Cafe Vesuvio Italian restaurant & Pizzeria — Restaurant in Sanford

I've been coming to Cafe Vesuvio for years and hope to come to Cafe Vesuvio for years to come. it is by far the best spaghetti I've ever had in my life and I am 34 years old. I have tried many Italian chains such as Carrabbas and many other little hole-in-the-wall places that you would expect to be good but end up disappointed every time. When I go to Cafe Vesuvio I order the same thing 80% of the time and although I've tried many of their dishes my favorite go to dish by far is their spaghetti with meat sauce, add shrimp, with a Caesar side salad. The sauce is amazing. It would be an honor to cook their spaghetti so I could find out the secret to their sauce but I'm sure they have protected this beautiful family recipe. It is family owned and often operated. The shrimp are succulent, juicy, and perfectly cooked. The flavors pop out at you. The acidity of the sauce is tolerable for those sensitive people who often experience heartburn and other digestive issues. The shrimp compliments the sauce perfectly and I just love how well they pair together. The spaghetti noodles themselves are always cooked to perfection as well. Not overcooked, not El Dente, but somewhere in between allowing the sauce to absorb into the noodles and the shrimp having this moist and juicy yet firm texture..... I could rant and rave about this dish all day.... but you really have to try it for yourselves. You can try anything on their menu and it will be delicious but I highly recommend starting with their spaghetti with meatsauce and shrimp if you're a spaghetti enthusiast like me. I hope to be coming to Cafe Vesuvio for years to come and if I had to choose a last meal before I passed away I would choose this as my last meal. Again, it is by far the best Italian restaurant in the world! I would give it 10 Stars if I could!💣🍝 P.S. the pic below is Cafe Vesuvio after taking it home and putting it in a container. It is cold in this picture and I've eaten a few shrimps and a couple bites of it but this is what it looks like cold. It is absolutely the most phenomenal spaghetti in the world! Try it soon but if not, make sure to add it to ur bucket list! P.S.S. I do not work or personally know anyone at this resterant and am not and have never been paid to advertise. Was just given the option on maps to rate this resterant and felt it my duty as a descent human being to shed some light on this diamond amongst...

My recent visit to Cafe Vesuvio Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria left me with a sense of disappointment. While the establishment had its fair share of promising offerings, there were several aspects of my experience that fell short of expectations.

Starting with the bacon cheese fries, I was immediately put off by their odd taste. Not only did they lack the savory and delicious flavor I anticipated, but the fries themselves were disappointingly hard. It was clear that they had been overcooked, resulting in an unpleasant texture.

The garlic knots, a staple in Italian cuisine, were another letdown. To my dismay, they arrived at our table cold and hard. It was evident that they had not been freshly baked, as one would expect from a quality Italian restaurant. This lack of attention to detail was disheartening.

Moving on to the pizza, I found it to be just average. While it wasn't terrible, it certainly didn't leave a lasting impression. The flavors were decent, but nothing exceptional. It fell short of the mouthwatering and memorable experience I had hoped for.

One of the most frustrating aspects of my visit was the lack of attention from the waitstaff. Throughout my time at Cafe Vesuvio, my tea glass remained empty, and I was never checked on until we were ready to leave. The waitress seemed preoccupied with a large party, leaving little time to attend to other tables. It was disappointing to feel neglected and overlooked as a customer.

To add to my disappointment, the cheese sticks had an unpleasant taste reminiscent of fish. It was evident that they had been cooked alongside fish, resulting in an unwanted and off-putting flavor. This oversight in the kitchen further contributed to a subpar dining experience.

In conclusion, my visit to Cafe Vesuvio Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria left much to be desired. The bacon cheese fries lacked flavor and had an unpleasant texture, the garlic knots were cold and hard, and the pizza was merely average. The lack of attention from the waitstaff, coupled with the off-putting taste of the cheese sticks, further detracted from the overall experience. While I understand that every establishment can have off days, this visit left me with a sense of disappointment. I hope that Cafe Vesuvio can address these concerns and strive to provide a more satisfying dining experience...

Food was good but service was real rough. We were sat down right away and it took a little bit for our waitress to come take our drink order. Drinks came back and the waitress just placed the drinks down and said she'd be back. No straws or anything...a long while goes by and she doesn't come back. Eventually a waiter shows up and states the waitress has gotten too busy so he'll be servicing us now. He takes our order which was simply a large pizza, a sub w\ onion rings, & a Caesar salad. The kitchen didn't make the salad and after about 20 mins we asked for it. The waiter apologizes and brings the salad out and says the kitchen put it in a to go box...smh shortly after the manager brings out our pizza. At this point we've been sitting for over 45 mins. He confirms the order of the sub with onion rings and I state he is correct and he says it'll be right out. A few minutes later the waiter brings the sub and says the kitchen didn't cook the onion rings. He asks if I want him to get the kitchen to cook them now or if I just want them removed from the bill. I have them removed. The rest of the time there was fine. We did have a staff member state they were stressed out and struggling. They stated the entire staff is new and they are short staffed. This staff member was clearly having a hard time. Everyone was polite and apologetic for the service. Tonight was a rough night for them for sure. I wish they would have given us a heads up they were short staffed but at least they did explain this before I became...