Vela Italian Tavern - Nowatney

I’m so glad I added Vela’s to my list of new restaurants to try. The staff was very friendly and made sure I had a nice experience. I had the plantain crusted snapper and OMG I could’ve kissed the cook. The flavors were bursting through in every bite. It was well seasoned and very presentable. I have to come back and get that same meal! I was torn between the La Brezza, and Almondfi-Coast so I asked my server her recommendations… I love sweet cocktails so she recommended the Almondfi-Coast. IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT: .I will definitely be back and recommend this spot to others.

The octopus carpaccio and creme brulee were delicious! Would definitely come back again to try more of what they have to offer.

This place was lovely. We got the Valentines special of two pastas and a tiramisu for $45. We chose the spaghetti which came with shrimp and the bucatini which was topped with crispy prosciutto. The sauce for the spaghetti was a bit light for my taste but tje shrimp were absolutely delicious. The bucatini wse delicious. As for the tiramsu, it was probably one of the best I've had.

I went on Valentine’s Night with my friends for the first time and I LOVE it here! The music was great, it wasn’t too loud but it was just right. Everyone who worked there was literally so nice and amazing. Our server was Jess, she was so great. She gave us great recommendations with it being our first time dining there. The drinks were a 10/10. The hummus dip was also a 10/10, honestly everything was a 10/10 lol. But my favorite was the shrimp, if you go you should definitely get the shrimp! We’re planning on coming back for brunch one of these days

I was honestly looking so forward to trying out this new spot. Hostess was unable to find our reservation even though I showed her the confirmation. Design of color scheme of restaurant was lovely. After ordering, found out that my appetizer was not available (limited appetizer menu so that was disappointing). Ordered the truffle fries (6/10) in lieu of the Jamin croquettes not being available. The pesto chicken pasta was also disappointing (6/10). My pasta was a bit salty and gummy. Chicken had a nice flavor though. Portion size of chicken to pasta was not sufficient. Tiramisu at Publix tasted better than the one on this menu. My cocktail was amazing though. Our server was not the best either. Example, we had leftovers and she just dropped the containers and walked off. The couple next to us, that server took their food and came back with it packed in containers. So inconsistency there with level of service. This place has a lot of potential with some minor tweaks (training of staff and better quality of food served).. maybe it was an off night?