Decided to have our last dinner here at Sorrento and Ristorante Vela Bianca did not disappoint. The Golden Cod Bites had crispy skin and were to die for. The Seafood Risotto was simply delicious. Just the risotto and the broth without the seafood was very flavorful. The mussels and clams were fresh and tender while the crispy tuna with fennel salad was refreshing. Service was excellent as always. read more

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Recommended by the hotel i stayed in Sorrento. They are located by the water and far from the main downtown Plaza. However, they offer a shuttle service. The food was amazing, fresh, and delightful. They are also very generous with portions. Their service is also super, very friendly, and they all speak Engliah read more

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Very gracious staff, delicious food, in a relaxing and clean restaurant located right on the marina! We had a margarita pizza with fresh buffalo mozzarella for our appetizer, that was "the best I ever had" according to my mom. Also had the fresh red snapper, grilled vegetables and a side of pasta with fresh tomatoes! We cleaned our plates and forgot to take pictures. My mom had a glass of the local dry white wine that was "excellent" . read more

Ristorante Vela Bianca - Vela Bianca - serves the best olive and fresh herb Bread and margarita pizza - Italian Near Me - Sorrento, NA

Easily the best food we had on this trip and I'd probably say in my life as well. We came here our first night in Sorrento around 10:30 PM. We were pretty much the only people here and we're treated like royalty we were met with a free round of Prosecco, as well as a free appetizer. Every single person in our large group, enjoyed everything. the fried calamari was the best ever. The steamed clams and muscles were delicious. The octopus was unreal, as well as linguini and clam sauce and seafood risotto was a huge hit. We actually came back here a second night on our trip. We love this place. read more

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I liked some of the food here. We had the gnocchi and the chicken (in lemon wine sauce, served with potatoes and peas). The gnocchi was tasty, especially the red sauce it came in. However, the chicken was a bit overcooked, and the peas didn't taste very fresh. The potatoes were good, though. The restaurant is clean and spacious inside. The outdoor seating unfortunately does not have a view of the water: it's situated at a below ground floor level, so there is just a view of the stairs going up to the pier. The waitstaff were attentive and friendly. They spoke English and provided timely check ins to make sure we didn't need anything. read more

Ristorante Vela Bianca - Gnocchi with red sauce. - Italian Near Me - Sorrento, NA

It was 7 pm and we thought outdoor sitting would be okay. Not so, too windy and below grade. So no view. Then it got colder as the night progressed. The food was just average and for the premium price that you are paying. The appetizer marks and clams along with the lemon octopus were well portioned. Still higher priced than most restaurants. The spaghetti with clams was a huge disappointment. Not many clams and for an American taster, the spaghetti seemed too al dente. The steak was not cooked perfectly. It ordered medium and some of it were rare. The service was friendly, kind, and attentive. Until the staff had more diners. In addition, the staff asked for a tip. Thought that was unusual in Italy. read more

This is the best seafood and pasta restaurant in Sorento. Why? They actually get al dente right, the food is perfectly seasoned and the service is exceptional. I was actually just trying to find parking for the ferry to Capri, and a really nice guy from the restaurant came and showed me where to go. On the way back, stopped and ate. read more

Service was not good. Very inattentive. I had to get up and solicit service 4 times during our meal. Again to get my check. Then again to pay...! The food was mediocre at best. It was ok... Would not recommend for the price! read more

Ristorante Vela Bianca was one our our favorite places we ate at during our trip to Europe! (prior to visiting Sorrento, we were in Paris, Lucerne, Milan, Venice, Florence, and Rome!) We stayed at the Hilton Sorrento Palace and the restaurant has a free shuttle service from the hotel to the restaurant. The restaurant is located in the ancient seafaring village of the port of Sorrento, facing the gulf of Naples. The structure stands on various levels: L'antica taverna offers a more intimate dinner inside with a view of the port. Just behind the main entrance is a stair case which leads you down into the alley where there is an outdoor seating area and you can look into the kitchen. Also down the stairs and to the right are the restrooms. We ate here 3 times! They gave us complimentary appetizers each time we dined here. (different every day). They have a lovely cart with fresh fish on ice. You can pick out the fish you want for dinner and they prepare it for you. The fish comes out beautifully only seasoned with olive oil and some herbs. No need to heavy sauces or anything. I tried the sea-bass and my husband picked out a nice red snapper. They also have a vegetable buffet and most are marinated in olive oil (eggplant, squash, zucchini etc). OMG, best I've ever had! There is no where in California where I can get the same quality! The seafood risotto, spaghetti with clams, grilled octopus, mussels, fried King prawns, gnocchi are also to die for! Our wedding anniversary was on May 20th and we came here for dinner again. Since we became friends with the manager Michael, he knew about it. So during our dinner, they dimmed the lights to the entire restaurant and sang to us in Italian. They also have us a complimentary dessert (it was a cross between a pie, chocolate cake and custard). I really have no way of describing it, but it was delicious! The last dinner here I ordered a Margherita pizza and my husband for a calzone. Coming here was definitely a highlight of our trip! read more

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Hype and recommendations by hotel is exaggerated or compensated. The bruschetta was good - it ends there. The appetizers are ok, but priced higher than the deserved. Most entrees were excessively overpriced for the quality and quantity being served. This is far from fine dining. Typical Italian specialties were poorly executed - and not seasoned well. you could get better ravioli from a can of Chef Boyardi. The pizza tasted like a grilled cheese quesadilla and calamari was horrible. Soup.... 70.00 for zuppa di Pesce for 2 is ridiculous IF THE FOOD WAS GOOD, the price would not be an issue. The food was not good. read more

Came here on a sunny day. It was fantastic. I especially loved the lemon torts cake. We had salad some stuffed pasta. It was a delicious way to spend my time in sorrento. Everyone is so helpful and happy. Loved it here. read more

Ristorante Vela Bianca - Lemon torta - Italian Near Me - Sorrento, NA

Our private driver recommended this restaurant to us, and we were not disappointed! The location is right on the water, so you can walk around before or after to take in the beautiful views of Sorrento. The service was excellent from start to finish, and the food...INCREDIBLE! My husband had the lamb chops, and I had the seafood risotto. We had bruschetta and the prawn cocktail to start. We drank the Chianti, which was an excellent choice. We will certainly be back on our next journey to Sorrento! read more

Ristorante Vela Bianca - Italian Near Me - Sorrento, NA

I came here a few days before my wedding with my family and everyone was very hospitable. Food was SO FRESH! The waiter had a great attitude and the food mixed very well with the wine. Lol The location doesn't have the best view of the staff here really make for a great time and it is hardly ever busy. The seafood here was absolutely incredible! read more

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We tried Restorante Vela Bianca because the hotel manager recommended it for seafood. The restaurant provides free transportation to and from the restaurant and the hotel which was a plus after a day of walking. The restaurant was bright and clean, the service was was attentive. We started with the roasted octopus which was cooked perfectly, it was tender and combination with the potatoes was great. I had the yellow tail with black olive crust which was disappointing, it was room temperature and lacked any flavor at all! My wife had the prawns and risotto which was served nice and hot had good flavor but at the price I would of expected more than 3 medium sized shrimp. Overall I would not recommend this restaurant, for the price i am sure there are better choices. read more

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Our hotel, Il Faro, owns and operates the restaurant and gave us 10% off when we checked in. We ate around 7:30 and had a seafood themes meal. Seafood & Shellfish salad, linguini with shellfish, & the seafood risotto. Inside you can pick your own fish with a rolling cart on ice that goes around the restaurant. Since we ate outside we never saw it. They also offer car service to and from many hotels to get people to come down the piccolo marina area. It's hard to find of you were just walking around aimlessly. While I've had better meals in Italy I would still recommend this restaurant if you're looking for seafood. read more

My wife and I are starting the third week of an epic tour of Italy here in Sorrento that began in Venice. We worked our way south thru Cinque Terra, Pisa, Tuscany and every lunch, every dinner we threw a dart choosing a new place. Enoteccas, ristorante, trattoria. No research, limited recommendations. All experiences were stellar. Not ONE bad nor underwhelming meal. Until Sorrento. Our first night we chose the venue based upon location and atmosphere, on the water Our first hmmm meal in two weeks. Tonight, we researched and chose Ristorante Vela Bianca based upon reviews and again had a disappointing meal. Prices are higher than all other parts of Italy we toured but we expected that. We ordered a starter, prawns with a citrus sauce...shrimp cocktail. 8 minuscule shrimp in a not citrusy mayonnaise. Table side we were shown all the lovely fresh fish to choose from. My wife chose a chunky sea bass to be prepared in a citrus walnut sauce. She got a tiny portion of bland fish, without citrus nor walnuts. I had a pretty solid tagliatelle with bolognese which I enjoyed. We waited forever for wine service, got less than the liter of good wine we ordered. Staff sensed our dissatisfaction and attempted redemption, delivering a rubbery fried calamari and margherita pizza as consolation. We had amazing Frito misto of anchovy, calamari and shrimp from a food truck in Montorosso for $6 that was fresh, crisp and superb. All our experiences prior to Sorrento were so wonderful and inexpensive. I don't want to leave Italy on a downswing! Five more nights to get back on track!! read more

Restaurant was recommended by the hotel concierge. We thought for sure it would be a hit, but boy were we wrong! We've traveled all over Italy and this was BY FAR the worst food I've eaten, even in the USA. The octopus was salty and fishy, the raviolis tasted like spaghettos out of a can, the bread was stale and the pizza was basically a cheese quesadilla. The food is way over priced, $75 for two bowls of fish soup? When we were asked if we liked the meal, the owner said "you should've ordered something else." read more

Wonderful restaurant. Free shuttle from Hilton, made this an easy decision on the first night after traveling from USA. Service was friendly and very helpful. The wine recommendation was excellent and inexpensive. Table-side filet of sea bass was a delicious meal. All the seafood we ordered was well prepared and delicious. We returned another night, which is not something we usually do. Easy recommendation. read more

Can't find a good thing to say about this restaurant other than they will transport you to and from your hotel.The head waiter(Michelle??) is a pompous jerk who parades large fish around rather than tend to the needs of his customers.We had a party of six and everyone's food was unremarkable,at best.We were left sitting at our table for 3 hours before we eventually flagged down a bus boy to get our check.The restaurant was half empty most of the evening so no excuse for the lack of decent service.Would never recommend this place unless you are desperate for a free ride read more

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE. Wish we had never listened to our hotel recommendation. Wanted a nice seafood restaurant and heard it was supposed to be good so we checked it out. First off, TERRIBLE service. We sat there for 15 minutes without menus after we had asked many times for them. We all ordered our food and when we received it, one of the dishes was incorrect. When trying to ask the waiter if we could get what we had ordered, he tried to convince us that what was sitting on the table was what we were describing... it was NOT. Thankfully another waitress fixed the issue... 30 minutes later. Do not waste your money here! Awfully expensive for mediocre food and terrible service. read more

First time in Sorrento, Italy. We are glad the hotel recommended this place. You need to ask Lello his recommendations. We had Calamari (fantastic), special local wine (Fiorduva) and salt cooked red snapper (not on menu). Again, you must ask for Lello to get the best this place has to offer! read more

Ordered 5 meals and every forkful was amazing. The dessert was absolutely unbelievable. We ordered a little of everything they offered. Simply spectacular! read more

Tourist trap. The place was recommended by the hotel we stayed at and they offered free transportation which turned out to be the only good thing about it. Although we came really hungry we could not finish our plates. Especially bad were the risotto and lamb. Save yourselves. read more

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT. After a beautiful day exploring Sorrento, our hotel (the Hilton) sent us here as a recommendation as a delicious local Italian seafood restaurant...this could not be farther from the truth. The waiter raved about the seafood risotto; so, of course 2 out our party of 4 ordered it -- 'a no brainer,' we thought. As a coastal city, we were under the impression we would be enjoying some of the freshest seafood Italy had to offer. This was not the case. The shellfish was cold and the shells were sprinkled throughout the pasta, almost costing me a tooth. You may get a free taxi ride to the restaurant, but it would be worth to pay the cab fare to another place. read more

Stopped in here for a quick lunch after it was recommended by a nearby vendor at the point. We had the best pizza I have tasted since touching down in Italy over a week ago. The servers were extremely helpful and friendly. There were several tables of locals dining at the same time (always a good sign) so we seemed to be the only tourists. The manager and servers stopped by several times to check on us and ask questions. They seemed genuinely interested in our visit to Sorrento and their restaurant, which shows their love for their business and customers. Happy to recommend this restaurant - you won't regret eating here! read more

We also visited Vela Bianca on the Hilton Sorrento Palace manager's recommendation. It is located down at the port and would have been quite a hike or taxi ride if not for the hotel-restaurant's free shuttle arrangement. It was our first night on the Amalfi Coast and we enjoyed a delicious feast and excellent service. We spend 159 euros for the three of us but it was worth the splurge. read more

Hotel recommended this to us bc they pick you up at your location and bring you home... It was not good- you should never be able to smell any seafood ...so when the calamari was served and I needed to get it off the table because of the smell saying it was too fishy is an understatement and the gnocchi was bland, sea bass smelled also fishy and lamb chops were flavorless and tough. Sorry just telling the truth. read more

Food was good, not the best I've ever had in Italy, but good, so I'm not going to give 1 star, but the service was terrible. The Go Ahead group suggested this restaurant for us for our last night in Italy, because they will send a car to pick you up, and there were 19 of us. They just kind of stuck us all together at two tables without asking, which was fine, but didn't check on us much, we were there for hours and hours waiting for the food to come out, the water was empty for at least 45 minutes. We know Italians aren't big on separate checks but we just wanted 4 because there were different families and everything was really expensive, not everyone got the same thing so it wouldn't have been fair to make someone pay 45 when they wpent 19, we told them how to split it before we started so there wouldn't be a problem later. We wanted dessert but didn't have another 3 hours to spend and it had already been 3 hours so we told them we had an early flight the next morning leaving at 3 am so could we just get the check please. He said, ok! 1 check then! And turned around and walked off. My mother started motioning after him from the middle of the huge table, she couldn't get up to chase him into the kitchen, and she said no! No! He pretended he didn't hear her. He brings out the bill while we have to get all of our euros together and figure out how to split it from two tables. Of course some people were upset, because they just had to pay more and we were leaving the next morning so couldn't go to the bank and change out more euros to pay each other back. He came and checked on us 4 times to see if we were ready to turn the bill back to him. I told him no, we were making change and it would be a while. This was supposed to be his job sorting out this mess. You think with a huge 700 dollar check they would want to be a little more accomodating and Americans tip by the way. We overtipped anyway, because every American knows, 10% is rude and even if you have the worst experience, nothing is as bad as the feeling you get when you don't tip at all. So the last thing to do was tip one of the driver's that didn't get his tip on the way. My mother goes over there just to ask for change for a 20 euro mark and the driver gives her a look, like get out of the restaurant annoying a**hole American woman, and simply says to her, "no" with a rude tone. Not no I am sorry we cannot make change for you, just, "no." My mother is about the nicest woman you could ever meet and didn't throw a fit, but she was so mad I thought her head was going to spin off. I would recommend this restaurant to a couple, not a big group. I think we just were treated differently, because they didn't want to deal with a huge group. read more

Was in Sorrento for two nights and decided to eat here for both!! Mussels are the best I've ever had (very salty though for those sensitive to that) & the spaghetti with clams was fantastic. The clams were small, just how I like them. The service is good also, the waiter remembered us after just one visit and gave us some free prosecco. read more