Villani & Co Wellen Park Steak Seafood Raw Bar — Restaurant in North Port

8:30pm – seated for our reservation for 14 people.

8:46pm – first cocktail delivered.

9:16pm – first appetizer (first of any food) delivered). 9:20pm last appetizer delivered.

9:44pm – first entrée delivered.

9:47pm – last entrée delivered.

10:07pm – everyone is completely finished and waiting for checks.

10:30pm – all checks finally processed and we leave.

I started keeping track of time after 10 minutes when we still did not any drinks at the table.

Food problems:

All mashed potatoes were cold. At least 4 people sent mashed potatoes back. When mine returned, they were hot on the outside and room temp on the inside still (microwaved, I did not eat them, they were discounted off my bill). My pork chop was overcooked (probably 180F internal, as it was very dry), but I was so hungry that I ate it anyway. My ceasar salad was delicious, as was my wife’s beef and cheddar soup (we want that recipe).

Drink problems and other problems:

My water glass (and others, including my wife’s) were regularly dry. I had to ask for multiple refills of water throughout the night. Our table made a total of 2 drink orders during the entire meal (someone may have gotten a 3rd drink order in, but not many because the server was absent most of the time).

No salt or pepper or butter on the table, so once our food was delivered, late and cold, we also had to wait for salt and pepper.

Our server (woman with blue hair) was very nice and polite, but clearly was not capable of taking care of a 14 top. Throughout the night we saw her on her phone in the back, while our drinks were empty and our food was cold.

The 2-3 women at the hostess stand seemed to be having a great time talking to each other, again, while our drinks were empty.

This was not a busy evening in Wellen, and the whole experience was lousy. Our whole table had eaten at Villani at least 1 time, and several of us have eaten there several times. We all agreed that, when we were there as a 4 top, the food and service was great. But this time, service was memorably poor.

Gratuity included:

Finally, being that our table was filled with former and current service industry people, we were all a little disappointed to see that gratuity was included. My wife and I both worked as servers at Marker 4 for years. My brother and sister-in-law worked at Sharkey’s for years. My dad managed Red Lobsters and Tin Pan Alley. And Jared and Sarah both worked at restaurants from Osprey to Venice.

We are all in the Christmas spirit, and tipping is what we do. However, our experience was so bad, that I was looking forward to leaving a 10% tip, instead of my holiday 50% (for good service of course). But that was not our option. 20%. 20% for lousy food and even...

For any foodie transplants who are thrilled to live in paradise but miss more sophisticated local dining options THIS IS YOUR PLACE! I'm happy to add to the love that others have posted. 🙂

Last night we popped in to have a nightcap and an app just to check it out. After seeing a WALL of Bourbon selections, I knew I was no longer in a brown water drought! Glory, glory! This Nashvillian is already happy.

Then add the ridiculous Thai Coconut Curry Mussels with garlic, ginger, scallion, basil, coconut milk, lemongrass, and peanuts. Holy wow! And it wasn’t even expensive? $16?! What?

The ambiance is both elevated and comfortable, with wicked cool art, solid music, and a whole vibe.

But the staff? It makes it. Chuck was our bartender and was effortlessly hysterical and a breath of fresh air. He took amazing care of us and was a delight to be around.

We also met Tommy and Erin, the owners, and they are kind, humble, sincere, and eager to get everything just right for their guests. It was not surprising to me when I found out they also own Irma’s Tacos, my other fav local restaurant since day one.

We loved our brief experience so much that we asked for a brunch reservation for this morning.

Also, a winner!

I ordered a Fancy Salmon Bennie with no English muffin (I have Celiac disease, so they put it on a bed of arugula to make it gluten-free), and my boyfriend ordered The Ultimate Croissant-Wich and All the Meats Benny knowing some was going home, but he had to try both!

The eggs were cooked to perfection, the plating was beautiful, the fruit sides were fresh and not just cantaloupe and my guy said his bacon was thick-cut perfection.

Today, Lori took care of us, and she was also so fun for us to engage with and never missed a beat on service. She is PERFECT for this environment and the experience they desire to offer. Chuck was also there and had us in stitches again without even trying.

Y’all! If this is what we are experiencing week ONE? Imagine six months from now.

I left the nationally recognized Nashville food scene behind, so I am ridiculously excited to have something more on par with where I would routinely hang out to add to the fabulous tiki bars and more casual dining in our area. This is simply what was missing. We are SO happy to have found our place. 🙂

I hope everyone supports this restaurant so it flourishes and stays around for a long time! (As long as you know the two barstools on the corner are officially...

I used to really enjoy this place especially last summer when they had great summer specials that felt like a good value. Unfortunately, it seems like things have changed.

On a recent visit, we ordered the deluxe dinner for $40 under the impression it was meant for two people because last summer, that’s exactly what it was: 2 for $40. There was no indication on the menu that anything had changed. We only found out after the meal that it was actually $40 per person, which felt misleading and disappointing. When they first launched the special in June, it was advertised simply as a deluxe dinner for $40 and only just recently in July did they quietly update it to say deluxe dinner for one, so clearly we weren’t the only ones confused.

On another occasion, we stopped by after the Sunday farmer’s market to grab a quick lunch and were looking forward to one of their summer specials - just a sandwich and salad combo that was listed right at the host stand when we walked in. But once we were seated and asked for it, we were told they don’t offer it on Sundays. That detail was not mentioned anywhere on the signage or the menu, and we only found out after we asked.

Another thing that consistently bothers me here: the presentation. Even with their specials, everything just looks thrown onto the plate - no care, no plating, no visual appeal. Furthermore, the potato wedges were oily and the food was flavorless. For the price, I’d expect at least some effort.

Overall, it feels like there’s been a lack of transparency around pricing and availability of specials lately, and the quality of the experience has gone down. Unfortunately, after this year’s disappointing visits, we won’t...