Va Beh

I was here on a Tuesday evening for 9pm. It is super dark in here, which I know some people like but I couldn’t read the menu, even once we had the waitress lit the candle. If they are going for romantic with the lighting it’s a little self defeating since there are communal tables.
I love that they have wine on tap, which means your red wine will come somewhat chilled. A quart of red was $ 24 and they had an interesting variety on their menu of crostini, veggies, salads, small plates, pastas and entrees. Prices were reasonable and the pasta tasted fresh.
I didn’t want an entrée and asked for my food to be brought out with my friend’s entrees and apparently really confused the waitress who brought out everything in the wrong order, leaving 2 of us with our main dishes and another friend with his appetizer. It wasn’t crowded so there wasn’t really an excuse for the confusion,
The menu needs to be more descriptive. The brussels sprouts with pancetta also had carrots, and maybe potatoes. It was hard to say since I couldn’t see anything.
The eggplant parm was just okay nothing worth having again.
My friend had the pesto gnocchi which randomly had green beans in it. When I order something i would like to know the main components of the dish, and I imagine this is important for people with food allergies or dietary restrictions and such.
Their claim to fame is their wine on tap, beyond that that I don’t think I would need to return

I love this place. It’s truly a gem in the neighborhood. The owner is the nicest man ever — he always greets me and my guests with a glass of prosecco. I usually eat at the bar to chat with the bartenders or the owner — they’re so funny and so, so Italian. The food is incredibly fresh and the flavors are always perfect — rarely will you get something that even feels like it’s been done wrong.
I live for their gnocchi — it’s the fluffiest I’ve ever had. Appetizers and salads are usually good. I tend to order the specials but the veggie ragu pasta is also fantastic.
Perfect place. Romantic, affordable, and totally inviting. A must!

Prosecco on tap is all I needed to know to lure me here… and the fact that once the owner spots you walking in he’s offering you up a glass of the liquid gold and creating space for you in this tiny gem of a restaurant is what will keep me coming back for more and more. I just love it! Reminds me of some of my favorite wine bars in Florence — all the charm you could need paired with delicious, simple food. The ravioli is to die for and obviously the prosecco is a fantastic complement. Enjoy the bread and olives from the terrine while you await perfection on a plate.
Location is great, too — practically across the street from the Barclay’s Center and therefor accessible to about a dozen trains! No excuse not to go!

Despite that the walnut I cracked within 5 minutes of sitting down exploded, with shards landing on the plates of both the parties to the right and left of me, I left Va Beh in great spirits.
It was random that we ended up here after a Net’s game at Barclays Center, and I see now that we were pretty lucky to snag a table. The place is utterly tiny, but while it was packed to capacity, it didn’t feel claustrophobic. Perhaps my drunkenness post-​game helped downplay any issues I may have had dealing with that.
We ordered the lentil soup, green salad, rigatoni alla norma. Our waitress was awesome and explained all of the pasta dishes thoroughly; I probably wouldn’t have ordered the rigatoni had she not mentioned that they smoke the eggplant! People, this was awesome. The eggplant had an incredible smokiness and was not remotely greasy. The tomato sauce was substantial and meshed all of the flavors together nicely. A win.
The host is also quite aimable and definitely aims to please — he presented us 2 complementary glasses of sparkling wine upon seating!

Ladies, you know it’s hot outside when your boobs start to sweat. Yeah, talk about a sexy experience. But despite whatever body parts of mine were profusely sweating, I still managed to eat the most rustic food, drink some fabulous wine and crack nuts. I’ll explain in just a moment.
Va Beh’s concept is so Italian. I’ve never been to Italy but I can imagine this place in the middle of some quaint town in Italia. It’s an open restaurant. Huh? Whatchu talkin about Willis? Yes, I mean, there are no doors. The seating is open and extends to the street. So, you get that hustle from the sidewalks so it’s loud, but you’re still a part of a little niche of people who know where to get the good stuff.
The waiter was hilarious. I had no earthly idea what he was saying half the time, but I joined along. When you sit down, they place a bowl of olives and whole nuts in front of you. You have to crack them yourself. Alright, I’m a ball buster, not a nut cracker. So, the first couple of times, I tried to be all cool and do my best to open a hazelnut with one of those crackers– which reminds me of one of those hand strengthening gadgets. Instead, the nut went flying in the opposite direction and hit someone on the head. No joke! I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman.
So, «Rico Suave”– the waiter, comes over and gives me that «oh you poor damsel in distress» look and then starts to crack the nuts for me. In his cute accent, he says, «You have to put one hand over the nut.» Oh really, pray tell. I reply, «just one hand over the nut?» He looks at me and says, «you are trouble… but I like you.» We banter for a bit, and he starts to pour some wine.
«I didn’t order any wine yet,» I said.
«Oh, don’t worry, we pour a little, you like, we give you glass, you don’t like, then don’t drink.» Apparently, in Italian places, it’s customary to pour wine samples. So, I did the whole, «Oh, not sure which one I like more… by this time, I probably had a good glass of rose, white and red combined.»
The food was dynamite. Hearty, flavorful, just what the doctor ordered. :)

Unbelievable food and service!!!
My girlfriend and I were there with another couple for dinner on a Saturday night. We were told a table would be getting up any minute. Well the group sat there ordered more wine and desserts. The owner apologized and brought out a few rounds of appetizers while we waited for our table to free up. We didn’t ask for it or expect it he just did it because he wanted us to be happy.
After we were seated the great service continued. We were never rushed to order or hurry even though there were lots of people waiting to sit down. The food came out quickly and tasted amazing. We all got different dishes and everything was good. Just order whatever you are in the mood for.
It is a small place, so you will probably want to plan on going early or late if you don’t want to wait around for a table. For the price this is by far the best Italian place in the neighborhood and maybe in all of NYC.

If I could give Va Beh 10 stars or even assign it to the top of the top 5 star, I would in a heartbeat! Yes it is THAT good! We came here to celebrate my hubby’s birthday and I’m so glad Va Beh made the night so special!
Finally, a restaurant that is all about fresh and high quality ingredients kept simple but bursting with such astounding, complex flavors that are pleasing to the senses. Va beh certainly brings you back to Europe and Italy. Why can’t the other restaurants nail it down like Va Beh?
The owner, Michele is so friendly and makes you feel at ease and it is like he welcomes you to his home in Italy. He gives great recommendations and takes the time out to help you if you have any questions or don’t know what to order.
Each and every dish is beyond amazing, orgasmic-​ly delicious, and stimulates every part of your senses. To start with, the formaggi (cheese) is beyond out of this world. I seriously have not had that kind of quality cheese before — everything was perfect about it — the consistency, texture, flavor, and aroma. The sampler was also quite delicious — the roasted peppers, artichokes and zucchini were prepared in the right balance of garlic and olive oil sauce.
For main dishes, my hubby ordered the black ink squid pasta with clams — and wow is all I can say. I’m not a big fan of clams but honestly I kept on eating from my husband’s plate. The black ink squid pasta and clams were super fresh and super omg delicious! I ordered the branzino which was the fish special of the day and indeed it was. They prepared it just the way I like it — wrapped in parchment paper along with extra virgin olive oil, lemon, salt & pepper. Pure freshness and high quality equals oh my goodness beyond delicious. Almost everything is imported from Italy and you sure can tell because of the quality.
And of course we had wine to pair our meal with (again recommended by Michele) — we had the muscat and my hubby got another white, Planeta La Segreta. To top it off, we had the chocolate panna cotta also known as the Bodino al Cioccolato which was such a nice treat at the end of the meal.
Va beh is all about mangiare bene — eating well. Yes that is the way it should be all the time! You’ll see it written on their chalkboard along with other sayings and menu items.
I’m so glad that we celebrated my hubby’s birthday here — what a memorable experience!