Vagabondo — Restaurant in Excelsior

Background: I ate solo and ordered a large Rigatoni Bolognese and an Italian Soda.

Environment:

There are two dining areas: ground level and downstairs. I sat in the downstairs dining area. The downstairs dining area also contains a bar and a wine room that can be dined in.

The walls and ceiling were not exactly to my taste. The walls were inconsistent. Additionally, there was this portion of the wall that had a bit of strange wallpaper, which had sketches of grass and flowers on it. The wallpaper felt like it was a bit antiquated and out of place. Next to it was a projection of a landscape slideshow, which kind of threw me off. It felt that the dining area was designed for more romantic dates, but the projection was too bright and distracting for people to make good conversation. The ceiling was also inconsistent with different styles above the bar vs the dining area. The floor and furniture felt aesthetically better with all the tables and chairs placed on top of various rugs that seemed more cohesive.

The dining area had a dark lighting to it, which gave the room a more intimate feel. However, the dining room had a medium loud chatter volume. This made the dining area feel a bit more casual and not as tense/awkward.

Overall, I felt that the design of the dining area was like a partially finished basement and it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting to see. I did like the vibe that the diners generated. It kind of felt like I was in a chatty area but if I needed to, I could talk one-on-one with someone somewhat quietly and feel as though our words would disappear into the chatter.

Service:

Service was very friendly. Getting in, the hostess promptly addressed me and was very kind and engaging when moving to my table. The waitress was also very friendly and provided recommendations on food and drink. She also helped make sure that I received all my items without me having to bring it to her notice when some items took longer than expected.

Overall, I am satisfied with the service.

Food and Drink:

Vagabondo provided complimentary bread, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. The bread was alright. It was not warm when it was brought out and the bread lacked a good crust. The bread had a good flavor and chew it was on the denser side.

I ordered a vanilla creme Italian Soda. The soda was slightly fizzy and had a slight sweet taste. The vanilla flavor was a bit lacking however and there was a bit too much ice.

I ordered a large Rigatoni Bolognese and the portion size was quite filling for one person. The Rigatoni Bolognese had excellent flavor and was well seasoned. The sauce was creamy and visibly consisted of ground beef, tomatoes, carrots, onion and celery. The sauce stuck well onto the noodles and it had a nice meaty, tomatoey taste with just a very slight sweet hint. The flavor was quite rich and I felt that the ingredients came nicely together with the pasta. The pasta itself was nicely cooked with a good amount of chew and felt freshly made. The pasta was also easy to eat which would make it better for a business meeting or first date. The only slight negative comment I have about the sauce is that the carrots and celery could be cooked just a bit longer, but that may be more personal preference. The ground beef itself is also a bit on the drier end.

Overall, the food is delicious and I would highly recommend the Rigatoni Bolognese. However, the bread is a bit lackluster and the Italian Soda did not come with enough liquid.

Price:

The large Rigatoni Bolognese was $42 and the Italian Soda was $9. So in total, $51 before tax and tip.

Overall, I found the price to be on the higher end when compared to other nice Italian restaurants.

Final thoughts:

I think that Vagabondo is a solid Italian restaurant but nothing in particular stood out compared to its strong competition. The food for the most part is excellent but I think that Vagabondo needs to figure out which diners they are targeting and try to create a more consistent environment that satisfies those diners.

Overall...

First off, love that the vibe felt totally different from Red Sauce in the best way. The exterior is covered in whimsical floral decals, which felt light and inviting compared to the darker feel the space used to have. When you walk in, you’re greeted by these large, intricate door handles that give off a bit of a Great Gatsby feel. Inside, the decor is eclectic but really well put together. Light wood floors, tile “rugs,” lemon wallpaper, velvet chairs in different colors-it all somehow works. Even the bathrooms were fun, completely drenched in different shades of green.

We had a group of eight, so we got to try a lot of the menu. The beef carpaccio was incredible—it practically melted in your mouth. The calamari was a hit with everyone, even though I didn’t try it myself. The burrata was solid and came with super thin, crispy bread, but overall it felt pretty standard.

For mains, the biggest standout by far was the Rigatoni Bolognese. It was honestly one of the best I’ve ever had. So flavorful, rich, and comforting—I already want to go back for it. The pappardelle carbonara was creamy and delicious, though I kind of wished it came with a thinner noodle. The lasagna had great flavor and al dente noodles. The T-bone steak was perfectly cooked and well-seasoned. The seafood risotto was also a favorite for a few people at the table. The gnocchi, though, didn’t quite land. It was mushy and had way too much flour—hopefully just a first-day glitch. We also had the Spicy Sicilian sausage pizza, which was excellent. Our server joked that the chef would come out and scold us if we asked for it to be cut, which honestly made us laugh and love it more.

As for drinks, a few friends got the caper martini and really liked it—salty but balanced. I had the mandarin sour made with tequila, and it was super fresh and tasty. We ended with their tableside tiramisu, which was good but not a true tableside experience sadly. I thought they’d actually build it in front of us, but it just came out already made with some sauce poured on top. Tasty, but not quite what I expected.

Service was solid for opening night. Our server was sweet and confident, but pretty new. For a higher-end spot, I was hoping for a bit more polish and maybe some wine or pairing suggestions. That said, the manager came by a few times to check in, which was a nice touch, and it seemed like he was doing the same for other tables too.

It’s evident they make their own high quality pasta because I left really happy and not feeling overly full. Also, the atmosphere is beautiful, the food is mostly fantastic, and it feels like a place that’s only going to get better. I’m definitely looking forward...

We were so excited to dine at Vagabondo but unfortunately left very disappointed. My friend and I were seated quickly and had a friendly waiter who checked in regularly. Our appetizer arrived in a reasonable amount of time, and we each ordered an entrée.

I ordered the sausage pizza, which arrived with visibly raw dough in the middle. My friend flagged a nearby waitress, who took the dish back to the kitchen. Shortly after, our waiter returned with the same plate and explained that the kitchen said this was how “traditional Sicilian sourdough pizza” is supposed to be. I’ve since confirmed my sneaking suspicion that this can’t possibly be right and looked up traditional Sicilian sourdough and it is in fact not raw anywhere on the pizza. Our waiter offered to bring me something else or return the same uncooked pizza. Not wanting to risk spending $35+ for something potentially similar, I hesitated. My friend kindly stepped in and said please don’t put that pizza on the table, it’s clearly undercooked.

I’m not someone who sends food back, but this was obviously not safe to eat. The waiter took it back to the kitchen and was gone for quite a while. When he returned, he asked if I wanted something “while you waited”, so I ordered an arugula salad, which he brought promptly. I assumed by saying “while you waited” that he would be bringing me a new pizza but that was not the case as I never got any form of an entree.

Once we finished eating, we asked for the check. My friend handed over his card before we noticed that the $28 pizza was still on the bill. I called over the waiter and expressed my disappointment with seeing the pizza was still on the bill as I only had three bites and that it was clearly unsafe to eat. Once I called it out he was understanding and spoke with the manager, the bill returned without the pizza included.

Overall, the experience was very uncomfortable and disappointing. The staff was polite, but the handling of the situation left a bad impression. The food is severely overpriced for what it is. If this was truly unique authentic Sicilian food I would happily pay those prices. Their menu consists of fancy names for basic Italian dishes that are not executed well. We won’t be returning, which is unfortunate, it would have been wonderful to have a delicious local spot to...