consider bringing back the frites as an appetizer!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Easy to go before or after a movie next door. Service was uneven, brought wrong entree and never brought wine I ordered. Prices are quite high, $7 for a piece of bread is unreasonable, $14 for a small glass of unremarkable wine. Caccia e pepe was good, $25 for pasta without meat, bread, salad or vegetable.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Had dinner with our adult son. Repeat visit for us. The Calabrian chile shrimp with focaccia and red sauce appetizer was fabulous and not too spicy. I had the fresh corn and veg risotto, very good. The skirt steak dinner was medium rare as ordered and had a hefty portion of the meat. The only disappointment was the cacio e Pepe with mushrooms which was not cheesy or peppery. Desserts were very good, had a lemon creme brûlée and a chocolate mousse. Service was friendly!
Fantastic find! We were here the night before a couple college visits and it was a terrific choice for all 3 of us that ordered. The focaccia bread on the app menu is a must. Drinks were top notch. Unfortunately, we dug in before I took a good picture!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very good food, pleasant servers, very pleasant atmosphere. We ate inside , but you could opt to eat outside. It is conveniently located near the center of town.
The staff is wonderful and entertaining. Plus the mousse is outstanding!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cute place and the chicken piccata was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My salmon dish, on a bed of couscous, was a bit over-salted (not unusual when dining out) but very tasty. My wife enjoyed her salad with grilled chicken, which she said was "excellent." I would not order the focaccia again. It was over baked (and hard) on the bottom, and the balsamic dipping oil was *way* too acidy. We had to ask for just olive oil. And while not a fault of the restaurant, the noise level was super high . . . . so if you are looking for a quiet, romantic dinner, I would *not* recommend this place on a Saturday night. Would we go back again? Perhaps on a week night. But not rushing to return. Which is a shame, because it is a pretty restaurant.
Restaurantji Recommends
Everything is always excellent. The food, staff and atmosphere. The cocktails are different and really good too. The prices are very reasonable. Love this restaurant!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
1st time here. Food, service and atmosphere all great. Excellent cocktails prepared well. We are not GF but they have many GF options available. Started with homemade focaccia and panzelle (?) which is made from chickpeas both delicious. We got the Cacio Pepe - homemade pasta with added mushrooms and the faroe salmon dinner - cooked perfectly with tomato jam (tasty topping). Wedge salad large and tasty too. Gelato for dessert and also get the coffee. Enjoyable night and will definitely go back.
Marvelous oysters, fantastic asparagus, pasta & pepe was great, tagliatelle al pesto was not. Brilliant atmosphere, great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
It says fresh local Gluten Free pasta on the menu but it was not, and when I asked if it was homemade they said no. The gf bread was great but not sure why they charge $6 extra for the non homemade gf pasta. If your GF stick to the cocktails and the bread.
Food: 2
Service: 3
Had dinner with a friend. We both loved our meals. The service was friendly and professional. I thought the prices were reasonable considering the high quality of the food and the lovely atmosphere.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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