Primavista — Restaurant in Cincinnati

We came across this in the list of top romantic restaurants in Cincinnati, very close to Sotto. With a date long due, I went for this as it had an available reservation convenient to our time.

Ambiance: Well, I am starting with ambiance since you need a perfect ambiance on a date. Not that food isn't important but at a level of Primavista, great food should be a "given". To begin with, if you're reserving a table with them, make sure you mention not to end up with the last table in the line of tables alongside the glass. That table shouldn't exist. Why? Too congested, L-shape seating is not the ideal arrangement for a romantic dinner and add to that too much proximity with the kitchen. Having said that, the overall location of the restaurant is very good. The view from the tables along the glass windows is simply great. Lighting is good for a romantic evening.

Food: What I loved about the place is that they have good options when it comes to vegetarian dishes in a country where fine dining essentially boils down to steaks and seafood. We went for Bruschetta (Goat cheese, honey, and rosemary oil) along with Ravioli with Walnut Pesto. Bruschetta was amazing. Loved the goat cheese on top and the seasoning was spot on. Enjoyed every piece. Ravioli was a let down since it was bland and pesto wasn't making up for it. I didn't like walnuts but my wife did, so that may be debatable. For the entree, we thought to try our hands on the Italian classic Risotto. And it wasn't so disappointing. However, the flavors of exotic mushrooms seemed to have overpowered the arborio rice. We went for Tuscan brownie to conclude and it was great, just as the lady attending us promised. Definitely to order if you're going for a dessert. Coming to drinks, we ordered Pina Colada and Limone and both of them were great. If you're going for non-alcoholic drinks, you can definitely order that.

Staff: The lady attending us, Lisa, was great. She provided with very practical and good options in appetizer and entree, provided the idea about portions so that we don't overorder. In the appetizer, we were going to order Gnocchi by mistake but she specified that it has bacon in it (not sure how she figured we were vegetarians). So, we were saved there. The service was a little slow but then it was a full house, ambiance was good and we weren't in any hurry, so it was fine.

Overall, it is a good place to be if you are looking for a romantic dinner with your special someone - but make sure you get a...

Comprehensive review. I came here for a valentines dinner and to start out parking was very difficult. Valet is not free so that’s never a good start to an experience. I give them the benefit of the doubt because they are located in an apartment complex building. Entering the place was nothing short of beautiful. You enter a beautiful door and are led to the coat check which is the first thing u see. The lobby is comfy and cozy. You can tell it’s a historically well kept facility. I arrive 30 minutes early and they sat me about 15 minutes into waiting. I was brought to my table which was not prepared so we had to make a trip back to the lobby temporarily. Hostess was completely apologetic so no big issue there. After sitting down and taking in the views it’s easily the best view you’ll find in Cincinnati. Completely romantic and such a gem. After about 10 minutes our waiter finally approached us. Way too long for service at a high end restaurant. She was very nice and great at communicating, though her knowledge of dishes and the menu were slim. For drinks, my diet coke was one of the best I’ve had and my date got a cocktail which she enjoyed thoroughly. The bread was just okay. Was very dry and you could tell was just heated up basic white bread. Garlic clovers were a great addition but could’ve been hotter and more easy to spread. For starters we got the Caesar salad, cold, crunchy, and immaculate flavor, it was a 10/10. Fried calamari which was also amazing though it could’ve had more big pieces rather than just little fried remnants. The star of the appetizers was the bruschetta. They have a unique way of making it here and I will say it’s probably the best I’ve ever had. Goat cheese with honey drizzle you cannot beat it. Would come back just for this. For the mains I got the gnocchi and shrimp. The shrimp had a weird fishy taste to it but it wasn’t too overwhelming. I enjoyed it but not too much. Portion was way too small. My date ordered the Chicken Formaggio. This dish was unique. It kind of had a sweet aspect to it, as it was different. It wasn’t amazing but wasn’t bad. Same as the gnocchi was. Price wise everything was super reasonable. Overall, if I came back I would be open to trying other entrees. But I would only be confident in their appetizers and drinks. I enjoyed the dinner and the views, but I could’ve enjoyed the main dishes more. Dessert also looked like a stronghold of theirs which I did not try. My date and I had a great time other than the...

On my birthday my girlfriend had reservations at this place and the food was honestly mid , Olive Garden with a little less oil being fair the first two drinks were mostly Tito’s and didn’t taste good but the third was actually really good a sour something, the chicken dishes we ordered we took to go because the had me sitting on the outside of the isle by the window due to “spacing issues with the other tables” but I was the ONLY person sitting outside of my table. We moved the table to accommodate the other guests but they still insisted that I , ME personally sat on the outside, even when the second party had arrived at their table which had 4 guests, and the other party had left , another couple was sitting behind our table in which they noticed what was going on and chose to sit next to each other so I would be able to sit across from my partner , ANOTHER staff member told me to move and when my partner was speaking to her , she spoke over her and asked “well did you guys move the table , because these guests would have more room” so I said we’re taking this to go as soon as our food arrived. I withdrew my business cards from their raffle because I have no intention of ever giving this location my business ever again as they ruined the one time in my life someone went out their way to have my day celebrated in another city with a whole itinerary and only wanted me to feel special. The only normal interaction we had was upon our greeting at the door and the valet, otherwise I wouldn’t recommend any of my friends, colleagues, or family to visit this establishment for casual dining or special events. This is the only review I’ve ever written and hopefully the last negative review. Though there were many odd encounters with the residents of Cincinnati, this was the worst and left a terrible taste in our mouths. Midwestern hospitality would be the last thing I would use to describe our experience as a Hoosier it was truly disappointing, but to be fair the last drink I was served was the only thing I enjoyed at...