Vingenzo’s

My Girlfriend and I wanted a good Italian meal and unfortunately we picked Vingenzo’s.
I should have been suspicious when we found a parking spot in front of the restaurant at 6:30 on a Saturday night in downtown Woodstock.
When we entered the restaurant there was no Welcome, no good evening, just a terse «Do you have a reservation?» We did not so the Maitre d’ simply said follow me and with no conversation, briskly lead us to a table for two in the back corner…
Our waitress was pleasant and helpful… We ordered. I had the Regina Pizza made Sausage, Wild Mushrooms, Fior di Latte Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Basil. very disappointing… no flavor, bland… very few toppings, mostly pizza dough. I have to admit that the pizza dough was good.
My Girlfriend had Linguini Alla Frutti Di Mare Steamed Shrimp, Mussels & Clams, Roma Tomato Sauce, Linguini Pasta. I sampled her selection and it was also bland, no flavor and the pasta was under cooked.
In conclusion, I found Vingenzo’s overpriced and of poor quality. The best thing I can say about our experiences was our waitress was professional and attentive. We will not be back.

We went for my birthday and had an expensive mediocre experience.
The server wasn’t knowledgeable of the menu. We decided to order a salad, pasta and pizza to share. The Rocudo salad needed a little lemon and sea salt. The Bolongese was tasty. We finished with the pizza-​sausage, wild mushrooms and basil, was over cooked. The dough was hard and the basil was burnt. I told the server it was over cooked and not very good. He agreed with me but still served the pizza. (They had 3 tables total so there wasn’t a rush.) No management came and nothing was done.
I use to manage a wood-​fired pizzeria and know some pizzas can get a small amount of char on the bc the oven is 700 – 800 degrees. Though w fresh dough it should take less than 5 mins to cook and the crust to bubble. Ours was a rock and black on one side.
We won’t go back nor recommend to others.

The is by far the worst Italian restaurant I have ever been to. Saturday night at 6:30 and the place was empty. Never been to an Italian restaurant where bread was not served with dinner. We all ordered pizzas and they were out of smoked mozzarella. How could that have happened when place was empty. One of our pizzas was made wrong and they had to redo. Took at least 15 minutes and it came out of oven significantly smaller than the rest of our pizzas. Hardly an apology nor a discount. Worst restaurant in Woodstock!

For a Friday night and freshly-​made food, we were fed promptly. My table received their food 25 minutes after to ordering; given this is a popular spot, the service was fast and friendly! The fire-​baked pizzas have a lovely, smokey flavor that you can taste in the crust. Wild mushroom toppings and fresh Italian cheeses were top of the line and you could taste it. Only issue is the dessert. It’s small and pricey for what you get, but still pretty good. My shellfish pasta was phenomenal. Large shrimps and fill oysters and clams. Definitely will come again! I’ve gone multiple times before, and will continue to.

I had high hopes for this place when I visited a few nights ago. We arrived around 6:30 and it was fairly empty. It filled up pretty quickly, but never FULL so not crowded. That was a plus. Unfortunately, even on a slower night, our food took a very long time to hit our table.
We ordered the antipasta rustico to start. The portions were good and everything tastes great. For dinner we had the fettuccini pomodoro and the Regina pizza. The pizza was good. Very thin and crispy. Cooked perfect. The house made sausage was awesome! The pasta, however, was over cooked and bland. The noodles were mushy and unsalted and the sauce, applied sparingly which I am ok with, but it had no flavor. The ricotta on top was good but the dish s a whole needs improvement.
The ambiance was nice. Very casual with a cute little «market» to buy some specialty items. The service wasn’t bad, but not great.

First, I’ve eaten here about 20 – 30 times since it opened. Secondly, let me say that I’m ½ Italian from the NY/​NJ area. Grand parents were right off the boat. So, i know good Italian food. The FOOD here is unbelievable. Made fresh, high quality ingredients, lot of thought goes into their meals. Some of the best «true» Italian food I’ve ever eaten. The food = 5 STARS!
BUT, the service = 3 STARS. After the 10^th time ive eaten there i figured out what the deal is with service (i think) it isn’t that the service is bad. They appear to be turning the meal experience into an event. Long, slow, drawn out meals that allow you to talk and laugh with your family and friends. Just like i used to do when i would eat meals with the Italian side of my family. So, i think i understand the restaurant’s goal with a «slower» experience. Allows you to put busy schedules in slow motion for a while. But, i just wish they would say that up front. Ie saying something like «we want you to spend quality time with your family and friends… so we serve slow here, if you are in a rush let us know. I (the server) will check in with you periodically to make sure everything is ok». But… that doesn’t happen. They just «fire and forget». It gets really frustrating as meals (esp when busy) last 2 – 3 HOURS!
Also, this place is NOT good for kids. Way too slow. Anyone with kids know that of you dont give them food until 2 hours later the whole meal turns into a nuclear disaster quick! My wife and i purposely avoid coming here unless we have no kids or have a ton of extra time with nothing to do (which is rare). If i was retired and kids off at college id eat almost every meal here!
Why do i keep going back… the FOOD. It is sooooo good i actually daydream about it.
This place is like having a supermodel girlfriend who cheats on you… you hate her because she cheats on you all the time but she is so hot that you keep going back to her (haha)
To summarize
Food = 5 stars
Service = 3 stars
My score = 4 stars (average)

Hands down the worst Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to!
We had a reservation and still had to wait 30 minutes for a table. Once we were seated we waited over an hour for our appetizers and then again for our dinner. On a Saturday night they ran out of bread… at an ITALIAN restaurant… Hours after waiting for the food, it was terrible! The pasta was over cooked and slimy. Not to mention there was about a tablespoon of tomato sauce so in addition to soft slimy noodles– it was flavorless. The waitress was rude and not once apologized for the delayed food.
Let’s just say, the Rice Krispy cereal I ate when I got home was better than anything we unfortunately had to pay for here. We will not be back and wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone.

My wife and I came here for a date night a few weeks ago and thoroughly enjoyed our experience. The made-​in-​house approach drew us in, and the service and food was quite good. From this experience, we thought it would be a good choice for a farewell meal for my in-​laws.
Last night did not go well, though. The server we had either suffered from RBF or really just was a truly unlikable person, and that always hurts the experience going in. I always assume that if I’m in the South any restaurant will have sweet tea, and even when I know they don’t I still ask just as a helpful reminder that they ought to. Last time, our server gave the usual «No, but we have I in unsweet with sweetener.» Last night’s server didn’t even give that option, and when I semi-​jokingly said I always ask anyway she said that it won’t help get it there. Well, how very nice of you.
We ordered caprese and Rosemary bread for appetizers, but neither was great. The bread was completely encrusted in salt, so I’m thinking sodium bread may be more accurate. The caprese was advertised with the right description of including basil, but when it came out it was a mixed green salad with one solitary sprig of basil on the mozzarella and three roasted cherry tomatoes to split among four people. All of that said, the mozzarella sampler our first time was awesome.
I had the sausage and pepper pizza, and I think that was the highlight of the entrees. I had to step out to take care of my infant daughter, and they did keep my food warm instead of letting it sit cold on the table, but that also toughened the crust, which you have to cut with a bread knife in an already difficult move. My wife and mil both enjoyed their pasta dishes, and my fil enjoyed the grilled chicken but had to send the veggies back because they were incredibly salty.
From our first trip I would rate a four or five, but something about last night didn’t sit well at all, so there’s little chance we’ll go back, at least for anything other than pizza, at least until we’ve had a chance to try other local places as well.

Wow! That’s all I can say. The staff made me feel like a should be lucky I was allowed to eat here!
Pizza selections were limited to 6 choices and no build your own! Really disappointed.
Asked if I could swap pastas and it was a chore! Beer was very slow to come to the table.
The price here is crazy and I will not visit again. I love downtown Woodstock Restaurants except this one.

This was my first and last visit. I have visited almost every restaurant in downtown Woodstock and this was by far my least favorite.
The pizza was good but the choices were limited — only 6 to choose from pn the menu. Expect to pay 15 – 19 for a pizza that can be shared but more proportioned for a healthy serving for one.
I ordered a martini it came in a glass slightly larger than a shot glass.
The pasta was good but nothing to brag about. We asked to change the pasta selection and it seemed to be an ordeal.
The entire night left a lot to be desired.

Oh man what a terrible place! Don’t even know where to start but I guess by asking: how can you screw up on bread? Super hard crust, not soft on the inside and very salty… Pretty much all you could taste was salt. I don’t go to Olive Garden but you can be certain the ones they serve there are tastier. The service was so slow… The server kept walking near our table and ignoring our signal for «please bring me some water after this salty bread». Took over an hour to get our meals. I ordered a fettuccini al pomodoro i ricotta and it was so bland and overcooked noodles. No taste at all so I asked for some grated cheese/​pepper (anything to give this a little taste) and the server once again failed to come back. My husband ordered a pizza and it was ok. If you know what real Italian food is stay away from this restaurant… Bad food and terrible service!

Very poor service
Don’t bother
Try to be something they are not!

I so wanted to love this place on my second visit after a mediocre prior visit. I wanted to give it a second chance with the hope that I simply didn’t order the ‘right’ thing on visit #1.
First off, ‘it’s not bread.’ The first thing I expect in a great Italian restaurant is excellent Italian, crusty bread to set the stage for the remainder of the meal. Vingenzo’s offering (upon request) of its flatbread/​super thin pizza crust/​bread (with air in the middle) with a very tiny bit of olive oil and grated parmesan cheese was highly unsatisfactory. It’s just not bread.
My friend and I both ordered the Gnocchi al Gorgonzola Dolce e Spinaci (potato dumplings with gorgonzola dolce cream sauce and spinach). While it was tasty, neither of us were bowled (no pun intended) over by it. The portion was quite small for the price and the gorgonzola cream sauce was so incredibly thin that I felt like I had ordered soup with some gnocchi and spinach in it.
Hoping to finish the evening with a dessert that would ‘wow’ us and after being surprised that there was no tiramisu on the menu, we settled on the Torta di Ricotta (ricotta cheesecake with marsala soaked raisins and chocolate chips). Again, while somewhat tasty, it wasn’t outstanding at all and we certainly weren’t wowed by it.
We both expected so much more from this restaurant. I hate being negative ever… about anything; however, I had to share our experience with the ‘a little above average’ food. On the positive side, the wine and cocktails were good… and our waiter was friendly and efficient.

Ehhh– being Italian I am a pretty big critic. Vincenzo’s is one of the higher class restaurants in my area.
When they first opened we decided to check them out. They featured a pizza that was topped with fig and different cheeses. DELISH!!! We were wowed on our first visit.
Each visit after the first was a bit of a let down. Extremely pricy for the experience.
They have an open kitchen as well as a very open seating area.
The wine is poured into very small glasses which they say is the way that Italy offers wine.
Well unfortunately I haven’t been to Italy, but here in Woodstock, we like a larger sip of wine!
I’m eager to see some changes here.

Small portions, overpriced. I like the fact they make their own cheese & some pastas but the price for product is outrageous for the portion of pasta you get (lost in a big bowl). And $ 16.00 for a calzone that doesn’t ooze with ingredients of cheesy goodness should be outlawed. Guess the cook was stingy on filling ingredients when they made ours
Everything tasted ok, but were not wow’d and food was not phenomenal or exceptional by any means. And again, I don’t know any Italian that doesn’t over feed you except this place.
Would I go back??? I’d rather spend the money to fly back to NYC and eat there. At least it would be worth the while.

This place is your typical Italian. The décor is very classy and great for date nights. They have a great wine list too. They offer typical and creative Italian dishes. All of their pasta’s are great and their pizza’s too. My friends loved the prosciutto appetizer. There were 8 of us and we each ordered something different and it all came out great. I especially loved my Gnochi with a red sauce and mozzarella. It was ooey gooey yummy. Desserts are great too, not a fan of their cookies but the gelato is good (you get 2 scoops and can mix 2 flavors).
I can’t really give it more stars only because it reminds me of every other Italian I’ve had. Nothing stuck out as extra amazing. Just great food with a great atmosphere. The prices are a little on the high side too.

The service is excellent let’s start there.
The chef (Michael) is by far my favorite and he was recognized as one from the «best chef in America. Congrats,
Trust me, I try not to like my plate when I’m finished eating. (TMI)

This place has an open dining room where you’re looking in the kitchen. It’s airy and communal. I feel this place gives off an air of pretension though that their food does not quite match.
We only had their pizza and I take pizza pretty seriously. They serve a Neapolitan style pizza cooked on a wood burning oven. The dough is a bit mundane and lacks a trademark chewiness so distinct in Neapolitan pizzas. I asked the waitress for the best and she recommended the Vesuvius (I know lame-​sounding huh)? The dough: topping ratio was unbalanced with the toppings seeping through the crust. –no folding here– anyway my wife got the standard Margherita, which was the right move.
Not bad but no Antico, or Fritta.

First thing I am asked when we ask for water is «sparkling or bottled?» As usual, when given options at a restaurant, they want to limit your choices. I ask for tap. I ask for gluten free, as it is offered on the menu. She says, «I’ll see what I can do.» The waitress has some weird air of arrogance. You’re barely making over minimum wage. Anyone can do what you’re doing, and I have. Please get over yourself.
I was hoping the food would be great, so I asked her for some recommendations. We got a prosciutto pizza and some pasta in a vegetable broth. Neither me nor my wife could finish. It was almost inedible. I don’t know if it was the gluten free dough, but everything tasted like cardboard. I’ve sadly had a better meal at Olive Garden.
I cannot recommend this restaurant.

Vingenzo’s is an Italian restaurant located in downtown Woodstock that specializes in authentic Neapolitan cuisine. It’s one of many interesting local businesses in the Main Street Woodstock community. The restaurant is classy enough for a nice date, but not so stuffy that you can’t casually stop by with friends for pizza.
The setting most reminds me of Atlanta’s Double Zero Napoletana, albeit on a smaller scale, with it’s elegant, rustic look, open kitchen, and showcase wood-​burning oven. Chopped wood is used as décor near the restaurant entrance. Pizzas are baked in the oven similar to other local Neapolitan pizza restaurants such as Antico, STG Trattoria, and the temporarily closed Fuoco di Napoli.
The food menu boils down to Italian small plates/​appetizers, salads, and mozzarella to start, and pizza and pasta for main entrees. The «mozzarella bar» consists of seven different types of mozzarella. Nearly 20 different pizzas are offered and 15 varieties of pasta featuring everything from littleneck clams to house-​made sausage. Expect to spend up to $ 10 for each starter and $ 13 – 17 each for most of the pizzas and pasta dishes.
If you like mozzarella, the «Grandioso Tasting» is recommended because it allows your table to sample different types of mozzarella at a better value. Here’s a rundown of the items I’ve tried at Vingenzo’s:
Mozzarella Tasting — Affumicata, Mozzarella di Bufala, Mozzarella Fior di Latte, Scamorza, Stracciatella di Burrata
Antipasto Rustico Per Due — meat and cheese plate consisting of assorted salumi, Italian cheeses, seasonal fruit, and olives
Margherita pizza — fresh pomodoro tomato, buffalo mozzarella, basil, olive oil, San Marzano tomato sauce (DOP)
Gnocchi al Gorgonzola Dolce e Spinaci — potato dumplings with Gorgonzola Dolce cream sauce and spinach
Sugo di Domenica — six-​hour braised pork in San Marzano tomato sauce
Chocolate hazelnut, espresso, and tiramisu gelato
The mozzarella plate is good and recommended if you like cheese. The cheeses are accompanied with a mixed green salad, cherry tomatoes, capers, peppers, and assorted olives. All of the mozzarellas are fresh. They are white in color, soft, and moist. Some are drizzled in olive oil while others are topped with a bit of crushed black pepper.
The Affumicata is smoked mozzarella. The Mozzarella di Bufala is made from Italian buffalo’s milk. The Mozzarella Fior di Latte and Scamorza are made from cow’s milk. The Stracciatella di Burrata has a soft mozzarella shell with a softer cream-​mozzarella mixture in the middle. Due to the freshness of the mozzarellas, the flavoring is rather subtle and mild.
The meat and cheese plate isn’t bad, but is underwhelming when compared to meat and cheese plates at other Atlanta area restaurants, particularly European restaurants like Ecco or «farm-​to-​table» restaurants like Miller Union. In comparison, it seems lacking and less interesting.
A puffy flatbread is served as a complimentary table accompaniment. It’s presumably baked in the same oven as the pizzas as the bread comes out with dark char marks similar to the pizza crust. Olive oil and shredded cheese are added for additional flavor.
The Margherita pizza looks fantastic, but disappointingly does not taste as spectacular as Antico’s or Double Zero’s. Then again, Antico really sets the bar high in Atlanta. Vingenzo’s version certainly isn’t bad. The «DOP» designation stands for «Denominazione di Origine Protetta» or protected designation of origin — basically, an Italian quality seal of approval for the tomato sauce.
The gnocchi are tasty and served in a bowl. The cream sauce is rich, flavorful, and addicting. The dumplings themselves have ridges and are longer than the typical round and clumpy gnocchi. Soft, soothing, and satisfying, it’s hard to go wrong with this dish.
The braised pork may not be what you expect. I expected a solid cut of meat, but instead the pork is shredded and mixed into a generous heap of a type of shell pasta. The result is a tomato-​pasta-​pork blend with a bit of cheese. Simple and hearty, but not terribly exciting.
There’s a gelato display case that holds up to a dozen different gelato at any given time. All of the gelato flavors I’ve tried (chocolate hazelnut, espresso, tiramisu) have been delicious. The gelato is generally smooth and creamy. The espresso flavor has espresso beans inside for added crunch and a strong/​bitter taste.
Service is great. The servers are fun and James, in particular, is knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients.
Vingenzo’s is located in a small brick strip mall on East Main St. There’s sufficient parking directly outside.