Osteria Vespa — Restaurant in Amherst

I cannot find any fault in the two times we have dined at Osteria Vespa. Both times, our server was Rob. He does an excellent job of making you feel appreciated. Overall, service was excellent.

On our first occasion, we had just drinks and various appetizers on the patio. We enjoyed every bit of the food. My only complaint is that the exhaust fans of the nearby Asian restaurant are a bit loud. Osteria Vespa cannot do anything about it and that is the way it goes. It is simply something that happens when in a busy place such as Amherst. Still, the patio was inviting, provided a pleasant atmosphere, and was a fine place to dine on a comfortable summer evening.

Since we enjoyed our first visit, we went back for a proper dinner. It was nice to have Rob again for our server. We were there on a Saturday night and the place was very busy. We ate indoors at the table in the back right corner, very nice.

We enjoyed a bottle of Negroamaro red wine. We began by splitting a Red Wine Poached Pear Salad and it was simply delicious, a great way to start. My wife had the Spaghetti Peasant Style with Vespa, and I had the Penne with slow braised local ground beef Ragout. Both dishes were made with fresh pasta and reminded me of meals I had eaten while dining in Torino Italy. I was glad my wife could not finish her dish as I ate the rest of it for lunch the next day.

My only suggestion for this wonderful restuarant is to find a way to incorporate one or two vegetarian options within your pasta selections.

We will return to Osteria Vespa in the future and...

Although the atmosphere is cute and the waitstaff is great - the food was incredibly disappointing and overpriced. I'm not one to write reviews, to be honest I'm usually just glad somebody else is cooking and cleaning up after me but this was such a disappointment I wanted to warn others before they spend their money on a fairly pricey meal. I got a pasta dish that tasted like the pasta was tossed with a thin layer of pesto and left uncovered in a refrigerator for a few days before being reheated in a microwave and served to me. My husband got the duck which was so chewy he could hardly eat it. In addition to the chewiness, the seasoning was just bad - no other way to put it. Our friends got the trout (I believe, some kind of fish) which was overcooked and again, had a flavor that was far from what I'd consider good or even acceptable.

My drink the only thing that tasted pretty good, though the egg white froth made up ~3/4 of the glass so it felt like I had paid $12 for a single whipped egg.

Overall just a poor experience - definitely will not...

We were lucky enough to recently hold, and celebrate our wedding at Osteria Vespa. Over the last year or so Vespa had become our go to date night place. The food is simply devine, and very consistent, and the staff is professional and friendly. We always felt at home eating out on the patio, or grabbing a quick drink and some tasty appetizers at the bar. We were overjoyed when the owner agreed to let us host our ceremony and reception at the restaurant. Throughout the entire planning processed, including one major covid hiccup, Jon and his staff supported our vision and made our big day nothing short of perfect. We highly reccomend everyone stop by and support our favorite local Italian spot, you will not be...