Volare — Restaurant in Norman

Volare has a lot of potential, it really does. The atmosphere was great on a weekday night, everyone on staff was very friendly and the menu looked good with some "gluten friendly" and vegetarian options as well. I could see this being a great place for an intimate date on a weeknight or a fun experience on a game day, but, unfortunately, I found the food and drinks really underwhelming. 

We started with a drink and the Crack Fries, without parmesan to keep them vegan. The fries were good, except they were very thinly sliced and about halfway down the basket, we were just left with hard pieces and crumbs.

I had a mojito and it was refreshing, but it felt like it was non-alcoholic. I had another cocktail and it was the same way, very, very light. 

On to the pizza. I ordered the vegan arugula pizza because, well, it was the only vegan option. Based on the description, it could have been great. When the pizza came out, it looked like a pizza crust with a ton of arugula thrown on top and a random shake or two of nutritional yeast. When you picked up a slice, the toppings just slid off the pizza. I struggled to take a bite, as everything fell off the slice. There wasn't much sauce, there was no cheese and the few toppings that were hidden under the arugula were sparse. We're talking like one strip of eggplant, a couple of small mushrooms and yeah. Vegan doesn't have to be boring and I just didn't quite know what they tried to do with this pizza. The dough was good, but it was put together very poorly. 

I do want to reiterate, the atmosphere here was great. Our waitress was very friendly. I just can't see myself coming back since they only have one vegan pizza option that was very underwhelming and the alcoholic drinks were far too light...

Tonight, Volare was a disappointment. My wife and I went to eat during Happy Hour. A large white board at the bar shows their Happy Hour specials and the time the specials are available. At the table, there is a small sign with their $2 Tuesday specials. We ordered an appetizer from the $2 Tuesday special along with a Big Stick pizza and two beers which were advertised on the white board as Happy Hour specials; the salad my wife ordered was regular price. No one informed us that the Happy Hour specials were not in effect on Tuesdays, nor was their any indication on the large white board that Tuesdays were excluded from the Happy Hour specials. That being said, I would have ordered a different pizza and $2 Tuesday beer had I known this. The manager came over to our table and when my wife pointed out that there was no indication that the pizza and beer were not Happy Hour specials tonight, she brushed it off as though it was our fault for coming in on a Tuesday. I feel that it was the mistake of the management at Volare for not making this clear to customers. The manager should have realized this and the customers currently eating in the restaurant (we were not the only table under the assumption that Happy Hour specials were in effect) should have been given the Happy Hour price. Then, she should add the following to the white board "Happy Hour specials are not in effect on Tuesdays." I'm assuming this was beyond her comprehension. Unfortunately, since the manager could not remedy the situation, my wife and I will not be...

Ordered a Gates of Eden with chicken to go, upon getting home I opened the box to see what appears to be a piece of chicken with a bite taken out of it. Called Volare to tell them, I was told by the young lady that answered the phone that they shred their chicken at Volare and since she could not actually see it there was nothing she could do unless I wanted to bring it back to the restaurant. I brought it back to the restaurant and asked her " if it were you what would you think about this piece of chicken?" She proceeded to take her phone out and while taking a picture of the chicken she told me again that it looks like a shredded piece of chicken to her. I was taken aback at her response that she didn't know the difference between sliced chicken and shredded chicken. She asked with attitude if I wanted the salad replaced and I polite said yes that would be good. When the replacement salad was ready she walked over and handed it to me, I thank her for her time as she turned around without acknowledgment and walked away. The pure arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude of this young lady was so apparent that it's hard to believe that Volare management would allow her to answer the phone and greet incoming customers. Sad part about all of this is that I absolutely LOVE their Bee Sting pizza (I add Calabrian chilies and Prosciutto), it's is fantastic but her attitude is a deterrent to actually going to the restaurant...how sad is that, customer service just ain't what...