Osteria Vespa

I have never written a Unilocal review before, but I had to after the dinner I had here last night. The beef braised in red wine sauce was maybe the best meal I’ve ever had. Simply amazing. My wife and I have been twice. Both the food and service were excellent both times.

I feel their Unilocal rating was false. There is no way this place is 4.5 stars. Their chicken tasted like it came out of a can. None of the dishes blew me away. And it was over priced.

We thoroughly enjoyed our entire experience! We had the «3 for $ 30» special and it was a tremendous value. I had a beautifully prepared potato and leek bisque followed by fettuccine with chicken and spinach. It was rich and creamy! For dessert I had wonderful afigatto! The service was efficient and the entire experience was lovely!

Solid four stars. Almost five. Our group of five people had a great time. The salads were excellent all around. My friend said his pork chop was the best he ever had. The scallops were plump large and perfectly seared. My veal chop was pretty good but way too aggressively sauced. Wine was well chosen and reasonably priced. Had a nice Tuscan for $ 7/​glass. All in all, a delight and we’ll be back.

This is my favorite restaurant in town. Whenever I visit this place, I have tried different menus. All of them were soooooo good! Also all staff are so nice!

Love this restaurant. So nice to have good Italian in town. Have been here 3 times & happy every time.

The food here is on point. I’ve tried over 4 dishes and every single one has been amazing. Highly recommended for anyone!

Last night was our fourth visit to Osteria Vespa, this one just for a «bite-​at-​the-​bar» wine experience before a concert. (The previous three times were also wonderful, but I didn’t review the full dinner experiences because we sat outside two of those visits. I adore Osteria’s food, but the noise level inside is too high for my and my guy. When the patio was open during summer, we loved both the setting and the food. Indoors, we couldn’t hear each other across the table due to the acoustics.)
Back to last night. Since we needed to be at UMASS for our concert by seven, we arrived at Osteria before six o’clock – hours before our normal eating time. Despite it being November, the night was balmy, and the door was open. We were among the first people in the restaurant and plonked ourselves down at the corner of the bar. The bartender was wonderful and attentive as we studied the excellent wine list. My husband got a Barbera and I ordered an excellent Italian red as well. Prices by the glass were in the $ 7-​$ 10 range, totally reasonable considering the great wine list.
Because we didn’t want to snooze off during our concert with a big meal, we ordered one of the most fabulous charcuterie plates we’ve ever eaten – a mix-​and-​match of a couple cheeses as well as capicolla and superb braesola – a thin, almost transparent dried beef. The platter came with pickled beets, a mustard «caviar,» some cranberry sort of relish, a huge savory «cracker» and refills of excellent bread. It was the most perfect pre-​concert meal. We’ve been hoping for a wine bar over here in Amherst like Con Vivo that we enjoy so much when we’re in Northampton. We didn’t realize we had one right here in our hometown of Amherst! Since we were at the bar sitting side by side, and it was early, the noise level was reasonable enough for conversation. What a perfect evening!

Enjoyed a lovely meal here with my mother and friend last night. Started with an arugula salad with shaved Parmesan and prosciutto, then had the house made rigatoni w/​sweet sausage and tomato sauce. The pasta was surprisingly light, very flavorful and garlicky, and the pasta was just the right density. My friend had some sort of pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli she loved and my mother greatly enjoyed the boars shoulder with green beans and broccoli rabe. A great gem in the area, with a friendly host and nice service.

–worst RESTURANT in Amherst
–waiter «Alexander» had the listening skills of a bottle of water and had no clue or interest In taking customer request and actually following through
— garlic I’m allergic… he ignored
— he should be taking tickets at a movie theater
— he does not know the difference between what blu cheese and Italian dressing «really»
–Lamb shank had more fat than imaginable … Chef should be fired
–go to Dunkin Donuts or Applebee’s
— waste of money

I thought that a quiet evening and some great food were in store at this unique and most talked about restaurant that recently opened in the hip Amherst scene. Wong !
This establishment has some growing-​up to do to make it a classy eatery.
For now be forewarned the menu items and drinks are high in price A half glass of Riesling wine was 12.00 dollars those are Boston prices not Amherst, MA.
*Atmosphere — The dinning room looked more like a converted lounge/​or a Sports Bar. There is no separate wall nor any sound absorbing material between the loud bar area and the dining room. Lots of tables and chairs are squeezed into a small space. It’s has a cramped and closed-​in feeling. No carpeting, No drapes and No table clothes. The hard wood flooring doesn’t help sound level and thus this «dining room» is extremely noisy, like a sports bar. It will be hard to hear anyone at the table if your having a conversation.
* The food, …Meh. I’ve had better food at other Amherst eateries. I’ll pass on the food and not get to much into it. The prices are high and you don’t get much. One piece of bread is placed on your plate. No basket of bread nor any rolls. Also, having a menu dish come out of the kitchen and then sent back due it’s poor flavor/​ingredients was well,…poor. I have to say Osteria did take that charge OFF the bill which was very nice of them.
*Service — The service was all well and good, but twice the waitress did not remember who ordered what and the wrong plate of food was put down for another party at our table. Also the night we went there computer system was down. I realize stuff happens, but in this age of high tech/​digital. Osteria mgmt seemed to be not fazed by the internet connection being down. Our waitress manually wrote out all the charges for the bill on a slip they use to take kitchen orders on. I was sent a receipt to my email via this high tech age we live in but was never given nor offered the hand written bill with the charges on it.
In conclusion perhaps this was an off night for them. Some adjustments to be addressed for Osteria to really be competitive in the Amherst eatery scene. Between the food not up to snuff, the high prices, the sports bar atmosphere and the noise level being sky high, skip this eatery and keep moving forward to another proven and winning establishment like the Lumber Yard, Bistro63 at Monkey Bar Grill, or Johnny’s Tavern.

There are times in our lives when the conscientious decision to indulge one’s life is paramount.
Fortunately for me I chose Vespa.
Rarely do I indulge in multiple courses on my own… thank the heavens for doggie bags…
Please skip lunch and make plans to join Josh at the bar. He will guide you through the food and beverage menus… and you will be happy for the trip

I brought my girlfriend here for her birthday and it was an amazing meal! It is by far the best restaurant of any type I have found in the five college area and better than a lot of Italian restaurants I have been to in the North End in Boston. Everything we got was absolutely delicious but the stand out dish was the quail. It exceeded every expectation and was truly a meal to remember. The ambiance and service were both terrific but the food is really what is going to get me to go back.

Great find, delicious food and very good service. If we lived here we would be regulars.

This is the best Italian restaurant in the Five Colleges area. I’d even say the best in the Pioneer Valley since Ristorante DiPaolo closed in Turners Falls in 2013. The food was authentic and well prepared, plated, and presented. The wait staff was attentive but not fawning. The décor was modernish/​faux Italian. The tables were not on top of each other. The menu was excellent. Location and parking were great, central Amherst. Ambience was excellent for meeting friends. All dishes were superlative.

Dinner yesterday with a friend. We both ordered lobster ravioli. Barely a hint of lobster at $ 25 a plate. And no chunks… Turns up they purée the lobster but apparently don’t put much into the ravioli. Pretty high price for very marginal quality. Have returned subsequently with better experience and somewhat regret my poor earlier experience, so upgrading from 3 to 4 stars.

I had lunch here today and came back in the evening for drinks and appetizers. The food is wonderful, especially the extraordinary meatballs with a perfect red sauce, and the charcuterie plate which is both beautifully presented and delicious. Osteria Vespa has an excellent selection of wines, including many that are very reasonably priced.
The staff are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. I’m so pleased that Amherst now has a fine Italian restaurant, and I plan to return soon and often!

This place is a welcome addition to the Amherst dining scene. We finally have someplace to go for authentic, delicious Italian food. We had the seafood soup and the Porkchop as our main dishes and started out with the carpaccio tuna and some spicy little peppers with prosciutto and cheese. We ended the meal with a chocolate mousse with a very buttery cream and some sort of praline topping as well as some French press decaf. There wasn’t one missed note in the entire meal. The staff was superb and attentive but not annoying. Every facet of the meal was well conceived and executed which is saying a lot considering the restaurant when we visited it was only open for four days, they obviously know what they’re doing. I’m eating Paleo these days so I didn’t get to try any of their pastas which all sounded and looked great.
We are both eager to return to this restaurant and sample more of their menu.

Amazing lunch experience. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. I had a glass of wine and the house made carbonara. The portion size was perfect. I left feeling full but not overly stuffed. I really appreciated the pasta to sauce ratio. My friend had the house made fettucini with marinara sauce and a meatball on the side. Loved the meatball and the basil oil that was drizzled on top. The marinara sauce is by far the best I’ve ever had. I will definitely be back to try their amazing cheeses and charcuterie. The prices were very reasonable. Great addition to Amherst!

…Living in the Pioneer Valley here in Western Mass it’s been SO hard to find a really good restaurant… until last night… Osteria Vespa has solved that problem for me! Chef Tom Schnapp produces a menu of Northern Italian/​Mediterranean cuisine that would rival the best restaurants in New York and Boston. We started with house made meatballs with a fresh tomato sauce that were out of this world. I wouldnt let the server take away my plate until the last of that gorgeous tomato sauce was sopped with with their incredible bread. For my main course i had a grilled pork chop with a hot pepper and vinegar sauce that was just incredible (more bread please!), garlicky greens and rosemary roasted potatoes… delicious! My wife had a shrimp risotto, rich and creamy and my son enjoyed some freshly made fettucine with more of that glorious tomato sauce… and yes,…they make their own pasta in house!!! Finished off with a side of creamy polenta i was thoroughly satisfied. For desert my wife ordered the house made cannoli (not too sweet but still delicious) and my son and I shared the caramel salted chocolate mousse… a perfect ending! John and Cathy, our hosts, kept a close eye on the going’s on to ensure a wonderful dining experience and Chef Tom and his Sous Chef Edwin sealed the deal with their culinary expertise. The service was good given the first night jitters, but, i expect that next time will be even better.
…If you’re going here expecting the usual Italian fare… don’t bother!!! There is no pizza or flat breads or anything parmigiana… and that’s a GOOD thing!!! What you will find is classic rustic Northern Italian fare that will knock your socks off!!!
…Why are you still reading this??? GO!!! NOW!!!