We enjoyed our food here, but based on the yelling we witnessed in an interaction between some tourists and what I'm assuming is the chef, I would probably go elsewhere. Thankfully we didn't experience the same attitude based on our interactions! I'm American and did my best to speak what I could in broken Italian. The host that spoke better English took our order and he was very kind. We were welcomed around 1:30 pm looking for an aperol spritz and a place to use the restroom. We saw some tourists not understand that the outside tables near the front were for eating customers. They misunderstood the lady that for drink only, to use the further umbrellas. The lady came back out and yelled at the tourists and muttered "impossiblè" to herself when walking back inside The Aperol spritz contained only Aperol and prosecco, and was very strong. I couldn't finish it and my mom didn't bother drinking hers. We also ordered grilled anchovies with capers and tomatoes, and they were lovely. The saltiness and juices from the anchovies were delicious with the provided white bread. Overall, the menu looked wonderful here but I may go elsewhere for more hospitable service. Also, keep in mind that "coperto" is a charge (per person) for service and things like bread. This was the first place on our vacation in late September so far where we came across this fee! read more

Via Venti - Strong aperol spritz! - Italian Near Me - Monterosso Al Mare, SP

This place does not like Americans! We walked up politely. And waited and waited. Finally a Woman with dark hair said "one momento." We could tell they were busy. We politely waited. A table was finally cleared and we expected after waiting patiently to be seated based on her reactions towards us. But no one asked us questions. We were not asked to be put on a list. No one told anything. Then suddenly 2 locals popped in and they sat them down in front of us. With NO , I mean zero explanation. Did they have reservations ??? No one told us anything. They treated us rudely and poorly. I guess because we are Americans. I would never ever go back to this place in the alley. read more

Very Good Dinner In A Slightly Out-Of-The-Way Location... It was mid afternoon so thoughts again turned to where to go for dinner. Fortunately, Monterosso al Mare has lots of choices. We picked Via Venti because it had great reviews - like many places in town - and was recommended by the people at our hotel. Here are some of the pros and cons: Pros: - The food was excellent. My wife and I had entrees with pasta and seafood...mine was a mix of fish and her's had mussels. Everything was fresh. We followed those with excellent tiramisu and lemon sorbet. - Service was helpful and cordial if not "friendly". What helped was personal attention from the owner who kept a watchful eye on things. - Since it was fairly warm, we sat outside at one of several tables near the building which literally gave us a breath of fresh air. - Our bottle of white wine from the region around Cinque Terre was fine - It's not cheap, but value for the meal was reasonable Cons: - We arrived when it opened at 7 PM and were the first people to be seated. Another person came at 720 PM and some trickled in after that. It actually felt a bit lonely. It's not necessarily a "con", but Via Venti needs better marketing. The place is down a quiet alley while a much lesser restaurant 50 feet away but closer to the main walkway had lots of customers. We'd recommend Via Venti for the food...especially if you can find it...and trust your server offers a bit more personality than the one we had. read more

Great dinner here! They had a few tables outside and we were able to eat out there on a nice October night. Our waiter was awesome! The food was great too! read more

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Found Via Venti by searching for top rated restaurants on Google, and we were not disappointed. As we always do, my partner and I shared each dish starting with a delicious tuna tartare appetizer and a warm swordfish in cheese sauce appetizer (wasn't too heavy). We then shared a wonderful home made ravioli stuffed with pear and ricotta - to die for! We topped it off with an amazing home made lemon cake. Mikela and his wife run this great hidden gem that is not to be missed if you are in Monterossa! read more

I found this place from a guide book suggestion. It was hidden off the main roads in Monterosso, and we were very excited for it. Unfortunately, I have to say, it was just ok. We ordered the Tuna Tartare for an appetizer and it was very average- not bad but nothing I would order again. For dinner, my husband had a special- ravioli filled with a variety of seafood. I do not want to say it was "fishy" because I know the seafood was fresh, but the flavor was too strong. I had the Branzino with Mushrooms and it was good- nicely cooked with great flavors. We also had a bottle of wine that the waiter recommended. We enjoyed it. Overall, the service and ambience was excellent. But the average food and expensive bill (about $125) would leave me to recommend other places to eat in Monterosso. read more

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Went looking for a place to have lunch off the main drag in Monterosso. Found this little gem and enjoyed a beautiful lunch! Wonderful service and friendly hosts. Had the black truffle ravioli and the scampi tagliatelle. read more

Great dinner, tucked away from the crowd. Loved the ravioli with pear, Pesto gnocchi was great as well!

Portions are small and presentation was pretty, similar to an upscale French restaurant, but food quality is high. The sea bass was amazing - matched well with Cinque Terra wine. The ravioli was gorgeous and tasty. Service was very friendly and attentive - what a relief after experiencing days of obnoxious wait staff in other restaurants. . This place is in a quiet alley, and well worth a visit. read more

The food at Ristorante Via Venti was so amazing that we ate dinner here twice during our stay in Cinque Terre. Via Venti is located in the heart of the old town in Monterosso Al Mare. This small tratoria is ran by a father and son duo, Michele and Papa Ettore. Michele serves hungry guests while his father and Michele's wife, Ilaria, cooks delicious seafood and pasta dishes in the kitchen. Michele is so warm and welcoming. Throughout our meal he joked that if we did not like our meal than he would "fire his wife". Ilaria must have heard this joke one too many times because she just smiles and shakes her head at her husband. On my first visit I ordered the pear and pecorino cheese stuffed pasta purses as well as the freshly grilled calamari. These were two of my favorite dishes during our trip. I enjoyed both dishes so much that I ordered them again on our second visit. All of the fish was so fresh. You really cannot go wrong with any of the dishes. Both dishes were about €30, which is much cheaper than most of the fine dining restaurants in Cinque Terre. We didn't make reservations on our second visit since the restaurant was half empty two nights earlier. Unfortunately the restaurant was packed that evening, but Michele recognized us from our prior visit and told us a few tables were just finishing and to come back in 30 minutes. We popped in a store across the street and had a great time sampling limoncello. After purchasing a few souvenir bottles to bring home we returned to Via Venti and our table was ready. If you are visiting Monterosso you must, must, must have dinner at Via Venti!!! read more

Via Venti is a quiet little trattoria, that's a little out of the Via Roma Way (one street over). The food was inviting and delicious (see pictures), but even better were each couple sitting on either side of us. To my left was an older Australian Couple, and that conversation turned on their Country's unique brand of Football and describing our Vacations to date and to come. He had a CEO-like air, and after previously meeting Lilly Allen in Bellagio, you never know who you might run into on a trip. The 2 American women on our right had been here before and were a real hoot. They also made a spot on recommendation that we take the boat all the way to Pontevenere, which we thoroughly enjoyed the next day. Gayle and I had a great time and it just goes to show you how food, locale, and the interesting people you meet can really make a Vacation so much more enjoyable. read more

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One of our favorite restaurants in all of Italy! If you travel to Monterosso, you want to make it a point to dine at this restaurant. Their food is outstanding, especially their sea bass. Manager made some great recommendations, so make it a point to ask for his feedback as well. Highly Recommend! read more

Delightful seafood! I enjoyed the raw seafood sampler with local delicacies including squid, a large prawn, tuna, swordfish, and smaller shrimp. They were served with a variety of salts, olive oils and lemon. My son liked the fresh anchovies, served with large local capers tomatoes and olives. I also had the swordfish in a similar local style, and my son had the fisherman's pasta. The restaurant has a small boat in the doorway holding fresh seafood on ice, and when I was scouting the place out before dinner, the staff was enjoying pasta vongole (clams). Let that be a clue to you, that if you are looking for the other Ligurian specialties involving pesto, gnocchi, focaccia, pizza, etc., then you probably should go elsewhere. The other places around town are also cheaper. Service was excellent, as I observed the small staff handle a number of tables simultaneously, answer questions helpfully in English, and properly serve and clear at the appropriate time. To be clear, I do not mean that service was fast. This is the 5terra in Italy, and service is meant to be unobtrusive so we can enjoy leisurely dining. This is not Olive Garden, where servers are trained to ingratiate themselves with you to push more product and increase turnover. The local white wine was good, but the sciacchetra dessert wine is the best. Enjoy! read more

Via Venti - Fresh catch of the day displayed in a skiff in front. - Italian Near Me - Monterosso Al Mare, SP

Absolutely favaloso!! We're on a two week adventure across northern Italy and this was our best meal so far. Where to start? At the beginning, I suppose. Sautéed Anchovies were sublime. Followed by a dish that was described as the best pasta dish ever. It was a ravioli stuffed with pear and goat cheese. So good we had to order a second one. Something we've never done! The seafood ravioli stuffed with sea bass was also fantastic. Next up was a mixed seafood platter with small lobster, prawns, swordfish, squid, and tuna. All cooked perfectly. Others had the sea bass which was fresh caught and as light as air. For dessert, try the Via Venti cake. Delicious. Try this place. You won't be disappointed! read more

We ate here twice while staying in Monterosso. It is on a small street off the main street in the old part of town. The owner welcomed us warmly and provided extensive explanations of the menu and great service. We ate pasta with calamari and rye bread sauce, stuffed mussels, steak with mushrooms. His wife is the chef and this is a tiny and cozy place to eat. Highly recommended. read more

We are from Seattle and my mother is from Calabria. I have had many amazing meals in my life. I brought my wife, three children from 6 to 14. We all love seafood, and had heard great things about this restaurant. It didn't disappoint us. This had to be one of the best dinners of my life. It started with red prawns served simply on a plate, heads on and fresh from Santa Margherita. They were served raw with lemon infused olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh lemon. The prawns were delicate, sweet, fresh, and bursting with flavor from sea. The juices had such a deep sweet, fresh flavor that my three children ranging from 6 to 14, dipped their bread in it and wiped the plate clean. It was almost a religious experience! For my second course, I had spaghetti with fresh anchovies, red pepper, salt pepper, garlic and oregano, with a glass of a delicious local white wine. Last, I had a filet of beef with a brandy cream sauce with porcini mushrooms, very delicious with a glass of local red wine. Finally I ended with a glass of grappa from local Cinque Terra grapes. This was a special meal, graciously served to the five of us. The pesto was also amazing! My wife has some dietary restrictions, but loves food. She was graciously accommodated. Everyone ordered something different, but it was all perfectly prepared, wonderful pace, and the staff was welcoming and enthusiastic in serving it. We all enjoyed it immensely. read more

We had an amazing antipasti here - basically a sampler of the freshest raw seafood. It came out item by item and each was better than the last. The pasta we had afterward was fine but not as remarkable. I would go here again - and I'd try asking what the chef recommends as best & freshest today. read more

A decent little restaurant. Food is good not great, and the prices are higher than average. Service was decent, but for being there early and with few others diners we still had to wait quite a while for each course, and the waiter forgot my wife's second glass of wine. We finally cancelled that and just got the check. Had to take our oldest son for pizza somewhere else to fill him up. read more

The home made gnocchi and seafood ravioli were amazing! Fresh and light, unlike the packaged stuff you usually get. The crab was delicious and I'm not usually one to eat crab. Service was friendly and fast - eat here! read more

Great food, great vibe! Feels very local and the seafood is super fresh. You can pick your fish right out of the little ice-filled boat by the front door. Ate here twice in a week and had a great experience both times! read more

Via Venti - Via Venti cake. Bread pudding-like and delicious! - Italian Near Me - Monterosso Al Mare, SP

This place was the bomb! We went both nights when in Monterosso and had amazing meals with fantastic service and atmosphere. I highly recommend Via Venti! read more

Average food, slow and poor service (waited 1 hour from appetizer to main dish), and bad attitude towards customers!!!!! Definitely look for another restaurant while in Monterosso!!!! read more

Order the grilled calamari and the truffle + soft cheese ravioli and don't even talk to me.

We made our reservations through our 4 star hotel, Porto Roca. We wanted an outside table at 8, and were advised this they only had outside available for 9, but could seat us at 8 inside. We got there a little before 8 and there were 10 seats still available outside (out of about 14)and 80% of the inside seats were also empty. A couple arrived without reservations 10 minutes after us and were asked whether they wanted to sit outside or in. I looked outside at 8:30 and still there was only 50% of the outside seats taken. This ruined my experience. I understand the business reason to keep the inviting tables open for tourists walking by who otherwise would not become customers, I just question the rationale when we are booking the reservation from one of the top hotels in Monterosso. We will certainly let our hotel know the lack of hospitality this restaurant provided to their guests. The risotto was long on rice and short on seafood. The tomatoes in the caprese salad were not ripe. The price was too high, and I do not expect to be paying a cover charge with the prices they were asking. read more

This was a horrible experience. The food was ok but it was vey overpriced and the customer service was very poor. First, one of the waiters (who by the way , did not even acknowledged me and talked to my husband only) took advantage that we spoke little Italian and the dishes we got were very different from what we wanted / ordered. We were never offered wine or anything other than our food and the service was vey very very slow. In addition, they did not have any wifi and the whole time the cooks and the waiters were clearly arguing about us and the way we were brought inside the restaurant. read more

Food was fabulous but honestly took forever. Over an hour after we ordered. Hard to understand since we ate late and there were hardly any customers left. Make reservations the night before and don't go super hungry read more

We stumbled upon via venti as our original restaurant had been fully booked. I am so thankful for this as the food as service was great. The waiters joked with us and when the wine we selected was no available they suggested a magnificent wine which was actually cheaper than our original choice. For entree we had meats and bruschetta, great samples. Had the seafood pasta and the stuffed pasta (pear and cheese) for mains. Both were great. Had the via venti dessert which is apparently typical of cinque terre and it was great also! What a place, 100% would recommend!! read more