Cafe Vincero

My experience here would be summed up as fine. The food was good but not stellar. Service was fine but there were only two parties in the resturant so I was surprised I ran out of water and had to wait awhile for a refill. The waiter seemed almost curt. I didn’t feel completely welcome. I don’t regret going. I was considering going back until I read the owner’s responses to other customers here on Unilocal.It was very off putting. I think I’ll just say eh, it was fine and not go back.

Weird. I had good food here couple times and good service. I forgot about the place until I came across it again searching for a good restaurant. After reading how the owner responds to feedback, I’m not interested in coming back. No, the customer is not always right but it seems every review less than 3 stars is met with snark and excuses. If that’s the way it is, thanks I’ll take my business elsewhere. Not that the owner cares anyway.

While this place is eye pleasing and the building is beautiful that is about all it has going for it. On our visit the staff we encountered seemed less than thrilled to be there, the gnocchi was less than impressive, and the alfredo sauce tasted as if the garlic had been forgotten. We had already been there longer than expected so we «Soldiered On» and went about our business. I did not want to ruin our evening by arguing with the owner because as you can see from his review rebuttals his customers and their stories are never right.
As a manager in my work place I believe and teach «Sometimes the customer is right, sometimes they are not, but their issues are always heard gracefully, handled tactfully, and resolved respectfully. Sometimes that means swallowing your pride, putting on a smile, and saying Im sorry when you have done nothing wrong». A successful business is one that not only does their offered service well but is also run with tact, grace, and respect, all of which seem to be lacking here. A simple apology in a pleasant tone goes a long way toward building a rapport and a return customer base :)
Seeing other customers being called liars and their issues being disregarded by blame deflecting excuses is not something I can support in a business within my community, but give them a shot if you feel lucky.
And now for the condescending reply in 3…2…1
(You think he will tell me not to come back?!?)

I tried Vincero for the first time last week. I came during lunch and had the meatballs with a red sauce and mozerella and they were quite good. They were served sandwich style on a crispy french roll style bread. Menu said house made focaccia, but it didn’t seem like foccacia I’ve had before… I suppose there may be variations of focaccia, but from my experience it was more of a French roll, but it was still quite good. a rustic, chewy on the inside, crisp on the outside style. It came with a fresh side salad of mixed greens, baby tomatoes and fresh mushrooms with a vinaigrette of olive oil and balsamic. It was simple, but all was fresh and healthy. I’ll come back again to try some pasta or pizza. Their prices are fair, for what you get and the atmosphere is comfortable with the amber toned tiles on tables and walls and complimentary modern artwork on the walls. The tall, well soaring ceilings give it a cathedral like feel… and that’s a good thing. Some have said it’s a 21 plus establishment, but they have it set up where one side is a bar and the other a restaurant, where parents can bring children. Maybe it changes in the evenings or weekend nights. You’d have to ask them.

Cozy Italian restaurant with wonderful homemade food. Everything ordered was exquisite and was a party in my mouth. I highly recommend the espresso crème brûlée.

Very poor customer service. We were told it was going to be 10min for a table with a table that was clearly open. Then we were sat after 2mins then after waiting several minutes we were given water and told the kitchen was behind and to bear with them. After another 10mins our dink order wasn’t taken nor did we get bread. You can see the kitchen from the dining room, everyone was in back moving like snails… We left.

We had the Antipasto and one of the wood fired pizzas. Antipasto and bread were filling. All food was excellent. Our server (gentleman with a very well groomed beard) was excellent. The downgrade is when we first walked it took awhile to get our drinks. It always surprises me when wait staff walk by and don’t acknowledge patrons who just sat down.

Had an interesting experience here. Not bad, just slightly odd. To start, Quinn ordered a Hendricks martini and our waitress brought him their grapefruit martini. When I mentioned that it was the wrong drink, she goes, «That’s a Hendricks martini!» No it’s not, but oh well. It was really tasty, so when I was ready for round two I asked for whatever drink Quinn had had. This time, they DID bring a Hendricks martini, which wasn’t what I wanted. So, ya. It was a confusing and weird situation. But, it got solved.
My pollo asparagi was good. The chicken could’ve been crisper, and the serving of asparagus was meager. But it was a good dish.
Quinn’s pizza was also ok. The toppings were cut too large, so they didn’t have time to get cooked properly in the oven. His pizza crust was also a little doughy.
Over all, even with the confusion, the drinks were fantastic, and the food was fine. We’d return.

I really liked the ambiance walking in seemed like a really cool place right off the bat. The bread, that I assume comes before every meal, was toasted a little more then I like but to each his own. For a drink I ordered a sazerac I give it 5 stars very similar to an old fashioned. For my meal I ordered the lasagna it was made with very flat almost crêpe like pasta and was very meaty. I also found it a bit salty but my wife didn’t. Overall I give the lasagna a 4 not what I’m used to but I was pleasantly surprised. Good food great drinks I would definitely come back.

Very good, healthy portions, well priced, attentive, friendly. Gotta get the salumi plate!

We went here with another couple and we all very much enjoyed the place. The food is a great value and good, service is very good and the place has a good vibe. We will coming back.

The location is perfect, the ambience is cool, and the servers and bartenders were awesome! Food was not so great, very average. It was very price justified and I would recommend it for a casual work night dinner, but not for an exceptional night out. We had the chicken risotto and the blognese pasta. Both very average, not stellar. Tasty, but nothing I couldn’t have done better.
Loved the service! Our waitress was speedy, patient with my order, and great with cocktail recommendations! Would come back just for that!

Café Vincero is a great restaurant. I will gladly go again.
I ordered the Caesar salad with chicken and my date ordered the chicken fettuccine. We were both very happy with our meals.

If the Caesar salad would have been amazing the meal would have received 5 stars. The salame picante pizza was excellent with the right amount of San marzano pomodoro, mozzarella and sweet with the honey drizzle and hot. I’d come back just for that. I’d encourage them to change the cheese on their Caesar to hand grated and revamp it entirely. A good Caesar sets the tone. Great Chianti by the glass and a generous pour. Bread starter was warm and delicious with the olive oil and balsamic dipping sauce. Service great with just the right amount of attention. Will be back to try the pasta!

Hands down, this place has amazing service. They were very accomodating of our large group and made sure we were no less than pleased. As for the food, it was so-​so quality. Unfortunately, nothing stuck out to me as anything more than average.

The food here is great! I have the mushroom ravioli in cream sauce. It has tons of flavor and the pasta was cooked perfectly. It is a very hearty dish, so I ended up taking half home for lunch the next day. (It was just as good the second day). My friend ordered the Cannelloni, and she said it was delicious.
The portions are a good size, and the prices are reasonable. The service was great too.
The only thing I was surprised about was how empty the restaurant was. We went on a Tuesday, which could explain some of the emptiness, but there were only two other tables occupied. I hope more people start going to this place because I want it to stick around. Try it out!

This place didn’t have very many people eating which I though was odd.
The server was very attentive and the food was excellent. He wasn’t afraid to tell us his favorite things on the meh when we had questions which is something my wife and I enjoy in a restaurant.
The only critique I have is that the bar wasn’t fully open yet (as of the time of this writing) so they didn’t have a cocktail list. However, they were willing to make anything we ordered so long as they had the ingredients to do so. As it turns out, they didn’t, but during our meal the server brought the drink my wife wanted to our table. They had sent a server to the store for the juice they needed to make her drink! Talk about above and beyond.
Anyway, this place has a very authentic feel. The servers are a lot more casual like we’re in a bar environment. This is by no mean a bad thing, but if you’re expecting five star fine dining, then look elsewhere. This place is place feels authentic as in it would be a place in Italy that the natives would eat at as opposed to tourists.
Anyway, great place and I hope this review will bring in more business because Tacoma needs more places like this.

Walked in with a party of 14, wanted a drink. The manager said that «this is not a bar & if we weren’t eating food then we «needed to get the fuck out»
I’ve never experienced service like this in my life.

I’ve been here a few times and now ready for an honest review. Really good! It is nice to have a good Italian restaurant right in town. A beautifully decorated restaurant with contemporary art on the walls made for a pleasant dining experience.
There is quite a variety of food from pizza to spaghetti and all at a very reasonable price. One of the meals started with a classic Caesar salad. A word of caution to those who do not like anchovies… they have it in their salad… lots of it. The pizza ordered was simple but flavorful. A nice chewy crust and the perfect amount of ingredients and sauce. The other entrée orders was the cannelloni. «Fresh pasta sheets filled with Spinach, Ricotta Cheese, Mushrooms, and herbs then rolled into cannelloni, topped with either marinara or mushroom cream sauce and mozzarella then baked until golden.» It was good but slight too garlicky.
Also tried the spaghetti with meatballs and the chicken cacciatore. The spaghetti had a lot of meat with the red sauce. It was excellent. One of the better spaghettis I’ve had in a while. The chicken cacciatore was quite spicy, which I liked. The cut was breast and a wing on top of a perfect cooked risotto. Both of these dishes were generous in portion. At this meal, we started with the grilled pear and mozzarella bruschetta. Wow! Nice flavor combination drizzled with balsamic.
Definitely a nice addition to the downtown growing dining scene. Give them a try!

New restaraunt that serves great italian food. Had the lasagna and the chicken Marsala with a mushroom risotto and the waitress gave the heads up that those two take the most time to prepare, so a glass of wine was a must and man was it delicious! «Licking lips». The owner or perhaps manager (did not say) came out and spoke for a few minutes about the character of the wine and a few details about the dishes. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed to enjoy his job. That is always an extra star in my book; have workers and owners love what they do. Back to the lasagna and
Chicken Marsala, once it was tasted I wanted more! So much more! The lasagna was meaty and the chicken Marsala was cooked I absolute perfection. The mushroom risotto matched the dish perfectly and I would recommend this to any one who was unsure of what to get. I can’t wait to come back and try another item. Nomnomnom!