Va Bene Berarducci’s Caffe

Price: Good prices for great food
Great service even on Grandma’s Marathon weekend. A great meal the night before the race!

I’m from Boston, so I like to think I’ve had some pretty good Italian food. This italian food is FANTASTIC, especially for a restaurant all the way in Duluth! It is by far the best I have had in Minnesota, and is worth the drive from the cities. The ambiance is great, especially in the summer when you can sit on the patio overlooking the lake. The service is fast and friendly, but the food really is the best part of this place. The menu could satisfy a mature palette, and a picky eater, and there is something for everyone. Their fresh pastas are to die for, and the «preferito della casa» is one of the best dishes I have ever had. It includes: Chicken, prosciutto, asparagus & arugula with balsamic vinegar, blended with mascarpone, sliced almonds & shells. The chicken was so tender and flavorful, and all the flavors blended so well together. This is a great place to go for date night, or if you’re just passing through Duluth!

Great food. Very nice waitress. There was a very helpful Gentleman, I assume was a mgr. He did a little of everything, setting tables, to bar, to cooking. Italian soda is nice. Great gelato, and wonderful chocolate truffle cake. May be pricey, but as out-​of-​towners, worth the visit. Amazing Alonzo used books, and Electric Fetus all on same road. Love Duluth.

Pasta sauce was one of the best I’ve had. Salads were pretty good. We all cleaned our plates. Nice setting and service.

As a new Duluth resident and having a spouse from here that heard they have good food we gave it a try.
It was a nice day and we got seated promptly in the lake overlook and then got ignored for over 15 minutes. Tried to wave down both waiter and hostess but to no avail so we walked out.

Fantastic hidden gem!
Everything was fantastic! I ordered the gnocchi– perfectly cooked. Two people ordered the fettuccini and meatballs and two ordered chicken fettuccini Alfredo! Andy J was a fab server and everything was well above expectations. Great ambiance! Fantastic view if you request the outdoor patio and so happy with our experience! Thank you and don’t miss this place!

We used the new private space on the second level last night. We booked this with Mary Kay. She worked with us to carefully plan out the evening which evolved from a meeting format with non alcoholic beverages to a pre-​dinner format with full bar and preselected appetizers followed by a full dinner.
We needed AV for meeting. Modern capabilities were available and Va Bene helped us with setup.
The appetizers Mary Kay helped select were perfect for our group – ingredients and amount of food.
Once our meeting was done, Steve, our excellent waiter, had all the meals ready. Something almost short of a miracle.
Really appreciated how well Steve could navigate the evening – knowing how/​when to interrupt conversation to explain appetizers ingredients and take drink orders.
Steve had great skill in bringing plates to the table, refilling drinks and water and clearing empty plates and glasses without being intrusive.
I live in the Twin Cities and I have never had this high level/​quality service at any restaurant. Va Bene knew exactly how to navigate our evening making it completely flawless.
Everyone in our group raved about their meal.
Thank you Mary Kay, Steve, Chef’s name unknown and all unnamed helpers.
The space is absolutely beautiful. I don’t want to miss pointing this out.
We are in Duluth for meetings almost monthly and plan to return to Va Bene.

One of my favorite places in town. Perfect spot for a romantic meal.
The food is excellent. I usually get the salad nicoise, or some form of pasta. They even have fresh gelato there.
The staff is very professional, attentive and accommodating.
If you go, get a table in the late afternoon on the outdoor balcony: the view is unbeatable.

I have been here on several occasions. Most of which have been decent. However, my most recent visit (4−24−16) was very unpleasant. The server we had was very disrespectful, practically throwing our appetizer plates onto the table, rolling her eyes when asked questions about the menu, giving us scraps of stale bread (posted a picture) and saying «sorry that’s all we have», while 3 other tables came in after us and all got fresh, full slices of bread, and never once checking in on us. I will mention at the end of our meal when there was issues with my gift card the manager that came over to help was very nice and accommodating. Food tastes good, but customer service is obviously not a priority to some employees…

I came here on valentines day. We pass by it every once in awhile and decided to try it because its just looked like one of those adorable little café’s that you get a really good meals at.
The ambiance of this place is the best. There is a fire place, a lake view and the inside if filled with nice soft colors. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They know their menu and they are extremely happy to offer advice and recommendations.
The food.
You start out with bread and their amazing olive oil and a little bit of balsamic vinegar. The bread is fresh, smells amazing and is also super fresh.
Appetizers– We started out with Antipasto Superior. This was a wonderful platter that consisted of Imported Italian Prosciutto and Salami, Provolone, Parmasian cheese, Olives and Roasted Red Peppers. The flavor to this dish was divine.
Main Dish– I decided to go with the Tenderloin & Gorgonzola. This dish is actually beef tenderloin tips, fresh tomatoes, red onions and romaine served with their house balsamic dressing. If you like tenderloin. you will love this dish!
My boyfriend actually decided to go with a pasta dish. It was kind of spicy but not bad. We needed to order a glass of milk to go with it. We probably wont go for it again. This just is not our dish.
It was a great experience though and we will be back to eat again. What a pleasant place this place was to eat.

Loved this place. Went here in the off season with my family. Our service was wonderful and the food was fabulous! Had the #13 pasta dish which was great. And you can’t go wrong with the vast selection of gelato! Will definitely be back in the summer to check out the patio!

What an arrogant pile of asses work at this place.
There is nobody in there (I wonder why) and they treat us like we are imposing in them by actually wanting to buy something.
Then our kids wander into the patio to look at Lake Superior and the staff barks at them. It’s not like anybody else was in there.

Whenever you’re in Duluth make sure you stop here! It’s a small restaurant right on the shore of Lake Superior with a gorgeous view of the lake! The pasta frutti Di mare was absolutely delicious with scallops and shrimp. The little caffe isn’t too expensive and the servers are very kind! It’s a great place for a family and a very romantic place for a date. Try and come on a clear day so you can enjoy the view that much more. When we went it was pretty foggy, but regardless it was still a beautiful view

We went here on our first anniversary– food was delicious and the waiter was helpful. He helped us pick out a new wine to try, as they had 50% off bottles that night.
It was one of my favorite experiences for a date night in Duluth!
Save it for a special occasion, as it is not cheap

I went to this place on Monday for dinner. My friend and I ordered Pesto pizza & creamy pasta with three big scallops. Both of them are great. But the pasta would be better if it was served warmer, since the temperature inside is a bit cool which made the pasta sticky. Maybe I get used to less salty food, so both of them were a little salty to me. I also ordered a chocolate & coffee flavor cake to go, it tasted good, and yet too sweet to me. The service was great even though there was just one waitress for the whole restaurant tonight. She was considerate and nimble. Overall, I consider they served authentic Italian food.

After one botched experience here, we returned about a year later in hopes of a change and that it was! We arrived on a Friday night and only waited for about 15 minutes to be sat in the back porch area overlooking the lake. It had a great atmosphere and although it was somewhat cramped, the room was quiet and very serene.
Our server greeted us and after debate over wine, she offered up a bottle even cheaper than what we were considering and it was wonderful! My boyfriend ordered one of the fish entrees and I ordered the carbonara. Both were very well done, piping hot and filling (a bit of a surprise since they don’t use heat lamps here… as someone in the industry this makes me nervous beyond belief, but whatever works, I suppose!). Overall, we had a very pleasant experience and I would be more than happy to return.

Have been coming here once a year or so since they opened. Last night the food, the service and atmosphere were as good as ever. Even the price is right. I don’t know what more you could ask for.

1. Overall very good Italian — best in Duluth.
2. Atmosphere if you can get a lake side seat on porch is amazing. ⁶⁄₅ star view.
3. Food good with nice variety. Mine was perfect (#12 on menu). Not sure why they feel the need to have a filet mignon offering in addition to a nice selection of pastas– (typical American error: we offer everything!)
4. Get past the vinyl table cloths and laminated menus-​the atmosphere was great, as was the service.
5. I didn’t do it– but the gelato and coffee bar in the front was great classic feel, and overall the deserts were tasty. Would be worth the trip for that alone.
Summary: bring your wife, friends and family here. I’ll be back. I wouldn’t bring the biggest business deal of the year here unless they love Italian!

I am a hard person to impress when it comes to pasta since I studied abroad in Rome. Living that close to pasta-​heaven has made me more more picky and judgmental with my pasta dishes. This place blew me away!
I ate here on a beautiful day and was lucky enough to eat outside on their deck overlooking Lake Superior and the city of Duluth. The staff were friendly and efficient. And the highlight of my day was the Amatriciana pasta! It was just as I remember it from Rome!
You definitely need to check this place out!

3.5 stars
Pasta’s were fresh w/​good portions at a very reasonable price.
Service was friendly and atmosphere was intimate.
Would come back again!
#12 — 4.25 stars
#13 — 3.5 stars
#4 — 4 stars
#5 — 3 stars
Tiramisu — 3 stars light and fluffy
Artichoke dip — 4 stars