La Villa
- Nearest Transit:
Union St (M, R)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
21 Reviews for La Villa
Having dined here several times with groups of around 8, I have always had a pleasant experience. I would say that they are kid friendly, and know how to serve larger dining parties.
Each time I had found myself enjoying a meal here, it has either been one of there many delicious pizzas or a salad.
A very good value and always a satisfying meal.
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It is not the best Italian I've had in my life, but the portions make it all worth it at the end. The wine list is worthless, nothing worth even washing your palette down with. The lasagna is yummy, and so is the white paste sauce.
Wouldn't recommend the clams, bland and not worth the money.
La Villa is a wonderful place to eat and I have eaten here many times and have never left disappointed. I'm Italian and take Italian food seriously above all other kinds of food and critique it the hardest and La Villa is one of the best.
The portions are huge so go hungry. The bread alone is worth the wait. The best dish I have ever gotten is the manicotti which is usually the special. The gnocchi is another special that is awesome. Both dishes are baked in the dish with tons of sauce and cheese. I don't think I have ever had softer gnocchi then La Villa's. The sauce is right up there with the home made stuff from grandma's kitchen. There are tons of pizzas to choose from if you want to go for that. The speciale pizza has a little bit of everything on it- a must try. However, I recently had a stuffed pizza with slices of soft potatoes. It was amazing and seasoned so well. If your waist line can handle appetizers, get a simple potato croquette. They're crunchy on the outside and oh so soft on the inside with cheese oozing out. It's hard to still get it like that around here.
There will be a bit of a wait from 6-7 PM. Best to go earlier or around 8:30-9:00. The wait is never more than 20 minutes as the service is quick and they like to turn the tables over fast but you never feel rushed. It's a nice size place although when packed it's hard to navigate around there. It's very noisy especially when the Park Slope residents bring all 10 kids and let them roam around freely. It could get very annoying but it's a necessary evil to get some of the best Italian food in Brooklyn.
Very reasonably priced, great to go with a group because you can share the dishes. One thing, I saw someone compared this to the Olive Garden. Don't ever put La Villa in the same sentence with that dump- La Villa is authentic Italian food as close to what grandma makes on Sunday's.
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This place makes my favorite salad in the whole world. It's huge, covered in grilled veggies, like zucchini and eggplant. And, bits of mozzarella. And the best part, the deliciously perfect balsamic dressing--so hard to find.
I miss this salad.
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Great pizza place in Park Slope. I went here on a Saturday night, and the place was packed, but they never tried to rush me out the door like most places do.
As for the pizza, it was great. Some of the best in the city. I had the "Sottosopra" - which has the mozzarella on the bottom and the sauce on top. It was very good. The pizza was crispy and the crust was still chewy - just the way I like it.
I also had La Villa House Salad, which comes with mixed greens, mozzarella, provolone, & roasted peppers and is served over garlic bruschetta. It was a great starter. The mozzarella was very fresh and there was plenty of salad. The garlic bruschetta was very crispy and was a nice touch.
Very affordable pizza place that I would highly recommend.
The portions are LARGE. Our group of 5 ordered way too much food. But the food was delicious! I'd recommend the calamari appetizer, baked ziti, and pizza, but not the eggplant pasta - there wasn't enough eggplant!
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La Villa is like Park Slope's answer to an Olive Garden; the food seems mass produced, it takes forever to get and it's very impersonal and somewhat flavorless. If you're craving lots of carbs and cheese then go for it; you won't be disappointed. A few things on the menu that are really good are the pizzas, gnocchi and the cheesecake.
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When you really need home style Italian, look no further!
Lasagne and baked ziti are the top hits here. Follow it up with Tiramisu.
Cheap, great for kids, but the lines SUCK!
Vegetarian friendly. Pizza just OK.
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This place is bright, and has large portions of the owner's mother's favorite dishes. They only use real ingredients, most are the imported Italian varieties.
The pizza is terrific, so is the focaccia. They will make you anything you want if you don't see it listed. Primavera fans will like this place, so will balsamic chicken foodies. Salmon is always good with the garlic spinach. Go before 6 or you will get a line, that is a hard and fast rule. Each day has its own specials, with Sunday braccioline day.
Beer glasses are frosted, which is very nice in summer.
Has seated counters to hang at if lines are too long and you just want to scarf a pizza down with a friend. Open wood burning pizza kitchen brought in from Seattle is focus of atmosphere. All catagories have premium treatment, oils and vinegars are for sale at counter.
The best pizza in the neighbourhood. I usually get the Focaccia Della Nonna (D.O.C) and the organic baby green salad. The pasta portions are large as are the salads, actually pretty much everything comes as a large portion. The place gets really busy at times and they do not take reservations so it can be a bit of a wait.
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Good food, nice place, reasonably priced. They were also very cooperative when a take-out order got messed up. In the end, it was our mistake, but they still came through.
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My recent dinner at La Villa brought back a flood of memories of the Saturday nights of my childhood when my family would head to a super-casual local Italian restaurant several times a month to give my tired parents a break from the kitchen. La Villa was full of families doing the same. That said, you won't want to go on a date here--much more appropriate for a big group meal. The portions are huge, and therefore conducive to sharing. I sampled one of their specialty pizzas (wood- burning oven--oh baby, oh baby!) which was smothered in fresh veggies and had the crispiest of crisp crusts. The baked eggplant appetizer (smothered in two kinds of fresh cheeses and delish marinara) was delicious too--and a perfect use for the delicious garlic and onion foccacia bread they leave on your table. Mmmm.
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Very tasty Italian. Their fancy pizza oven turns out some tasty pies - the crust is the right amount of dark on the bottom and warm and soft on the inside. Also, my panini sub was very satisfying. Try the chianti!
Atmosphere was very comfortable, though the decor was nothing special.
The service left a bit to be desired but was okay in the end.
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I love, love La Villa. I've been eating the pizza and pastas from here for years - as I grew up not too far from the Mill Basin location. When I saw it was coming to Park Slope - I was very excited and it hasn't ever disappointed. The pizzas are excellent and they taste fantastic even when delivered and the Caprese salad is also a favorite. I love La Villa!
This is one of those n'hood staples that I always forget to review. Sort of like reviewing my own kitchen (why would I do that?). But, I took a pal there last night and was reminded of its convenient goodness. It sort of surprises me that they don't add "family restaurant" to their name, but that's a good thing. We strolled in at 6:30pm, thinking we'd beat the crowds, but then I remembered where we were. It was a mob scene - wall to wall families - and this place is vast by inner Brooklyn standards. Nonetheless, there was a couple tables for two, plus a few comfy stools at the bar (also a highly recommended perch for non-breeders). The down side is this: it is almost always crowded with a wait - with families early on and then with the kidless crew later at night. My pal is a picky eater, sort of a foodie snob, but he was impressed with the choices and what came to the table (I could tell he was nervous when he saw the nuclear units devouring huge plates of pizza/pasta all around - worried that it might be a local version of some tasteless family feed chain like Macaroni Grill). The wait staff is good, and they let you chow in peace and sit for a long time - I've never been rushed, even at peak time. For what it is, the check is often shockingly high though. Two of us got one drink each, split an appetizer and got two pizzas (one large, one small): $85 (with tip included). Damn delicious fare though. Try the "Grandma's Pizza!"
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REVISED! On 4/12/2008. We went as a group of 6 adults Saturday night, my first mistake, ordered a $25 of Pinot Grigio got a screw top, second mistake, toddlers running amok w/Dad's in tow making barn noises, expecting the atmosphere to compliment the food, 3 & final mistake.
Stars went from 5 to 2.
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I love having La Villa in the neighborhood! I've had lunch & dinner there many, many times. On weekdays, weekends, when it's crowded and when it's not. The service can improve just a bit but their food is always good.
I can always count on my chicken salad to taste great, the lasagna to be as perfect as the last time, the pizza to have just the right amount of sauce, cheese and whatever other topping I ask for on a perfect crust, the soups they recommend always taste great, etc... I can go on and on. The portions are huge (2 can share the salads and some of the pasta dishes) and the prices are very reasonable. The restaurant is clean, comfortable and laid back. They are absolutely doing everything right.
Great dishes, tons of food, and excellent pizza.
My fav vodka sauce ever!
La Villa definitely isn't cheap, a grilled chicken salad, no matter how great their balsamic is, still runs you about $12. BUT, it is great! I love La Villa, everything I've had there rocks, ESPECIALLY THE ONION BREAD!
They have a wonderful way with broccoli, their pizza is wonderfully sweet, their desserts are rich and creamy, yum. I miss their old balsamic dressing, but the new one is good anyway. I've had a few wines there and haven't been disappointed with their recommendations.
I can't review this place and not be honest...I did have three negative experiences, twice they forgot to bring me my food, and once they gave me the wrong food. They eventually fixed it but nothing sucks more than everyone around you eating (or not eating to be polite but their food gets cold), and you have nottttttttttttttttttttthing, especially when their onion bread is in oven and not on your table. BUT, they have made up for it the other 99 thousand times.
They just recently updated their menu and I had their salad and an arugala wrap today, AMAZING. Simply amazing! Definitely worth it.
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I went to La Villa restaurant today with my wife and son to attend a baby shower. Strange as it may sound, this family elected to have the shower over lunch. This review then is strictly from the culinary point of view and not price (since we didn't pay anything).
In short, the food was excellent. My wife and I, who in my opinion are rather chosey folks, have no complaints about the food. We started with salad with some surprise fresh mozarella, basil and olives. The appetizers were fried zucchini and eggplant, both awesome but the fried Zuchini couldn't beat Lorenzo's (see Lodomino's Taste of Italy's review). For the main course I decided to try the Chicken Grill sandwich while my wife went for the entre of Chicken Parmigiana. She raved about the pasta (which indirectly credits the sauce as well). We both enjoyed the food very much.
I came in soaking wet and appreciated the cool air on this humid day. Was not comfortable with the camera over my head and at the entrance (I don't like being watched) but enjoyed my stay very much.
On the way out I watched the fiery brickovens and told my wife we should try the brickoven pizza on our next visit.
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La Villa is a sprawling Italian restaurant on Park Slope's burgeoning 5th Avenue Restaurant Row. They have pretty much every Italian (or Italian American) dish that you could think of on the menu - panini, antipasti, pasta, pizza, calzones and a myriad of salads with fresh mozzarella and tomato themes. On a recent rainy afternoon I had a delicious bowl of minestrone soup - chunky, with a rich broth and tons of white beans. I love white beans. There is a slight cheesiness factor to the interior, but it's extremely kid-friendly and the prices are really good, meaning affordable!
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