vincitorio's

i have reviewed this restaurant before, and i still like the food here.

but the service, i'm sad to say, is slipping. my last couple of visits have had problems--i suspect they are understaffed. on one occasion, the waiter knew nothing about the wines on offer and couldn't answer basic questions about them. this same waiter forgot that we had brought a birthday cake to be served, failed to bring coffee with the cake when it was ordered, etc. rarely do the servers mention the special dishes being presented. on our most recent visit we waited over 45 minutes to be seated despite having a reservation.

the food here is verygoodand authentically italian. but be prepared to be patient and a little insistent.


-----21 apr, 2012-----

this is one of my favorite restaurants in the valley. the cozy, slightly cramped and noisy (but not too noisy!) atmosphere lends a festive spirit. the wine list is extensive and well-chosen, and the staff will makegoodrecommendations. the food is delicious and quite reminiscent of dishes i've had in central italy. my personal favorite is the seafood ravioli, which turns up as a special from time to time. the pizza is excellent, and the veal dishes are nicely done. i also like a pasta dish with grilled chicken sun dried tomatoes and a creamy pesto sauce--very flavorful.

good place, great service.. wife & i, and ourgoodfriends had saturday evening dinner here.
seated at a nice booth by a friendly hostess. order taken by great waiter. bread basket & drinks arrived quickly.
started with the antipasto plate. prosciutto, salami, mozzarella,and small portions ofgoodquality items. i would have liked more olives, eggplant & artichoke.
had a glass of chianti. nice.
waiter praised the veal, so i had the veal saltimbocca.
it was the best i've had in agoodwhile. pasta was ok.
dessert was prettygoodtiramisu, and i had a delightful "exotic gelato" beautifully presented, and very tasty.
everyone enjoyed their meals, this place has a well deservedgoodreputation.
service was excellent. efficient, and friendly.
food was good, but not great. a bit bland maybe, though everything was well prepared, and fresh.

we got there at 5:30 and had reservations. it soon got packed. even so, the service was perfect!. nice crowd, though some mannerless yuppies couldn't seem to get out of our way as we exited. not managements fault though.

food ..............b
service...........a
ambience......b
value..............b+

very enjoyable meal!

i loved this placegoodpizza beautiful scenery friendly faces to greet you and very well setting in the mood department perfect for a first date.

best italian in tempe. mario makes the pasta fresh daily and ginger keeps everything running smoothly. the entire staff so friendly we always feel like we're visitinggoodfriends.

some of the best dishes are specials, but for an every day dish try the capellini or the broccoli stromboli (think calzone). the wine list is excellent, and they have agoodselection of beers, too. before 6pm the flatbreads, bruschetta and many wines by the glass are only $6, and draft beer is only $3.

we love the atmosphere, especially in the enoteca (wine bar) where there is often live music.goodplace to socialize and enjoy the festive atmosphere. dinner out isn't just about eating!

worst italian food ever!!!. some of the worst, over priced, bland food i have ever had in my life! "garlic" bread they brought to the table had no flavor and was cold. wouldn't give it to my dogs. the salad was composed of the cheapest lettuce known to man...with 2 or 3goodpieces of lettuce thrown in there. insulting basically. then the pasta comes. meat sauce was watery with very few pieces of meat. beers were over priced. tables were so close together that my boyfriends chair got hit every time a waiter walked by. once the 60 year + crowd stops coming, this place will hopefully go out of business. ugh!!!! i want my 50 bucks back.

saturday nite dinner 6-23-12. my wife and i visited vincitorio for the first time, very nice atmosphere. first thing to comment on - excellent wait staff and service. very attentive. a+

wine list was great,goodvariety of selections and well explained choices. prices: decent/fair. i had two glasses of montepulciano riserva “bosco”abruzzo. very nice.

we ordered appetizer: burrata e pere (burrata cheese with pears wrapped in prosciutto), delicious, creamy, salty, sweet goodness. i strongly recommend it.

entrees with salad or soup: my wife ordered veal genovese with a salad, and i ordered the cannelloni rossini with soup (cream of mushroom).

the salad was typical, very ordinary; the cream of mushroom soup was bland needed flavor (perhaps some pepper or thyme would have improved it).

the veal genovese was very good, with side of penne in marinara. the cannelloni rossini was ok, with an ordinary presentation, and surprising small for the price. the meat filling was minimal, and the bechamel sauce was everywhere. i was a bit disappointed. pasta was fresh though.

we ordered a childhood favorite for dessert: spumoni. wonderful presentation and delicious. it made up for the cannelloni.

overall, the meal was enjoyable and we would return. the prices-to-food ratio is my only complaint.

delicious and inviting. i love this place for it's fresh and authentic food and warm and friendly owners. there are some nights of the week when it gets packed and hectic but the food never seems to suffer. the kitchen staff and the owners could be family or just a crew that has been working together for a long time. they have a buffet during the week and i have been in for that. the buffet is agoodsample of things from the menu and is a filling alternative to burgers.

intimate local italian cafe with super food. if independent eateries that servegoodfood seem endangered to you, then try vincetorios the next time you are in the east valley. the pasta is homemade , the waiters are knowledgable, the wine list is super. the lunch prices are cheap (under $10 for a great meal) and the dinner prices are well worth the slight;y higher price tag. the owners are terrific people - mario and ginger will treat you very well. and the place is very handsome - it is decorated inside and out as if it were up in scottsdale -yet it is comfortable & affordable for the rest of us. on winter saturday nights there is likely to be a line.....plan to enjoy a glass of vino while you wait! for a treat, ask eldon to sing for you..he is a fine singer who waits tables til he gets a break!