Veneto Trattoria

Great restaurant with authentic flavored Italian food. Good drinks and wine list too. The restraint is smaller but adds to the character of the place. Feels like a big city Italian restaurant right in Scottsdale. It fills up and gets busy on Friday and Saturday’s so if you’re with a party of more then two, make a reservation.

Decent service, but the lasagna was oversaturated with sauce and had barely any taste to it. The desert menu was pretty bad but figured I’d try their crembule and ice cream cappuccino. Wow biggest mistake of my life. YUCK

+Authentic: décor all in Venetian style, servers and owner were Italian, the ambiance was very European
+Wait times; even on fairly busy evening for dinner, seated quickly and food arrived promptly
+Service: exceptional. Fast, polite, knowledgable, very accommodating
+menu: varied Choice, lots of changing chefs specials
+ wine list: quite extensive
The food itself was excellent, very impressed with the quality of ingredients used — down to the olive oil and bread. Was very pleased with our choices, the Appetizers in particular were excellent. Next time might just try a sampling of these instead.
Overall an excellent choice, décor and service perfectly complement delicious Italian fare in a cosy setting. Sat inside but the Patio looked quite nice for a warmer evening. Will be returning

The waiter was great. The manager was a bit rude. The salad I had was excellent and the bread was very yummy. The rest of the food was not seasoned well and not rememberable. With all the great restaurants in the area we will not be back. It was forgettable.

My book club met here for lunch to talk about our latest book set in Italy and the initial impression was it was a fabulous choice. I loved the décor, the atmosphere and looking at the menu, I had the impression that the food would be delicious.
The bread was certainly delicious although it was served with butter and not olive oil. Regardless, the bread was still mouth watering. Especially the one with the sage & thyme flavor.
I think my friends enjoyed what they ordered– all the dishes looked delicious when the food came. All of them remarked how much they liked their house salads– esp. the tangy red wine vinegar salad dressing.
I had ordered the pork sausage on Savoy cabbage with polentas. When the dish came, the presentation looked great. 3 pieces of beautifully grilled polentas, 2 pork sausage links on a bed of Savoy cabbage. That is, until I took a bite of the dish!
It was soooooo salty that I felt like I was eating a salt lick! I could feel my eyes bulge out it was so, so, so very salty.
I thought to myself: «wow, if I was a deer, I would be super happy just about now cause I felt like I had opened up a jar of salt and was pouring it into my mouth!!!
There might have been flavor to the dish but I couldn’t taste anything but the salt cause. .. . It was soooo salty!!!
When I mentioned it to the waiter, he did not offer to take back the dish or offer compensation. He merely shrugged his shoulders.
One of my friends remarked how snubby he seemed which was a disappointment to me since I usually receive good service.
Another friend told me I should not have to pay for the meal if it was that bad. I still paid. Right now, 6 hours later even after 2 hours of playing tennis, my mouth still feels completely salty. You know the feeling.
So if you have high blood pressure or diabetes you should not order the pork sausage dish. If you are a deer in human disguise looking for a salt lick then by all means go for it!!!

Don’t know why I haven’t written a review,; probably because I know how successful you are. You can always find couples and parties that are greeted as if they are family. The food is full of exploding flavors, and everyone is happy attentive and warm. Love this beautiful place. We have been for at least 10 years. Love Love Love

Great place with amazing food and wine. We stop in every time we are in Scottsdale. The food, wine, and atmosphere always take us back to our time in Venice. The owners are great and love to speak with the patrons, especially if you speak a little Italian

I have had two fantastic meals here. Could not have been any better! (And a great value considering quality and portion.) Can hold it’s own against any San Francisco Italian restaurant.
Definitely will be back!

The first time I went here I ate by myself at the bar and I got orecchiete with sausage and rapini. I liked it a lot but then I ordered the same thing as take out and it was not the same quality at all! I don’t think it’s good unless you actually eat in the restaurant.

I was introduced to this bit of Northern Italy by an internet date. I didn’t go out with her again but I have returned to this restaurant. This is a small, well laid out, romantic restaurant located in a strip mall. There is small, full bar and nice covered patio dining. The mostly Italian wine selection is respectable and reasonably priced. The menu has some dishes and there are nightly specials. They offer a buratta version of a caprese salad that is very tasty. I tasted the osso buco (using pork shank rather than veal) and a crusted halibut special. Both dishes were flavorful and excellently prepared. I especially enjoyed the halibut! There is a cioppino on the menu that I am anxious to try.
My first date and I split the tiramisu. It was prepared with a sauce that made the dish very disappointing. Tiramisu is my favorite Italian dessert. On my second visit, my friend and I split the crème brûlée. This is my second favorite dessert, and while it was superior to the tiramisu, it was disappointing.
Coincidentally I was attended to by server Diego both nights. He was pleasant, attentive and efficient both times.
I will definitely return to this restaurant. If they can improve their desserts I will probably add a star. If the cioppino is as good as I have heard we make it to 5 stars.

In the mood for homemade pasta I looked up Unilocal and found this place. (Prior to looking at this place stumbled upon an Italian restaurant it looks like almost every single patron were of senior citizens, and the place is packed). That’s when we decided to leave and come over here. This restaurant is perched in the plaza next to a Starbucks. This restaurant features a nice outside patio to dine at as well as the inside of the restaurant.
Unfortunately I was not able to take any pictures of the food that I ate because my phone died. We started off with some starter bread and butter and then the server came over and told us the specials of the day. Ordered the spaghetti alle Vongole with white sauce. Aka with clams. Also order the special of the day which is the pasta with seafood in a marinara sauce. Both dishes topped with grated Parmesan cheese!
The pasta tasted delicious and cooked al dente but some of the clams had some bits of sand or broken shells of some sort that I kept biting into and just was not as great of an experience. The other seafood dish filled with scallops, shrimp and topped with 2 huge mussels was also good except the mussels tasted too fishy and old. The server told us that the mussels came from the Mediterranean — which we are not sure how the shipping process was to get all the way here.
The brims of our water glasses were always filled to the top which to me is always fantastic and shows good service!

If I lived in Scottsdale, I would be among the regulars at Veneto Trattoria. We were surrounded by tables of folks who I had the feeling dined there with some regularity. Friends and families all enjoying great food and one another.
This place has a warm vibe and amazingly fast service – truly. I’ve never seen servers and bushops move so fast through a restaurant!
Sadly, we didn’t have pasta – we were going to come back and try that, but never made it. But by all the plates going by us, I can imagine it’s delicious.
We each had a fish dish: I had the bass special, and my wife had the swordfish. She orders swordfish whenever she gets the chance, and she said that that was probably the best – or at least among the best – that she had ever had.
We also shared the most incredible dessert. While every item on the menu sounded creative and interesting, we settled on the semifreddo al pistacchio. Oh. My. Goodness. So so good.
The dining room is really lovely. Warm lighting. Tables snuggled together, but not too close. It’s divided into two rooms, and the outside seating area is nice, too, even though it’s next to a parking lot. This is a lovely place for a nice date night with your honey, or to enjoy with a small group of friends or family.
We did not have a reservation, and the host was very kind to seat us. But I don’t recommend just showing up. Make a reservation.

A few months ago, we stumbled across this a great little Italian place, tucked away unassumingly in a strip mall. Having been there three or four times now, this is one of our favorite go-to’s for a classic Italian meal! The wait, even on a Saturday night, has never been more than about 15 minutes, and the staff are knowledgeable and quick.
On our last visit, we started with a wonderful appetizer of seared scallops and greens. They were a little on the small side, but delicious! They were cooked perfectly (so tender!) and the sauce that came with them added a great flavor. They also bring focaccia and white bread to your table, paired with a garlic’y butter that isn’t overwhelming. For my main meal, I had an awesome orecchiette pasta in red sauce with sausage, and I ate every bite! It had just the right amount of spice, and was cooked in a delicious, creamy marinara. I think that my all-​time favorite here is still the seafood pasta, but I was feeling adventurous, and enjoyed trying something new! We shared a good bottle of red wine, and were glad to take it home when we couldn’t finish it. (Tip: If you like their wines, the restaurant sells the bottles outside of actually dining with them… then again, I don’t know how you could come here and not enjoy the food!)
The place is charming and has a cozy, old-​world vibe that makes the already genuine food and service feel even more so. The staff welcomes you warmly, and you’ll leave with a full and happy tummy, as one should from a great Italian place!

She-beaux’s first cue that this joint was legit– ordered the seafood special (similar to frutti di mare) and when my man brought out the food, did not bother to offer parmesan (because who would dare, right?!)
Keep in mind my love is a born and bred Eye-​talian. She was (dramatic pause) very hyped on this anecdote.
Second clue: there were some ol’ folks all over the joint speakin’ in Italian, and I feel like when fools from the ol’ country come out to patronize, it equates to realness.
The strip mall location threw me initially, but I’m still struggling to get a handle on the culture of Scottsdale. Food was fantastic, the mood was right, and the service was impeccable.
Notably (for this Unilocaler), the staff were able to carry on meaningful conversations that didn’t invade our evening, but that also transcended the banal. Talkin’ gluten-​free and my man speakin’ briefly about his autistic son and gluten-​free experimentation was rad. It’s this kind of thing that equates dining to an experience, not just a transaction.

Love this place — delicious food — seafood and fish and flavor and good desserts and the coffee is a great ending — we had dinner Sat night and loved it all over again — this is a special night out in the neighborhood — a quiet yet beautiful spot of a time gone by — thank you for not changing so much and being special for us
We will be back and we have brought friends and will do that again

Happy New Year !!!
At least that’s what I thought it was going to be that night.
They had a special four course menu for New Years Eve… Should be sweet right ???
The food was bland at best and tasted like it had been prepared for hours before my party and I showed up, the bread basket was probably the best thing… The waiters and waitresses were in such a hurry to get to whatever they had planned after they had gotten done feeding the masses that they were rushing each meal as fast as they could to get out as fast as possible…
But… They are always on top of the refills and the owner always makes sure he spends a couple of minutes yuking it up with each table and patron under the roof. The waiters and waitresses are all Italian and they all offer great info and great wines to pair with each option on the menu.
There are a lot of great options for Italian food in Scottsdale but this would not be my first choice…

Wanted to find an amazing Italian restaurant and we hit the spot! This place is hard to find in a strip mall but it’s very homey and romantic. The service is impeccable. He was even recommending lots of half and half choices!
We had the two vegetarian soups with pumpkin lentil and vegetarian vegetable soup. Then had the carpaccio and the seared scallops as the special appetizer.
For dinner we had the sea bass, seafood pasta, shrimp angolotti, and orchietta. Then the vegetarian dad got to try the half and half vegetarian pasta! So amazing!
Could not believe how good the food is here for an Italian restaurant!

I am torn in writing this review. On our first visit the food was outstanding. The pasta tasted very fresh and the salmon was cooked perfectly. We couldn’t wait to come back.
We returned again a few weeks later and decided to order linguini with clams and veal ravioli. The linguini was OK, nothing special. The sauce was a bit watery and the clams were slightly overcooked. If this was the only issue we probably would still want to return and try again. However, the raviolis were dreadful. The veal was mushed up inside like cat food and they were so salty we could barely swallow them. It was an extremely disappointing meal. Now I am not sure if we will be able to give Veneto Trattoria another chance or not.

Cane here twice on my trip to Arizona and was so impressed both times! The people whp qork there are so nice and ALWAYS on top of everything. I never had to ask for more water, they saw it low and immediately came over to refill. The bread was also great and they bring oil and vinegar and butter. The first time I went I started with their meatball appetizer. I highly suggest getting this (it is an Italian place but they do not believe I’m spaghetti and meatballs) then I had the sea bass as my mail course which was good but a bit dry. It came with some vegetables which were so good.
The second time I had the gnocchi with gorgonzola and walnuts except I asked them to add a bit of red sauce to it. That was SO DELICIOUS. I was so happy that they were so willing to change up their menu to accommodate my needs.
Parking: when I went there was a lot of parking all around (it is in a strip mall so there is a lot of parking)

After receiving –2– poorly cooked Veal T-​Bones, The first I asked for Med-​R and it came overcooked and dry nearly burnt, the 2^nd attempt was seared Rare as Veal Sashimi… The owner came to my table and began to lecture me on how Veal can’t be cooked between the 2 versions that I had been given! In fact the owner was rude, disrespectful, and angry. He told me that I had no right to send back 2 steaks and that I should leave!
My friend and I completely shocked and speechless stood up and walked out.
I have been to this place a handful of times in the past and always had adequate experiences, but to be treated this way as a customer is disgusting and there is no excuse for this poor behavior.
What I will share with you is this restaurant caters to an older demographic of guests. There are many regulars who visit this establishment, who are used to average food, below par service, and most likely don’t know any better to distinguish from very average to a truly worthwhile dining experience.
The owner waltzes around bragging and telling stories of his past and of Italy… Some people may want to be in this kind of environment, however do not plan on going here if you want privacy as this place is very small and lacks the kind of romantic italian ambiance that one who hope for.
If you are looking for really good food save your time and money. The food is average at best! The prices are not some great value either. The average entrée price is just about $ 18, and apps/​salads are each about $ 9 on avg.
Truthfully there are better places to eat in the valley and there should never an instance where a customer is treated so poorly by an owner.
Close your eyes and imagine seared rear meat– I have had seared tuna sashimi that was more cooked than the steak that was brought to me. This is inexcusable and poor execution. Makes me wonder who they have working in their kitchen.
Pretty disappointing. Epic Fail!