Avanzare Ristorante

My husband and I dined here for our wedding anniversary to set the mood before heading to Italy last October. Everything was spectacular! From the attentive service to the special treats during our meal. The food was delicious and one we’ve mentioned a few times in conversation. Can’t wait to go back tonight to celebrate a much postponed Valentine’s date.

The home made ravioli with sausage & pine nuts was amazing. The unique and delicious surprise was goat meat ravioli — a must have!!!

Delicious Italian food, cool vibe, good service. Brought my family of 7 the first time I was ever here and they pulled through with a round table in the best spot in the restaurant on upper little level by the window. We had filet, veal chop, lobster and shrimp pasta, spaghetti and clams, short rib lasagna, soups d pesce and veal piccata. All delish! My veal was so tender and the pasta homemade. My angel hair was so light it didn’t even taste like pasta. The Mac and cheese with truffle oil was so light with layers of flavor. The Italian house cab is sooooo smooth and surprisingly $ 6 a glass. The olive oil chocolate cake was silky and smooth and the best! The salted caramel gelato was outrageous. First time ever having gelato. IM HOOKED! Bill was about $ 350 without tip. We ordered a bottle of wine first time and couple of other apps. My husband and I went back alone two nights later and I got veal piccata again he got filet, no apps. The bread is mini portugese rolls and hot and the oil And pesto dip is so fresh. I think the old Italian places we used to go have serious competition, like Italian Grill and Carrabbas. Nice to find off the highway restaurant. Thumbs up. The waitress we had Sunday was excellent. Don’t know her name but dark wavy hair in a ponytail. She knew her stuff. Two suggestions, those red booths when you walk in should be half moons-​feels like a cafeteria or pizza place and hostess table she be in front not rear.

Very noisy in the main seating area so we went to the back. We sat where the only speaker was, come to find out. It had loud heavy metal playing, so we asked the waitress, who was chewing gum, to turn down or change station. Nothing ask manager, nothing. Besides that putting a damper on the conversation. The food was very good.

We were able to get a last minute table for our family (6 of us) at Avanzare on Feb 19^th. WOW! We had never been but our family had. Outstanding doesn’t begin to describe it. We loved the reasonably priced [and nice selection] list of Italian wines. The little fork appetizers brought to the table were a delicious little treat. The parmesan soufflé was out of this world. Our dishes ranged from bolognese pappardelle, sausage ravioli, lobster, zuppa de pesce — everyone loved their meal. We encountered a slight snag that was wonderfully rectified by the excellent wait staff.

One of the best restaurants in town.
The new location is a plus – with a great view of the Theatre Plaza marquee and a more relaxed «back bar» with TVs, a large bar and a bunch of tables. It’s clean, fresh and there’s a good vibe and buzz inside.
The wine list is large and the manager was a great help recommending a bottle for my mom and me. The food remains exceptional. My favorites are the bolognese lasagna, veal saltinbocca and parmesan chicken. I’ve never had a meal that I have not enjoyed. The home made pasta is delicious. The short rib lasagna is also delicious. The grilled caesar is my moms favorite, the gorgonzola is my brothers, and I prefer the house salad – the dressing is SO good.
Save room for dessert – the tiramisu is great, but the caramel gelato is my favorite. I love this place.

Avanzare: 3 (looking forward to re-​rating higher)
My rating scheme:
5 — The best of the best. Not many in this category.
4a — Wonderful, hard to get better than this — wide appeal
4b — Wonderful, hard to get better than this — limited appeal restaurant
3 — Perfectly acceptable though not earth shaking
2 — Only if there are no other options
1 — Dont even think of it
We enjoyed our dinner, as we prefer to do, at the bar. We’re fairly new to town and met some folks at the bar who explained that the new location on 14^th street is much more appealing than the original location (which we never visited). We asked about food quality and service delivery — was there any change that they could tell? Food quality, everyone agreed, was unchanged and remains to one of our new friends «the best in Vero». Service delivery, one person said, they had some hiccups the first week or two, «but they’ve got their act together now». Sitting at the bar that night, we met a number of regular frequent diners who think the world of Avanzare. The really talked the place up — and in turn, I my expectations were elevated.
The original location must have been really unappealing because their new location is a bit mundane with some hints of peculiarity. For example — the host desk is located in the middle of the restaurant half way between the entry doors located on either side of the restaurant. There was no one welcoming us as we walked through the door — we had to walk to them, to be welcomed. The restaurant is also a bit dark — not like romantic dark, not like moody dark, but like how many Florida homes in the 70’s and 80’s were kept dark to save on air-​conditioning. It has a ‘cave like’ feel. The tables seemed a bit cheap (one commenter called it «Formica»). The bar surface was equally as cheap feeling.
The darkness, the odd host station, the tables — really, I dont care about that much. Thats not why Avanzare, on this visit gets a «3». Note. I said «this visit» because I certainly plan to comeback.
House salad. Nice tasty dressing, a perfect start
Cream of Asparagus soup. Also tasty. If you prefer salads, start with salad. If you prefer soup — go with the soup. Either would be fine … if wanting the better of the two — go with the salad.
Grilled Salmon. Asked and offered as wild caught. Very tasty, not dried out, perfect grill marks — and nice size portion.
Bolognese. The reason why the visit is a «3» and not a «4». The actual pasta, a pappardelle, was over cooked. I prefer al dente, of course, but I’ll deal with some mushy pasta if the sauce is awesome. Sauce was not awesome. It was good tasting — not a thing wrong with it in palatability — but its not a ragu. There was far more liquid in the Avanzare version that you would expect in a meat sauce (was it from the sauce, or from the pasta?) and far more tomatoes that I’d expect from an authentic Italian restaurant.
Bar service was outstanding and vigilant. By the glass wines complimented the meal nicely. Hostess was efficient. Overall the staff seemed engaged and were welcoming to all.
We’ll definitely comeback a 2^nd time trying something other than the Bolognese. I’ll update my review, which I suspect, will be more favorable.

I did not enjoy my meal the last time I went here. Maybe it was an off night but since then I haven’t been back. The other members in my party didn’t have much to say, they didn’t love it or hate it. I’d be inclined to visit them at there new location as the atmosphere at there previous one was very dark and depressing.

We’ve been enjoying this local favorite for years and the service has always been incredible. The former location was very conducive to great service, but the downside was sometimes not being a able get a table. We tried the new Avanzare tonight and while it was a major improvement in atmosphere and size, the service definitely suffers. Our server seemed very overextended and stretched, not offering any smiles or personality, or making any effort to enhance the experience. Dinners (table of 6) did not come out together. We waited extended periods between courses wondering where our server had vanished to. The food was good, but not exciting. I hope they will expand the menu and the staff to keep the high standards we had come to enjoy at the former location.

Most rave about this place but I am just ok with it. I might have hit it on a bad night.
Food was ok nothing special but, I had been primed by raves for others so, maybe my expectations were out of line.

This used to be such a great restaurant– consistently 5 stars. Since they moved to the new location it has really slipped. You might as well go to Carabbas or another chain restaurant. The intimacy of the old restaurant has given way to a fish bowl of a space. Acoustics are horrible. Service has slipped some. Add to that a mass of screaming children running through the restaurant and you’ve lost me. I’m not talking about early evening — 8:30 pm and the screaming monsters dominated the space.
Time to look for a new favorite.

The new location — couple of blocks down 14^th — is a real step up in quality and ambience although the check in desk is a little tricky as it is located in the middle of the restaurant as they have 2 entrances front and rear.
(Parking is good at the rear entrance on 15^th)
The service and food are both top quality — the Grilled Caesar Salad is a triumph of flavour and originality.
I had the Veal Chop main which was a magnificent piece of meat, so tender and succulent. The Pasta dishes are all excellent although the Clam Vongole could have been a little more generous — that is our only criticism!
For dessert we had Dessert Cocktails and all left very happy indeed — we will be back!

Best restaurant in Vero Beach. I’ve been coming here for years when I visit my parents for the holidays. This restaurant could hold its own in NY or DC. Excellent homemade pastas. Amazing small town service with top notch Italian food.

I am going to penalize this place. It is my second time here, and the bill was a bit pricey. The décor is rather weird. Who puts tile on top of wood panels and then does a horrible job painting up to them? The outside of the building and interior need an aesthetic overhaul.
Now, to the food. The dinners we all had, all 4, were certainly fine. They were excellent salads, perfectly Italian meals, prepared nicely. Somehow, I felt that we were being rushed by the wait staff. The service was ok, the utensils clean and we did not see a single thing that pushed my buttons. I just had a feeling that it all was being held together by accident. I likely will not go back.

Came here with my family during our vacation in Vero Beach a few weeks back. We were pleasantly surprised with this restaurant. We didn’t think we would need a reservation for a Thursday night, but the place was packed — so make a reservation. I started with the steak fondue and then I had lobster and shrimp fra diavlo. The others had lasagna and the short rib lasagna which were both good. I have one criticism fra diavlo is supposed to be spicy, but this dish lacked any to speak of. The service was excellent, there’s was an interesting mix of people, and a solid bar.

Enjoyed nearly everything about dining at Avanzare. First the location on 14^th in Vero’s art district makes it a great choice for meeting up with friends before or after touring the area. Parking is sufficient and the restaurant and galleries can easily be walked to.
For starters we had the Caprese. The tomatoes were big, red and flavorful. The oil and pesto blend was excellent and perfectly enhanced the dish. We ate out on Restaurant Week which meant a three course with two options for each course was the special.
For the first course, we had ditalini pasta with cheese, truffle sauce, and prosciutto. This wonderful dish was flavorful – like gourmet mac n’ cheese with bacon. We also had a Caesar salad which was bland. No flavor, no taste. Salt couldn’t even help.
The second course chosen was shrimp in angel hair pasta. A delicious olive oil, diced tomatoes made the plump fresh shrimp even better. In between courses we were brought pineapple shaved ice as a palette cleanser. It was a nice touch since I wasn’t drinking wine.
The best entrée was the veal saltimbocca. It was excellent. I never order veal, but I will the next time I’m at Avanzare. My dish was the filet Gorgonzola with baby asparagus. It was good, but didn’t rival the veal. Both of our dishes came with crispy cubed garlic mashed potatoes. A fun and tasty way to enjoy potatoes.
The third course in the Restaurant Week was duck in penne pasta. Duck can be temperamental bird to cook, and this was cooked perfectly. Not too gamey. Was just right.
Service was excellent and the ambiance dark, but warm. My only complaint was the awful Formica table. In a restaurant of this caliber I expect a tablecloth or even butcher’s paper.

This is the traditional mom & pop style Italian restaurant.
Basic décor and standard food options. Everything cooked well and tasty and seemed fresh. The staff/​service was very nice and helpful. Pricing is reasonable.
No windows to the outside. I don’t know why this is something that bothers me, I guess I’m slightly claustrophobic and I notice it. Probably could use a bit of an update, but the tables were full and everyone seemed to enjoy where they were.
Probably would try something different next time I’m in the area and craving Italian.

Service was great Jonathan the server was really good and made our anniversary very special.
Short rib lasagna was great, and the basil oil with warm rolls was super.
Décor is very outdated.

Took my mom out for a late Mother’s Day dinner due to schedule conflicts. This restaurant came recommended by a friend and let me say this… I couldn’t have been more delighted in the choice!!!
I made reservations just in case. We showed up and were promptly seated and greeted by the friendly waiter. We were told about the specials and he went over different options. We all got some adult beverages. My mom and I chose wine while my sister drank the lemon cello martini. I’m not much of a martini fan but it was very flavorful and crisp.
Next came the fresh made rolls, butter and olive oil mixed with the herbs… To die for!!! Very good flavor and the bread was not too heavy!
I decided on the avanzare bolognese pappardelle. I was extremely satisfied. The pasta was homemade and tender, while the meat had the perfect flavor and the right amount of sauce.
My sister chose the white clams and pasta. Brought me back to my childhood with the delicious flavors. Also a huge portion. She also chose the grilled Caesar salad… A must!!! Wonderful salad!
My mother chose the short rib lasagna… I almost chose that as well but we try to do different dinners. Although it was a heavy, filling dish it had a wonderful taste and flavor as well.
Next came dessert… I chose the ricotta cheesecake, mom had the lemon cake, and sis had the bread pudding. For being a cheesecake fan it says a lot when I couldn’t keep my fork off my sisters banana bread pudding!!! So moist and it tasted like the best part of a banana bread with delicious vanilla ice cream on the side.
Overall, wonderful dining experience for vero beach. I will be back! Thanks for a great night!

The short rib lasagna is to DIE FOR!!! Lemonchello martini is from heaven, the garlic potatoes are perfectly seasoned and cooked! Not to mention our fabulous waiter dave who went far and beyond for us! If you’re in the Vero beach area check them out! This place is worth the stop!