Vigilucci's Cucina Italiana — Restaurant in Carlsbad

DON’T EAT HERE. HAIR FOUND IN FOOD TWO SEPARATE TIMES DURING OUR SHORT MEAL!!

On a family vacation to Legoland. We have our two toddlers with us who are used to fine dining & eating out. We saw that the restaurant had a kids menu & I was sick of processed food so I wanted something that gave a more “home cooked” taste. The hostess was extremely nice & offered us kids menus, crayons, & coloring sheets. She even asked if we wanted a booster, but we didn’t need one. While the place gave the impression of fine dining, these amenities also gave the impression that we would be welcome, but that wasn’t the case. From the very start they have napkins in napkin rings & come by to place the napkin on your lap (mind you, we haven’t ordered yet & have no food at our table) & take the napkin rings. I get that this is supposed to feel fancy, but I’m a full grown adult & don’t need help putting a napkin on my lap, in this day in age, it feels outdated & weird. Next, they brought us bread & there was a hair in the napkin on top. It was short & black & clearly visible. I didn’t say anything because it wasn’t touching the bread, although in hindsight I wish I did because when my husband’s food came there was ANOTHER hair. It was long this time & he literally pulled it out of his mouth after his first bite. He said something (obviously) & they “made him a new one” but after that I was pretty grossed out. They gave us a free dessert to apologize, but honestly it was just too disgusting. The fact that the two hairs seemed to belong to two different people boggles my mind & is beyond gross. Don’t come here. It’s not fancy. It’s not nice. The food wasn’t even good. It was overly sauced & salty. Like seriously, this place got nothing right. Also at the end we ended up taking our kids pizza to go & the box was falling apart the second they handed it to us. I asked them to help me figure it out & they had no clue how it worked either. So they literally handed me a broken box, didn’t know how it worked (even though they work there) & expected me to use it???! I mean, there is NOTHING redeeming about this place. Actually, my husbands martini was big & seemed to be a fair price for an overpriced restaurant. So if you want to come here just for drinks, then you’re probably safe. Just don’t eat here. Sanitation wise it’s not up to par & the flavor of the food itself is literally a tourist trap. Pretending to be upscale due to the ambience, but nothing special. We are from the Bay Area. We’re used to good ambience, steak, seafood, pasta (ever heard of Little Italy?), etc. This place is nothing compared to what we’re used to in terms of flavor, service, and even pricing. But ya, on top of that, it’s just...

Good friends of ours wanted to share a dinner date with my wife & I at Vigilucci's, on State Street in Carlsbad, on 12/16/22

We had a 5pm reservation, so we walked through the door on time, & were greeted by their polite hostess. Within moments, she was seating us at a white linen-covered table, within a large room. Tasteful Italian prints decorated the walls, ones you might find in an Italian Villa.

Just after all of us were seated, we received setups & a pitcher of icewater, from a young waiter, who proceeded to fill each of our glasses.

Just after that, our server, wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt & black vest, arrived at our table. He softly welcomed us to Vigilucci's, & asked us what we'd like to drink. My wife & I requested 2 glasses of Daou Cabernet Sauvignon, & our good friends ordered 2 glasses of Riesling.

While he was there, we ordered our appetizers, 2 Oven Roasted Artichoke Heart dishes, which were stuffed with 2 types of cheeses, black olives, parsley & garlic. They came out fairly quickly, & looked beautiful. 3 large artichoke hearts with long stems, rested on each platter, absolutely oozing with melting decadence. They were super tender, & each bite was a flavor explosion.

Our Daou wine, which arrived with the appetizers, was a nice diversion, between each delicious fork full of the stuffed artichoke hearts.

Our service throughout the evening here, was impeccable. When we asked for bread, hot Focaccia arrived at our table quickly, along with a small plate of olive oil & balsamic in the center, to dunk the bread in.

Main Courses arrived, timed to come out just after our appetizer plates had been cleared. My Pappardelle with Diver Scallops & Wild Mushrooms served covered in a rich, Brandy Cream Sauce, looked like a work of art, as did the other 3 main course dishes- Fettuccine Alfredo, Lasagna, swimming in cheese sauce, which was served in a shiny metal casserole, & Cheese-Filled Raviolis in a Vodka Cream Sauce.

Our dinner was an upscale dining experience, with beautifully done food, incredible service & an elegant feel here.

Of the 3 desserts we ordered, to finish off the evening, the Tiramisu was by far the best offering, with rich decadent coffee flavor & several creamy layers found within. It also came with a dollop of fresh-whipped cream & several blueberries.

The Spumoni, was more pie-like in texture, as well as appearance, served in a triangular slice, with a chocolate cookie crumb crust. The canolis were OK, as well, but I've had better ones elsewhere.

I think anyone who enjoys fine Italian food & tremendous service would certainly...

We went to Vigilucci's on a Saturday night and had a party of 3. We made reservations the prior night to ensure we would get a table. Unfortunately when we got there they sat us at probably the worst table they had; right next to a parked car and in the middle of the walkway. Here are the issues I had: (1): Seating: I would expect to be placed on the patio with a reservation. Instead we were sat a table next to the parking spots - I was less than a foot away from the front end of a car, which was a little awkward, especially when the first car left and the next car pulled in. I asked for a different table, but the hostess insisted there wasn't anything else available; I pointed out an open table on the patio, but she said that was meant for a 4 person party... however, a 3 person party was sat there less than 10 minutes later. (2): Unsafe: Because we were next to the parking lot, and on the sidewalk, countless people "walked-through" the dining area. Most of them did not have masks. At one point the table next to us recognized a passerby and they talked for about 5 min, without masks, and about 3 feet from where we were eating. I would have expected the staff to ask these people to move on (especially since they didn't have masks on), but that never happened. (3) Food: The food was mediocre at best. We ordered the pasta carbonara and the gnocchi. All of the dishes needed salt, the carbonara had very little pancetta, and the sauce had started to break. The gnocchi were good, however the sauce was bland. At more than $20/plate I expected far more. (4) Ambiance: Seating issues aside, the restaurant had issues with the sound system. The music cut in and out the entire time we were there, and when it did cut in, it would blast at first, which was startling; turn OFF the music if it isn't working.

Overall, I would not recommend this restaurant. They really need to work on the seating during COVID, & the food doesn't...