I have a confession...the only reason why I gave Vesta a very high rating after my 1st meal there when it first opened was because it's literally next door to me and I wanted Astoria to have very high rated places. Now that this place does not need me to thrive, I can be honest. Vesta is not bad by any standards. The ingredients are fresh, the staff is nice and the prices are on the lower side for the atmosphere they are going for! That being said, I think the dishes are kind of uncreative. Vesta goes for the limited menu look but the dishes lack the creativity to support the small menu. Yes, the dish names sound creative but they are overly simple and sometimes bland. If I want real interesting itallian food, I think ill have to stick with Babbo. But it's just my opinion! The 4.5 stars with over 200 reviews says otherwise! Go decide for yourself :-)! read more

After hearing a friend gushing about this restaurant we all finally had a group dinner here. The place was full with only one person taking orders, bringing out food, clearing things away, and dealing with payments. Due to all the jobs he had to do alone, he was real trooper and always kept a friendly attitude. We ordered half litre of a Riesling- it was delicious. For 6 people we ordered Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels ($9) Pizza Margherita ($12) Potato & Pancetta caramelized onions, apple & goat cheese pizza ($13) Vintage Hanger Steak, charred asparagus, lemon & tomato jam ($22) Everything was delicious but the pizzas really stood out. I've never had pizza quite like this. They were thin crusted and I was hesitant because I tend to not like thin crusted pizza but these were amazing. They were a step above everything else (even though the steak was absolutely yummy and cooked to a perfect medium rare). And now ...dessert. The group of 6 ordered 3 baby jesus cakes to share. OMMMG. It looked heavy but the cake itself was not too sweet and actually not heavy at all. The freshly whipped cream on the side and the delicious sauce it came with...*drools*. Definitely coming back here. read more

Normally I only frequent Vesta for brunch since the few times I had been here for dinner were less than impressive. I checked it out again recently (their menu is fairly dynamic) and have to say that the new dinner menu is MUCH better than it's been in the past. The orecchiette with housemade pork sausage and kale pesto is so good I was back for more within a week. The pasta is perfectly al dente (which we all know is clutch). Kale with parmesan has always been a match made in heaven in my opinion. And the crumbles of porky goodness mixed in took it to the next level of happy. The lamb loin chops with mint pesto, new potato & asparagus are a great take on a classic. The lamb is tender and juicy and the traditional pairing of mint with the lamb is perfect as always. Now, if only they would bring back those killer brussels sprouts!!! read more

Vesta - Multigrain french toast - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Manhattan quality in Queens! It is worth the trip! Here is what our party had, lasagna , skate, and steak. The lasagna had several cheeses and was very savory, the skate was tender and tasty and the steak was perfectly charred. Awesome! We also had a pizza appetizer. The dessert is where it stood out the most! We had a chocolate bread pudding with marscapone gelato. It was divine! The prices were right too. It was just as good as Peasant (minus the ambiance) but in Queens and cheaper! It gets crowded and is noisy not a great date place but a great place to eat! read more

See all

Do yourself a favor and come to Vesta, and get yourself the Baby Jesus cake. You will not regret it. I've been to Vesta twice now for brunch and each time has been such a lovely experience. It's a great addition to a part of Astoria that doesn't have too many restaurants. The service is also friendly and quick which made the experience all the better. This time we went I started with the iced coffee which they refill for you throughout your meal. It's a delicious, strong blend of coffee I really enjoyed. I got the L'italiano breakfast - such a great Italian spin on classic eggs Benedict with ricotta and sopressata. I wanted to try something different but I have a hard time moving away from this. My boyfriend got the eggs in purgatory which was equally delicious. It was like your grandmother's Bolognese with two poached eggs in it. But the best move we made, by far, was ordering the Baby Jesus cake. We were bursting at the seams full at this point but I had to try it. We got it with the creme fraiche which was a nice, light complement to the sweet, cinnamony cake. It was beyond amazing and I'd go back just to have it. All in all, great experience. I will be back. read more

I have been here several times and the food is always killer! Believe me, i make a point to try every meal on the table, even if it is not mine! They also have a very good happy hour deal. What I want to emphasize is the desert. Yes, everyone talks about the baby Jesus cake which is admittedly amazing... but what I keep thinking about is their sunchoke cake. One of the best desserts I've ever had. A sunchoke is a root vegetable... so just imagine that. To my dismay this item was seasonal... only in the Autumn. I waited a whole year to have it again and they never brought it back. BRING BACK THE SUNCHOKE CAKE! read more

Vesta - Sunchoke cake!!! Best desert I've ever had - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

Pretty small menu and food is OKAY. However, the Baby Jesus cake is a MUST. Service isn't very good, super slow. But i'd go back just for the baby jesus cake (preferably to take out). read more

My favorite dessert ever. Semi guilt free super thin crust pizza and super delicious wine on tap. Love this place.

Some of the best Astoria has to offer. I went to sunday brunch this past weekend and my mouth had a dynamite experience. Vesta is unalike many of the other restaurants in Astoria. It's dishes are authentic, unique, well presented & flavorful. If you like food (and good wine) you should definitely stop by for a bite. I had: 1. Warm Bankie fried eggs with creamy polenta, asparagus, mushrooms & truffle oil 2. Spinach, artichokes, grana & bread crumbs pizza Both were delicious, well made, fresh & well presented. The staff was attentive and friendly. read more

Vesta - Warm Bankie fried eggs with creamy polenta, asparagus, mushrooms & truffle oil - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

The happy hour was so great my friend comes often love the wine selection they have stop by soemtime if your in the area. Def will stop in again read more

Vesta - Ribs mac& cheese best bread ever - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Good service, good food, very good brunch, good wine, cute outdoor dining for Covid. The cheese plate is solid. When indoor dining was allowed the inside was very charming ambiance as well. read more

Vesta - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Wonderful all around. The salad, the mussels, the bread, the wine. Lovely experience sitting at the bar.

Came here for a birthday party of 18 people and somehow, we all fit. Great little Italian bistro that serves pizzas and pizzas with a small selction of proteins. It's very cozy and rustic inside, something you would not expect. Recommend the pizzas, they're all good, the mussels, lasagna, and the baby Jesus dessert. Good selection of wines and beers at a reasonable price. I heard their brunch menu is awesome; will have to check it out. Definitely recommend if you're in the area. read more

Ordered a burger from the menu. The meat was cooked well; however, the bun was hard as a rock. Ended up just eating the burger by itself. read more

Vesta - Literally impossible to eat this rock solid bun. - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Went for Sunday brunch and there was no wait. I recommend the hangover pizza- for two, it is great! For dessert you should try the baby Jesus cake. The prices are so low- try it for goodness sake! read more

Vesta - Hangover pizza- does the trick. Helps you out if you're feeling sick! - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

I've been here twice and I honestly cannot give a detailed review because it's been awhile. so far I have had the 1) BABY JESUS cake. 2) A WARM BANKIE (which was a little salty for my taste from what I remember but still pretty good). 3) Pappardelle, pancetta, ramps, shaved grana cheese & egg yolk. and I've tried some of their 4) HANGOVER pizza. I can't wait to have the time to try everything else on the menu! so... CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. BOO-YA. read more

Vesta - A warm bankie - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

The food was bland. The chicken parm sandwich was over cooked and the bread was stale. The mushroom pasta barely had any taste.

Went here for a friends bday dinner, have to say, great food and wine overall. Had cheese board, steamed muscles, and braised meatballs for app. My fav was meatballs. For entré we I had Shrimp Spaccatelli, second best to Patricia's in the Bronx. Spaccatelli was good but a bit to acidic with lemon. I prefer more pepper and less lemon. Would highly recommend to try. Btw, wine list is awesome and great beer selections. My fav was the Connecticut pilsner. read more

See all

Local gem. They had us well spaced, and the food was great! The braised oxtail was amazing (pictured). My friend had their appetizer soup & could not rave more about! read more

Food that I got delivered wasn't satisfying. I'm sorry but it's a bit pricey as well.

We came here just a few times in the past few years and have really enjoyed every food order and the service. Always a really fun time with quality food! Since the pandemic/March 2020, we've only done delivery one time (no take out or sitting outside yet). This was also great! We ordered calamari, a pasta dish, and chicken milanese with a salad, AND wine :). Everything was packaged well, was not soggy, and arrived quickly and safely. This was deep in the pandemic times (maybe April?) and it was like we were on a "real" date inside our home. Highly recommend! read more

What a very special find Vesta restaurant in Astoria is. I actually dream of their steam mussels, Italian rice balls and burrata cheese. :) The drinks are delicious and the atmosphere amicably. Certainly worth the trip! read more

Great food- we loved the mussels! The wine selection was much more impressive for bottles but we appreciated being given a taste before committing to a glass. The decor and vibe is very warm and intimate and the service was really friendly and helpful. I wouldn't recommend the cheese and meat plate as one of the meats was essentially bologna and I only loved one of the cheeses (the hardest one). We'll be back for wine and dinner another time! read more

Tiny place in Astoria. Lunch menu was very limited so I ordered the Cobb salad. It was just ok. The only person working there carried our salads out with one under his arm. It smelled like bleach and didn't look very clean. Not sure why an Italian restaurant would have burgers on the menu but OK. Too many other good restaurants in Astoria. read more

My husband and I went here last night for the first time in 2+ years and still loved it (we relocated out of Astoria). The staff is friendly and attentive and the food is fantastic! They also have a good selection of wine and they're knowledgeable about it. We had the meat and cheese plate and a plain pizza to start, then we shared the baby eggplant and the papparedelle pasta dish, and to top it all off we shared the Baby Jesus and the chocolate bread pudding for dessert. We've been having the baby Jesus dessert since this place opened and it never disappoints!!! I would highly recommend this place! read more

Vesta - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

This place is just really, really good. Reviews should be succint; read the first sentence, get an idea of what you're getting yourself into. If thats how you Yelp, stop right here. All you need to know is this place serves great food. The happy hour deal here is great; mussels puttanesca with crispy bread served over a tasty white wine sauce and 5 dollar glasses of wine? Sign me up. The mussels were perfect, and the side of focaccia for the table melted in your mouth. For dinner we got the orecchiette (cooked perfectly, with just enough spice to the pork), Black bass (with a great crispy skin, served over a bed of fresh vegetables), and the cauliflower side (decked out with capers which just calls my name). This place had an awesome exposed brick interior, with fast, attentive service, and delicious food. I will absolutely be coming back. read more

I love this little wine bar/dinner spot on 30th, which is a bit off the beaten drag of restaurants. Their happy hour is so good. I've never eaten or drank anything bad here. It definitely gets busy and sometimes service is a bit slow as a result, but the ambiance is so nice that I always find myself glad to be able to stay a little longer to enjoy it. I really hope this place sticks around!! read more

Went here last night and I cannot wait to go again! First off the service was great. I had tried calling for reservation the night before a couple times but was getting a voicemail recording for some reason. So we decided to just go and wing it. It's a small place and was pretty busy when we arrived. I was told at first that there would be a 30 minute wait because of people with reservations coming in. I was a little bummed out and mentioned how I had tried to make one but there was no answer. He asked us to sit at the bar and they would seat us soon. We got complimentary glasses of wine and were sitting within 10 minutes. It wasn't my intention to get this sort of treatment as I was fine sitting at the bar and waiting but it was very nice. The service throughout the meal was also great. On to the food. It was all really really tasty. Also, they have wine on tap which I enjoyed. The heirloom tomato salad was incredibly flavorful. I had the pasta special (spaghetti with pancetta and parmasean in a bean ragu) which was excellent. I'm glad I brought the rest home with me to eat the leftovers today. My boyfriend got the steak which was cooked perfectly. For dessert I had a chocolate ganache tart with salted peanuts, caramel and whipped cream. It is definitely good for 2 to split since it's very rich and dense. It was like a deconstructed snickers bar and it was delicious. Highly recommended! The pizzas looked great and I want to try them for sure. I will be back. read more

Vesta - Pasta special - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

See all

Vesta is an Italian restaurant and wine bar that is fortunately right in the corner of my house The brunch menu was great! I decided to have the Buttermilk pancakes and Nick had the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. Both dishes were absolutely delicious! I'm a little upset that I asked for blueberry pancakes and got the regular ones but that's OK. I have an excuse to go back I tried nicks sandwich and it was so tasty. You felt the crunch of the bacon, texture of egg and taste of basil. No complaints* P.s- I didn't see the infamous baby Jesus cake on the brunch menu. I'm dying to taste it! Until next time Vesta read more

See all

Just had a quick visit with my friend for a pizza but very disappointed from what I see. First time in my life I had a pizza that looks like a thin paper with a dry cheese and tomato sauce from a can. When I ask the waiter why the pizza looks like that, he just told me that that's how they do it and if I don't like it that's the door" (very bad attitude). I explain that I didn't like my pizza and that I will eat it just because I'm hungry. when the "server" Ilias from Belarus" came back and I almost eat my pizza cause I was starving he look at me and told me " come on man you didn't like the pizza and you eat it?" Like he knew me from a long time. (Worst server ever), that's not an answer from a server and least I was expecting a manager to come over but no manager around to apologise for that. No offer to replace the bad food, no apology and at the end I have to pay for it . $20 each pizza and for sure not worth it a penny. I wonder why that place is always empty. If you want to waste your money and not enjoy your food that's the place you should choose for dinner. Obviously they don't have idea how a good pizza looks like. Don't go. read more

Vesta - a half eaten pizza on a pan - Italian Near Me - Astoria, New York

Vesta was my fiancé and I's first dinner date after NYC went into Phase 2. It was VERY good. We ordered the Burrata crostini plate as an appetizer. The pesto and sundries tomato sauce went very well with the large Burrata in the middle of the plate. Bread was crispy and portion was hefty. Very good. She ordered the chicken Milanese (which she loved and the chicken was super moist) and I had the Gnocchi special which was in a yellow tomato sauce. The yellow tomato sauce was unique, I had never had it before. The lamb sausage in the dish was very tasty. We ended the meal with the "Baby Jesus" cake. Was a rum raisin and caramel sauce cake with homemade whip cream. Was once again a good portion and ended the meal just right. Server was great and staff very professional. We'll be back! read more

Well above average food but had to wait for almost an hour for the kitchen to prepare it. Likely the first and last time we visit.

Sweet baby Jesus, that cake is good. I'm talking about their number one dessert: The Sweet Baby Jesus Cake. That caramel sauce is sooooooo good. I haven't had one that good in a while so I was pleasantly surprised. The interior is super cute and is a nice date spot. I love the dough they use for their pizza too and I can't really remember much else because the bottle of wine my companion and I had gave us a nice buzz throughout the night hahaha. We had a splendid time. read more

The food is great and the ambiance is lovely. The Sweet Baby Jesus cake is a reason to leave room for dessert!

One of my favorite brunch spots! L'italiano is delicious! It comes with home fries, which are great, but I always make sure someone at the table orders the fries. Super friendly staff, always a great time. read more

The service: subtle. The waiter we had was also the bartender. He was sweet and gave great menu encouragement. However I could've used a little more attention and it did take a while to get our food. The food: satisfying. The hangover pizza is everything you think it would be and more. The brunch drink special was also very tasty. The atmosphere: quaint. A small little gem that is on 21st street which tends to be very loud and busy. It didn't really intrude much on our experience though. Pros: great food, cozy place and you'll walk away full. Cons: service could be a little quicker and on a noisy day the 21st street traffic could be a little distracting. read more

One of the best pizzas in Astoria. Very Italian, sauce was great. Delivery was a little bit too long, but the food was great.

You can't go wrong with any dishes here; whether it be brunch or dinner. With many ingredients supporting local farms, their menu offers a deceivingly simple selection of dishes you might think you could cook yourself. However, the flavors on the dishes really set it apart and make this spot a special place to head to and worth the trip; even though it's off the beaten path. read more

Vesta feels like the idealized, more comfortable, more Queensy version of Dell'Anima in the West Village, which I mean as a high compliment. Romance is palpable, expectations are high. Votive reflections flicker against your friend's irises, making him/her more fascinating and compelling than moments before---and that's just the prelude. The menu immediately sends a small fire of dopamine to the conscientious diner's brain: Vesta only sources happy animals, and tries to feed you locally grown foods (and fermented grape juice) whenever possible. $18 for a half liter tasty light white wine (grown and aged down the road in Long Island) is a solid entree. Soft bread and olive oil appear quickly on a wood board. The bread is fresh but dries quickly, making it ideal for dipping into dairy-free asparagus soup dressed up with a poached egg. We shared the chicken leg/thigh nested among stewed black eyed peas, and orrechiette with artichokes and mushrooms, garnished heavily with parsley and earthy parmesan. Upon doing research, my suspicions were confirmed: the chef is Italian, and cooks with great love for food and diners alike. The owners grew up in Astoria, and wanted to open a place in the neighborhood that honors the local greenmarket. We were full after dinner, so we took the Baby Jesus cake home to have as a midnight snack. Best Decision Ever. read more

The real question, my dear Watson, is NOT why should one go to Astoria, but instead, why should one ever leave it? In a PM exchange with the King of Queens, Jeff O, we both marveled at Astoria's diverse, high quality, wallet friendly dining establishments. At the time, Astoria boasted Three of the Top 5 restaurants rated by yelp (Sal, Kris, & Charlie's Deli, Kabab Café, Trattoria L'incontro), not to forget other 5 star restaurants like Taverna Kyclades (Greek), Malagueta (Brazilian), and Koliba (Czech & Slovak). So, when I read a steady stream of 5 star reviews for Vesta, I felt compelled to investigate the phenomenon. You can understand Vesta's popularity the moment you step foot into the restaurant. Named after the Italian goddess of home and hearth, Vesta is a cozy restaurant that successfully straddles the balance between 'warm' and 'hip'. That is no mean feat. As date spots go, Vesta remains unparalleled in the neighborhood, perhaps all of Queens. Soaking in the ambiance, I remarked casually, "Bringing Brooklyn to Queens", to which my proud Astorian friend retorted, "Only if you consider the vegetables that they source (from Greenpoint)" :) As we looked at the menu, I made note of the innovation of making wines available by the shot glass ($2.50-4.00). Not only does the option make imbibing wine affordable, but one can also pair different wines with the food courses. I suspect that indiscipline with the shots of wine also provides Vesta with many a repeat customer the next morning for their famous 'Hangover Pizza' (Potato, Pancetta, caramelized onions, spicy tomato sauce, and fried egg). I must admit, I am a fan of the business sense of the owners. However, I also believe that the food, at least the entrees, lags the ambience and service. I was unimpressed with the Margherita pizza. Even though, I do trust in thin and crispy crust, I found the Roman style (cracker thin) pizza to lack any chewiness whatsoever. The sauce didn't have much complexity, nor was the cheese particularly flavorful. The Veal Milanese was competent. However, the desserts compensated for the entrees. Like many others, I too strongly endorse the Baby Jesus Cake {a warm, crispy (with a toffee-like crust) spice cake, covered in sauce made with brown sugar and served with whipped cream on the side}. It resembles one of those unassuming cakes that one expects to be served in a diner with modest ambitions. Yet, sometimes it is the simple things in life that provide the most satisfaction, as is the case here. Dessert fiends that we are, we also tried the chocolate ice box cake, which tastes nothing like the version at Magnolia. Obviously, neither of these two desserts would muster much support for being traditional Italian dolci. As I understand, one of the most important functions provided by the Vestal virgins was to maintain the sacred fire, in return for being committed to celibacy for 30 years. You can be pretty sure that a meal at Vesta will offer you a much better deal than that! read more