Villa Banca

Wonderful Italian, the pesto out of this world! Outdoor seating is best. Also plump calamari for the appetizer! Sport service.

My wife and I had never been before, so we tried it last night. We had lobster cakes, which came with two yummy sauces, and stuffed baby portobellas. Both were delicious.
The mains were also great, and the portions were generous but not crazy. I would say the chef likes to emphasize sauces, and he (she?) does a great job with them.
They will customize your plate (the garlic mashed taters were great and would side well with most of the menu!), and the service was prompt and professional. The décor was pretty authentic Rome, and understated. I would go back.

Ok,…So we’ve been there quite some time ago, and really liked it. So, the other night we were looking for somewhere to go and decided to go to. It was a nice night so we decided to eat outside.
The hubby got Veal Parmesan which he couldn’t say enough good things about. I got the Pork Tenderloin special, which was like Beef Stroganoff only Pork. It was very good also. We even asked for the manager to let her know how good we thought everything was.
We went back again on 7−15−14. We had to wait a while for bread as they said they were heating it up. It came out, but was severely UNDERCOOKED. The hubby got the same Veal Parmesan. The veal was just as tender, but the sauce was, BURNT! And I have to agree, it tasted like last Saturday’s sauce, that had been reheated again and again since Saturday!!!
It was Very, very thick, like paste, acidic, brown and unappealing taste. Nothing like Saturday’s sauce. Disgusting.
I asked for the Gorgonzola Haddock, which is fresh haddock topped with gorgonzola bread crumbs and baked in a lobster cream sauce. I asked for no Lobster Cream Sauce. It came out with a sauce all over the top of it, and I mentioned to the waitress that I asked for no cream sauce. She said that was the Gorgonzola sauce, and took it back to the kitchen.
I used to get this same dish some time ago, it came with Risotto and a beet salad (which I miss dearly), and it had no Lobster Cream sauce and was made with Gorgonzola crumbs. So, I’m not sure if I misunderstood the new way of making or what, but the waitress did take it back and it came out with no sauce. Just crumbs, but no Gorgonzola in the crumbs, as described in the menu. I did eat it, but the fish was pretty low quality as it had a lot of dark meat in it. Nothing I would expect from this caliber of restaurant. I had rice instead of mashed potatoes and it was OK.
I just keep asking… how can a restaurant go from super delicious one day to totally disappointing a few days later? Is there no quality control in the kitchen?
I would never let that burnt sauce come out of my kitchen, let alone a restaurant kitchen that people pay money for. Getting served sauce like that in an Italian restaurant is enough to chase people away for good.
I think the thing that topped it all off was, no one ever approached our table to apologize for the horrible dining experience!!!
There is no way the chef didn’t know he or she was serving someone burnt sauce! NO WAY!
And even when things happen, the manager should show up to find out what the problem is, so it doesn’t happen again. I’m getting the feeling that this was business as usual for this restaurant.

Great atmosphere, just finished eating dinner with my family, celebrating Greek Easter.
I had the «chicken FILO» which is just about the best meal I have had in years. In fact it’s the best meal since the last time I had the same dish here 2 yea ago! I would recommend this gem in a far from gem filled city.
The staff was nice and helpful and the food was amazing, even the other dishes I ate bites off of.

I tried emailing the owner/​management to tell them how our experience was, and they have not replied.

I’ve been to Villa Banca a couple times before and was pleased both times. They had a living social deal so it was good time to go back. It was a Saturday night and they were busy; there was a ½ hour wait but there was room at the bar to enjoy a drink. There seemed to be a lot of open tables so I assume they just don’t have enough servers. Once we were seated they bring a small plate of cheese & crackers, which is nice but nothing special. They also brought bread and dipping oil, which really was not that good. The oil was bland and the bread did not seem fresh baked. We ordered calamari as an appetizer. The batter was good but the calamari was very chewy so we were pretty disappointed. Our entrees however were quite good and reasonably priced. We also liked our server quite a lot. I would definitely go back, but skip the calamari.

Great veal, large portions, very reasonable prices.

Great place consistently which is very nice! Servers are always knowledgable and friendly. Love the butternut squash filo and Gorgonzola artichokes!

First visit. Had lunch. Excellent in all regards. Small, intimate, and comfortable. The Chicken Banca was a surprise: not the usual bland, over-​cooked restaurant chicken dish. Rather the marinara was fresh with a slight kick, deep and rich. The chicken was actually moist and cooked perfectly. The portion size was right on for lunch. $ 11. I would visit it again.

Friday night dinner here last week… YUMMERS! Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. I had the lobster and chicken pasta and my date had the steak. Everything perfectly cooked and delish. Great food, great service, and very fairly priced! It doesn’t get any better…

Delicious food and creative drinks. On the pricey side but worth it. A perfect spot for a special occasion or date night. Good atmosphere, strolling violins even!

I dig this restaurant. All the standard italian stuff on the menu (with a few options that stand out), plenty of choices for vegetarian me and my carnivore friends, great drinks as well. I’ve been here several times, never had a problem. Waitstaff is always friendly& attentive, reasonable prices, food is always tasty as hell. I would eat the butternut squash ravioli every single day if it wouldn’t guarantee me a place on the list of fattest asses of all time. Fantastic desserts as well. Definitely a recommendation.
Oh, one more thing. I went here once for a rehearsal dinner and ate the most $%^%## delicious cinnamon crème brûlée for dessert. Why the hell is this not on the menu all the time? I want it. Someone make it happen.

Ate here last Friday night and was surprised to see many empty tables at 6:30pm because the food was outstanding! Bread and garlic oil was consumed very quickly due to it’s tastiness. I ordered a pear salad and my wife had a caprese. Both were excellent. The balsamic pears were a beautiful blend of sweet and acid.
Onto the main course. I had the lobster risotto which had large and copious amounts of lobster meat blended with an al dente risotto in a creamy parmesan sauce. The pancetta also gave this dish a nice salty kick at times. My wife had the chicken and lobster in a pesto sauce. She had high praise for her dish as well.
Portions are excellent. Not too large and not too small. Portions have gotten out of control, so it was nice to see a normal size plate of food. Who wants to eat reheated lobster?!
We shared the canoli for desert, which included two small ones so we each had our own! Tasty con tasty!
Service was friendly and prompt. Overall an excellent dining experience that we will have to repeat again soon!

Let’s go in reverse.
Bread pudding was awesome. Best part of all NO RAISINS. Great flavor with a garnish of caramel.
Dinner; Pick your own pasta; choose from a host of great sauces I did the puttanesca. Pasta; Bucatini [spaghetti with a hole in the middle… tough to find BTW], and meat balls.
If you can finish this meal consider a career in competitive eating.
I really enjoyed this place.

I had always considered Villa Banca to be on the average side of Italian restaurants until last night. My opinion has shot up considerably after I and 2 other gals stopped by after a wine class at WineNot.
The reason for the visit? Well, at our wine class (great by the way — check out that review, as well) we sampled wines paired with ravioli and wild mushrooms from Villa Banca. We had just enough to whet our appetites and walking towards our cars afterwards, we passed by Villa Banca’s… well, almost passed by. We looked at one another and immediately opened the door for a great experience to await us.
We inquired if they had any more of the ravioli and were initially disappointed to learn they were out. Then, our server, Sarah, came back to tell us, yes, the chef had set aside a small amount. We ordered that and the Baked Baby Portabellas appetizer. When our order arrived, the chef had divided the portions onto 3 separate plates for us and the presentation was so eye-​catching.
The meal was scrumptious and just the right amount of food. Note that we would have loved a glass of wine; however, remember we had just been to a wine class so I think we had plenty already.
So kudos to the chef for being so accomodating and Sarah, our server, for helping us have such an enjoyable experience.

This is my first review so I may not give the best.
I have been at this place 3 times now and I love the food any menu.
Menu: great options. They ave a bunch of great choices. I hate when there is nothing exciting on the menu. If you like Lobster there is a lot of different options. Lobster and Veal, Lobster Rav with shrimp, scallops, and crab! It was very good. Lobster risotto! I had this tonight. It was great!
Service: this is teheran only reason I did not give three stars. The first two times I went I had great service. This time our waited, a male in late twenties wearing glasses, was horrible. He did a bad job of keeping up with drinks etc. Just very slow and paid little attention to us.
Drinks:I only got one olive with dirty martini, but, it was perfect as far mix of vodka and olive juice. Also they put some in a littler glass on ice which was cool.
Atmosphere: the place itself is very cozy. Nice vibe and nice location.
Overall it is my new favorite Italian spot. Prices are very good and quality is great.
Go there!

Too bad what has become a downtown dinner destination area. I remember going there when it first opened and liking it alot and it progressed into a nice consistent meal in a good atmosphere.
The past 2 years it has gone way downhill. The service suffers as well. Gone are the knowledgeable tenured servers and timely kitchen. Now you wait for your overcooked, «Americanized Italian» favorites.
The pasta borders on terrible at times. Seafood dishes are portion/​pricing tragedies.
Good place to sit outside for a drink on a hot summer night. Eat down the street

My parents and I went here when my cousins from Virginia were up for a visit. It is a nice restaurant that still has the old vault from when it was a bank (kinda hard to remove those things, I would imagine.) We got there before our reservations and ordered drinks at the bar. There were a couple of people eating and drinking, but it wasn’t too crowded for a smaller bar. We were seated after I only got one sip into my reisling. They had a decent selection and the bartender was friendly.
I ordered the Chicken & Shrimp Gorgonzola since I love the bleu cheese family. I was a little hesitant as I thought the shrimp might be odd in the creamy gorgonzola sauce. I was surprised how good it was — it also had broccoli and spinach that were sauteed nicely.
I finished off my meal with cannolis I still think about. It was a trio of I believe three small amaretto cannolis. I. Loved. Them. I wish I still lived close to my parents because I could so go for some right now! I really could have ordered a second plate if I wasn’t so full.

While located in a cool spot (an old bank) the atmosphere is in need of a bit of an update (old, cheap looking lights). The food is why on am here.
Bland. That is the word I would use to describe the menu. Everything is overcooked, drowned in sauce and just bland. Nothing is horrible but nothing stands out. And where is the fresh pasta??? Doesn’t anyone make fresh pasta anymore???
I have eaten there many times and just have never been impressed with the food.
I wish they had some real competition in this area — maybe if they did they would try harder on their menu.

This was our first time eating a meal at Villa Banca. We had been there for an event earlier and thought the food was good. So when we decided to meet up with a friend we hadn’t seen in 10 years, we decided to go for dinner.
I still think it odd they use paper tablecloths, but the service was good. One of the people dining with us enjoyed a special drink the bartender made the night of the event we had been to but couldn’t remember the name. The waiter surprised us by coming back a little later to suggest what it was — he tracked down the woman who had been tending bar that night to find out.
We started with salads, they were all fresh and crispy. Two caesar salads and a pear salad. All good.
We shared some bruschetta, which had a very nice blend of cheese and was perfect with some freshly grated pepper.
Our entrees were all good. I tried the chicken frangelico. The waiter warned me it was sweet, but I didn’t really pay attention. Yes, it was sweet. Delicious, but sweet. Not sure if I would order again because I tend to prefer savory.
On the whole it was a good meal with great conversation.