Va Bene — Restaurant in Duluth

This has been one of my favorite spots to visit in Duluth but our dinner last night didn't match what I've experienced years prior. My boyfriend and I were celebrating his birthday last night and the night started off great but it started to become disappointing quickly.

For drinks we ordered a Bellini and a Cold Fashioned. My drink was wonderful and tasted great but my boyfriends had zero taste of kahlua and espresso. Our server asked if makers mark was okay and he said yes assuming it was what it was made with but then there was a charge for makers mark.

The complimentary rosemary focaccia is always amazing but I was surprised it was cold when we got it. We ordered meatballs for an appetizer which we loved! The sauce was a little spicy but it was well balanced and a good portion. For our mains we had Perferito Della Casa and Bistecca. They're my two favorite pasta dishes from here that I always get! I was beyond excited to have it again after not having it for a bit now. It took quite some time for our mains to come out after we finished our appetizer. Our server didn't seem to care about cleaning off our table and I had to ask her to grab us another drink. When our dishes came out our server asked my boyfriend if he wanted Parmesan on his since people tend to ask for it. He said yes and then she never came back.

The pasta wasn't what I've experienced in the past at all. The pasta was undercooked which ruined the whole experience. I understand a little al dente but this was hard and chewy in some spots. The Perferito Della Casa was pretty dry and didn't taste like there was mascarpone in it. Before we were even close to being finished with our dinner our server brought the dessert menu. It felt like it was her way of pushing us out of here quicker. When we made the reservation we said we were celebrating his birthday. It was surprising that nothing was mentioned of it but yet another couple near us ended up getting a dessert with candles for their birthday.

Our server didn't come back for quite some time otherwise I would've said something about the food not being great but we were tired and just wanted to leave at that point. My boyfriend had to go ask her for the check since she hadn't come back and we were waiting around. She wasn't even helping anyone, just talking with the other staff inside.

When we were leaving the restaurant none of the staff said to have a good night or anything. Everyone was too busy talking and closing up for the night. We had an 8pm reservation so I'm assuming the staff just wanted to be done as soon as they can but it felt uncomfortable feeling rushed.

This was such a disappointing experience especially when I've been talking up how good this restaurant is. It was an unfortunate way for us to...

Went on a weekend trip to Duluth and found this place on Google. We didn't have reservations but were told we could have a table if an hour was enough time for dinner. I would like to say the girls up front were very polite and welcoming. As someone who has been in the restaurant business for 31 years, I totally understand that you need that table back when the reservation arrives. So, our young male server, I think his name might have been Will, did not have the best table introduction. Never once cracked a smile and didn't even offer us any beverages. And if you have ever served sales are what drives your tips as well as good service. He seemed like we were a big inconvenience. I knew we were being rushed out when our dinner came out literally less than 3 min after the appetizer. I actually chuckled out loud and said we are being rushed out how silly. And he said it was an accident the kitchen sent out the food way too early. I know that he put those orders in back to back. Kitchens do not care if it's an appetizer or a dinner entree that gets rang in it is not up to them to time when things go out to tables. They get a ticket and cook it as fast and as well as they can. This was actually a bday meal, but we were so disappointed with the quality vs the price on the food and definitely didn't feel welcome. We didn't want dessert even if it would have been free. In my younger days, I would have left a very poor tip, but as I get older, I try to kill them with kindness. Tab was 60 dollars. Keep in mind that we would have ordered a lot more if given the chance. I left a 20 dollar tip, but if given good service and an opportunity to order more items, the tip would have been 40 to 60 dollars. Ok, I'm done with my rant, lol. Save your money and go to another restaurant. I highly recommend the Duluth grill. Those reviews are spot on!! Great food and even better service from the minute you walk in the doors. Breakfast, there was a little over 40 dollars, and I loved seeing the big smile on the servers face when she saw the 30 dollar cash tip. It made my day that I could put such a big smile on that young...

We were super excited to eat here however it was not worth the money we spent. The artichoke dip should’ve been super flavorful, but it was mildly bland, but at least the bread was good. They do not carry a gluten-free dip for the artichoke dip. I ordered the pesto pasta, and it was not quite cooked enough. The other person I was dining with ordered the steak risotto, medium rare. However, the first time they brought it out, the steak was medium well. They brought her dish back to the kitchen and almost 25 minutes later she still did not have food. The manager gave a bunch of excuses when they brought out the dish again with the steak cooked at medium well again. She claimed that the kitchen does not have a hot pan and they have to wait to heat a pan. Mind you this restaurant was completely full and it was the middle of dinner, but the kitchen does not have a hot pan. We had been sitting at the restaurant for 75 minutes at this point and they had not been able to eat their dinner so they just had it returned because the risotto looked like slop and the steak was overcooked. We had tickets to something that evening and did not have another hour to sit there and hope they might bring out an acceptable option. At this point, I was done eating what I was gonna eat of my meal and requested a box. . The manager did remove the cost of the risotto steak meal, but acted like it was a complete inconvenience to have dealt with us. The other person walked out not being able to eat dinner, and there was no apology made for that. We spent $70+ and they never even got food. The manager did NOT make this right and said that if we have issue with it, we can call back later and we can discuss it with her. This is the least acceptable way to have dealt with this. I would not send a single person here to eat ever. It might have a cool view, but so do other...