Vin Santo

I have been telling my Boyfriend religiously that I am craving for really really good pasta with cream sauce for about a month now. So one of the first places we went for dinner was indeed, pasta.

Theres a few great Italian restaurants in Madison, and I want to say that Vin Santo is definitely one of them even though it was our first time dining here. At first, it was a bit hard to find since the neon sign was a little too small for me to spot but, with the help of Boyfriend, locating Vin Santo was easy peasy.

On a Saturday night, it was a full house. The lady, who I think is the owner, asked us to sit at the bar until the table is ready. She was super friendly. Not even 5 minutes later, a table became available for us.

We got the night's special appetizer which had salmon on a crispy baguette with cream cheese. Salmon was fresh and the baguette was very crunchy and maybe a bit hard to bite on for the elderly. My Boyfriend ordered the Lasagna of the Day which had Spicy Italian Sausage. The waitress told us it will take 40 minutes to prepare. I got my cream pasta or very similar to what I have been craving! I got Pollo al' Tuscana which was fresh fettuccine with white wine cream sauce with chicken, mushroom and sundried tomato.

It did take forever to get our food but it was expected. Time went by faster just munching on complimentary bread with some olive oil and drinking a LOT of water, haha. I got to try the Lasagna and it was packed with flavor! Very sweet and savory from tomato sauce and a kick from Spicy Italian Sausage were a great combination. I think the Spicy Italian Sausage was a game changer. I honestly didnt expect to be that spicy but it was pretty spicy which I really liked. But not spicy like Hot Chicken Fire Noodle, heh

My cream pasta was super delicious! With gracious amount of shredded cheese on top, it helped to create very creamy flavor which I was longing for days!!! For both, portion size was very generous that we both did not finish. My pasta had so many sub-ingredients like sun dried tomato, mushroom and chicken. Fresh fettuccine pasta was soft but chewy and was a perfect combination with smothered cream sauce all around it. Sundried tomato had a tangy, sour flavor which I thought it complemented other ingredients in the dish. Chicken breast was not dry but moist and soft as well.

I really enjoyed our dinner at Vin Santo and what I liked the most was great service provided by my waitress AND the lady who sat us. Super kind and welcoming. We also got Tiramisu for takeout to enjoy with some wine at home. From what I see, it looks pretty big AND scrumptious!

If I have to complain, the restaurant itself is somewhat dated with all the tables/chairs and interior decorations. My table was slanted, cracked and the top of table which I think is plastic was peeling off? and yeah. Chairs and tables, particularly the one we dined in, was very cheap, old and weak.

All in all, great service with great food. Just with some interior update, Vin Santo will definitely attract even more locals and somewhat tourist like me (since I do not live here but I come here often) to dine in this restaurant.

Oh my word, this place is amazing! If my wallet and waste line could handle it, I would have no problem eating here daily for the rest of my life! I had lived nearby for a long time without ever checking this place out and didn't really know much about it. My mom and a friend were coming into town to visit, but I couldn't meet them until later so they went to grab dinner at Vin Santo. I met them there afterwards to have a quick glass of wine while they finished up their dinner. They are two foodies from Chicago and they could not stop raving to me about how incredible this place was. I tried a bite of the special my mom had ordered -- something with chicken and balsamic and pine nuts and it was amazing.

So of course we returned here the next time they came back into town instead of exploring new options. I got a pasta with marinara and goat cheese and pine nuts... those are quite literally four of my favorite things. The serving size is enormous and could probably feed me for three full meals... but I couldn't stop eating it because it was so delicious that I ate ALL OF IT. Everyone absolutely loved their meals. I recall that we got dessert but I can't remember what it was... I just remember devouring it! Afterwards we had a round of limoncello, and it was some of the best I've tasted. A perfect way to end a meal, even if I gained about 5 inches around the waist in one sitting. Our server was likewise so nice and sociable we had a great time chatting with her. She made some great recommendations too.

If I had to find a negative overall with this place, the brushcetta bread was a bit hard making it challenging to eat. I get that is usually the way bruschetta comes, so it isn't impacting my review. Also, I wish it were wheelchair accessible, but it is in an older building and it is what it is. The family is coming to visit this weekend and we are going back once again... it really is the best. The atmosphere is very intimate and feels more like someone's dining room than a big restaurant operation. I highly recommend stopping into Vin Santo!

Service and taste.

This may be one of the first times I can say that service was 100% right. Great work and good team. The food was great and presented well.

This smaller location is great, as it's a casual dress with a quaint feel.

Cheers-

The best restaurant in downtown Middleton hands down. While not inexpensive, it is of value something that can not always be said of its neighbors.

A family owned place withstanding the test of time with excellent service and food. Great ambiance, quaint decor and a relaxing way to spend an evening.

Linguini al' Frutti di Mare and Salsiccia Rossa are the two I tried and enjoyed on separate occasions. Perfectly seasoned and executed.

Vin Santo's tenure in the Middleton community is something to be applauded (29 years). Obviously, they are doing something right with a model of "If it's not broke, don't fix it". The food, while it may have slipped in the past few years, is solid and the portions are huge. This may rate highly with other reviewers but I would rather opt for something smaller and have it taste better. Don't get me wrong-the pasta is not bad but when compared to others in the Madison area, it is just ok. What was not ok was their soup de jour-tuscan mushroom soup.
Limp mushrooms in a bland broth, I would pass on that in the future.
The interior of the restaurant needs some love as well-very clean but just dated looking.
In a pinch, I would not hesitate to come back (the service alone warrants it) but if I am looking for a nice romantic Italian meal, there are a few places that definitely rank higher.

The best pasta in town!!
The ingredients and the pasta are fresh. Ordered the fruti de mare and there were a huge amount of seafood. Tiramisu was also amazing~

You NEED to go here. I was a little worried about going in wearing running shorts and tennis shoes with my hair looking a mess, but the staff there was more than accommodating even though I looked like a bum.

The owner came over to our table multiple times and even made a special wine drink for me because I didn't love the selection they had (which was delicious by the way). Our waitress was a literal angel - that woman was SO SWEET and so helpful. She even wrapped our pudding leftovers specially so it wouldn't leak on our way home.

The food is AMAZING. There really isn't much else to say. We got bruschetta and my boyfriend ordered the Scampi Gabriella and I ordered the special which was a lobster ravioli (the picture I've posted - beautiful, right?). Amazing. Then the bread pudding, which is enough to feed a small country, was the best I've ever had. Delicious.

Long story short, although the inside is a little quirky, the staff and the food are amazing - I will absolutely be frequenting Vin Santo!

Every time I come here in the Midwest, particularly in the Middleton area, I see to it that I come here. It's a gem, so fortunate that I found this place, the food is good especially the bread pudding, service is great it feels like you are home as they are warm and very accommodating. Very chill and relaxing I if you want to experience a very good authentic Italian cuisine, just come here and you will not regret of coming over.

Oh my gosh, you HAVE to have the salmon here!!!! I don't know how they do it but it's like a delicious cloud of flavor, even at different thicknesses -- I didn't even know it was possible to cook salmon so well.
The other food is extremely delicious and creative. But the salmon is like I've never experienced before.
We like ordering the specials, they've always been fantastic.

Wow, do I love this place! I wish I lived closer so I could eat it all the time!

My family came here when we were staying in Madison. At first, I was a little nervous because it was not located in the city. I thought it was going to be a little dinery Italian place but BOY was I wrong!

We had a reservation and we arrived with some time to spare. The hostess who was a very sweet British woman was very concerned about getting us seated on time. She ensured that we were seated immediately when the other party was finished which was nice.

It looks as though this restaurant is family owned. The chairs were mismatched and there are pictures of old celebrities on the walls but this just adds to the charm of this restaurant.

Our waitress was awesome and was very knowledgeable. We had a large party but she had no problem repeating the specials or being patient. It was nice to have someone so attentive and willing to wait.

She brought over some bread and oil which was delicious. I ordered the seafood ravioli (it was a special) with a creamy pesto sauce. OMG, this was to die for. The ravioli was stuffed perfectly and it was easy to tell the pasta was homemade. The sauce was delicious (even though I wish there was a little more) and I had freshly grated parmesan on top.

I was able to try my cousin's dish and she had the spinach ravioli. Again, delicious sauce and very easy to tell how much care was put in the pasta. I also tried my sister's who got a garlic spaghetti pasta, it was delicious, and my dad's who had a pasta with goat cheese and a type of marinara sauce. I sincerely believe that everything on the table was delicious and I know the owners took the time to make sure it was.

All in all, Vin Santo is delish! It is a must if you're in the Madison area and are craving some seriously good italian pasta!