Vigilucci’s Trattoria Italiana

It looked lovely and we were excited to find a good Italian restaurant. My husband ordered chicken marsala and was overwhelmed by the dominating flavor of rosemary. They should have called the dish rosemary chicken. I ordered eggplant parmesan which was a clump of cheese covering eggplant in sauce. The sauce wasn’t bad. My husband mentioned the overbearing rosemary flavor on the chicken to the waiter who just gave us a shrug of the shoulders. We paid the bill only to find out later they overcharged our credit card by four dollars. Apparently our ten percent tip was not acceptable so they took it upon themselves to up the credit card charge. We will not return.

Made reservations for Fathers Day dinner expecting an upscale experience. Met at the door with a hostess with an attitude. The dinner went downhill from there. Pasta was undercooked, which is different from most places that over cook it but it was crunchy and obviously no one tested it. The service was ok but the quality of the food was not something I’d pay for again. Unfortunate as its a nice place or could be.

I passed the town a few nights ago and wanted to dine in a nice restaurant and not at the many pubs located in the town. I liked the outside patio so we chose to dine there. The menu was awfully pricey for the little Beach town. I was floored to see pasta dishes priced in the mid to high twenties, the house wine was disappointing as well and priced at almost $ 9 a half glass. I ordered the chicken marsala and found it awfully sweet to the taste and had an excess of rosemary rubbed on it. I could not finish the meal or finish the wine. Service was poor at best and I had to stand up to fetch the waiter for more water and the tab. I was totally disappointed in the meal and did complain about it to the waiter. What hurt the most was the $ 75 tab for 2.

Fantastic food and tremendous service the martinis were fantastic I had the Penne alla Vodka with chicken yum

Delicious! I had cucina alla checca with chicken. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the chicken made for a wonderful addition. If you’re looking for a great spot to eat scrumptious Italian food, I highly recommend eating here!

We just had an excellent meal here. The pasta was cooked to perfection and the Chicken Parmesan was outstanding. The bread at the beginning was also delicious. The waiters are attentive without being annoying. Highly recommend.

Absolutely wonderful! My husband had spaghetti and meatballs and said they were the best he has ever had.(he’s 78, so he’s had a few!). I had spaghetti carbonara and specifically asked that the chef give me a smaller portion for the same price because too much overwhelms me. I had just the right amount and finished it all. Excellent! We’ll be back, though we don’t live near the area. our waitress, Sharon, was terrific!

I really recommend this Italian restaurant. The service was excellent and the food was delicious. We had a party of 21 people and were reserved a private room right outside the courtyard. It looks like a little Italian house with different size rooms for various party sizes. I was so worried about the place, the food. that I picked. Everyone raved about it afterwards and my father had a very memorable 80^th birthday party in a quiet private room at Vigiluccis Trattoria. Kim is the coordinator of the event and she helped me make this a very successful party. Thank you Kim and crew!

Overall I was disappointed. This place was recommended by an Italian friend we met here at the Hyatt, but it fell flat on taste and service.
Given the choices for Italian food in proximity to our hotel, we will try other places the next time around.

Love this place. Unlike some of the other reviews, I’ve never gotten anything but great service here. Then again I’m here almost once a week, so perhaps they turn it up a notch due to being a regular. ;)
I’m usually the type that finds one thing at a restaurant that I like, and then order that one thing until I’m tired of it, and take a break from the whole restaurant until I want it again. This place, I have 6 – 8 go-​to favorites that are excellent every time, and frequently get the specials as well. So I’ve never run out of options. Which from me is a very high compliment.
Then again, I avoid the «standards» like spaghetti marinara, pizzas, etc. which some people have complained about below, so it’s possible I’ve just avoided the weakest part of the menu.
Also unlike others, I don’t mind the volume. The live piano bar atmosphere is great. The outdoor seating with heating is quite nice, but unfortunately it’s also right next to the train tracks so it can get pretty loud whenever one goes by ~2x per meal. Not exactly their fault, though.

I had a late lunch here in January. It was fabulous going back this week for a birthday celebration. Food and Service were outstanding!

Mediocre is best way to describe. Smallest shrimp I have ever had in a pasta dish. They offered the shrimp as an extra and thought for sure would get at least medium size shrimp. Very disappointing. Big pet peeve are restaurants that are way to warm inside. Must have been close to 80 degrees. Just not comfortable when eating rich food and enjoying a glass of wine. First and last time going here.

My husband and I stopped in to this place after having our taxes done, being Valentine’s Day weekend and how beautiful this placed looked, well we should have went somewhere else. The food was horrible, I ordered spaghetti that honestly my sons spaghetti O’s had more flavor than there spaghetti. My husband ordered the pepperoni pizza and the pizza was just bread and grease, there was hardly any cheese on it and that was $ 22! I would save your money and stomach from eating here. Not to mention within 20 mins of leaving the restaurant both my husband and I were sick from all the geese on the food. Horrible place don’t let the looks fool you, the food doesn’t match the décor!

I love this place
Service is great
Food is fantastic
Atmosphere is romantic
Sea bass is excellent
Salmon is perfect
Live band makes it worth while!

Great food! Great service! I had the chicken piccata. It was delicious! The piano player was very good. Enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant. Definitely would go back again!

I am so disappointed by Vigalucci’s. Disappointed because the place is breathtaking, it’s cozy and romantic with it’s house piano player, beautiful sconces and inviting fire place. The reception we received was toasty and inviting as well. The restaurant in itself made everyone in my party happy to be present and excited for what they had to offer.
That’s the only impressive thing about Vigalucci’s.
From the first impression, I was expecting great service and amazing Italian cuisine. We were all excited. My dad chose the place, after all, he was the birthday boy. My mother, sister, my sister’s fiancé and I were all in attendance. We were hungry for good food and loving the atmosphere. They definitely didn’t deliver.
Starting with the waiter, Elmer was a very nice man but he disappears for long periods of time and he doesn’t listen to direction very well. He wasn’t interested in seeing how our entrées tasted or if we ever needed anything else, simple, typical things you hear from your waiter when you go out to eat anywhere. Whoever does the bussing there is severely lacking, if we ever wanted a plate cleared we had to ask. We waited thirty minutes before finally asking them to clear the appetizer plates, very unprofessional. Towards the end of the meal, he did ask if anyone wanted dessert (good job asking something for once Elmer!) Everyone was was finished eating the food there, but I requested «something with a candle on it for the birthday boy please!» And my dad piped up and said «I love ice cream!.» Elmer chuckled and walked away, only to return with an average crème brûlée with one tiny piece of fruit on top. I didn’t comment on the fact that it wasn’t ice cream because I just assumed it was the restaurant’s chosen birthday dessert that they give out for free to people who celebrate there. But no, we did get charged, and it was the cherry on top to a perfectly wretched meal.
I’m now coming to the part that earned them such a lowly review from me. The food was disgusting and actually caused physical illness. I’m astounded that such an amazingly aesthetically appealing place can have food that gross. We started with a few appetizers; calamari and crab cakes. They were alright, the calamari tasted just like the ones I got from some little beach shack the week before, chewy and bland. The crab cakes had good flavor but they were mushy. But good job Vigalucci’s, they were edible, unlike my entrée.
After the starters, I was still excited about the main course so I had the best possible outlook going in. I went simple with one of my all time favorite Italian dishes, Alfredo on angel hair, because how can you mess that up? You can’t… But they did. I tasted it, kinda yucky but I ate a few bites. Almost immediately, whatever small amount of cheese (if any) was in the sauce, soaked into the noodles and left a deep puddle of pure butter under my noodles. It was heinous. I didn’t have another bite, I just used some of the butter for the bread on the table. I didn’t mention the food on my plate to anyone at the table, but slowly, everyone started speaking up about how beastly or common their food was. After that, it became a game of sharing food and seeing who had the most tolerable plate, my sister won with the osso bucco but the bland risotto went uneaten. My mother’s lasagna tasted identical to corned beef hash (weird right!?), Ryan (my sister’s fiancé) had fettuccini Alfredo with barely any chicken and he shared my butter lake problem. My dad had eggplant, which I didn’t try because I’ve never been a big eggplant person, he reported it as mediocre.
The food they served us was so awful that I should have called attention to it but we were celebrating a birthday and nobody wanted to rain on the birthday parade. I left that restaurant with a stomach ache and was later sick. I was not the only one in my party to feel ill. It was expensive and repellent. This is a lousy Italian joint masquerading as a 5-​star restaurant. The only reason I chose to give this place 2 stars is because I loved the décor and vibe they created. And maybe just maybe they had been trying out a new chef who totally tanked. We did have a good time regardless because it was a joyous day and we were in the company of family. I have never been more disappointed by a restaurant. Don’t waste your money hoping for good food here, you’ll get better quality and taste from the Olive Garden, that says a lot.

Excellent food, fair service, noisy outdoor atmosphere.
I had the Spinach Ravioli with Vodka Sauce and it was delicious! One of the best raviolis I have ever had. The service was fairly friendly, but sloooooow. For example, we asked for more bread when our entrées arrived and then twice more while we ate. Finally when we had finished our meal they show up with the extra bread — a little late now!
The patio out front is nice, but there’s really no noise cancelation happening. You hear all of the cars (and trains) as if we’re standing on the street corner, thus making it hard to hold a conversation at times.
Overall the food definitely makes this someplace we will return to, but perhaps request a table inside next time.

Food is the only reason they get 3 stars. Been going to the Vigilucci’s in Encinitas, Carlsbad and now this location many times. Honestly, it’s the only Italian restaurant I like. Dragging them down to the ground was service. it’s a high end restaurant, and my service has always been that way, very professional. Last weekend may have just ruined it for me. Waiter spoke of no specials, rarely seen, bus boys standing around talking. While we sat without water until I flagged them down, had to ask for bread (really?), plates sat at our table until the waiter finally showed up to drop the bill. Better service at Denny’s, no I’m not joking.
Pros: Food, Food, Food really fantastic.
Cons: Service, just because someone has worked at the restaurant for a long time doesn’t mean they’re ready to be a fine dining server. Plenty of food runners and bus boys standing around doing nothing. Lastly, don’t speak to the staff in Spanish while staring at our table, people don’t like to think you’re talking about them.
Sadly, just may have ruined Vigilucci’s for me.

The food as others have noted is excellent. The wines tend to be pricy. The piano music in the background was slightly annoying. (Eating outside provided no respite: the highway noise was constant.) The waitstaff was friendly and helpful, but could have been more attentive: we had to ask for more bread and oil-​and-​vinegar dip more than once. Vigilucci’s runs well, serving many diners efficiently — almost too much so, however, it feels mechanical at times, with everything measured out just so, trusting nothing to the customers’ whims or ways of dining.
* * *
Went back for Monday «Date-​Nite» and it was grand: no crowds, no music, nothing forced, just very good service and great food and wine for a pris fixe (single price). Excellent.

Seductive music by local masterminds including Doug Allen and Rob Gironda sets the romantic ambiance at Vigilucci’s. Soft jazz from the bar flows through warmly lit restaurant, outdoor patio and private dining rooms setting the tempo for the evening.
The upscale crowd of baddies and goombahs wearing their finest couture are quickly greeted by a charming maître d and escorted to tables adorned with tea lights twinkling through blown glass votives.
In the bar area happy effervescent crowds reminisce over Italian wines and specialty drinks. Complimentary olives with cheese and bruschetta add a touch of class to the well seasoned wooden bar. It is hard to resist the thin crust craft pizza baked in Florentine wood-​burning brick oven that fills the air with a fragrant aroma.
I particularly enjoy the Pappardelle con Funghi e Capesante. Lightly caramelized diver scallops lapping in a white truffle brandy crème served over al dente ribbon pasta is nothing less than a mouthwatering orgasm. The textures of pasta, scallops and mushroom flirt with eachother in the most tantalizing ways.
When a splurge is in order, try the cioppino. At $ 36 this is a smörgåsbord of clams, mussels, calamari, prawns and a diver scallop bathing it a zesty tomato broth.
I recommend their canolli, which is an irresistible happy ending. Dining at this classy establishment in funky Leucadia gives me an excuse to dress as my inner diva and is nothing short of sensory overload.