Vitaly — Restaurant in Costa Mesa

I walked in with my friend sometime in the afternoon on Friday, May 26. We were not entirely sure where exactly to join the line to get seated, because we weren't sure whether there was a separate line for the pick-up and restaurant. Anyways, when we entered, the cashier (young girl with short brown hair) was helping out another customer. A couple moments later a group of women arrived. Even though my friend and I arrived first, the cashier helped out the group of women without even acknowledging us. Only when I got her attention, asking her "Is this where we enter for the restaurant?" did she say she would help us when she was done with those customers. Another cashier (young guy with blonde hair) came and asked if we were already being helped and we said yes. He seemed to be a lot more friendly. Anyways, when the first cashier came back, she said that dine-in was closed for a private event, but she would be willing to serve us outside the restaurant. We politely declined. First of all, she never acknowledged us until she got our attention. Second of all, when I asked about the restaurant, she only mentioned that dine-in was closed AFTER she helped the white customers who came after us? My friend and I are women of color so it seems like she was just being racist. Simply unacceptable.

EDIT: I would like to clear up some confusion, since Barbara's response indicates that she misunderstood the issue. The issue was NOT that there was a private event. Being busy during a private event is totally understandable. The issue was that the cashier NEVER acknowledged us UNTIL I went out of my way to ask her where we are supposed to wait for the restaurant. She never even made eye contact, even though she helped out the customer before us (a man picking up coffee who didn't seem to be involved in the private event) as well as the ladies after. Why attend to them and not us? That question remains unanswered. And when I finally was able to get her attention and ask her where to wait for the restaurant, THAT was her opportunity to let us know that there was a private event going on. Instead she just said "Yes, I'll be with you," and made us wait longer (even though we had already been waiting a while) before letting us know what the situation was beforehand. I can excuse a little negligence, but being blatantly ignored and disregarded when other customers (involved with the private event or not) are being attended to is unacceptable. Earlier my issue was only with the cashier, but now I find Barbara's response of expressing a lack of accountability and gaslighting the customer...

Doctor! The patient's vitals are dropping! What'll we do?!?

Dammit, Jim! Give the patient 300 cc's of gelato! It's Vitaly important! ;p BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Got the invite for a meetup with some friends at Vitaly, located at the hipster haven, The Camp, in Costa Mesa.

Vitaly serves various gelato, coffee drinks & savory dishes. I had ramen earlier, so I was looking to satisfy my sweet tooth upon arrival.

Customers are allowed to sample any & every of the gelato flavors. I tasted the marscapone fig, tiramisu & chocolate hazelnut, among others. I finally settled upon the honey lavender- This gelato was unusual, in the sense that it wasn't as dense as most gelato I've had previously. The scoop was more soft & creamy, akin to ice cream. I did, however, enjoy the hypnotic flavor. The sweetness of honey, paired with the floral notes of relaxing lavender. Like a day at the spa, having a mani/pedi ;p The wafer was rather bland, not sweet. For marketing purposes with the company logo, it works. Taste-wise, I would've preferred perhaps a shortbread or sugar cookie. I guess it's Vitaly's way of giving communion to the masses ;p

Originally, I was thinking of going with the flight of 5 gelato/$5. Seemed like good bang for the buck, with an array of flavors to try. But, seeing how abysmally minute the 5 gelato flight was, I'd say just sample your way toward deciding on the flavor scoop that you want, instead.

Rohlin & Laina were gracious enough to order a serving of crescentine bread (fried bread) to share. These were puffy, airy pillows of carb-filled heaven. Dipped into olive oil & balsalmic vinegar, I had a few of these before I managed to control myself. No bread, you dummy! Bad Rodney!

Service was good, as the staff were pleasant giving us samples and anything we needed, like cups for water and plates. A few tables, chairs and a lounge area are available inside, with a covered patio for al fresco dining. We initially were sitting in the lounge area, but because the AC wasn't cooling us off, we decided to sit outside. Turned out to be a perfect decision because the nice SoCal breeze kept us comfortably cool.

Parking is valet & self parking at The Camp.

We had a great time, eating good gelato & hanging out with even better company

Purely from my experience with the gelato, I enjoyed Vitaly & their battery of gelato flavors. With a smooth & creamy texture, it's a great way to cool off as the summer comes to a close.

3.5...

I had a 7:30pm reservation this Sunday for a birthday dinner (indicated in the reservation). We ended up running late and I called in the car to let them know we were still on our way and would be there about 10 minutes late. Upon stating this the man who answered the phone replied "uhhhhh......ok.........give me a minute" and proceeded to put me on hold. When he returned he told us "we could come but " to be aware that the kitchen closed at 8. Since we were about 3 minutes away, I didn't feel like that would be an issue but got the sense that he did not want us to come in. I asked if we would still be able to get food and he said yeah..... as long as you order by 8. I was surprised because I had a reservation and assumed the restaurant could see that they were still expecting guests, but the employee seemed thoroughly surprised and very annoyed that we were planning on coming. I asked if we should even come in as it was clear we were not wanted and he replied "umm it's up to you." At this point I hung up and we went to another restaurant that was absolutely delicious and very welcoming. We are new to the area and have been overall disappointed with the dining offerings but to have a bad experience before even entering the restaurant is a new low. I did some searching to find a place I thought would deliver for a special birthday dinner and was appalled and mortified by the attitude I received from the host in earshot of the birthday guest. I am a long time veteran of the service industry and I understand the inconvenience of a late guest but 10 minutes is really not the end of the world especially when the restaurant is open another 50 minutes. It was clear we were going to be rushed through our meal as the staff hurried to close down. I would suggest not taking reservations after 7 if you are in such a hurry to close and would also remind management and staff that ultimately you do need customers to make money.....this is the hospitality industry, hosting people is part of the gig. Again, I'm glad I got a sense for the attitude here before suffering what would have likely been yet another disappointing experience but did not appreciate the rude interaction especially on what should have been a special occasion. We'll be crossing this one...