Vivaldi Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Cincinnati

I was hoping other less than stellar reviews were one-offs, but no. Our taste might be discerning, but we found the food was bland and unremarkable. We ordered a salad, the eggplant, the ravioli, and the beans & greens. The entrees came minutes after the salad. The tables are so small there was barely room to put down the plates. The salad was undressed and it took a minute for the waitress to bring a dressing shaker which was slick with oil. By the time the salad was done our entrees started to cool. The eggplant was watery and lacked seasoning. The ravioli pasta was thick and not fully cooked through because it was so thick. I probably liked the beans & greens the most as they reminded me of a Tuscan dish. Other elements that were an indication of a potentially sub par experience was the fact that despite the restaurant being in a boutique hotel, the sidewalk out front wasn’t shoveled adequately - making it a slick and dangerous entry into the building. The furniture design is poorly conceived, and the art on the walls looked really cheap and cheesy. Cincinnati has lots better restaurants...

You actually can't go wrong going to this restaurant! I stopped in last weekend and had an incredible experience. We started off with the whipped ricotta appetizer, as that was what our server recommended us, and let me just say, it was fantastic! The drink menu was incredibly large, with options to satisfy anyone's alcohol preferences. I had to break dry January to get the limoncello spritz, and boy am I glad I did. For my main dish, I got the fettuccini alfredo pasta and added grilled chicken to it. Fettuccini alfredo has always been my favorite pasta, but this was next level incredible. The portion sizes are perfect, and you get quite the bang for your buck!! I also tried the pistachio gelato and I haven't stopped thinking about it since. And, our waiter told us they are constantly rotating the flavors/making new flavors... count me in! The fantastic food paired with the great drinks, the jazz music, and the wonderful customer service; my husband sure is going to be tired of asking me...

super impressed by the food, blown away by the fact everything is handmade in house, adds a touch of authenticity to the experience. ordered the focaccia as our appetizer, was super light and fluffy and tasted great. the table next to us got the whipped ricotta and raved about how sweet it was and how they get it every time they are here. our entrées were the spaghetti with vodka sauce and gnocchi. best gnocchi i’ve ever had. the pomodora sauce with the melted burrata cheese was a delightful mix. my date said the vodka sauce was perfectly spicy and added so much flavor to the pasta. for desert we got the cannoli and pistachio gelato. again, was super impressed to hear they make the gelato in house and it tasted incredible. best gelato i’ve ever had. my date said that there wasn’t a cannoli that’s ever tasted so good. the cannoli cream was so sweet and creamy and the chocolate chips and cinnamon sugar on top complimented the dish so well. will...