As of 5/13/2026, the restaurant does NOT serve or permit alcohol in the building. Food was delicious and the service was excellent. read more

There is a very good reason this place has been here since 1947.......fantastic food. My wife and I went there on Saturday for lunch and had a fantastic meal. Our server Allison was on point, and made sure the experience was great. We started things off with the calamari, which was hands down the best I have ever tasted. I ordered the traditional, which was 3 pieces of fried chicken, spaghetti, and a cheese ravioli.....I suspect all the pasta is made in-house, as it was tender and you cannot get pasta that good from a bag. My wife had the build your own, which consisted of fettucine alfredo, lasagna, and spaghetti with meatballs. Hands down, the alfredo stole the show and was creamy and delicious. Definitely going to go back in the future and try more.....was totally worth it! read more

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Food is okay, nothing was bad. But some of it lacking seasoning. But it was okay, I got the lasagna and it was very cheesy. Rolls were spongey like they were heated up in the microwave. It's was just okay, nothing too exciting unfortunately. Wish I could say more! read more

You cannot beat this place. It's a true NWA treasure. The food is amazing, and always made fresh. Menu has not changed in decades, maybe ever. Specials are always great. Service is always great. The place still looks like it did when I was a kid. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. Venesian has it figured out! read more

The Venesian Inn is a classic old‑school restaurant that has been owned and run by the original family since 1947. Order a plate of pasta with meat sauce and a salad. A+ every time. read more

We love the Venesian Inn. My first experience was 1988 and we still make a point to stop in for a meal every time we are close. We have tried other Italian restaurants in the area and refuse to go back. This is the spot. Love the old tables and vibe. Please don't change a thing. read more

Not the old Venetian inn we were used to in the past. Food seemed precooked and service was extremely slow. Quality seemed to be a couple notches below the past. We watched two other tables walk out before getting their food. Wes waited over an hour for cafeteria food. Same atmosphere as in the past but it felt more like a less personal diner than in the past. read more

Went with a group of coworkers after a work day (about 10 total). We were able to get seating very easily and the service was friendly and accommodating. Overall food was great and would recommend. read more

This place is weeeird. It's dark, musty, gloomy, the decor is beyond strange. When my wife and I went, the restaurant was near empty of customers but there were 7-9 employees just milling around. When the couple in the booth next to us left, one of the employees stared out the window at them until they drove away, then loudly said "phew." No idea what that was about. The food didn't taste gross but it wasn't worth getting excited about either. Spaghetti ok. Chicken cooked really well but under-seasoned. But the salad, that was the part that really got me confused. The salads here consist of only shredded lettuce and dressing--no croutons, no onion, no tomatoes, no nothing. The poor waitress (who was very nice and helpful) had to sheepishly advise us as she set the plates down that the salads need salt and pepper. They uh... needed way more than that, lol. read more

Venesian Inn - salad, if you can call it that - Italian Near Me - Tontitown, Arkansas

So we have been here before and we love the chopped salad and house dressing. For whatever reason the food this time was not what we remembered. The chicken with spaghetti was okay. But not as great as it was before. The oil tasted old that it was cooked in. The service was great. And atmosphere pleasant. read more

Venesian Inn - grand opening of the grand opening of the grand - Italian Near Me - Tontitown, Arkansas

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Great food. Love the history/ambiance. Nice to be served family/heirs of the founders.

I grew up eating here so I am a little biased. My wife and I stopped in one evening for italian food and fried chicken. I ordered the pick 3 create your own sampler and got chicken ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs and chicken parmesan. The chicken ravioli is phenomenal! It was our favorite thing we got. I had always thought it was a beef ravioli growing up eating it. Guess I was mistaken. The Spaghetti and meatballs were in second place with homemade pasta and a great red sauce. This red sauce was on the ravioli also. Third place was the chicken parm. It was good just not as good as the other two in our opinion. I have always enjoyed the tart oil and vinegar salad. Simple but classic. Add a little parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and it is perfect. The dinners come with homemade dinner rolls which are addictive! Normally we would rate their fried chicken as the best. The chicken was not as good this night. It was over cooked and dry. The server was very nice and offered to replace it or take it off our ticket. We tried the onion rings too. Pretty good. read more

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Ambiance: still great; Service: adorably outstanding; Food: big time FAIL (I ordered the $$$ steak and it was TOUGH, and though ordered med-rare there was NO 'juice,' the rolls were doughy and without a 'golden' top, the chicken also ). Finally, through no fault of their own, there was a youngster who (literally) screamed most of the time we were dining--he/his group was located on the farthest opposite side of the establishment yet his disposition (for me) negatively impacted the experience of every patron present. read more

Venesian Inn - Traditional! Cracker and butter, while waiting for dinner. - Italian Near Me - Tontitown, Arkansas

Wow, it was so amazing. I'll even say it backwards, wow! Amazing and courteous waitstaff serving the best Italian food I've had in over a decade. It's easy to see why they have been in business for 75 years. Anytime you're in the northern hemisphere and close you need to stop in. The best lasagna, hands down I have ever had...way better than mommas! read more

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Went in on a Saturday night. Our waiter was awesome. Knew the menu and the wines very well. We love the salad and all the food we had. Would go back again! read more

The homemade pasta is wonderful. A flavor I have never experienced with Italian. Makes you look at other pasta differently. The lasagna...wow. Chicken Alfredo and spaghetti was good too. Don't forget the wine. read more

Venesian Inn - Sampler - Italian Near Me - Tontitown, Arkansas

Great service, great atmosphere and great food. Didn't know what to expect and were pleasantly surprised.

Service is ok. Food took quite awhile to get to us. Salad is extremely lame. Just lettuce and nothing else. What a joke. Very bad. Steak not cooked as ordered. Not much elbow room. Crowded atmosphere. Need to either expand or have fewer tables. Not a good experience and way overrated. You can cook a better meal at home any given day of the week. read more

Pretty cool little place. Good food and fantastic service. Family owned and unique atmosphere.

I have not been able to eat here since Covid hit, but saw their new hours so I placed a to go order. The salad dressing seems to be the same but the fried chicken, spaghetti, and fettuccine Alfredo has changed. The spaghetti sauce fell flat. It had a different flavor than what I remembered. The fried chicken was the same, no flavor in spite of the batter. It appears they added some herbs in it and I'm not sure what else, but I didn't care for it. The Fettuccine Alfredo was my husbands ate it and he didn't like it. (I wish the new owners would go back to the original recipes.) The rolls in the restaurant used to be so good but I believe my order had old rolls. I don't know how restaurants handle fresh breads, but the Venesian Inn needs help. To go orders should be prepared as in restaurant orders. I hope it was an off day but not sure when I will go back. read more

All of it ! Love this place. Wished we had more time to stay & try the steaks ...been a while.

Food yummy, fun atmosphere and great service: Loved the spaghetti and chicken parm! Parents came here in college ...nice tradition after 60 years! read more

The atmosphere was nice, not Italy, but nice. The food was good. We both had the Sampler #19, no changes, no substitutions. We told the waitress that we guarded against lasagna, because we both make a really delicious one. She said she would challenge that this one is great. I disagree. It is missing robust flavor, that is the signature of Italy! Roma tomatoes, Italian seasoning, sausage, meat sauce! This lacked the Robust flavors! The handmade noodles were good. I know they take work, but when you make them by hand, you can flavor them too! Olives! Olive oil and Italian seasoning is what we told the owner! She said itnisnher and husband cooking and running the show! read more

Venesian Inn - Their idea of a salad! - Italian Near Me - Tontitown, Arkansas

It's been a while since we've been here, the Covid issue..... we came in for lunch today. We were a party of three and two had the Italian chicken wings in a parm sauce! The wings were a big hit!! It says 3 wings and these days 3 wings usually means 3 sections.... Not here, 3 wings means 3 whole wings!! The sauce was awesome, the sides were great. One had the mixed vegetables and the other had a side of spaghetti with a side salad!! I chose the hamburger with onion rings! Added cheese and now I need a long nap to get over how much I ate!! Absolutely awesome!! And of course the lunch specials all include a drink and the famous Venetian Inn rolls!! We had to get a couple of to go boxes and now we have dinner for one and dessert for all three of us! The rolls are soooo wonderful with a little honey...as usual the service was outstanding and always with a smile! I can without reserve recommend the Venetian Inn as a great lunch restaurant!!! read more

The service is always fantastic and the food is consistently delicious. It has always had a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere. I definitely enjoy my visits here. read more

I've lived in NWA for a few decades and have eaten at Venesian Inn many times. My last visit was many years ago. We dined at Venesian last Friday night - it was just as I remembered it - simple, clean dining room, friendly staff and delicious Italian food. Allyson was our waitress - she took great care of us and offered helpful menu suggestions. She is also part of the family/heritage of the restaurant - that also makes this place special. We started with the sampler app and the light crispy onion rings. I l love the simple house salad - lettuce tossed with vinegar/oil. Homemade wheat rolls and their local Cabernet Sauv and Italian Red wine were the perfect pairings for our chicken parmigiana and shrimp scampi entrees. There is nothing better than homemade pasta! Delicious! We enjoyed the entire experience. And 2 glasses of wine were $13. The entrees were less than $17 each. *I hope they add dessert before our next visit. read more

Been several (10-12) years since we dined in the restaurant, it was still amazing food.. spaghetti and chicken was hot and well just awesome. Shrimp scampi with pasta was wonderful. Service was spot on...will have to make Venetian Inn a regular stop. read more

I have been eating here when I'm in the area over 30 years. I have had almost everything on the menu over the years. My go to meal is the spaghetti and fried chicken breast with a house salad. So I order it again with a fried ravioli appetizer. Everything was delicious except the fried chicken. The crust was very hard like a shell and didn't really bond to the chicken. I had the same experience a year earlier but felt I had possibly just caught it on a bad night. My thoughts are that someone new is frying the chicken because for years it was exactly the same. However this won't deter me from returning because there are many other great things on the menu. As we all know nothing stays the same time changes most everything. However the staff were very attentive and gave fantastic service. I definitely feel the service was better than it has ever been. read more

What an amazing locally owned and operated establishment. It's a bit off the beaten path but well worth the trip. If nothing else, THOSE ROLLS! I just can't get enough. Fried chicken was good and our appetizers hit the spot! I love the nostalgia of this place! read more

Service is always friendly. But food is hit and miss. Some days it is amazing and others a complete disappointment. Because the quality of food is so sporadic we probably will not be back for awhile. read more

Must try! It's the freshest and yummiest in town. Try their lunch specials too- very reasonable

Great food and historical vive. Some of the best Italian food especially the chicken ravioli's. Great family atmosphere!!!

Wow! The food at Venesian Inn was to die for. They make their food from scratch and the sauce was amazing too. But wait until you get the rolls, it will melt you. Awesome service from start to finish. read more

Oh boy. Nothing was warm. The sauce tasted like chef boy r de from a can. The chicken was greasy and rubbery. My sons fettuccine was cold and noodles were hard and dry. It wasn't anything like the reviews indicate. Maybe more of a nostalgic place for local people who grew up here. read more

COVID 19 not up to par dining has hit Venesian Inn! Sirloin onion rings and rolls just not the same anymore. Spaghetti was good and the service read more

Excellent food Excellent service 5 stars are not enough Do yourself a favor and go eat here read more

Food was amazing. My husband's family is Italian and he said it was just like his grandma's and aunt's cooking. Customer service was wonderful they came to greet us when we first came in and checked on us when we were leaving. Wish I could take them back with me to California read more

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we were disappointed. Not nearly as good as it used to be. the spaghetti sauce was scorched. the shrimp didn't seem fresh. they should have paid me to eat that spaghetti sauce. not going back read more

For those of you who don't like hiking across the parking lot to go to the men's room, GET OVER YOURSELVES!!! They at least went to the trouble of remodeling it. With that said, I go to a restaurant to eat good food, which this restaurant has in abundance. The salads are a little bit spare in ingredients, but not in amount, and the house dressing is really good. The steak and chicken are really good, tender, moist, and very flavorful. The fettuccini Alfredo and the baked spaghetti were wonderful. I grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Chicago and this came off as it was... Textbook rustic Italian fare and excellent indeed. They also have really good wines from a vineyard in town. These are NO slouch operations. Come on in and enjoy. It's really good, really friendly, and you will like it. read more

Dinner was very good tonight. Enjoyed the small sirloin and Italian fries. Service was excellent but was a little slow in the restaurant this evening. I will return to my usual dinner of fettuccine and chicken breast next visit. My husband and I love this place and after all the changes over the last few years the family run business is back on track! read more