The Original Vinnie's Neighborhood Italian

Went there tonight for a birthday dinner for my mother. Food was excellent, service was decent. The only issue I (and the rest of my party) had was the temperature inside the restaurant was sweltering. I don't know if this is normal, and due to the excellence of the food and the otherwise friendly and comfortable atmosphere, I'm willing to give the place the benefit of the doubt and say maybe they are just adjusting b to the sudden cold spike in our area. Overall, it was a good experience.

Vinnie’s is a fabulous Italian restaurant. Came here for the first time and it will be a regular and favorite restaurant when we move here in January. The service by Nicole E. was superb; she was attentive without being intrusive, and was very personable and efficient. Food was delicious and the portion was generous. Just a great dining experience. They do have a “Kitchen Appreciation” fee, which appears on your bill without warning and leaves no way to opt in or out, so be aware of this add on. Otherwise, great meal, great service and great ambiance.

Excellent Italian restaurant. I had the lasagne with extra meat sauce and wifey had the Spaghetti with Sunday Gravy (meatballs and sausage). Both were excellent and highly recommended. The $6 martinis didn’t hurt either. NOTE: Even though there is a picture of pizza in some of the first photos, this restaurant does not serve pizza, at all. I think they used to but quit some time ago.

First time, went on a Friday. It's hectic at peak times since they don't do reservations, but you can get seating at the bar if you're dining in. There's even a 'back' bar where a few young kids were eating with their folks. An option if you like bar stools and dining facing a wall! If you're in for a wait, half the outdoor patio space is dedicated for waiting. It's got water, seating, it's covered, and you can order drinks at the bar. I can't imagine coming here with more than four people and not expecting to wait. Fortunately, Fridays are $6 martini nights (well gin or vodka). Parking is nuts. Their parking lot does not match their capacity, so plan on finding alternate parking. Or take Lyft and then take advantage of the daily drink special. Solution-oriented folks appeared to be parking in the lots across Merrimon, the larger of which didn't appear to have a parking notice posted. I arrived at 6, sat myself at the bar and ordered a dirty gin martini (no vermouth), half an order of the garlic knots, the linguini with clams in white wine, and the white cake. All 5/5. The garlic knots were sitting in a yummy pool of garlic and olive oil and were liberally doused with Parmesan. The linguini was a large portion of pasta, cooked beautifully al dente, with six or so clams-in-shell on top and absolutely chock-full of chopped clams and garlic. They should call it garlic lovers linguini and you should avoid it at all costs if you don't like garlic. They also do table side Parm grating, if you're into that. Every bite was a delight, and i enjoyed spinning my forkfuls of pasta on the giant spoon that came with the dish, using it to load up each bite with sauce, clam, and garlic. The ladies beside me ordered the Caesar without anchovies, which tells me they make the dressing in-house. Noted for next time. I also want to try the red sauce with pasta - the garlic knots were served with a side of red sauce, which I wasn't overwhelmed by, so ordering another plate of pasta is the clear scientific solution. The white cake I ordered to-go, so it came packed in a sturdy container and cute little bag stamped with the Vinnie's name. I didn't have any expectations, hadn't read anything about it, didn't look at pictures. But I've had tiramisu and it was the one different dessert they offered and I was curious. Y'all, it's gonna be this year's birthday cake. The cake is so yummy, but the texture threw me off at first bite. I was expecting a light, airy, vanilla cake. So I went in for another bite and it was like that scene from Ratatouille when Remi ate the cheese and fruit together for the first time. Fireworks. It's denser, like almond cake (could BE almond cake), isn't too sweet, and pairs beautifully with the slightly sweeter velvety, airy, white frosting. The cake has three layers, is frosted and filled with what I assume is Italian meringue, coated with shredded coconut, and filled in the middle with almond slices. The cake is a joy of flavor and texture. Is Vinnie's authentic Italian? I'm not Italian, so I couldn't tell you. I can tell you that I had a wonderful meal, and that's what counts.