We reserved Avola for our wedding rehearsal dinner after their sister restaurant, TwentyNine, was closed due to renovations during the pandemic. Managers Anthony and Ben worked hard to give us a fantastic dining experience. Our guests were able to have the entire dining room floor open, the drinks were great, staff was attentive, and the food was extraordinary. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because the high ceilings and lack of strong A/C did make the evening a bit warm during a July evening, but otherwise I wouldn't hesitate to use Avola to host your event, and my wife and I will certainly be eating here again. read more

Stopped in recently for an early dinner with my husband. The food was good, I was also impressed with the cocktail/wine list. The owners of Avola Kitchen most certainly have spent a lot of time, money, and energy on their new venture. I want to see this restaurant succeed! We ordered the white pizza, calamari, burger, Brussels sprouts and potatoes bravas. All items were tasty, fresh, and flavorful. My husband commented on how delicious the homemade burger bun was. Overall the space is gorgeous, nice crowd, good food. Where they fall short in in their service. We sat at the bar and the two employees were too involved in their own conversation to tend to us when we wanted to order, needed another drink, etc. when we arrived there was a manager (I think) who was on the phone complaining about something/looking stressed. She also didn't greet us. The two bartenders looked like they truly didn't want to be there. Trying to get good service was like pulling teeth. After sitting with our finished plates for longer than 15 minutes, I had to let the bartender know we were finished. When you're in the location you are in and charging the prices you are charging you can at least make an effort to employ people who are professional, charming, and who actually want to take care of customers and make tips for themselves and generate revenue for your business! read more

The restaurant ambiance is very nice, well decorated. The service is extremely slow... it took almost 40 minutes to serve a simple mezze When someone have traveled abroad or even experienced authentic Mediterranean cuisine, it's very exciting to think that the option is being brought close by. Although this was disappointing, lack of Mediterranean flavor in the food and overly priced for what they are serving. It seems like this will end up being one more pizza restaurant in the area unless they speed up their game read more

Drinks are very good. However we weren't the biggest fans of our meals. Maybe we didn't order the right things? We got the egg pizza.. the squash was too big and not cooked enough. Onion rings with the steak could use more flavor. Carrot cake had too many nuts and ricotta donuts would have been better with maybe a syrup over them instead of thick chocolate underneath. My gemelli pasta was tasty though! read more

They have good food but the only reason we stayed to eat was because they had outdoor seating. It's so loud inside the bar and restaurant we could hardly hear what the hostess was saying. She actually said she can barely hear customers when they call on the phone. read more

We came here for Mother's Day Brunch and it was awful. For some reason many people who came after us got served well before us. When our food finally arrived, it was all cold and tasteless. Nothing we ordered looked appealing. The grilled octopus didn't even taste like it was grilled. The lemon ricotta pancakes were pathetic looking, thin (not fluffy) and seemed old and tasted bitter like baking soda and raw batter. The ricotta was missing. There was runny plain yogurt on top and lacked any lemon flavor. My son's cheese pizza tasted fine but had the texture of frozen pizza. The other dishes we ordered were flavorless and cold. The prices were also way too high for the poor quality food. I do not recommend this place at all. I feel like we got totally ripped off. read more

It's been 47 minutes. There was a fruit fly or something in my water. Then they brought a new bottle but no glass. 47 minutes in and we just got 3 slices of bread... the food ended up being good but the wait made us lose our appetites. read more

We live 5 minutes away and decides to try this place. It was Valentines Day and we decides to eat at the bar. The atmosphere is great. The bar area is very nice. The bar servers had no personality at all. Not that I am there for the servers but at no time did they seem happy to serve. The food was okay. It was a set menu which was fine but the prices were ridiculously high. I has the pizza and frankly, I would have preferred Anthony's in Malvern. Wasn't the best at all. The chicken dosh was good but at $32, very expensive. Frankly, this place is doing something wrong. Based on atmosphere, it should be packed. They really need to re-evaluate their menu, food and pricing. No desire to go back. Frankly, for the same price, I'll go to Alba and get a better meal. read more

Great service, friendly staff, overall great atmosphere, food was delicious and drinks were too, but way too expensive for small portions. This is not a place I could or would frequent. read more

My parents and I went to happy hour at Avola on a Thursday evening. The value at happy hour was great, especially as the quality of the food is exceptional. We ordered the cauliflower, the bread, the spaghetti with burrata, and the white pizza. All were fantastic and highly recommended. The wine offerings at happy hour are not great (the only wine special is the wine they have on tap which is just okay). This is the only aspect I would like to see improved. The inside of the restaurant is clean and very elegant. The live music is a nice touch as well. Will definitely be returning. read more

I just went for Mother's Day brunch was given the menus and then was told I could not get any entrees on the Mother's Day menus. The brunch said 11-3 and it was 3:00 at this time but supposedly you could not order entrees until 4:45. I asked the manager why and he said no one ever asked me this before. He was extremely rude and could not care if we stayed or left. We wound up staying but I simply would not go back just because of how I was treated. I have never wrote a bad review before but did not like how I was treated on Mother's Day. read more

We had a table of 5, and everyone loved the food! We ordered several small plates which were all delicious. The burrata, mushrooms, duck, and octopus were especially good. Also, Chrissy took great care of us! The drinks were great as well. The Negroni was top notch! read more

This is a new place right in Malvern. The outside is unassuming but inside is where the magic happens. The bartenders make some of the best and most unique drinks around. Avola also has a nice beer and wine selection. However, that is just the beginning of the magic. The chefs in the kitchen take food to a whole new level. The dishes are extremely flavorful with a beautiful presentation so they please both the palate as well as the eyes! The rotate both the food and drink menu to match the seasons so you will not get bored. Last but not least the severs are among the best around! Don't miss this place it will become your regular hangout! read more

This place is so fabulous!!! Never disappoints! Food, cocktails and beers are amazing! The Manager rocks and so does his staff! My husband and I go on a weekly basis. read more

Love the place, good environment, clean and neat, server are friendly and the food are Delicious... Yes definitely coming back.

Love this new spot in Great Valley/Malvern right off the turnpike. 5 stars for the ambiance and food. Impressed they make their own pasta here. Menu has something for everyone- comfort food with an upscale flair. Highly recommend read more

Fun atmosphere, menu selections are very good and the food is great. The Live music is awesome, definitely recommend a visit.

The tuna app and lamb pasta were my favorite but everything we ate was good. Staff was friendly and attentive.

Great find..in town for few days on business..sat in bar and impressed to find about 20 food items on happy hour menu..tried the roasted red pepper walnut dip, mussels diavolo, seared Brussels sprouts and spaghetti pomodoro..amazing taste and quality..bartender (Steve?) very knowledgeable and attentive..HIGHLY recommend this place! read more

Avola Kitchen + Bar - Bars Near Me - Malvern, Pennsylvania

Terrible!! Our server was rude and slow. We waited almost 30 minutes to get our drinks. Main dining room is very cramped and ridiculously loud!!! Food was fair at best and definitely overpriced!! Will not be going back!! read more

We wanted to go here because we were craving pasta. The decor is so pretty and there are a lot of visual items to admire. The cocktail list is delicious (we got a Bourbon Smash) and the wine list + beer list has everything you could want. We ordered two small plates to start. The calamari is unique because it's spicy, but fresh even though fried. The truffle mushrooms were a great accompaniment. The Spaghetti Pomodoro was absolutely amazing. I could eat it every day. My husband and I split this which was covered in delicious marscarpone and mozzarella along with the Carbonara Pizza. All pizzas and pasta as are scratch made. This was a phenomenal meal and we left full and wanting to come back soon. This is a great place and I hope it sticks around!!! I can't wait to go back to try their other pastas. read more

This place is awesome! Everything from start to finish was excellent. We ordered the calamari, crab avocado toast, steak, scallops, batatas bravas, and the flourless chocolate cake. Would highly recommend everything we tried. The restaurant is beautiful also and the atmosphere was great. Looking forward to going back! read more

My daughter and I went here for lunch today. The interior is beautiful, bright, and modern. We ordered cocktails (highly recommend-white cosmo and 3 springs mule) and our drinks were yummy as well as pretty. We started with avocado toast without the crab, and it was very good. My daughter had the blt and I had a Margherita pizza. The blt was the best I've ever tasted, made with homemade bread that was made in house and heirloom tomatoes. The pizza dough was so light and also made in house. The crust was as good as the rest of it, super delicious! Our server was Liz and she was excellent. We will be back! read more

I'm in Malvern for a conference and my coworkers and I decided to stop here for dinner. All of the food was wonderful and the service was great too! Definitely recommend. read more

Atmosphere was great! Service was impeccable and the food was perfect! We had the mussels and a fig pizza that was a special that night. Dessert was delicious as well! Will definitely be going back! read more

When we arrived at the restaurant (sitting on patio) the temperature was 73, when we left it was 63. We arrived at 6:45, our meal arrived at 8:15. We left at 8:45. Much of this time was spent waiting. Waiting for food. Waiting for manager. Waiting for bill. Food: by the time it came I would eat anything. I had the gnochetti, it was OK. My friend ordered saffron shrimp without chiles. It arrived with chiles. Her husband ordered spaghetti--which was undercooked. My son ordered Swiss chard, which he said was good. Portions: three of the meals adequate. The spaghetti looked like a side dish, not a $21 main meal. Service: our server was pleasant but not all that present. We don't know if server was the reason that chiles were on the saffron dish or if it was the kitchen. We assumed the kitchen, as even the manager admitted there was trouble in the kitchen. The server COULD have given a heads up that the meal would take a long time or brought us bread or asked if we wanted to change our order to something faster, but she didn't. The best service was from the water filler. Our water glasses were always full. When we asked water server where server or manager was, he was charming in saying that wasn't his conversation. The manager was NOT charming when he finally came out--30 minutes after we requested his presence. The short version is he was busy in the kitchen so that others wouldn't be having the dining experience we were having. His attitude is best described as defensive. Price: $0. They comped the entire meal. The thing is, we didn't go there to have a free meal, we went there to have a nice dinner for my friend's birthday and to try a new place. We didn't ask for a comped meal and we were not expecting a free meal--it was kind of thrown at us as part of the managerial technique. The server had said the wine, beer, and dessert would be comped and then never brought a dessert menu. Slightly later she said "your dinner will be comped" but it wasn't clear if that was directed to one person for the over spiced shrimp meal or everyone. We would have left then without waiting for the manager, but we didn't want to be "walkouts". Ambience: it was nice eating outside--especially after rainy weekend. Will we be back? Maybe it was just a bad night. Maybe our group doesn't drink enough. It is too expensive and there are too many other restaurants to risk a repeat performance here. Note to manager: you made a below average situation memorable. read more

This was a great Italian restaurant! If you want a twist on Italian this is your place. The restaurant itself is beautiful the decor is very trendy. It feels like you're in downtown Philly. The lights were dimmed low (could be lower, but for the suburbs, I'll take what I can get). All the food that we ordered was delicious and had really great flavor. We started with a few apps - the calamari, beets, and corn chowder- all amazing! Then we split pizza (it was a special that evening) and the gnocchetti pasta and the carrots as a side. They were all delicious. And the bread they give you is hands down the best bread I've ever had at a restaurant. I know that's silly but I feel compelled to talk about the bread because it was SO. DAMN. GOOD. Drinks were on point too!! Will definitely be back! So happy to have a place like this in the suburbs. read more

Modern and fresh Italian cuisine. Everything on the menu is interesting and nicely prepared and presented. The beer and wine selection is satisfactory and reasonably priced. Food prices are a little steep for the area, but the quality makes it a good value. We were in a separate room from the live music, so it was just the right volume. I look forward to coming here more often. My friends say the happy hour is great. read more

Had dinner with friends and they reccomend we try Avola. We were immediately impressed with the atmosphere, live music and great service. The food and drinks did not disappoint. We ordered and shared several small plates, entrees and desserts. Every single item we ordered was delicious! Some of our faves were the meatballs, brussel sprouts, pork pizza and the gnocchi. I'd also reccomend the white Cosmo, it was quite tasty. The owner came to our table to introduce himself and ask for feedback, we had nothing but rave reviews. We cant wait to go back!!!! read more

I have been here a few times and tonight was the last time I will be back. Live music is way to loud and does not fit the theme Avola is targeting. I could barely hold a conversation with my family. If you want live music, have them perform after 10pm not at 7pm on a Saturday evening. Food is overpriced and average at best. Service is slow but you cannot hold that against the waitress. The chef is slower than molasses on a hot summer day. Hour and half to have our food served. Overall I tried to like Avola however, I am disappointed that they haven't worked out the kinks of being a new restaurant in an up and coming area. read more

Had a great dinner at Avola Kitchen & Bar . Calamari was the best I've had! Pizza and pasta dishes were very flavorful. There were 5 of us at dinner and everyone enjoyed everything. Service was great and the owner took time to stop by to offer suggestions and check on everything Will definitely go back M Rende read more

Very impressed for such a new place (open a little over a month). We got a wide assortment of things and it was all good. The steak tartare was perfect. The Philly steak pizza was just the right level of spicy. The kids loved their pasta and cheese pizza. The mushroom fettucini had a good amount of cheese and fungi. Service was good, we were seated promptly, music was fun (though it was Latin, not Mediterranean); basically a very nice overall experience with no complaints. Looking forward to going back so we can try more. read more

Went for dinner and drinks and couldn't have had a better experience. The cocktails are amazing and the manager is very knowledgeable about the food and drink lists. The food was also amazing, we had the broccolini appetizer along with the mussels, both were excellent. For dinner we had the spaghetti (awesome handmade pasta and fresh burrata) and the Italian pork Sandwich which did not disappoint. The service was impeccable. Will definitely be back as we add Avola to our regular rotation. read more

My daughters and son took me our to dinner at Avola Sat.  night to celebrate my 60th Birthday! The resteraunt was beautiful. The waitress was extremely friendly and very accommodating to all of our  requests. The owner was super nice and made sure to talk with all of the patron's to ensure we were pleased with the food and service. The food was scrumptious and the drinks...well let's just say this, they were extremely well made!! Yummy!! Thanks all for making my birthday special!! read more

Been here a couple times and it was great. Awesome bar and live music. Tonight we had a horrible waitress and the food was a problem. When we complained the manager came out and got aggressive with us. I was insulted I will never go back. read more

Avola almost had a full 5 stars from me. Walking into Avola it feels almost out of place for the small shopping center it's in. The staff is very polite and helpful with recommendations, and the service was prompt. The steak I ordered was cooked perfectly, the black rice vinaigrette was a bit strong but delightful. I pretty sure I could taste truffle on the frittes which helped elevate the flavor. Most of the two tops are unfortunately push up against the wall to make room for larger parties but the outdoor seating does look romantic. If I enjoyed myself so thoroughly why only 4 stars? They engage in a slightly deceptive practice that I unfortunately fell victim to. When you sit down you are immediately greeted by someone that asks you "sparkling or still or tap water", no mention of any cost. I would never expect to pay for any water offered sparkling or not at the beginning of a meal but on top of that I have an auditory processing disorder so I heard it as "sparkling or still tap water", I said still. I was a bit surprised when they brought a bottle out with water but didn't really think twice about it till my bill came. I was charged $7 for my water. Unfortunately where I had been ready to sing the praises of Avola, a $7 water has left a sour taste. read more

Everything here was eh. Food. Ambience. Service. All mediocre. We started with a salmon small plate. It wasn't great. I had the bronzino which was overdone and the presentation was a bit of a hot mess. Wife's pasta dish was okay. The drinks were good! The desert was where it fell apart- ricotta donuts did not come as advertised. Was really just a bowl of hot over fried dough. I'll chalk it up to a bad night. Probably won't try it again. read more

I thought I would try this casual restaurant but I will not go back. I was very disappointed - the service was not very welcoming. Had to track down the waitress to get a check. The drinks and food are very expensive, dinner for four was $200. The food was ok but the portions were small and and we left hungry. Not a good experience. read more

Went here for happy hour - food wasn't great. We ordered the margarita pizza which came out as plain pizza with no basil or tomatoes. They said the basil was baked inside the pizza!!??? It sure wasn't just plain old pizza. We also ordered the burrata with prosciutto and it was horrible. There wasn't again any argula that was suppose to be on it. Service was fine but food not one bit. Nothing to rave about. read more

Great location (quick turnpike access in both directions). Have eaten here several times with our sales team (including today). The food in short is outstanding. We had a few appetizers along with several pizzas. The seasoning and flavors are well balanced creating a unique taste for each dish. The food is only surpassed by the service. Brittny has waited on our table multiple times. She's outstanding in every aspect. She has a great personality. Her attention to detail and perfectly timed delivery of each course make the overall experience something special. Highly recommend for a great dining experience at fair prices. read more