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79th St (1)
72nd St (1, 2, 3)
81st St (B, C)
Mon-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
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Prior reviews of La Vela perfectly illustrate the critic's conundrum. Just as Rudy's on 9th avenue is a perfect dive bar but a horrible bar in the grand scheme, so is La Vela a good neighborhood bar. It is not Babbo, but does that mean it deserves two stars? How does one frame a review?
One way is to attempt to analyze what the restaurant wants to be. Is the wine list long and pretentious? Do the waiters go a bit overboard? Is the china fine? The glass hand blown?
In La Vela's case, the lists of wines and entress are short. The decor is suitable but not especially refined. The wait staff is competent and pleasant. By the standards La Vela sets, it accomplishes its goals. It is a good and probably dependable restaurant. In the larger frame -- by which I mean in the grand scheme of Italian restaurants -- La Vela is mid-tier. It is neither an exceptional cheap place nor a good expensive place...somewhere in between.
The portobello mushroom appetizer was bland. One expects a juicy mushroom but these were blah. The Pollo Al' Forno was good: tender, lightly breaded and well sauced. My guests and I were also well sauced. The wine list is short but good.
The Fettuccine Deliziose (white fettuccine with sauteed baby artichokes, prosciutto, a light cream tomato sauce) was very good.
The chocolate mousse was also extremely good; exactly what one wants out of this dish. The coffee I received was terrible. It was towards the end of the night and tasted as if it had been made in the morning. I sent it back and ordered a cappuccino, which was fine.
Our large group spent $70 a piece and that was with several bottles of wine. I did not consider the food terribly expensive, but the place is hardly a bargain, either. I would not seek this place out, but if I lived in the neighborhood I would not hesitate to stop by.
Looking for a wonderful atmosphere? Let's see... cozy, warm, charming. Oooh, even a bit artsy. If this is your top priority, visit La Vela and have a cup of coffee. Maybe a glass of water. What the hell, get some wine.
But if you are planning on eating, drink a couple of bottles of wine first. I'm not sure I've had such a sad meal in months. It wasn't bad, just taste-free. My companion got the ravioli swimming in a bland tomato sauce; I had some kind of pasta with a bolognese sauce. My sauce was bland but at least had clumps of a taste-free meat-like substance.
Perhaps the best strategy would be to enjoy a romantic glass of wine then stop off at Zabars and get some takeout Italian.
Our AZ family requested NY Italian, so we brought them here. Every dish was a culinary delight, with the variety ranging from alfredo to black pasta to broiled salmon, with the best gnocchi they ever had. There was no veal parm on the menu, but there was no problem requesting it and getting one of the best we've tasted. The wines we chose this time were fabulous and the desserts divine. Love this place, what can I say.
My wife and I came in for dinner before a Paul Simon concert at the Beacon. We had a reservation for… Read more »
I have never had such terrible service (and bland food) in a restaurant before. In all my years of dining for pleasure and on business travel all around the country and the world, I have never seen anything like it.
First, I want it to be known that I signed up for yelp just to write this review - it was THAT bad. My date and I first ordered a bottle of wine at the bar while waiting for a table. I ask the bartender for a recommendation to which she immediately points to an Italian red wine. The only question I ask is, "Is the wine dry?" to which she says "No, not at all." So of course the bottle turns out to be very dry.
I think, no problem - I can deal with the wine since we're about to sit down for what we were hoping to be a good meal.
We should've known better when the waitress started to take our order. She wanted to give us a few minutes to look over the menu but since we had already been reading it over for 15 minutes, we said that we were ready. Once we ordered our two appetizers, she seemed to be in a rush and said that she can come back to take the order for the entrees. Once again, I said that we were ready to order. So she was kind enough to stay and take our entrees (wait, isn't that her job?).
The appetizers came, the calamari and the sausage and polenta. The calamari itself was decent but the tomato sauce was so bland. It tasted like something that came out of a can. We literally kept adding salt and pepper but never got it to taste like there was any flavor. I can't speak for the sausage but my date said that it was ok - not great but not bad. Then came the pastas - stuffed mushroom ravioli and stuffed seafood pasta. We immediately dove in, being starving at this point. After the first two bites, we looked at each other and asked how each other's pasta was. So we switched plates and agreed that both pastas had no taste. We actually called the waitress over to let her know that we needed more seasoning and did she have some tabasco sauce? She came back a few minutes later with a bottle that must've been about 5 years old - there was dust all over it and the worst kind of dust - sticky with grease. She seemed embarrassed to hand it over and after I made a face upon touching it, she said something and grabbed it back. I thought oh good, she's going to bring a bottle that's perhaps less than 5 years old. Nope - she had merely wiped off the greasy dust with a napkin and brought back the same bottle. At this point, we're beyond hungry and want to just dive into food - food with flavor. So we just doused it with tabasco sauce but after another 2 bites, we decided that we needed to talk to the manager.
She came over and was even more rude than the waitress. After explaining for why the mushroom ravioli is supposed to be bland (something about the walnut absorbing all the flavor), she agreed to let my date order a new dish to replace the seafood pasta. The way she explained the food as if we were crazy and the fact that she and the waitress never at one point apologized, is what really annoyed us. We were so turned off at this point that my date didn't order a replacement dish and left after paying the bill. We ended up picking up some cheese pizza on the way home.
I can accept bland food but receiving decent service is non-negotiable. Both the waitress and the manager made us feel like complete snobs for complaining about the food. They need to be better about dealing with unhappy customers. It really is a shame because being new to the neighborhood, we were looking for a decent Italian restaurant to frequent.
I was excited to find this place because I was on the hunt for a restaurant with an item on the menu that included alfredo sauce (or some equally delicious white cheese sauce). I also loved this place because it was laid back and elegant at the same time - casual without being tacky. Something about the red checkered table cloths always wins me over - and the gnocchi was delicious!
eh. I was very underwhelmed. Kind of pricey, as to be expected in Manhattan, and just alright. For $30 i had a demi bottle of presseco and a chicken dish. The chicken was pretty good, it was a nice size portion of the chicken but the sides were a little skimpy; one red potato cut in thirds and a few veggies.
It is certainly nothing to travel for but if you're in the neighborhood it'll do the job.
Wanting to grab a glass of wine and a few appetizers, a friend and I wandered into La Vela on a Wednesday night around 9:30. We were seated right away as about half of the tables were available and also didn't have to wait long to order.
Although the wine painfully averaged out at about 8 dollars a glass, it was good. We also ordered friend calamari and caprese salad. The caprese salad consisted of 4 slices of tomato, 4 slices of mozzarella, and some basil in the middle as a garnish. There wasn't any sort of dressing or attempt at making the basil more a part of the dish. Anyone can slap something like that together. The calamari was pretty much what you would expect and wasn't too heavy on the breading, so that was nice.
In the end, we each payed about 22 dollars for two appetizers and one glass of wine each. Was it worth it? Only because I was able to share that time with an old friend. It's a rare evening that wandering will lend itself to a good food and a great price.
Service was not as good as I would have liked. The only visits we got from our waitress was to take our order and to give us our checks.
If the food was any worse, I would have easily given this place 1 star.
A nothing than an ordinary Italian restaurant on the upper west side, with a nice croud to enjoy a meal with. I went there to meet up with friends I haven't seen in a long time, it was a nice place to catch up.
I had the Ravioli al Pomodoro, which is stuffed with spinach and cheese in tomato basil sauce, it was satifying but for the amount I got wasn't good with price of $12, I dont think it cost them $2 a ravioli to make it.
Borderline 3 stars, but I just can't do it. If I lived nearby, I might order delivery from here. Dining here was just sort of... bland. Don't get me wrong -- I wasn't unhappy or disappointed. I just kind of expect better these days. It's not like I just moved to Manhattan... there are just so many restaurants to choose from (especially Italian restaurants) that La Vela is somewhat boring. At least it wasn't expensive.
It's very homey... the red & white checked tablecloths contribute to this, and the staff made us feel at home. The service was good (not great) but I felt there were probably more waitresses/busboys than were necessary, although you can't really complain about that... it was just a little weird. The atmosphere was a little dull, despite a great space since it was so large and open, and the brick walls were a good touch. It wasn't bad for a dinner date since we didn't really care where we ate as long as it wasn't too pricey (i.e. going out afterwards was more important). I saw this place as more of a family restaurant.
Food-wise it was nothing to write home about. Not even a postcard. Pretty standard options, but nothing I'd order again. I won't be coming back here simply because it's not worth the trip across town... but like I said if I lived nearby I'd consider ordering delivery.
We do lunch here occasionally. It's a nice neighborhood spot. Our waitress Femawn (sp?) is always great....friendly and attentive! Food has always been good here. Better than cooking at home and cleaning up, I always say.....
My fiancee and I used get dinner here often when I lived in Manhattan. I don't like many restaurants in Manhattan, this is an exception.
Unlike so many restaurants in Manhattan, it is not cramped. Plenty of room and nice atmosphere inside. The red sauce is fantastic.
I am really on the fence as to whether or not to award La Vela three or four stars. My boyfriend and I wandered up Amsterdam looking for something very specific. It was almost 11pm on a Saturday night, and we wanted to drink (and eat, I guess) at a quiet, romantic place with a calm, moody ambiance. La Vela was perfect. It's a classic red sauce Italian restaurant with red and white checked table clothes, candle lit tables, and over sized framed Italian posters. It was nearly 11, and we were told we would only have an hour to eat if we were willing to be slightly rushed.
We ordered two easy pasta dishes, assuming they would arrive quickly so we would have time to eat. Unfortunately, the bread was generic, thick and chewy (Ah, so I guess that's the deciding factor for 3 stars). The food arrived within 10 minutes, and we were really pleased with our steaming hot pasta dishes. My Pennea Alla Vodka wasn't as heavy and creamy as it is typically served, yet it was delightfully flavorful and robust-- a solid representation. My boyfriend's Fettuccine Deliziose with artichokes and prosciutto was satisfyingly thick and rich. Our bottle of Chilean Cabernet was a bit too fruity for my taste, but definitely a drinkable red.
Points for the old Italian woman who seated us and eyeballed us the entire time until we asked for the check. Well afterall, we had been warned.
I've actually never eaten there but I order via seamlessweb several times a month. The rigatoni bolognese is my favorite but the other dishes are top notch as well. My fave upper west side italian restaurant.... may even beat Pomodoro in my book....
**6/8/08 i've gotten delivery here many times but last night i went to the actual restaurant... it must've been around 930'ish... the food was even better right out of the kitchen. service was great. i'd go back again. confirmed that it's better in my book than pomodoro
i love this place. food is great and the people could not be friendlier or more attentive. it's a simple neighborhood place - good food, reasonably priced, huge portions. their chicken parm is to die for. i've been ordering it for years. also, their delivery is great and super fast. can't say enough good things about la vela.
There's so much Italian food in the city that there's little reason to settle for mere competency. Well, except when you're ordering in and only some Italian places are up on SeamlessWeb.
I've done La Vela twice through SeamlessWeb and I've been 1/2 pleased both times.
The first time I went with Mozzarella Caprese and Penne alla Vodka. The Mozzarella Caprese was solid but the Penne alla Vodka was no real better than I could've done with store-bought pasta and sauce.
The second time I went with the Mista Salad and Orecchiette Baresi w/ broccoli rabe, sundried tomatoes, sausage, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil. I hated the Mista Salad (the vinaigrette was awful) but liked the pasta dish - the orecchiete was just ok but the broccoli rabe, sausage, and sun dried tomatoes made for a nice combo.
Prices are affordable and delivery is prompt.
Not a place I'll probably visit but I'll keep it in consideration when getting delivery.
Pleasantly surprised at this Upper West Side Italian spot. I was complaining to my girlfriend prior to walking in that 99% of Italian restaurants in the city are terrible. Thankfully this didnt deliver on that theme. The only downside to the experience was the Mozzarella Caprese - it was terrible, dont waste your time. Thin, sad looking tomatoes and Mozzarella that seemed to just come from the corner store.
The calamari on the other hand and the accompanying sauce was done nicely and the two pasta dishes we had were very nice. The Pappardelle ai Funghi dish was done nicely with a wide assortment of mushrooms and an interesting creme-like sauce. The only complaint here is the goat cheese was obviously scooped out and just 'plopped' on the dish.
My girlfriend had the Fettucine Deliziose which was also very good, no complaints here. The sauce was the highlight of the dish. Its obvious that the sauces are homemade here and the pasta seems homemade as well.
No major complaints, if you find yourself in need of Italian that delivers while in the neighborhood, I do not think you can go wrong with La Vela.
A friend of mine took me here to dinner for my birthday. The calamari was yummy, and not too flimsy. I had an orrichette with Broccoli Rabe and sundried tomatoes that was pretty good - not the best I've ever had, but totally decent. My friend had a pasta with mushrooms that she seemed to enjoy. However when we ordered the frutti di bosco for dessert (and this one of my fave desserts!), it arrived still frozen! I get that not every restaurant can make desserts on sight but at least defrost it!
Great neighborhood Italian. The pastas are homemade, the prices are great and the food is consistently good. The owner is usually always there and will do all in his power to seat you promptly.
Service is friendly, sometimes a bit slow but friendly and the interior is charming.
My favorite dish is the Borsette. It is ravioli stuffed with wild mushrooms and topped with a walnut brandy cream sauce.
Nice Small Airy Italian spot on the Upper West Side. Brick walls, open windows to the sidewalk-cozy. Food is good, not great and that's the rub because- Prices are low for Manhattan-teens for most dinner dishes. Nicely presented chicken with baked asparagus, just so-so on the flavor. Fish dish was nicely seasoned- a better choice. Bread basket with olive oil for dipping was fresh & good. Reasonable wines by the glass and bottle. Pasta was good as was the red-sauce but not Great as the side dish. It's a can't go wrong place with good service but it's not a hidden gem! I couldn't see "fantastic" used, more like "ok/nice".........
Nice nabe Italian place.
Me, my friends and my visiting family went there twice within one week. First time we were just tired of looking and choosing so we dropped in just because. The place was half full but filled up to packed within half an hour. The service was good, the atmosphere was friendly and the veal risotto was belissimo...repeat visits expected
This is a great anytime place. If you're craving italian and want a casual, comfortable place this is the place to go. Nice menu, and the staff will alter anything to your liking i.e., chicken instead of veal.
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Neighborhood: Upper West Side
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Neighborhood: Theater District
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
Category: Italian
