Al Vento

This restaurant is wonderful, delicious food, excellent service, a great date night - you can't go wrong here. more

You know the restaurants loved ones will not stop talking about, and you are forbidden from going to them without them? This is my family's place. They found if off of a groupon (I think?) I finally snagged an invite to join them and absolutely have loved my loyal stand by choices and have always at least liked the dishes I tried being adventurous (I'm not). Love their caesar salad, their butternut squash ravioli (seasonal?) is amazing and I appreciate they let you mix and match sides on their entrees. While it is on the expensive side, I can tell I'm getting well prepared food . Con: not a fan of their expresso ice cream, when crowded you can sometimes have to sit close next to some very annoying patrons more

I came I saw I liked it .... I came here with Mike of course, we have been having disagreements so we wanted to get out of the house. The staff were okay and the food was alrright we could have went else where but it was fun. more

Bad food, bad service, arrogant attitude...an excellent recipe for bankruptcy. We were regulars at their sister restaurant (Rinata), but we're now done with both because of our horrible experience at Al Vento. After the banktrupcy, I wish the staff the best of luck finding a new line of work in this economy. more

We made reservations for 7:15 on a recent Saturday. We showed up early and they were able to seat us immediately. We asked to sit out on the patio where we passed on the first table offered and pointed to a different table for two that we like more. Seemed like the hostess was more interested in balancing the waiter load but did seat us at the table we picked. We enjoyed the atmosphere on the patio, very nice and relaxed. Waiter was busy and did not seem to have time to be warm. Very thorough but it was clear he was just there to serve us and move us along. Waiter did give us input on the bruschetta and checked with the chef if he would add vegetables to the Cannelloni per my wife?s request. I had the Hanger Steak and my wife, the Cannelloni with vegetables for an additional fee. Steak was good but not outstanding. I would not order it again. Cannelloni was outstanding although it did not have a lot of vegetables. I would go here again. more

I called the restaurant with a couple quick questions regarding a Living Social coupon that I purchased/was intending to use and received some of the worst customer service EVER from the employee who answered the phone - Straight-up rude biznatch for absolutely no good reason. I have never been to Al Vento and that less than 60 second phone conversation has confirmed that I probably never will.... A shame because I was very much looking forward to trying a new place in my neighborhood. Good luck running a successful small business with employees like that. I'd rather eat the $15 bucks I spent on the coupon than patron Al Vento. I'll stick with Broder's.... more

We heard good reviews about this place from friends, and were quite excited to eat there for Sunday brunch. As soon as we arrived, there was a slight line to be seated, which was no big deal, except that the hostesses (who was also a waitress) did not seat in order of those who were waiting (people who came after us were seated first). Also noteworthy, was the other staffs attentiveness to the waiting line, nobody welcome us or told us somebody would be there to help us. So we finally get seated (and by seated, I mean pointed in the direction of the table we were to sit), we find only one set of silverware and a bunch of loud over sized patrons basically on top of us. Ten minutes later, we get our drink order and are told simply to begin and the waitress walked away. The food was sub-par, everything was cold and soggy, and there were large wait times to refill their ""buffet' style Sunday brunch. The fish available was not fresh, the eggs benedict was sitting in warming pan far to long (soggy), and the only potatoes left were drenched in oil. We were only offered refills to our drinks as we were trying to get our bill (which took literally 15 minutes to get). Our waitress offered no type of thanks or pleasantries as we left. This is the type of service and horrid food you would expect at an Old Country Buffet (but even they are friendlier). Stay away from this junk hole. Cons: Food, Service more

was there on sunday for brunch good times but then it was time to leave. Wow 20 min yes 20 min before we could find our waitress. There were 3 tables that were going to walk out becuase they could not find server, Bad day or something? Pros: food Cons: service more

al Vento is one of my favorite local restuarants. The mother sauce is to die for, the meatballs delicious, and the eggplant parmesean pizza outstanding. The pastas are fresh and perfectly prepared. The patio is lovely and often crowded on a nice summer evening. On one occasion, we were there with a small child and the host was more than happy to accommodate, even offering to make a special mac and cheese or cheese pizza for her. The servers can be a bit spotty, but the food more than makes up for it. Pros: excellent homeade pasta, great atmosphere, patio more

Been here around 6 times with my wife, family, friends..great food, good atmosphere and always leave satisfied. Pasta dishes are worth the trip alone! Keep up the good work more

If you want to be treated special this is the place to be. The staff makes sure you feel welcome and that your time at Al Vento is to be remembered. Reservations should be made unless you are willing to have a drink at the bar. If you are on a first date this place is perfect. It has a romantic atmosphere and will impress anyone who steps inside. You can tell the resturaunt has the personal touch of the owners heart. The prices for what you experience are nothing. Al Vento offers a date night on Tuesdays that is well worth checking out. Al Vento offers wine dinners every so often that will impress you and teach you a great deal of how food and wine go together. Everything on the menu is excellent. I recommend starting with the sample of four bruschetta. My recommendation for a pasta dish would be the Bucatini dish. (Bucatini is a hollow spaghetti noodle) For an entree I would recommend the grilled rosemary pork tenderloin. If you are in the mood for a pizza they are overwhelming with flavor - try the Neapolitan. If you want to be impressed or impress someone special take them to Al Vento. Pros: wine, food, treated like royalty more

This so-called ?Southern Italian-crap? cuisine makes me sick ? literally. If you ever experience food poisonin?, you know that you?ll never go back to eating at the same place again. After having a bottle of overpriced wine, you would think all that alcohol would destroy all the germs in that food! Right after I get home from the restaurant ? the headache came on, followed by series of excretions that left me drained for 4 days. I know for fact that it was from either the sampler bruschetta or ceasar since these are the only things I ate that day besides my cereal I had for breakfast which I have been eating for last 3 years and never made me sick. I have been here before in the past, but never was impressed by the entrees so this time I thought to play it save and get simple dishes ? thought wrong!! Pros: nothing Cons: please wash your hands when you cook my food! more

I had some pasta dish with duck and chicken ragu and goat cheese that made me want to eat myself into a coma. Even their table bread was above average. Very good fresh food and a wonderful waitstaff! I will go back to sample their ever changing menu. Pros: Ambience, good parking, service, great food Cons: small bathrooms, chilly more

The meal started out well- although we were seated at a dirty table. This doesn't bother me at all if the host acknowledges it and comes by to wipe it off. There were large chunks of food left on the table, but she just set our menus on top of the food bits. We started with the crab cakes and caesar salad, and both were very good. We ordered the scallop and steak entrees, and were both disappointed. The scallops were cold- really cold, when they arrived, and were covered with an odd relish. The risotto underneath was warm and good, but it didn't really save the dish. The steak was tasteless. It was warm, but the mashed potatoes were lumpy and unremarkable. We were surprised that both entrees were so bad. We might try this place again, but stick with a pizza entree. Pros: They could improve the taste and quality of entrees more

We were very impressed with all aspects of our experience. To put it simply, the quality of the food started with the ""basics"" done properly, which are too often overlooked. The freshness and quality of the pasta was remarkable, as was the cesar salad. From that base, the combination of flavors also worked very well, across the board. We started with the truffled pecorino packets - very tasty (while the plate was drowing a bit in the brown butter, as long as you don't swish the food through the butter it is great). The cesar was just the right combination of flavors on perfectly fresh romaine. The sauces, meat and cheese all worked very well for our entrees. For dessert, we had the creme brulee trio. My wife loves creme brulee, I do not. So, when we order it, it is usually a compromise for me. Not this time - their ""twist"" was to serve three small portions, one each of pistachio, espresso, and orange liqueur - and the first time I really enjoyed creme brulee. Also, as we dined on an off night (Sunday) and early (5:30), we did not experience any issues with noise and overcrowding that others have reported (but hey, what do you expect with a good restaurant?). Pros: Quality of food Cons: Ambiance nice, but not fantastic more

We have frequented this location often when it was Marimar. Sad to see them close the doors but when Al Vento opened we were very happy to have a neighborhood restaurant again. We started going there from the get go and with a few blips have watched it evolve to what it is now. Consistently great. Servers are attentive and genuinely friendly. Rarely does my water glass go empty. And when I sent my Pork Tenderloin back for being Med well instead of the med-rare I ordered - I had a new one within 1-2 minutes. If you are not happy with what you ordered - speak up. They will graciously try to fix it. Everything is made in house, from the Foccacia to the pasta which I've never received short of al dente. Try the stuffed mushrooms to start, Fish special is always good, and who can go wrong with Spaghetti and Veal Meatballs? more

This is a true Southern Italian restaurant, of which we have very few in Minneapolis. There are a lot of Tuscan (Northern) style places, but nothing like this that I've found other than in other cities. more

My husband and I went to al Vento for our anniversary dinner last Saturday night and absolutely loved it. This was our first time there and we will definitely go back. The only 'con' was that it was super loud in the main dining room, but we were fine at our intimate table. We had an appetizer (crab cakes), salads (caesar & mixed green), entrees (cod with spinach risotto and rigatoni with butternut squash marscapone) and dessert (creme brule trio) and all were delicious!! The Chocolatini was yummy and there's a full service bar. Service was spectacular!! Prices were great too - I believe the entrees were all under $20. This is in the top five of our favorite restaurants!! Enjoy!!! Pros: Cool decor, delicious food, awesome service (Samantha) more

We planned a nice birthday dinner for six and made reservations in advance. When we arrived the place was packed. People were standing everywhere waiting. Diners seated at their tables had to contend with others basically standing over them. We waited over an hour for a table to clear. It seemed the manager couldn't handle the situation. When we were finally seated, the service and food was good, but I won't be returning!! Cons: noisy and crowded more

My wife and I were looking for a local (not a franchise) Italian restaurant for my son's wedding rehearsal celebration. We had 40 guests and the church was in Plymouth. We had checked out Giorgio's (another good local independent Italian restaurant), but it was too small for our party. Then I read a review of Al Vento. We made reservations to check it out. Just as the review said, the food, ambiance and price were outstanding. We contacted Keith, the manager, who helped us make all the arrangements, and even set up our own custom menu. The evening was exceptional...The service, by Samantha and Brian, was impeccable. Without exception, everyone at the rehearsal dinner raved about the food (ie: ""the BEST pork tenderloin I have ever tasted""), the drinks and the service. The 20-mile drive from Plymouth to Al Vento was worth every gas-penny. Al Vento has become one of the local restaurants on our ""short list."" As an amateur gourmand - trust me - you'll like it! more