Vai Restaurant

Not sure why we waited so long to go this wonderful place. We changed our reservation an hour before and they took care of us. We were given a free glass of wine as we had to wait few extra minutes so they could accommodate my quiet table request. Our Party of 4, shared 2 Apps, the Hamachi and the Salmon Tartar, The Boston Lettuce salad, The Burrata Ravioli and the evenings Fish special Red Snapper for 2. We finished with the two sweet desserts.
The food and the attentive Service was Excellent. In fact we made a reservation to go back for Sunday Brunch before we left the restaurant.

Had dinner at the bar the other night. Service was good, food was amazing. We can’t wait to come back and try other things on the menu.

Back for a second time — just can’t get here enough. This time with out of town clients. They loved the intimate setting. Staff and service was great and Vincent spent plenty of time with us as well describing dishes and talking with us. Many most Started out with hamachi which was outstanding and one had charred octopus. I Followed with the spaghetti with sweet red crab which I split but was so delicious I was almost sorry i did. I finished with the trout which was fantastic. I don’t see on too many menus so figured had to try here. Two folks had the snapper which they throughly enjoyed, one had the veal chop which was magnificent and other colleague had the Bronzino which was like butter. Excellent evening and experience! A must add to your dining mix!

One of the few places in the city where the owner is in this business for his passion for food and wine. Always using the absolutely best ingredients.
Vai’s food is tasteful and delicate.
Attentive service in a calm feeling place.
The best food in The Upper West Side!!!

Great experience on every level. The octopus with habanero pesto and burrata ravioli are must orders. Chef was very active in the front of house and our server was fantastic! Only complaint was my margarita could have been a little stronger — but I’m really stretching here to find a critique.
Tip: Hard to find as the restaurant is very dark from the outside and the sign is difficult to spot. The dining room is small so make a reservation!

I can’t remember how I found this place a few years ago (not in my neighborhood), but I’m super glad I did. Its a great spot – refined & interesting food, a good bar & great wine list (gotta get my drink on), and a cozy dining room. I’ve never had trouble getting in and almost wish I did because I hope this place stays open for years to come.

Joined some friends here for dinner last week. Very nice atmosphere, chandeliers of candles, good service, attentive and fast. We had a Boston leaf salad, delicious and a bass special, delicious. Good wine selection and cocktails. You’ll enjoy dining here.

Best food in Manhattan. Vai is my all-​time favorite restaurant. I come for special occasions consistently and stuff myself as much as I can with Chef Chirico’s incredible food. The tuna hamachi crudo duo, Brussels sprouts with charcuterie and cheese, and scallops with parsnip purée are among my most favorite dishes. The grilled octopus is too– served with jalapeño pesto and potatoes, it’s enough to make an octopus lover out of anyone. But the main event always is the burrata ravioli — it is the best pasta dish of all time and life changing! It will haunt your dreams!
The bread that comes to the table is heaven — served with confit garlic and other spreads, you will ask for more and more bread to lather up every bite of sauce or purée (particularly the truffle cream sauce served with the ravioli!!).
The ambience is wonderful — small enough to make it your most favorite neighborhood gem but always energized, sexy, and fun. Wood, brick, and candle light fill the space.
The Service is fantastic always.
This will become a favorite restaurant of yours once you dine there. Buon appetite!

Unpleasant experience with this restaurant that certainly left me not wanting to pay a visit anymore. A rather unpleasant gentleman called me the other day to «discuss» the New Year’s Eve reservation I had made. I was seeking out a restaurant that wasn’t offering some elaborate prix-​fixe event on this night and was happy to find Vai, which appeared to be keeping to the standard fare (at least that’s how it appeared on OpenTable and on their website).
Anyhow, the gentleman informed me that they would still honor my reservation but informed me that we would have to vacate the table at a certain time since they had another group of people coming in for a later seating. Seems reasonable but then he also informs me they are only offering a limited menu of «luxury items» and could not offer up an explanation of precisely what those would be. He also demanded a credit card to hold the reservation, which I would have been happy to offer up via OpenTable had it been requested at the time.
To the restaurant, I would suggest that you seek out better representatives for your restaurant who are capable of providing a reasonable level of customer service. Also, if you intend to offer only a limited menu of items on a highly coveted day for dinner reservations, I would recommend that you provide that information well in advance so folks are armed with useful information when making plans rather than having to scramble a few days before the holiday.
It’s of no consequence to me actually since I no longer have any desire to give your establishment a try since it seems quite clear that while the food may be good, the service surely leaves something to be desired.

My wife and I have dined at Vai since they first opened. We dropped in this evening and again, the experience was delightful.
The service was attentive and personal, the drinks were well crafted and the food was superb. We loved the burrata, the grilled calamari with chorizo and the main dishes which included a perfectly al dente tagliatelle with clams as well as a yummy striped bass. What a wonderful restaurant!

My husband and I were visiting New York and based on reviews made a reservation at Vai. My husband and I are foodies so I understand that we might expect more than the average patron. We make our own pasta so when we eat out we check reviews to make sure the pasta is highly recommended. My ravioli was raw and gooey. The restaurant was small and the menu limited. We dined very early before the crowds arrived so there was no reason to rush the pasta. Very disappointed.

This place was really good, staff was good and the maitre d was awesome, I had a very nice wine and prosecco. I believe I had the pork chop which was delicious, and so everthing else. Cute small intimate place, make a rez.

Reservation on a Monday night so we were taken promptly to our table. We were celebrating an anniversary, so it was a bit of a splurge for us. As an Upper West Sider I have walked by this place tons of times with curiosity about the inside since it is kinda hidden. I started with a Vanilla Martini that isn’t really a martini but actually a straight up Manhattan… okay! It was good but I will choose something else next time, my fault. Excellent table bread — a large load served with a little olive oil and garlic. The burrata appetizer was outstanding and I would come back to have it all for myself next time. Served with pistachios and grapes — so different but it was perfectly salted and delicious. Main courses included the Pappardelle and the Spaghettini with Crab. I was very satisfied with the huge pieces of crab and recommend it! Overall, it’s a pricey joint that tries very hard to be upscale. We will come back on a special occasion and perhaps sit at the bar between 4 – 7 for buy 1 get 1 cocktails.

They didn’t even let us in. They said they closed earlier then their advertised time. Not recommended what so ever, any business to advertise a time and turns away guest because their Chiefs went home early? Ridiculous, zero stars if I could.

No signage outside. Reservation is a must or you’ll be asked to wait or declined service. I’m not sure why they chose to do it this way in New York. And as with any venue in Manhattan, early is better.
Around 6.30, it started as a very peaceful evening. By around 8pm, we had scream across the table just to have a conversation.
They forgot our octopus appetizer after asking about it twice. It was good and it was comped.
The burata ravioli With truffle sauce is also quite good but very very creamy. For the large $ 25 plate, you got 6 pieces. We also had the whole branzino which was overly salty for my taste.
Overall, it was a good, but not outstanding, experience and not enough to make me come back cross town.

A group of us had the whole place to ourselves for Saturday brunch.
I got the poached eggs overtop kale + brussel sprouts. I know it sounds kind of blah and overly healthy for a Saturday brunch — but it was super flavorful and delish.
I tried a bite of the famous truffle ravioli — it was good — but honestly I don’t think I could finish a plate full — its really really rich!
They gave us a complimentary cheesecake order as a b’day dessert. I appreciated this.
All the food looked great and overall it was a great spot in the UWS for a low-​key brunch.

If you want to feel like you are downtown but want to stay on the Upper West Side, Vai could be a good option. The restaurant is small and chic and definitely caters towards the younger crowd.
The service was relatively good. The food was delicious and the restaurant certainly uses high-​quality ingredients, however the downfall was the portion sizes. My pasta was more of an appetizer portion, and most other dishes did not come if anything on the side, so some of us left hungry.
Fun spot, great food, good service, but make sure to have a snack beforehand.

Service was legit. Super kind and polite in a genuine way. When I called to say I would be late for my reservation, the guy on the phone was extremely understanding. The hostess didn’t mind when we wanted to switch tables (near the window was a bit chilly). Our waitress was helpful without being overbearing, and even brought us some complimentary desserts. Noice!
The food was fresh and well-​prepared, with generous portion sizes. However, I did take issue with the overall heaviness of the food. I ordered a brussels sprout appetizer that came doused with a «hazelnut potato mousse» but felt like a cream sauce. It was incredible tasty, but way too rich, especially for an appetizer. For the entrée, I ordered perfect al dente risotto which was dotted with chorizo, drowning in marscapone, and smothered by cumbersome chunks of salami and excessive large melted slices of parmesan that were used as a kind of garnish on top. The amount of cheese and meat in the dish was overbearing to the point of being unappetizing and it was unpleasant having to pick off all the extra stuff on top just to eat the risotto.
I’d be willing to come again as the service was so fantastic– I’d just make sure to order more carefully and ask the waitress to suggest items a bit on the lighter side.

E-​Scale: ⁸⁄₁₀
The food here is really outstanding! The branzino was awesome but kind of needed chopsticks to eat it with. The desserts are great, especially the passion fruit thing. The pasta/​ravioli is creamy and so delicious. Its more of a wine place and I wish they had more cocktails. They had a new bartender that made an amazing blackberry mint drink but for some reason it was taken off the menu. Too bad. MORE cocktails would have = 5 stars!

No doubt that it was tasty food, but it wasn’t mind blowing (esp. for the price). For appetizers, the octopus was VERY VERY good. The tuna tartar, which was suggested by the waiter, was below average. I rather have tuna & Hamachi from an OK sushi place. Burrata was yummy, but it always is.
For entrees, I got the burrata ravioli, which was enjoyable but a bit too much truffle mushroom. Other people got dishes like the pork loin, which was just ok. Not amazing flavor. The best dish was the spaccetelli? It was creamy and the pasta was nice and tender.
It’s a cute place, but a bit too crammed (esp getting to the bathroom). They take your coats for you (prob because they can’t afford to fit them behind chairs). The waiter we had, who looked like a manager, was sometimes too attentive and sometimes not at all. We would have to request things (place setting, drink, etc) multiple times. He also would brush against me with his blazer too many times when coming by because it was cramped (just an annoying bit).
I prob wouldn’t return just because there’s other options out there, esp for Italian or American.