Vinny T’s of Boston

CLOSED!!! for real?
oh well.
remember it being ok – typical italian fare; didn’t expect much.
their roasted whole garlic was SOOOOO good, though. i emptied it out before the bread.
rhode island calamari, also good. a nice twist to the old-​fashioned ones w/​tartar sauce.
service? hmm, was a bit made to feel like i didn’t deserve the service, or their food was too good for me, snobby. once i was trying to eat healthy and asked if they had any whole-​grain/​wheat pasta, was given a rather indignant response that they make all their pasta on premise and do not offer substitute. sorry i hurt your feelings! gees.
anyways. so if this place really is closed, too bad for them. not too bad for us. oh well.
:)

Vinny T’s Boston closed about 1.5 weeks ago!
Bad economy…

I went here for a business lunch, so I didn’t really put them through the paces, but everything I experienced was quite nice. Nice interior — not somewhat fancy but somewhat cozy. Service was attentive and helpful, ie. my water glass stayed full and got good feedback on the menu options. Pretty good selection of salads, and that’s important to me because I’m a pussy vegetarian (which is not to say that all vegetarians are pussies, but I am). I had the Peloponnesian Salad, which was quite good: filling and well dressed.
Not bad for (what I assume is) a chain restaurant. This would be a good solid bet if you are in the area and not too adventurous.

What does it mean when the free bread and dipping sauce is the best thing at a restaurant? It means I can spend less money on entrees and just fill up on the freebies! At Vinny T’s, the roasted garlic in olive oil is awesome and the warm bread they bring you is a perfect complement. We had some sangria, and now I can’t remember what I even ate there. But I do remember the tiramisu being totally awesome! The service was great, but that might’ve been because we were in a party of about 8 and it was for someone’s birthday. I’m sorry I can’t give a thorough review on specifics, but the pasta was decent (not the best), and the service and desserts were good.

Dont.
There are just so many better options, and while I had fond memories of being a young lad here and visiting the Brookline location, either my memory is cloudy, my pallate is now more refined, or the quality has tanked. My guess is all three.
The red sauce is like any red sauce from any glass jar in any supermarket in the world. The roasted garlic, which I specifically remembered adoring, was cold and soggy. The service was all Russian, which isnt bad, but it is weird. Meat balls? More like masticated poop balls. Kids menu pizza? Elios with a slab of mozzarella melted on top. Wine? Wait, that was fine.
Just not what it needs to be to get consideration. You can do boutique better at anywhere in town, or chain better at PapaRazzi like 3 blocks away.
Oops, once again, years of narcotics and food snobbery have rendered my memory null and void.

Been here many times with friends. The drawback is the wait time. You need to put your name in and then walk around and come back. Last night the wait was 75 minutes.
The positive: most times the wait staff has been very nice and done a good job. The calamari is really good and a big enough portion to share. The chix marsala is good. The chix, broc, fetticuni is good, the eggplant lasagna was a let-​down. the bread with oil and roasted garlic is great.

I’ve been through Vinny T’s twice before: once as part of a group of 4, and once as part of a group of 13. I have to give them credit; despite their chain-​y exterior, eating here is a rather enjoyable experience. It doesn’t really feel like a Fire-​and-​Ice-​style cheap thrill.
Service was great both times: the small group was seated and waited on attentively, while when with the large group, the staff was very good about taking care of us at the bar while we waited for everyone else to arrive.
The bread’s more than satisfactory (plenty of garlic in the dipping oil), and both times I went (and ordered pasta dishes), the pasta was cooked very well and held the sauce nicely. I’ve seen both sides of the meatball argument on here; these aren’t the savory flavorbombs that you’re going to find at Grotto, but they’re really pretty good.
The price point is a big factor here: all the food is very affordable. Couple that with good service and a good atmosphere and if you’re still complaining, you’re just being a snob. The world needs places like Vinny T’s. Let’s be glad we have them.

Well, Vinny T’s will always be that place that I found out MJ had died… and also a place with a very delicious penne alla vodka. The portion was huge, the fennal sausage was fresh tasting, and the cheese so complimentary. We came here on a pleasant evening and sat outside in the patio, which made the experience quite nice. The only pooper was our server, Ben was his name I think. He didn’t seem very polite — for example, when I asked what drink the other table had he replied «What??!»…like we were chummy?
So…
4-​Stars for a delicious meal and pleasant atmosphere (except for the children), but…
3-​Stars for below average service.

I like this place a lot for a no frills affordable dinner. It’s a chain, but doesn’t necessarily feel like one. It’s nice, but casual enough that I don’t feel like I have to be dressed up to stop in. I have to be blunt though, I only come here for one thing… Fried Mozzarella. This is the only place I will order Fried Mozzarella because I’m pretty sure having it anywhere else would just lead to disappointment. It’s that good and the sauce it comes with compliments it perfectly.

I’m a huuuuge fan of this place. It’s affordable and I’d go so far as to say cheap compared to the other places in this area! They had this 5 dollar lunch deal going on for a bit that I got. My first experience here was their meatball grinder. That meat… is SO fresh. It was like velvet in my mouth. It’s amazing. And the bread! The bread is worth going alone. It’s fresh and moist and comes with … get this… roasted garlic. DELICIOUS. Hello. I’m sold. I also had their carbonara and it was orgasmic. My mom got the clam chowder and said it was really delicious and fresh. That was a huge bowl for only 4 or 5 bucks. Niiiice.
The service is really friendly and the food came quick! Very filling and one of my new favorite places.

After writing for 3 hours in the library, I stumbled down Bolyston street looking for lunch and a break for my eyes. Vinny T’s is running a $ 5 lunch special and the menu on the door caught my attention.
The spaghetti and meatballs were solid though unremarkable. It came with some delectable bread and a whole head of roasted garlic that I’m sure they can smell on me back here in Bates Hall. The service was perfect, though it’s not hard with only two people eating at 2:30. With an iced tea included in the deal, it might be the best value meal I’ve had since Argentina.

I am quite fond of Vinny T’s. Due to the fact that it’s a chain, many people feel that it’s not authentic Italian, but I say, «Hey! Who cares?» It’s the taste that counts!
I’ve gotten into plenty arguments with people over the debate whether Vinny T’s is better or Bertucci’s is better and I’m going to take this time to just say that Vinny T’s could kick Bertucci’s in the butt ten times and Bertucci’s wouldn’t know what him ‘em. I just wanted to quickly state that before I continued on with my review.
Anyhow, the reason why I brought up Bertucci’s is cuz people are forever talking about their rolls and I personally enjoy Vinny T’s bread and roasted garlic infused olive oil so much better!
One thing that keeps me coming back is their clams and linguine in the white clam sauce. I’ve gotten it at Maggiano’s too, but I feel like Vinny T’s is much better, by far.
When I’m craving consistent pasta and am looking to go somewhere dependable where I know I’m not gonna be let down, I go to Vinny T’s.

Vinny T’s has decent food, but it used to be better. You used to get huge-​generous servings for your money, and it was almost a bargain to eat here. Nowadays, the serving sizes are smaller, and they skimp on the meat/​fish.
The bread and roasted garlic they used to give you were so good, but they’ve changed the bread, its not as good any longer. They used to give you this cute little fork with your garlic, but now they just expect you to pick at it with your salad fork.
We used to be regulars here, and we’ve stopped going completely. Its just not worth the money anymore.
O! AND, the chocolate cake used to be this practically flourless decadent affair, but they changed it to a birthday-​cake type cake, didn’t change the description at all, and that is just not cool, messing with my cake –_–

Does anyone else remember when Vinny T’s was called Vinny Testa’s and it was totally awesome?
I do. This place makes me cry. Way to sell out in a bad way.

Food (3.0/10)=Like Legal Seafood, Vinny T’s (VTs) is one of the many tourist attractions of Boston. And just like Legal Seafood, the food at VTs is not very good. Here are some of thoughts on the dishes I’ve tasted.
1)Cheese Ravioli=Tasted like something you can buy in the freezer section of a grocery store.
2)Fettucini Alfredo=Also tasted like something you can buy in the freezer section of a grocery store.
3)Spaghetti w/​Meatballs=Meatballs are somewhat dry, tough, and bland. Like meatballs from the freezer section of a grocery store.
4)Chicken Parmigiana=Parmigiana flavor is weak.
5)Sangria= meh… VT’s sangria is basically watered-​down Kool-Aid…“Oh Yeah!” (Kool-​Aid man crashing through the walls of Vinny T’s)
Service (6.0/10)=For the two occasions I’ve been here, our waiter/​waitress tried way too hard to get a «nice» tip from their customers. In other words, they were a bit overbearing.
Ambiance (7.5/10)=Like other restaurants in the Back Bay area, the décor is nicer than the average restaurant. The place is set up so that it has a family feel to it.
Overall Opinion=Potential tourist trap. If looking for quality Italian, head to the North End («Little Italy» of Boston).

ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST PLACE IN BOSTON FOR A LARGE GROUP!!! They’ll take a reservation for 80 if you need that many seats! Also their bread and roasted garlic is great.
For dinner get the PENNE ALA VODKA, it’s amazing. Sausage, red sauce, cheese, and lots of basil. My favorite dish by far. And it’s really cheap if you split the large portion, less than $ 20 for 2!

Another Boston favorite for the locals & tourists.
Food is good.
3 Stars for being creative. At the end of the meal, they shake a bottle and if they pick the number you guess — then you can win a free meal (the one you just ate).

Part of the coupon trifecta (Uno’s/Bennigan’s), I only come here with the intent in using my mailing list coupons. Now that I have a big girl job, I don’t go as often, but I’ll make a cameo at this location every now and then when my wallet has sustained injuries from Newbury Comics or Urban Outfitters.
The food as you might have heard comes in very large portions. I’ve never finished an entire plate here. It all fares well as leftovers which is always a plus in my book. You won’t encounter any culinary masterpieces, but the food is definitely consistent.
The servers are somewhat flighty. Try and get a dish as close to your preference as possible because they’ll probably forget your substitutions. I do enjoy the bartenders though. I came here one night for drinks (yeah of all the places) with a guy friend and the barender was really nice/​funny. He kept joking how my friend was liquoring me up to ask me out. Considering my friend and I were both talking about our Prince Charming woes, I don’t know how the bartender didn’t catch on that he was gay. but he made me laugh and was very attentive.
I’d suggest Maggiano’s over Vinny’s if you’re going for the Italian chain vibe and are too much of a lazy butt to go to the North End.

Horrible experience here on Saturday night. They wouldn’t let us make reservations and so my boyfriend and I found ourselves waiting at the bar for his parents. Since we got there early, we decided to get a drink and that way, we wouldn’t be making them pay for our liquor. Funny thing, though… I mostly paid for ice with my midori sour and they only have Guinness in a can. Yuck.
Anyways, we overheard them telling some people that it would be a 2 ½ hour wait for dinner while other groups got to walk in. Seems some people got to make reservations and others didn’t? Weird.
Either way, I’m kinda glad my friend threw up on their patio furniture last year.

Reminded me of a cross between Macaroni Grill and Buca di Beppo. The food was good, and apparently, their portions are HUGE. We felt bad for wasting half our meal, so we asked to take it to go.
We took it back to the hotel but our room did not have a fridge and the hotel couldn’t help keep it for us overnight. I thought it was a rather easy special request we made of the hotel. In the end, it’s too bad the food went to waste. I should’ve stufffed myself even more originally!