Via Appia Ristorante — Restaurant in Wilbraham

A-maz-ing!! I'll admit it took me a couple of times to come around to appreciate this place when they first opened. Not quite sure why anymore. Maybe some scepticism on my part from so many dissapointing experiences at other places. I have dined in a few times and the service was great, friendly, professional and the right amount of attentiveness. Atmosphere is very warm and pleasant. Food presentation as well as quality is outstanding. My wife gets lunch here a lot and loves it, she'll often bring home dinner as well. Just tonight she brought me the Braised Beef Agnolotti with a side of their creamy spinach soup. AMAZING!!! I mean, from bread to desert, everything is so fresh and delightful! Dine in is always better as you get the food fresh and hot, but I respect the effort put into take out, it's very important to me as I get that more often than dining in, since my wife can just grab it on the way home from work. Portions are great as well, not too much or too little. You can tell they make everything from scratch in house and you taste the difference. As for the menu options, if you're not sure about liking something, be bold and try something new, you will be pleasantly surprised! You can't really go wrong with any of them. As someone who has spent time in Rome and walked the actual Via Appia, the food here really captures the essence of Italy. I cannot express enough how amazing the food here is, it's chef's kiss delicious! I wood have added pictures but it was so good I ate it all before thinking of it. Not to incentify them to raise the prices but honestly for the quality of the meals, the pricing seems more than fair! Considering what the new place down the hill charges for glorified pub food. Dining out isn't something a lot of us can afford on a regular basis anymore, so if you are going to treat yourself, treat yourself to Via Appia and make it worth it! I highly recommend...

We arrive about 530 on a Friday. There's live music outside and completely full inside so we opt for the patio. Poor singer packed everything up because it was drizzling and his expensive equipment had no coverage. It was a party of 5 and a baby. We asked for a high chair and it seemed to be an inconvenience for the waitress. We ordered 3 appetizers . Meatballs, bruschetta and arroncini. Everything came out at different times. The " creamy polenta" served with the meatballs was anything but creamy. I cannot speak on behalf of the others. We were done with appetizers and still waiting to order our meals. It was hot, we all wanted water. Even the singer. and we were told they didn't have carafes. Meals once again all came out sporadic. My husband waited the longest because they gave his piece of veal , as chicken , to another person in our party. Who was half way through eating when the waitress came out telling this gentleman he indeed got veal instead of chicken; not even acknowledging that my husband's meal still wasn't there. I ordered a caprese salad that had maybe 4 slices of tomato . With a piece of grilled chicken that tasted like the grill hadn't been scrubbed in weeks. Still no mention that the piece of veal was in fact mult husband's meal they acted as if it was another table. Finally we all eat . My salad gets comped thankfully because the chicken was inedible. And we get a free piece of underbaked cheesecake , the crust was so thick it wasn't baked.

Great singer and atmosphere, I don't know if it was an off night or what, but I'd second guess...

Inconsistent chef skills leave room for growth.

Their are elements of italian cooking that one would expect when attending an italian restaurant missing from either the menu or from the skill set of the chefs. The decor and atmosphere is nice, the staff is friendly, but the quality of cooking is not up to par.

On one occasion I ordered mussels and they brought out clams, the excuse was that the chef was new - I don't know how you can be a chef and confuse mussels with clams but moving on, the diavolo sauce was luke warm and runny, lacking the chemical heat one would expect, as well as the physical heat anyone would expect from hot food.

Their carbonara was bland and uninspiring.

On a separate visit, we ordered fettucini alfredo and I asked for onions and peppers to be added, they had no peppers, which is not something you'd expect from an italian restaurant. I asked if they were just out or didn't carry them, they said they didn't carry them.

The onions they added were under chopped and undercooked, and the fettuccini alfredo was once again very bland.

Overall a disappointing experience in a place that has a lot of potential and you just want to love it. With rising costs everywhere, I can make as good or better meal at home which begs the question of why would want to spend your hard earned money at Via Appia.

I'll return for a third visit eventually and look forward to seeing if anything...