Vincenzos

It is just great, as always. From the moment you walk in the door, you are treated as a VIP, service is as good as it gets, Erin was my waitress and she was very gracious, the food, well, I can’t find any better Italian food in Louisville, and I have tried.
This is, simply, the best Italian restaurant in Louisville. You can’t go wrong, everything is delicious. I will dine here forever.

I know with 100% certainty that you will not find a more detail oriented restaurant in the city of Louisville. The service, the food, the atmosphere, and the location all combine to create an ambience that cannot be matched! I love the 20s feel of the restaurant– it is how Italian food should be served! It’s definitely my favorite place in Louisville! Whether you are taking out business associates or are having s date night this is place can be whatever you want it to be! Reservations are recommended for best experience, dress is business casual, but you would not feel out of place if you were dressed semi-​formal either. I love the feeling of being on vacation at an exclusive 5-​star restaurant right in the midst of my own back yard. And it’s locally owned! How much more does one need in a restaurant? The food and service can’t be matched!

Still to this day I’ve yet to have a better dining experience then the one I received here at Vincenzo. Probably one of the most romantic spots in downtown Louisville. The steak is sublime and the cheesecake was nothing short of perfection. Can’t wait to go back!

I rarely give any place 5 stars but this restaurant more than earned it. We reserved a table for 6:30 for our 7^th wedding anniversary. We were greeted at the door with someone who checks your coat prior to arriving at the hostess station. We were taking immediately to our table and I found the décor of restaurant to be elegant and not overdone. Immediate attention was given to us, our captain was Sam (I believe — I’m horrible with names) and he had an assistant but many of the staff assisted us that night. There was never a moment or pause when we were lacking anything, even the smallest thing. It was as if they anticipated anything you would want.
My husband ordered a bottle of champagne and that was served in style as well. I ordered the Insaltina de Kentucky which was perfect. Though I don’t remember the names on the menu, my husband ordered the strip steak and I got the ravioli. The bread brought to the table was excellent as well. They do not rush you and allow you to savor each course you order. Your main entrée is plated right in front of you by the captain and assistant, a nice touch rather than just having the plates set down in front of you. And since it was our anniversary, we were given two complimentary desserts chosen by the captain, or so they say. The white mouse cake and the tiramisu which they are known for and I will say is the best tiramisu I have ever eaten.
Needless to say, we’ve eaten at fine restaurants all over and this was probably my favorite meal so far. The service even exceeded Morton’s in Chicago. And the food was perfectly prepared, right down to the haricot verts that came with my husband’s steak which many places overcook and over season. This was definitely my favorite fine dining experience and would drive to Louisville (4 hours) just to eat here again. Our anniversary was perfect.

We went here on ⁹⁄₈. James was our captain and Alex his assistant. He was just so awesome. He let us take our time and, we were entertaining family from Texas and wanted to enjoy the company and the meal. We ordered one course at a time. A lot of things were made tableside — like the tortellini and the Caesars salad dressing. The food was very delicious. We had apps and salads, my husband had the lamb and said it was cooked perfectly. I had a spaghetti meal that was more then enough for 2 people let alone just me. The service made you feel very special and the food was prepared perfectly. It was such a great experience. We dined for over 3 hours and never felt rushed. We enjoyed our wines and the time between courses. I highly recommend this place for a wonderful dining experience!

This was the first time dining here but I will definitely come back. Great food and great atmosphere. The staff was also very friendly and took care of us. It’s located just a few blocks from 4^th Street live and the Hilton I wss staying at.

The presentation at this restaurant is exceptional. Order the Caesar salad; they make it at the table. Anchovy, Worcestershire sauce, mustard powder, egg yolk, lemon juice, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar. About a 4 minute process. Salad was excellent. I had the veal dish with smoked Gouda and pancetta. It was good but not exceptional. Maybe I ordered wrong…

We came here as a party of 9 of us during the Kentucky Derby weekend, and man was this place a mob scene. I cannot speak for how it is on normal weekends, but this definitely was a hot spot during this weekend. We had 9:30pm reservations and were not seated until about 10:30pm which we could understand but were still a bit irritated with.
There are 2 dining rooms connected by the common bar area. The overall ambiance of the restaurant is more old-​school and simple where the wait staff wears tuxes. We did not get served until closer to 11pm when one of the managers came over realizing this was the case and made sure they prepared some apps for us on the house which was definitely a start.
Getting to the food, they gave us tortellini alla panna and a lasagna-​esque dish. The tortellini were cooked al dente and had good flavors but the lasagna flavors were very bland. For the secondi, we did an assortment of meats and I ordered the veal valdostana. It was the priciest thing on the menu and probably the driest and most un-​impressive thing as well. It was stuffed with a minuscule slice of prosciutto and the fontina cheese didn’t add anything to the dish as well. Overall, I was very un-​satisfied after eating it.
After a couple of bottles of wine and tax/​tip, it came out to about $ 200/​person and that was after they had comped the apps. This place was very expensive for one of the most disappointing dining experiences I had in the area over the weekend. I hope the reviews outside of this big weekend are more in line to what the restaurant really represents.

Been in Louisville on business for a month and running now, this has clearly become our «go to» restaurant. Food is excellent, do not be afraid to go off menu, the Chef enjoys and excels when a challenge is presented.
Ask for Stephen as your waiter, he is one of a kind, a true gem.

So very disappointed in this place. Service was slow, food cold, did I mention slow, over priced, slow, low value vs comparable establishment. Did I mention slow?

We stopped in for a cocktail on the Urban Bourbon Trail. We were greeted at the door by the manager who also came and talked to us at the bar. The chef came out to meet us which was pretty neat, he and his brother are owners. The bartender was friendly, made great drinks, and gave us the rundown on the history of the place.
After a bit, the chef arrived with a free appetizer for us to try at the bar. What a great surprise. The plate had crostinis with salmon, caper, and other yummy stuff, the other was a crostini with an eggplant dish on it, and a bite of brie on the side. It was amazingly delicious and it made us feel pretty cool! The chef told us to eat it because it would make our drinks taste better.
The Old Fashioned was a great sampling of bourbon!

5star service. All the razzle dazzle of an upscale restaurant without the attitude! Solid wine recommendations and no pressure to flip the table even when we mentioned we did not have time for a full dinner.
Start with the Caesar. Art in a bowl created tableside! Awesome croutons, such a nice finishing touch.
Shared a couple of appetizers and if those were the Starters I really want to come back for the Finishers! Tortellini was creamy but flavorful with a nice layer of flavor that held its own against the fresh pasta. Oysters nestled in their shells with best buddy bacon — oh so right!
Enjoyed the ambiance. Loved the service!

Beautiful restaurant with delicious Italian cuisine. The staff are extremely friendly and accommodating –they were able to make a special dish upon request. Ask for Kyle –he offers great recommendations. Great place for a romantic evening or just to satisfy a craving for authentic pasta.

My girlfriend and I went here for our anniversary and had a good experience. Tortellini appetizer was amazing, as were the salads, the salmon and steak entries and white chocolate mousse dessert. The wait staff was very attentive and fun. They finished cooking the food table side which was somewhat entertaining. It was pricy at $ 115 for a 4 course meal for two (without alcoholic beverages), but in my mind worth it for the excellent quality on special occasions.
The dress code is stated is «business casual» but we both felt underdressed as the wait staff wore tuxes and all of the other patrons present were in full suits or formal attire. The only other issue I had is the amount veal is on their menu (a little over half the entrees featured it). While I’m sure the veal dishes taste great, my conscience kept me from ordering them and that limited my options. Still if you want a unique meal where every morsel melts in your mouth, Vincenzo’s is a great place to go.

Wow! What an absolutely phenomenal meal! The food is wonderful and the service is even better.
A group of six dined here recently for lunch. We were greeted by everyone we encountered (host, server) and felt welcomed as soon as we walked through the door. You really feel like you’re dining amongst friends here. Everyone is friendly and treats you as if they’ve known you for years. Ruben, our server, was the best server I think I’ve ever had. He was friendly and kind, quick and helpful. He really took our dining experience to the next level. When we left, the host shook the hand of everyone in our party to say goodbye. A lot of times, Vincenzo himself walks around the dining room to talk to guests. Additionally, we were waited on by just about every server I saw. Whether it was a refill, bringing our food, or boxing our leftovers. You can tell that they really work together to ensure a great experience. Overall, Vincenzo’s provides impeccable customer service.
And oh my goodness the food! First, let me say that our entrees were brought to us about ten minutes after we ordered. I ordered the Tortellini Buddeke, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to order anything else again. Cheese filled tortellini with mushrooms and pancetta covered in the most delicious alfredo sauce I’ve ever tasted. When it comes to Italian food, I’m pretty hard to please. I make a damn good alfredo sauce that I tend to judge by, and it is hard to beat. So when I say this alfredo sauce is amazing, I mean it! Everything about the dish was perfectly prepared. It was just the right temperature — hot throughout the entire dish, but didn’t scald your mouth. The tortellini was perfectly al dente with the right amount of cheese filling. The pancetta and mushrooms were cooked to perfection and complimented the whole dish flawlessly. And the alfredo sauce was plentiful. One of my pet peeves is when restaurants don’t put enough sauce on their pasta. I like my food wet! There was more than enough sauce on my pasta, which made me happy. In fact, I even had sauce leftover to dip some bread in, which is rare for me. After I devoured possibly the best Italian dish I’ve tasted, we had dessert. I had the tiramisu, which was delectable.
I’ve only eaten here for lunch, but I imagine their dinner is just as delightful. Their lunch prices are pretty reasonable with entrees being around $ 15. I highly recommend dining at Vincenzo’s. You won’t be disappointed.

Dress nicely before you even think about coming to Vincenzo’s, as it’s similar to a wedding reception vibe. That’s the first thing to know: the wait staff are all in black tuxes and there’s lots of em. Second thing: This is very good Formal Italian in Louisville KY. I would describe Vincenzo’s as all you’d expect in an old-​school Italian menu, and what is a rarity nowadays, they serve real prime beef. For those who want a modern twist such as California-​inspired Italian nouvelle, this is not the place. They rock it old school here with white linens, crystal, table side prep, classy silverware, and they do a nice job with all the above.
Huge space in heart of downtown; large fun bar, unusual apps and antipastis, extensive menu. First Class but a bit stuffy, although they don’t mind if you show up without a tie.
I had a fantastic meal: appetizer was 2 artichoke bottoms hollowed out with a lobster and lump crab mix, topped with a beurre blanc and paprika, and finished under the broiler. They were as good as they sound. Then came a prime filet medium rare w Gorgonzola on top, with fresh baby carrots and green beans, and a mini twice-​baked potato that was a real work of art. Looked like a pastry chef went apeshit with a tuber and a pastry bag.
Expensive but worth the extra dime, recommend highly. BTW, service was quite proper, impeccable and exemplary (you could have guessed that from the tuxes…). Valet service both on incoming and outgoing left a lot to be desired, but that’s 1^st world problems. So– just go there to eat a great meal, not to be perturbed by the valet experience. Oh, those pesky valets!

Given that this seems to be popular place for business lunches, I can see myself coming here often; accordingly my impression and review will change over time… For now, I’ll say I’ve had a mixed experience.
Unwavering is the fact that the venue is lovely and the service is personal without feeling invasive. Yes, it’s old-​school hoity-​toity, and frankly that’s not really my thing, but one can’t really hold that against a place.
Food-​wise I’ve had one good meal and one bad. The good: a pan fried sea bass special that was pretty much perfect. The other time: a minestrone that the thickness of a sauce rather than a soup, with a seafood pasta that leeched a solid layer of oil.

A good friend and I went here due to having a Groupon. I just have to say it was okay. I thought I was going to fall in love with the food, but it didn’t blow me away. It was a beautiful place, but mediocre food. It was aggravating because when we went there wasn’t a lot of customers and we were seated by a very large and very loud group. The group was obviously tipsy and didn’t seem to care who they were bothering. It was quite aggravating. The waiter was attentive to us, but we weren’t impressed other than that. I wouldn’t go back.

This is a place you want to like. It has a palatial exterior and is centrally located downtown, making it perfect for date night before a show at Actors or the Kentucky Center. The valet parking insinuates luxury. And the ambiance is carried out inside the restaurant as well. The interior spaces are perfectly lit. It’s quiet, making it an ideal place to linger over cocktails or a bottle of wine in intense conversation.
But the compliments truly have to end there. This is a restaurant, after all, and the food is and should be of the utmost importance. They just don’t have anything memorable on their menu.
And I’ve given this spot multiple tries. I’ve been there for business lunches, catered banquets in the private dining room on the first floor next to the lovely courtyard and holiday gatherings in the private spaces on the second floor. Again, the location and building are perfect, but the cuisine doesn’t warrant a visit.
New management and/​or a new chef might really be able to bring this tired place back to life.
Stop by for a cocktail at the bar to check out the atmosphere, but make your dinner reservations elsewhere.

5 Stars are not enough for Vincenzo’s…
We all have our comfort zone. For me I am blessed to live in an area where there are a lot of fantastic restaurants within close proximity to where we live. When I venture out I usually come home saying that was nice, but there was no need to go there when I could had gone to… closer to home…
That was not the case last night after our Vincenzo’s experience. We loved it so much we are making plans to go back next week. It all starts the minute you walk in the door where you are greeted and treated like family. No wonder since Vincenzo’s is a local family owned restaurant with experience in fine dining that you just don’t pick up without putting in your years.
Vincenzo was part of the legendary Casa Grisanti alumni club that have gone on to open many other highly accomplished restaurants in Louisville. Take a minute and check them all out at:
It’s impossible to go wrong at any of their restaurants.
Sorry for the digression, but it is to make my key point.
First and foremost the culinary experience is fantastic. Agostino runs an excellent kitchen serving up top quality meals prepared with the finest ingredients. But what takes Vincenzo’s to the next level is Vincenzo never lost touch with the old world (Casa Grisanti) class of table-​side preparation. Your meal is finished table-​side with style like no other. It’s an art that has been forgotten, served up with a meal that will be long remembered.