Via Roma Italian Restaurant — Restaurant in Hot Springs

Although the food itself was not terrible (it was mediocre), Via Roma is one of the worst values I have ever had.  First, the prices, which are sky-high, far higher than in many vastly superior Italian restaurants I have been to (I mean, if I'm gonna spend that much, I expect something very good.) Virtually no entrees are under $20, maybe none, and most are way above that, with some over $50.  Those prices include some forgettable bread but do not include soup or salad.  The salads are possibly the most overpriced I have seen in any restaurant ($10-$20.)  I ordered a coke to drink, and despite costing around $3 and coming in a small glass, there were no free refills.

The food was extremely unimpressive.  I ordered penne in vodka sauce (one of the cheapest entrees at $23.)  Completely unremarkable; indeed, it was too salty and almost 100% pasta and sauce, with not even a few cheap vegetables thrown in to break the monotony, save a tiny amount of onion and parsley.  Again, scandalously expensive for what you get, a mere bowl of noodles.  My wife ordered veal scallopini, at a whopping $38.  It came with a bed of spaghetti and tomato sauce, and it was all rather bland.

The atmosphere also deserves mention.  The decor is attractive.  However, there was some of the worst noise we have ever suffered through during a meal.  It was very crowded on that Saturday night, and it seemed everyone there was drunk.  Large parties everywhere, practically shrieking.  Even as we were being seated, some intoxicated man at the bar was cursing like a sailor.  We would have requested a change of table, but the entire restaurant was a madhouse.  I really do not fault the restaurant for this, but still, it detracts enormously from the experience.

The waiter was competent, but the service was horrendously slow.  We waited almost an hour and 20 minutes for our food, with all the racket going on around us.  As we were leaving, a couple near our table stormed out, finally fed up with the wait.  We could not blame them.

Overall, I could not recommend this place to anyone.  I do not know how people can support this place, given the New York prices and subpar food (no wonder they do not put a menu with prices online.)  Despite the nice interior, it has little...

We were on vacation this past weekend. It was my wife’s b-day and she wanted Italian food. We read the reviews and decided that Via Roma would be a great choice. We got our food and we were extremely surprised at the portion size that could feed 2 people easily. Hence the $5 surcharge to share a plate. My wife ordered a dish with steak tenderloin filets and pasta. I couldn’t remember the name of the dish. The filets were overcooked and the presentation on the plate was messy. No flavor at all. I had chicken Marsala and opted to add angel hair pasta. $8.00 charge for adding that. Why? No flavor at all just Marsala wine. My daughter had the chicken piccata. No flavor and was charged $8 for adding angel hair pasta. My son had the filet. Although it was cooked correctly it was cold and had no flavor. From this review I think portions should be available to be halved at cheaper price and flavor needs to be added for sure. The waiter was good. He asked us how the food was. We said it was okay. He asked if the service was bad and we said no. Then he asked about the food. We said it was okay out of respect to the others around us. I would never embarrass a waiter. We would like to come back one day when we come back on vacation to the area. Hopefully next time the food and portions will be better for the amount of money spent. Very overpriced! I have had better Italian food from a chain restaurant. Hopefully this review will light a fire to get the restaurant a 5 star review. I sure...

Overall This place was absolutely amazing!!! The only reason it didn't get a 5 was because it took roughly 60-90 minutes to get our food. We were absolutely blown away with how PHENOMENAL THE FLAVOR WAS! We were told that normally the food doesn't take that long, so just be aware.

Food CANNOT PRAISE IT ENOUGH!! EVEN WRITING ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW HAS MY MOUTH WATERING! I don't know how they do what they do but I wish I could learn to cook like this. I added our receipt in the picture, and you can see what we ordered. We highly recommend our items and the portion size was absolutely amazing!!!

Pricing This place is more pricey, so be aware. However, I will strongly vouch that the flavor and the portions make up for the pricing!

Adult beverages Strong! And regularly priced. We were happy with the wine selection and their margaritas. Had us riding the wave and having some pep in our step.

Customer Service Ange was absolutely the sweetest. At times she forgot to bring out water and some small things, but her coworkers had her back. It was a busier night for her so we totally understood. She is super sweet and had phenomenal recommendations. If you sit in her section, she take care of you with a smile!

Parking It's a smaller place so it is a little hard to find parking. So be aware.

Reservations I highly recommend to call ahead and make a reservation if you intend to eat here. This place probably gets busy regularly and it's because the FOOD IS...