Vespaio

Wow, what an evening.
We took the lead of the staff, who guided us well. Starting with the Prosciutto di Parma, which was delicate and delicious, and the light Eggplant Ricotta rolls.
Two pasta choices, Rigatoni with Fava beans, and a Wild Boar Papardelle. The pasta, house made, was cooked to perfection. A wonderful bite. And the sauces flavorful but balanced. No seasoning required.
We finished with Fiorentina, Med Rare. Delicious. Like butter. The staff selected wine pared perfectly.
The environment and staff really set off the experience. The covered garden gave that country feel for a Tuscan meal, and the staff were friendly and inviting. It gave it a sense of a family dinner.
My only frustration is that I couldn’t eat more! Thanks for the Experience Vespaio!

Niche’ P. My other half and started our Valentine’s week at Vespaio’s. This is not our first time. The ambiance was so relaxing and mellow. Roberto, our waiter was war, professional and very knowledgeable of everything on the menu as well as the specials. I had a lovely omelette mixed
with veggies and bacon. Everything taste good with Bacon. The eggs were cooked to perfection, moist, fluffy. The worst is a dried out omelette. I recommend The Rack of Lamb, The Baked Sardines as an appetizer and the Steaks you can’t go wrong. The management is great. They are very Professional and inviting. The patio is to die for. Pricey and worth every penny.

My friend and I were pleasantly surprised by this little gem. I don’t normally venture to this part of he city so there’s always that little element of fear when trying somewhere new. Needless to say our fears were short lived.
Food ⁵⁄₅
Décor ⁵⁄₅
Service ⁵⁄₅
The pasta (all made on the premises) was the most authentic I’ve had outside of Tuscany and trust me I’ve tried countless places! The wine suggestion was a perfect pairing too.
We had a fantastic evening and left with a level of fullness you can only achieve in a great, authentic Italian restaurant.
Highly recommended!

This restaurant is absolutely terrible :(
So this review is a review of the 3 different times that I’ve been there. — I just moved into the area. For that reason alone I was hoping this place was good because it would be so convenient.
The first time I went in there right away the stomp here was snooty and stuffy. No one was friendly. They all just seemed bothered by my presence. I ordered a salmon. When the salmon came it was dry and nothing special. The tomatoes were ordinary and I ate half of it. Ehhh ok I thought.
The second time that I went in there I sat at the bar. The bar tender was very nice, Asian guy but again the rest of the staff just seem to have an attitude problem. I ordered the carpaccio. The carpaccio came out and it had way to much sauce on it. It was just saturated and unfortunate. I then prefers the apple pie and it was just the worst. It tasked like mush. Seemed like it wasn’t fully cooked. I couldn’t ever finish it.
The third time I went in was last night and this is why I will never return. First I called the hostess to see what dessert they had because it was not on their online menu. She tells me the list of vague description and just seemed to have no idea what she was talking about. She clearly didn’t know the menu. I walk down stairs and go in, look at the menu and prefer the marscapone to go. I pay 10.95, and sit. 15 minutes go by and nothing, now mind you this was a Saturday night but there was maybe 10 people on the Resturante and about 15 people working. Everyone just seemed to be not paying attention. Finally after 15 minutes I ask the sever and he had an attitude problem. I then am handed a bag that has a dessert in it that is clearly one that has been sitting on the shelf of the little shop that is attached. To add insult the dessert had a price tag on the back of it that says ‘6.95′. So I paid 10.95 for them to waste 15 minutes and hand me something pre made.
They are the absolute worst. Terrible service, terrible food and just a terrible place. I will never go here again.

Stay away. Terrible service. Don’t have the basics down. No cleaning used dishes before bringing next courses. Marginal food. Drink order wrong Inability to handle credit cards. Took 30 minutes to get our credit card back. And then they brought us someone else’s card. When we told the server it wasn’t our card he yelled at us and told us to check the bill. Incompetent. Unprofessional. Management doesn’t seem to understand how to run a restaurant and process the bill. Would never go back.
Update: The story gets worse. I wasn’t feeling comfortable about their credit card handling so I checked my credit card online. 6 pending charges from the restaurant and 1 more that cleared. Some of the other 6 were for totally different amounts than our dinner bill. Looks like they were so incompetent that they were trying to run other people’s bills on our card. Fortunately they bank was on top of it and they will be canceled out.

Had a great time scotch tasting in their private room today. I was sitting at their bar and the bar manager James was kind enough to let me participate in a tasting they were doing for their bar staff. I had a lot of fun and learn a lot about scotch. This guys are awesome and I can’t wait to try more of their menu.
I had the Pappardelle ragù and as an appetizer the beet salad.

I’ve been wanting to eat at Vespaio since I visited The Broad museum a couple of months ago. With my wife’s birthday looming, I planned a surprise dinner party for her. We ended up having a group of sixteen. The staff of Vespaio came thru with flying colors. Our waiter, Jonathan did a great job. Most importantly, the food was excellent! We will be returning in the future.

My first time in this place, I loved the food and the drinks. I had fried calamari as an appetizer I’m not a sea food fan but honestly it was pretty good. Fillet Mignon with mashed potatoes as an entrée. I love my steaks medium rare, (The bloodier the better) it was beautifully cooked, the mashed potatoes were «Ok» not great. First time I try Basil Martini, it was delicious!
Servers, please try to ask for «ID» before taking a drink order! Thank you

Loved the service
Loved the ambiance
Loved the venue, the patio is amazing
Loved the happy hour selection
Loved the blue tile design which apparently is one of the oldest things that’s from the original building? I think lol
I will defiantly come here and and tell others
I little bit on the price side, but it’s a nice place

Oh no ! I asked the bartender for 3 ice cubes and she put 4 … Let me deduct 3 stars for that…
I also had to wait about 5 minutes to get my drink to be made from scratch so if «I could give this place one star I would»
Honestly, I never look up reviews and just try things on my own. I love this place, I’ve been here three times already and the bartenders are amazing and food is great.

Cute, yacht-​themed restaurant conveniently located by the Broad. It’s the perfect place to grab drinks before or after the museum. The patio area has plenty of comfy couches. I didn’t get to try any of the food but I did have the Pick Me Up, which is a tasty mix of espresso and Kahlua. Unfortunately the parking sucks in this area, but the Broad is free so it kinda evens things out.

I stopped in after visiting The Broad for a glass of bubblies before heading home on the Metro. Not that one needs a drink before getting on the subway, but! The service sucked at the bar. The restaurant and the bar were about half full… There were three folks working behind the bar and it took me forever to get my drink. They were too busy talking about themselves to each other.
I understand folks being social at work, but the thing that really bothered me… How difficult is it to pour a glass of wine? Apparently, it takes more than 15 minutes and two bartenders talking about their weekends to pour after I ordered. Yep! Not going back… I’ll find another spot to pour me a glass after The Broad.
Nearest Metro Station: Red and Purple Lines at Civic Center/​Grand Park Station

Unpleasantly surprised at the lack of anything substantial at this prime locale with beautiful interior.
Red flag was when the bartender said she «knew nothing about food or cooking» but recommended the most boring dish available.
A very arrogant Italian man server was prancing around like he was the gift to the establishment. Lose that guy or send him to the bar at minimum. Name begins with an S and I am willing to bet everyone knows him.
Food was extremely mediocre for the price and level of service. While they did remove dishes from my bill I credit some aspects of customer service.
Lovely décor, inviting dining areas, lack of intelligence.

I’m a fan of their location, design and their service. I was disappointed of their apple cobbler dessert. I enjoy a Starbucks cookie more.
However, they do have the fruit connection because their mixed berries are heaven.
Their prices are overboard but that’s just them justifying their zip code not their food quality.

**TO GO REVIEW ONLY**
Came here this past Saturday… desperate times calls for desperate measure: coffee. They were advertising Illy Espressamente so I made the assumption that their soy mocha would be decent… Thank goodness I only ordered a small. It was bland and hardly even finished it.
Their cream puffs were okay too. It was a tad bit too sweet but it did it’s job waking me up for my flight back home.
Try going to the Opt something coffee by the Broad if you’re zoning out and a coffee snob as well.

This review is for the café right next to the restaurant. Servers have a bad attitude and our coffees took a long time even though the place was empty. When we got our coffees they were so diluted.
My caramel macchiato tastes like iced skim milk. The mocha latte is lukewarm and tastes like a watery hot chocolate. I’m not even a coffee snob or anything and I can tell these drinks are absolute shit.
I thought illy coffee was supposed to be really good? You guys F’d it up here big time.
Pls open better beverage/​food vendors for patrons visiting The Broad.

This review is for the Vespaio café. Upon entering I was hopeful that the food would be delicious. I ordered 2 ice teas $ 2.15/ea)and a chocolate tart ($ 8). The iced teas were nothing special. Just plain black tea on ice. The chocolate tart looked good & was recommended but the chocolate flavor was lacking. It tasted like cheap chocolate on a soggy crust.
Service was friendly albeit scattered. The folks working at the register seemed all over the place and orders took a long time.
All in all a disappointing experience. I won’t be returning.

I almost didn’t eat here because of the 3 star rating, but it’s location can’t be beat if you’re waiting for your turn to see the Infinity Room at the Broad. I was pleasantly surprised!
Food:
I recommend their calamari, their garlic aioli sauce was soo good. We also enjoyed their
Margherita and prosciutto pizza.
Service:
Very good, we told the waiter we were waiting for the exhibit, and he made everything come out really quickly. As soon as we got the text saying our turn was up, he was able to get the bill and everything to us at lightning speed so we can get to the Broad on time. :)
This is a great location to grab a bite during your wait for the Infinity room!

Downgrading from three stars to a measly one. I tried to give this place a second chance and they struck out.
The bad — Who the hell thought to put the entrance on the side of the building where it’s not that accessible? It’s like you need a treasure map to find the entrance.
The service is very slow and poor, and we sat at the bar. As soon as we sat down, the bartender scurried off. Especially during lunch, I’d expect prompt attention.
The food was bland. Lunch for 3 was over $ 100. Two of us ordered the BLT which was very tender, but lacked flavor. It almost tasted like the pork belly was boiled. When I lifted my head to ask for mustard, the bartender had scurried off again. I got through ½ my sandwich before he came back and I could ask for mustard. The BLT also had guac. While I’m a fan of guac, it was lost on this dish.
My buddy ordered a Nicoise salad that looked like someone dumped a can of tuna out on the veggies that fell out of a burger.
The good? there are some lovely hostesses that are very welcoming. When your restaurant has to rely on your hostesses, you’re in pretty big trouble.
I tried twice. There won’t be a third. Screw that.

We were very excited about the opening of Vespaio and excited to check it out. The restaurant is gorgeous with a fantastic outdoor/​indoor seating arrangement, a big bar in the middle of the restaurant, and a café for daytime traffic.
We skipped on drinks so can’t comment on them, other than to say that the cocktails are $ 14 a pop, the cheapest glass of wine is $ 10, and they only have 2 beers on tap, a Chimay and an Erdinger Weissbier, both (astonishingly) at $ 10 a piece. You can get much better beer pretty much anywhere else downtown for much cheaper if you are thinking of coming in for drinks.
We started with the fried calamari, which came with zucchini, lemon zest, and a yummy aoili and spicy marinara. This was good. I particularly liked the small battered sliced veggies, like shoestring veggie tempura.
We also ordered bread, which they charge $ 3 for (really, who charges for bread these days??). The menu listed the bread as, «baguette, all wheat, croissant roll, focaccina.» When the bread came out it was just the baguette, sliced up, with no butter or oils. It was not good. When we asked where the other bread was we were told that it is an option between the different breads, which we were not told. They offered to «comp us» another thing of bread, we got the focaccina, which was much better. I understand that the rent in a building like the Emerson likely isn’t cheap, but to nickel and dime the customers that bad on bread was kind of ridiculous. If they are going to charge for bread they really need to step up the quality and offer a decent portion.
I ordered the margherita pizza with fresh basil. The pizza menu says, «pizzas are made with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella unless otherwise indicated.» Mind you they have a bufala pizza with fresh bufala mozzarella, tomato and fresh basil; however, given that they are a very classy place and an Italian restaurant, I was very surprised when the pizza came out and it was nothing more than a cheese pizza with one piece of wilted basil in the middle. The pizza was ok and the crust was flavorless. If places like 800 Degrees can put out pizzas for less with way better real mozzarella, a place like this really must step up their game.
My wife ordered the potato topini (gnocchi), with scampi, artichokes, and a light pink sauce. She thought it was good but a bit bland. It had a large half shrimp with head on, which was also bland. A good portion, it was fine.
All in all we were very disappointed. When we read the reviews for this restaurant it was portrayed as Bunker Hill’s answer to Bottega Louie, it most definitely is not. While they do offer all day service and have a café with drinks, some grocery, and pastries, the price points and quality fall far short of Bottega. I can see this as a nice place for Emerson residents or people coming down from the offices in the area and using the corporate credit card, but for everyone else… not so much. Also, no parking, not even valet.