Vinny's Italian Grill — Restaurant in Virginia

I will start with the fact the the pizza is very good because we were at someones home and the pizza was very good and they stated that Vinny's is the place for pizza in this area. With that being said, I will say that our experience there was unpleasant.

My husband and I were there Sunday after we ordered a pizza to go. First, as we ordered the young lady who took our order was surprised that we ordered a veggie pizza, she stated several times are you sure because you guys usually order nothing but meat pizzas. Ok, we let that go but as we sat to wait for our pizza, the gentlemen and the waitress acted as if they were very uncomfortable that we were sitting in their restaurant waiting. They kept looking at us like we were lepers or something. Then they kept saying how nice it was outside and they don't understand why anyone wouldn't stay outside "because it's nice out there". After that we couldn't overlook the fact that they obviously had a problem with us sitting inside the restaurant (on benches that's provided for people waiting on their pizzas). Mind you, we didn't say anything to anyone and we were there sitting on the bench just having a normal conversation. We were not loud, we were dressed properly and we didn't have any unruly kids with us. We are in our 60's and we are not one to ever, ever, ever say that we were treated strangley because we are african american, but I must say, that's how we felt. Everyone else who came in were treated like they were special, but my husband and I were not. In my 63 years of being on this earth, I've only blamed bad treatment ONCE in my lifetime on racism and this will be my second time in my life that I will say that this treatment was blantant racism.

I know you may not want to hear it and I'm sure alot of people will come to their defense and that's your right as well as it's my right to say what I have to say.

The reason we ended up paying for the pizza was that we ordered one with all kinds of crazy veggies (olives, broccolli, peppers, anchovies, etc) and I didn't want to give them another excuse to treat us wrong. We paid for our pizza and left. Yes, we paid for it and left it there.

So never again Vinny's Italian Grill,...

I want to start by saying I frequented the Vinny's on Lauderdale before moving to Midlothian. I'm not exaggerating when I say I was supremely let down by the food at this location. I got the same two items I always get from the other location, so this is a direct comparison. Firstly, where the hot wings on Lauderdale are a perfect 10/10...crispy skin with a thick, buttery, yet very spicy buffalo sauce...this location's chicken wings were slimy and the sauce was thin and runny, a 2/10 at best. Oh, and they simply stuck the celery under the wings making them warm and flimsy. I could've made comparable wings in my oven, and better wings in my air fryer. This was the main disappointment as they are just so good at the other location. Now, the pizza was okay. Just okay. There was a lack of flavor, mainly due to there being practically no sauce. The crust was much flimsier as well, to the point where I was not sure it even cooked for the full time necessary. The only reason I'm not giving 1 star is because I have hopes that they will be better next time. I will try this location again in the future, and should they prove to me this visit was an anomaly, which I certainly hope they do, then I will gladly update my review.

Edit 12/27: As promised I tried Vinny's once more to ensure my experience wasn't a fluke. I am being 100% honest when I say that everything was substantially improved. The wings were crispy and the sauce much thicker. They reminded me of what I knew from the Lauderdale location. The pizza was also better. It was much tastier and the crust was not so flimsy. I will say I requested well done crust and crispy wings, so that probably helped to ensure I got what I wanted. Either way, this experience was far beyond the first, and I'm so glad I gave it another shot. I certainly hope the first time was the fluke because I...

disappointed with my overall food experience here. I ordered carryout and was provided with a time for my pickup. I arrived 15 minutes early to pick up my food and my food was ready immediately. I noticed as I was walking out the door that the bottom of my pizza box was cold. By the time I got back less than a mile away, the pizza and the stuffed shells were both cool. Seeing as I was 15 minutes early, I'm perplexed as how my food was cold.

I got a margarita pizza That was decent in flavor but combined with the construction and temperature it completely fell apart. I think margarita pizzas can be difficult to execute so I could imagine that other pizzas there would be better. I think the crust is very good.

I thought the stuffed shells were a great price at $10. However, when I got home thinking They could be shared. There was three stuffed shells which I thought was inadequate. I would much rather pay $15 and have more than three stuffed shells. Clearly that's personal preference. However, I have had stuffed shells, many many places and never only three. Beyond that, I would rate them pretty low in terms of flavor.

Further, they forgot the garlic bread a minor detail but a disappointing fact nonetheless.

On the later side I thought the staff was very pleasant and quick. And certainly by far the best thing about this place is a second to none cheesecake. I would say the cheesecake is the best cheesecake I've ever had. Absolutely! Incredibly delicious!.

Unfortunately I don't see myself going back for the food but I would definitely go back for the cheesecake.

There are very few options in the area for Italian food, so if you are looking for something in this area I would go here over a chain place or a fast...