Villa Renata — Restaurant in Bristol Township

It was our first time visiting this restaurant. It was a girl's night out & we were looking for a local BYOB & after reading the positive reviews, we decided to give it a try. We were not disappointed!! We were greeted immediately by a friendly man at the entrance & then stepped into the dining area. The room is ample to serve many, though plain, it felt warm & we were very comfortable. Our server, Lindsey was very nice (as was her "helper"). We were given a nice bowl of garlic knots before we had even ordered. Most of us ordered meals, with one sandwich order. Everyone seemed to really like their food!! I ordered the veal francais, which I love & only order out since I never cook it for myself. All meals came with salad, fresh baked rolls & mine at $19.95, came with 3 nice pieces of veal, lightly breaded, penne pasta all with a delicious francais sauce. As we left, we were greeted again & offered a complimentary shot of lemoncello. On my way out I grabbed a to-go menu, as their pizzas looked amazing as well, so hoping to order or visit again...

Change in ownership, the owner is super nice & friendly - I have picked up orders several times and this is my review of all:

The good:

The new owner has cleaned, spruced up and rearranged the counter area!

Cheesesteak had good flavor, no grizzle and they actually grill fry the onions, peppers and mushrooms. Would definitely recommend.

Fries are good, not greasy or salty!

The Bad:

Pizza is the worst I have ever had in the tri-state area! Although the crust is good, the sauce has absolutely no flavor and the cheese tasted like rubber.

Grilled Cheese with Bacon is either made in the oven or on the griddle with no butter & bacon wasn't cooked long enough (it was cooked, just not to my liking). It is also expensive for a sandwich with no sides!

Pasta & Lasagna have the same problem as the pizza, the sauce has no flavor which destroys the dishes! The lasagna noodles were overcooked.

I am also not a fan of the sausage they use, it lacks flavor. (But I am also spoiled by Martin's Specialty...

Villa Renata is a nice little Italian food spot that serves, for the most part, good food! I personally would not recommend their pasta dishes, which I acknowledge is strange - what I got there with that was very watered down, and flavorless. I went back and got a panini, and was very impressed.

I would definitely recommend getting takeout from this place, as the service whilst dining at location is subpar. Had to wait 30+ minutes for a panini, the staff dropped food at the table and did not attempt to pick it up/clean it up, and overall I did not get the impression that they wanted to serve food in house. I have gotten takeout at this establishment, and while they did forget to give me something - I was able to go back and grab it no problem.

I think the best part about this location are the reasonable prices. Looking at other reviews here, it seems to be the highlight of Villa Renata. If you're looking for affordable Italian food in the area, I would...