Venetian Grille

I ate at the restaurant on Sunday. Our server was so attentive and polite. The calamari was cooked to perfection one of the top 5 I have eaten. I had the salmon I believe it was called Santa Cruz it was delicious, the ingredients were very creative.

The only good thing about this restaurant was the music. Service was slow and they continually messed up our order and bill. The salad tasted old, the mozzarella on the caprese salad was dry. The food was cold and just not good. There are many many other restaurants in Somerville that are way better. Give those places your business.

This place is really warm and comforting place to eat. It is a little slow but the food is really good. I love how the dinning area makes you feel like home. I’m definitely coming back!

I went there to celebrate my friends birthday and by the end of the night I wished I would have gone elsewhere, much better places in the area of Somerville for the price. I made a reservation however it was so empty it wasn’t necessary. My friend and I walked in there was no hostess at the door we had to go to the pizzeria side and ask for someone to serve us. Our server Miranda was nice however had no knowledge of the wine list nor did bring us one until I asked. When she dropped off the menu she stated that its not up to date and that allot of the wines they do not have. We ordered appetizers, steamed clams in garlic and wine and an antipasti. The wine came and it was already opened and then corked for all I know we may not have even drank what we paid for. Its very typical when buying a bottle of wine you are shown the bottle then it is opened in front of you. That’s just normal edict. The steamed clams were ok but lacked flavor and the antipasti was sub par, I could had better meats and cheeses at my local grocery store however the presentation was nice. As for dinner I had the veal pasquel and my friend had the marsala steak. Our server never even asked for the temperature and told us it was extra charge for vegetables instead of the mashed potatoes but I certainly didn’t think spinach would be $ 3 for a small portion of veggies which is what was served. My dinner was luke warm but the plate was hot and the sauce was congealed hence it was sitting in the window for a while prior to being served. We then had dessert and once again the server seemed very knowledgeable about the selection. I was told on the phone since it was my friends birthday one fee dessert would be taken off the check. Towards the end of our meal we heard very loud rap music and people in the bar area from the next room over. Not very classy if you ask me. If I wanted to be in a club I would have went to one. I ran into the owner on my way to the restroom and although he was friendly when I asked him about concerns I had about being charge for items on my check he acted as if he had no pull in the decision making our server came over to speak on his behalf. Since when does an owner have no say in speaking with the guests? I was highly offended at that point, that’s when I decided I would not be back. The check was about 150 $ I have no issues spending money when I feel the atmosphere, service and food is worth it but in this case they should just stick with the Pizzeria they obvious don’t understand the concept of fine dining. I will NOT RETURN nor would I suggest anyone else to spend money there.

I meant to do this review months ago, but time has slipped by… a large party of us went here in June 2015. The service was absolutely horrific. I mean, no really… I thought I was on candid camera or something. I wish I had gotten the server’s name. She was ridiculous, as was the manager, who did nothing when I requested that she no longer wait on us. I could write a book, but in a nutshell — we were brought the incorrect food, we were told to go to the bar to get our drink orders because it would be faster since she was too busy, the girl she was training ran out of the restaurant and didn’t come back, we requested two separate tabs (we were at 2 different tables) and we were told that was too difficult, the server pouted and then ripped up our check after she brought us the wrong food, we asked the manager to have someone else help us and the same server kept coming back. It was truly ridiculous. There were at least 12 of us in a completely empty restaurant. Apparently this restaurant was on a reality show a few years back. It obviously did not help. I can’t speak for the quality of the food, because I opted to eat pizza from the connected restaurant next door. The pizza was actually decent once we got the right one. But really… it was the worse service ever. Boo!

Wait staff was friendly but the service was slow and lacking experience.
Would not recommend this place as there are so many better options in somerville.

I visited the Venetian Grille for lunch with 4 children and while the service was extremely slow, the waiter was very nice and accommodating. In addition, the food was very good (fresh). Since the service was slow I went to go and research why… it seems that Central Pizza (which they are connected to) was very busy and there was only ONE waiter. I actually felt bad for him.
So bottom line, if you have time to spare… yes, it’s a nice quiet place. If you’re in a rush… maybe not the right place for you.

Came here at 6:30 on a Saturday night and the place was deserted, which is kind of a red flag.
Our server was nice but was extremely slow and seemed frazzled.
The food comes in huge portions but it’s just OK. Not the best, not the worst. The lobster ravioli was a bit lacking in the lobster department. Their vodka sauce is really good, though.
The main reason we went here was because we had a gift certificate. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll probably spend my money somewhere else.

Unfortunately this restaurant was a big disappointment.
Pizza was cold, Soup was bland, pasta was too salty, prosciutto did not taste right and Chicken Parm was also cold. Don’t waste your money.

I can here for a rehearsal dinner. It was buffet style. We had 2 pastas, salad and chicken parm. Te service was good. The food was so so.

We came in 10 mins before closing but we didn’t realize what time they were closing until we saw the menu. We felt really bad but we were starving. The server did warn us that the kitchen was closing in 10 minutes. The service was a bit slow since there was only 1 server working on Monday night. We ordered a lot of food since we had the
gift certificate. All the food came out delicious and we had a lot of leftovers. We would definitely come back again but not so late this time.

Service has been horrible the last four times I have been there. I thought the bad service was a fluke so I gave them multiple chances. I was wrong. The food is okay and the portions are more than adequate, but there is nothing about the taste or preparation of the food that is worth waiting 1 hour + (consistently) to get. Additionally, the wait staff pay more attention to the folks eating next door in the «Central Pizza» side so it is not uncommon to see the staffing moving between the kitchen and the pizza side while ignoring the «Venetian Grill» side.
On three of the four visits at least one person at the table got the wrong food. This includes my last visit where the waiter was pushing the special and two guests got spaghetti and meatballs instead of the penne and asparagus special. When we sent those dinners back stating that since you sold us on the specials we should get the specials. They brought back penne pasta, but there was no asparagus in it (or in the sauce). This was mentioned to the waiter who looked at us and said, «oh, sorry» and then walked away. Clearly the kitchen staff doesn’t care about what they are making and the wait staff doesn’t care for their customers.
I’ve given them enough chances, there are just too many other choices for Italian food within 2 miles of this place.

Bla — crunchy undercooked risotto, crappy service, spartan restaurant. Went here with another couple, and in general there was enough food but the quality was definitely subpar and a bit pricey for the location. If you’re going to get anything, do the chicken marsala, but otherwise forget it; much better Italian food can be found nearby.

This place has its pros and cons — food is good, portions are enormous, service is good, décor is so-​so, why are they playing Sirius radio Coffee House music? We split an antipasto which was enough food for three or four people. Presentation was nothing special. The mozzarella is made on premises — very good. They also bake their own bread — again excellent. We ordered glasses of the house Merlot and the house Chardonnay — which were OK and a generous pour at $ 6.00.
I sampled the Chicken DeVito special — chunks of chicken, sausage, broccoli rabe and a light garlic and oil sauce served with gnocchi. Very nice and enough for a table of four. My wife ordered the Veal Pasquale which was veal and artichokes in a white wine sauce served with linguini. She was very happy and also had an over-​sized portion. She thought the linguini was a bit under-​done but I tried it and thought that it was properly al dente.
Coffee and tea to finish. The single espresso was at least a double.
The tab came to $ 68 before the tip which was OK by me. We ordered off the dinner menu. Lunch prices are a few dollars less.
But I still prefer Café Picasso across the street. Picasso has a better ambiance — nicer décor and better music. And at BYO a bit more affordable.