La Vela Ristorante

The best stop for Italian food in NYC and the owner Francisca is like the mom every one wants. The restaurant décor makes you feel like your downtown in the village. Again I cant say enough how delish the food and must mention the best risotto in town I highly recommend it and sure you will not regret.

Good solid restaurant.
I came after the NYC marathon, I was freezing and could barely walk after running 26.2 miles, and wanted something warm and cozy. My friend suggested we try this place, as I was looking to add some carbs and protein back into my body after the run.
there was a short wait, as was everywhere due to the marathon, but we were seated in about 15 minutes after arrival. The staff was very catering and congratulatory to all the marathon runners who appeared wearing their ponchos and medals! Our waitress was very friendly, she got us our drinks quickly. I ordered some tea to warm myself up.
For dinner I had the chicken parmesan which was good, the sauce was cold and the chicken a little bit on the overdone side. For dessert I had the tiramisu which was light and flaky, and the highlight of my night.
the restaurant is on the smaller side, and one tiny bathroom which was clean enough. And never a dull moment, there was a patron who was having a medical emergency as we were leaving, and the staff took good care of her while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

The pastas were really bad. Tasteless. No wonder, no one is here on a Sunday afternoon. We are never going to come back here again.

I brought someone here the other night as I have had take-​out and thought it was good. We sat outside, service was very good. I was disappointed with the Caprese appetizer, the mozzarella cheese seemed old, however the Ravioli al Pomodoro was fantastic. The sauce and pasta were great.

Restaurant has become tired and outdated. Ordered special pasta dish (usually safe) and found it bland. Inattentive service; moved another party to one-​inch from our table. Over priced. I have been to La Vela many times in past years, but I am finished.

We tried to get a late al-​fresco dinner at Serafina, but were told that they «closed that part of the restaurant to prepare for closing procedures.» (There were already tables seated outside, and no other suggestions were made.) It’s summer in NYC; sitting outside is necessary. We left disappointed and still hungry.
Our concierge suggested La Vela and called ahead to make sure they could accommodate us outside. We walked over and greeted by Francesca who warmly welcomed us to an indoor table. There must be a mistake, I said, the concierge called ahead. She replied that she must have misunderstood and in fact her outdoor seating was also closed.
She must have sensed my disappointment (or ire) and promplty instructed an employee to set up a table outside for us. I was so impressed by her ability to change the situation and make an exception for us.
Our dinner was terrific and made even better by our new friend. Go try La Vela and I am sure you will be refreshed by some genuine hospitality.

I am so glad we stumbled onto this lovely gem. Our waitress was from Hungary and welcomed us like we were coming into her home. Per her recommendation, we ordered an excellent, reasonably priced Italian wine and the beef carpaccio — although it was good, we didn’t realize exactly what it was and probably would have chosen otherwise. We both chose the special for our main course, a shrimp, asparagus and sundried tomato risotto that was simply incredible. For dessert our waitress brought chocolate ice cream for our 2-​year-​old and dessert wine for my husband and I. Smelled and tasted of plum and was so good. A wonderful evening, exceptional food and service.

Mediocre food. 3 tiny cut up bitch ass pieces of salmon is saffron sauce with absolutly no seasoning at all. im ashamed i came here. The Unilocal offer is also fake thte manager claims it was from years ago. $ 14 cocktails? no thanks. bye

While the service was a tad slow, the food at Le Vela Ristorante is alright. The tomatoes in the capraize were under ripe and bland, while the calamari was crunchy and tender. I ordered the gnocchi as a main course and thought it was rich. A little too rich for my taste, but was still delicious. Le Vela is a family restaurant, perhaps the type your family would go to on a Sunday night. It’s warm and inviting, and stays the same even when the neighborhood changes.

The food was great, but it was the service that really stood out. Our waitress, Olga I think her name was, was truly amazing. Not only friendly, she was quick with service and accommodating for my dinner friend and I.
Food was fantastic, but the waitress was the real winner.

This is my first stop every time I am in NYC. I was a regular here for years, when Sammy was the owner, and I love it just as much with Francesca at the helm as I did then. Always receive fantastic service. Sorry to others who have not. I usually have the portobello to start, and it is always delish. Then Francesca does a mushroom risotto with chicken and truffle oil for me which I will crave forever. Everyone I have brought to La Vela loves it. I was shocked to read the less than positive reviews. I would never hesitate to highly recommend this restaurant for solid, satisfying food. And, please, have the chocolate mousse for dessert! You will thank me!

The food and service were both amazing. The owner of the restaurant makes you feel like you are in her home in Italy. Very warm and comforting. The waiters and bus men were all very respectful and kind. I had the salad on the «today’s specials» which was composed of artichoke palms, avocado and cucumbers. It was so delicious! The meatballs were delicious as well as my fish. My husband is ridiculously picky with food and he exclaimed that his gnocchi was one of the best he has ever tasted. Definitely recommend.

Not sure why I’m in the minority here, but our meal was spectacular. It was our last meal before our trip to Paris. I love my polenta, and they prepared it perfectly. Some sausage and gorgonzola on top to boot. Can’t go wrong with the scallops, also perfectly cooked and with some pancetta and a white wine butter sauce.
For the entrees we had the risotto and mushroom stuffed ravioli with a just right walnut brandy sauce — both were winners. And all of this washed down with a couple of Rose’s to start, and a bottle of Gavi. No evening is complete without a dessert, so with some chocolate mousse and a couple ports we left happily stuffed.
The service should have been better, but we a nice table open to the outside so that helped make up for it. Sorry to hear about some of these miserable experiences, but I would recommend this place with no issue. The food was old school Italian.

Food was good. The portions were a little on the small side. Service was lacking. We were one of two tables in there, looks like they may have just opened for the day. Waiter didn’t come back until I asked for the check. The pricing was reasonable.

Dinner started of with the only waitress (which, through the reviews I have come to find out is the owner) snatching our plates and silverware away with an uptight bitter attitude when we told her that we wanted only drinks, appetizers and desserts at 4:30pm on a Sunday.
We were the only patrons in the place and ordered the calamari which turned to extremely rubbery. The marinara sauce was excellent (which seemingly would bode well for their pizza which I cannot comment on). We ordered scotch, sangria, wine, vodka cans water, and a «Sailor». The «sailor» tasted like pine cones and suntan oil. The Sangria was pre-​mixed and sub par. The scotch, wine and vodka were BAU.
For dessert we ordered the chocolate mousse, Apple tort, and ricotta (Italian) cheesecake. The mousse was excellent! The cheesecake was below average for any cheesecake in nyc — you’ll have better luck at little Italy or any other tourist trap. The tort must have been baked on a pizza pan since it tasted like pepperoni.
I would never go back. I realize others have great experiences here and I am sure the food is hit and miss (again, the pizza would probably be good).
Try it at your own risk.

I went in to tell Francesca, the owner, that she lost her best chicken parm customer because of the price increase and she told me it was a mistake and then showed me the menu. She then gave me a credit for the honest mistake.
Relieved and happy to be back at the best Italian place on the UWS. Francesca is charming and the food is always delicious. I hear they might add pizza to the menu. Looking forward to that.

THE. WORST.
I haven’t had a decent meal here in over a decade. Tried it several years ago and was disappointed again. I must have had a moment of temporary insanity when I decided to go back there today. First I ordered the mussels. The” broth” tasted like bathwater. Absolutely inedible. I tasted two mussels and had to spit out the second one-​they were not fresh. Sent it back and asked for the fried calamari– just as bad. Batter falling off, not cooked thoroughly, tasteless. Almost sent that back too (should have). Not surprising there were only two other people in the place. Was the dishwasher doing the cooking? I will NEVER give this place another chance. The food sucks, end of story. They should be ashamed to call themselves an Italian restaurant. Should have gone to Coppola’s half a block away. NEXT!

Total bullshit. Food tastes like someone dumped a can of sauce on it. Workers and especially the owner (I believe) are very cold and have no proper manners. She asked us if «we were done» in an inappropriate tone and facial expression that made us feel like she was about to ask us to get up and wait till the waiter brought our credit card back so she can seat a new set of guests which she was trying to situate. Who does that!!! The menu has a handful of items on it.
Bullshit.

My cherie amor, you’re not La Vela Ristorante.
Came here for dinner on a Friday night and this is how I know whether a place is good or not: a line.
If it’s prime-​time din-​din hours and there is only but a couple of patrons at your restaurant, then, you really need to look at your menu and service. Competition is steep in NYC, so you have to either reduce your prices or find a better chef. Rework your menu, create a dish that’ll make, Unilocalers like me, want to come.
Either way, we decided to eat here because I was craving some Italian food. The bread was good, came with the standard olive oil and balsamic. We shared an ordered the white clam garlic pasta and the caesar salad. The service was great, I thought the people who owned the restaurant was very pleasant, but the food was okay. I’ve had better.

I was a bit hesitant to try this restaurant right around my corner, specially since it’s never packed. But I decided to try it since the Unilocal rating wasn’t too bad for it. and surprisingly, this place wasn’t too shabby!
Among me and my 2 friends, we ordered 2 ‘specials’ of the day: black linguine with clams & osobocco with risotto.
Black Linguini with Clams (3.5): I would’ve personally give it a 4 but my 2 friends didn’t like it so taking their opinions into account, i’m giving the dish 3.5. I thought it was well seasoned (on the light side though), and the portion size was perfect. I liked that the dish was fairly simple — black linguine, vegetable, garlic, clams, and mussels. What I didn’t like so much about the dish was that the linguine was very slighly overcooked and I wished they gave more clams.
Osobocco (4): The osobocco was pretty darn delicious — well cooked and tender enough to eat. And, the risotto was also cooked al dente, where the rice wasn’t overcooked but it had a bit of hardness to it.
Overall, La Vela Ristorante exceeded my expectations and I see myself going back there again. The portions size are great and the seasoning is slightly light but just the way I like it.
On top of that, their service was amazing. Our glass of water was constantly being filled up and our waitress would come check up on us at the right time.