Vito’s On 42nd

I and a group of people I work with wanted to go somewhere within walking distance for lunch and Vito’s was the only option, so we went there. The food was mediocre at best, service was o.k. but there was one thing that made sure I will never go back there again. I picked up my napkin from the table by sliding it toward me and gripping it at the same time. I turned the (white) napkin over and it was black on the bottom where it had made contact with the table. Not knowing if this black mark had come from the table, I took a different section of the napkin that was clean and wiped it across a different part of the table and it had the same result, black grime. My fellow diners did the same thing on their sections of the table and had the same results. This was not dirt like something was missed from the previous customers at this table but rather like accumulated filth over a long period of time. Yuck!!!

We arrived before our reserved party of 15 (11÷19÷15 a Wednesday), so we decided to grab a drink at the bar. The bar tender asked (without a smile) what we wanted. She had the personality of a mop, not making eye contact w her customers or making any converse whatsoever as a matter of fact. She had such little interaction with the bar patrons I could not even tell you what she looks like, I think brown hair. I watched her pour a draft and put the receipt IN the beer. I wasn’t sure what that was about, she filled the glass to the very top (no head –which is not the proper way to pour a draft) and set the receipt on it which was quickly absorbed by the liquid. She set it in the window and the server turned it away after she dug IN the beer with her fingers for the receipt and said it was supposed to be a bottle (thank god for the customer). The bartender smirked and set the beer next to the register. Again, not sure what her plan was for the beer. She didn’t dump it out, just set it there and carried on. We sat for about 30 minutes or so waiting for our party to arrive and she had nothing to say… mop.
Once our group had formed we were led to a table of 8. Which was funny because my friend who made the reservation said to them our party of 15 was ready. Not a big deal, just strange since we made the reservation, confirmed the amount of people in our group more then once then they take a group twice the size of the table they have prepared and not once did the staff think that we wouldn’t fit at that table. They arranged the tables to suit our party, which there were plenty of chairs/​tables available since not many people were there, but it was 7:30 on a Wednesday.
We ordered appetizers and everyone seemed thrilled with them. I only tried the spinach/​artichoke dip and it was the BEST I’ve ever had, they add a little touch of jalapeño and I was won over! The bruschetta looked incredible as did the potato skins.
Anyway, the service was slow and dry toast. My entrée came out considerably later then my party’s meals came out. My pasta primavera came out at the same time as another’s who had ordered probably 15 minutes or so after the rest of us had.
My pasta primavera was a small portion of pasta, raw vegetables, garlic with garlic and garlic in garlic water. I’m a huge garlic fan and even I was amazed how much garlic was used. There was NO other flavor then garlic, the «sauce» was garlic water… no flavor, except garlic. The RAW vegetables (carrots, broccoli, pea pods, zucchini and green beans) were a huge turn off. They didn’t even offer parmigiana for a little flavor. It was horrible. Thankfully they served plenty of tasty bread and butter which I did like.
One of my friends said she couldn’t eat her pasta meal because it was saturated with garlic. My boyfriend ordered the Alfrado and said it was way too thick and bland. The pizza someone ordered looked tasty but I didn’t hear any feedback.
Considering the off the path location and lack pizzazz the staff shows I completely understand why they remain empty. It’s not a place I am in a rush to return. Blah

Went for dinner. I ordered the sand trap sandwich without bacon as I’m vegetarian. I’ve ordered it in the past and it was good. This time I could barely find anything in between the bread. $ 10 for basically two slices of bread. Never saw the avocado and maybe had 1T. sprouts on the entire sandwich. Sad, just sad. Won’t be back.

Arrived just after 5:00 with family for dinner. Was greeted and seated promptly. Waitress came and took drink orders and returned. Asked how is the lasagna she had heard it was good. Asked for that and a small salad.
Requested bread with salad. She returned shortly to inform they had no lasagna. I joked it is just 5:00 not 8:00. Order spaghetti. When the small salads arrived, small is right. I have coffee cups larger. They were a extra charge $ 1.99. Went the greeter and asked if the manager was handy. He came over I introduced myself and asked if he was aware they had no lasagna. Looked at me like huh. My reply was its only 5! His excuse they must have run out of an ingredient? Not a good answer. My reply «You have dropped the ball!» Most likely will not return.

What happened when the new owners took over? The one-​time great pizza has deteriorated into some inedibles spread over papyrus.
Return? Quoth the doctor, «Never more».

Went in along with the same friend of the aforementioned birthday. It is always a tell when it is a beautiful Friday and the lunch hour is almost deserted.
Décor: They would get big points. Very open layout and nice mix of wood and brick.
Menu: Pretty standard. Sandwiches, Italian dishes, pizza and salads. Price, standard for what everyone is currently charging.
Food: I had the pepper steak sandwich. The meat had a peppery taste but other than this spice, it was dry and bland. The onions and peppers were chopped and kept falling off the sandwich.
Friends BLT was ok, other than the bacon was so crisp it shattered with each bite. As she replied, some people like crispy bacon, but this is beyond that.
Another friend had the Reuben. She ate all of it, but the sauerkraut had a little extra wang to it it. Perhaps getting to the end of it’s shelf life? Meat very dry and salty. Corned brisket doesn’t have to be this way, really.
Thankfully the server warned us that fries had a seasoning salt. Left that off. It was Lawery’s or some sodium infused shake.
We also had nachos. The saddest looking $ 10 nachos I’ve seen in a while. Very few chips (hey, this is the cheap ingredient guys) and the cheese sauce was separated, so it was very grainy tasting. Every thing else on the nachos was a ok, but seriously, make a $ 10 nacho look worthy of those $ 10 bucks.
Service: Fine. As I said, not busy at all.
PS: I wonder what they carry-​out delivery order that arrived. Looked like frozen drinks from some where? What does that say about your place when the help want something else.

I would have given Vito’s four stars if that continued making the same quality food over their ownership change. We love the chicken picatta, however they started using a frozen then fried chicken cutlet instead of pan fried chicken. This is defiantly a reduction in quality for a high priced dish. There are still many good things about Vito’s, they tend to always have great service, and they have a good happy hour. After almost two years of coming here i stick to 3 stars due to the new ownership not wanting to maintain the same quality of food.

The clam chowder is the best I’ve had anywhere. Always get the Sandtrap sandwich and always disappointed it appears only on a plate nothing else on the plate. Restaurant always appears dirty. I love the warm bread although it’s not always offered without asking.

Four ladies had lunch today at Vito’s. Where was everybody? They were certainly not here. Service was good, but our food was very slow to make it out of the kitchen. You can’t do a good lunch business if you can’t get people back to work in a timely way. We were the two hour lunch ladies today, but the wait was excessive even for us.
I don’t like ANY of Vito’s pasta dishes so I ordered the Malibu chicken sandwich. I don’t know what a chicken breast with bacon and cheese has to do with Malibu, but it was tasty. Fries were very good. Everyone did enjoy their food. It’s way past time that Vito’s freshened up their menu and sped up the lunch service. Don’t know how they are surviving.

Average fare with reasonble service. A bit pricey overall. Good beer choices. Wider variety of spirits now available with new ownership. Relaxing place to be in or out.

Been there a dozen times… I keep coming back, but only three stars. Not sure if the food is fresh or pre-prepared…tastes pre-​prepared and it’s okay. Locals come, but I’m not sure I would take my out of town guests there. Hate to say that, but it’s true. Hope they can improve over «okay.» Good luck.

Our waitress seemed rushed and had time to only treat our table as a drive-​by shooting. Every step of the process seemed to include a long delay. From the initial acknowledgement, to drinks and food. When our food finally arrived it had obviously sat on a counter for some time. It was somewhat warmer than lukewarm and my salad still had not been served. I had to point out that it was still missing. She offered to have another burger cooked while I ate my salad, but at this point, I really didn’t want to take any more chances. I opted to just have my salad boxed up for my next day’s lunch. I had to wait for mayo for my already cool sandwich and ended up telling her to hurry up. I felt rather rude for using those words, but was getting tired of the whole scene by this time. The real clincher was that our server never once offered the slightest apology for the slowness of service, nor did she ever make an effort to even crack a smile. The icing on this bad cake is the total absence of any manager ever in the dining room — only a teenie bopper hostess? and overworked servers. I will not bother to go back.

The only meal item that’s good here is the Cheeseburger, and it’s just ok, not great. They have excellent specials and a great bartender for happy hour, which is really the only reason I’d go besides the fact that it’s only a few blocks from my house.
Overall, you have a lot of selections outside of Vito’s; it shouldn’t be the first on your list.

Most of the food is subpar. Pasta is bland with occasional hit or miss on pizza or appetizers. The kicker is service is horrible here. Expect to wait for your food as their kitchen is never fast enough and their waiters take forever to take your order.

Pizzas are generally good however the last one a week ago had a crust so tough that it could barely be cut with a knife.
Last night six of us had horrible food, marginal service and then complained about the three roast beef sandwiches as inedible (left all 3 with partial bites taken) they offered $ 1.92 discount off the over $ 40 dollar bill. This used to be a good place, what happened?
Sorry Vito’s but you are off my will return and/​or recommend list.

I’ve now been to Vito’s 3 times since moving to Cedar Rapids. It’s within walking distance to where I live so I wanted it to be good. It’s just not. My first visit I had a pasta dish that was very bland. On my second visit I had the lasagna, which was good. Not great, but good. Last night I had a burger and fries. The burger was OK but the fries were very disappointing. I was reminded of Ore-​Ida fries that my mom used to make when we were kids because they were cheap and we didn’t have any money. When I go to a restaurant for an $ 8+ burger, I expect better than this.
The saving grace is there are a few decent wines, I just wish they would buy better wine glasses.
Also, the management might want to encourage the smoking patrons to not stand right in front of the entrance. Who wants to walk through a cloud of smoke to then go eat?

Didn’t find anything spectacular about the place. The ambience is good for having a good night out with some friends. The bar is fully stocked so that’s a plus and they do have few good beers on tap. The food is only average. I’ve had a pasta dish here, a sandwich, and some pizza here. I can’t give the place a negative review but it wasn’t something that I would crave and find myself having to return to.

You cant give half stars, because I would give this a 3.5 overall.
Its been around long enough to have a good following and the menu has a good selection. Its family/​kid friendly and has a good amount of TVs for viewing while eating. The area under the balcony is a little more secluded and private if thats what you want but the furnature down there is a little rough (tears on the bench seats, –½ star).
Other than that its a nice eatery in a nice location.

Food was very good, I had the Grilled Salmon and Fettuccine Alfredo. It came with a large salad (I had the Caesar) that was also good. One of the reason I selected Vito’s was that it was a very nice evening and based on one of the other reviews here, it had outdoor dining that overlooks Twine Pine Golf Course. Being that its actually in the office park across a busy street its really some distance to the golf course. I would have said from its balcony Twin Pine Golf course can be seen in the distance. I also wasn’t really all the impressed with outdoor seating and tables. They were the cheap plastic table and chairs you pick up at Walmart to put by your pool. My table was warped with a big hump in the middle. I suggest they spend a couple of bucks on some better seating and tables.

A popular CR spot for many years although they seem to be less busy lately. Maybe because of all the new restaurants that have sprouted up and down Edgewood Rd or maybe because Vito’s just isn’t top of mind being located in an office park, far away from restaurant row. Vito’s is a great choice if you’re looking for some outdoor dining as there are few other eateries that even offer that option. The front balcony overlooks Twin Pine Golf Course and there’s a nice patio in the back. The interior has a high ceiling and offers two levels of dining and a huge bar in the center.
Vito’s has a Mediterranean/​American menu — mostly sandwiches, salads, pasta and pizza. Healthier menu items are marked with a little heart and there are plenty to chose from.
My favorite is the pizza. The offer a number of gourmet type selections. Go on Monday night when their special is ½ price large pizzas and $ 5 domestic pitchers. Wednesday is also ½ price pizza night.
Good food, good service and a nice out-​of –the-​way location makes Vito’s a great alternative to the chains. Local is best!