The best pizza. Great enthusiastic atmosphere. Socialable staff, especially bar tenders, that leaves us entertained and appreciated. A place of friends and good beer. I recommend anyone OK with with fun conversation and whom can enjoying one of many games on TV to come hangout at Vitales! read more

I believe this is my favorite takeout pizza in town. The staff at lunch it great and actually a lot of fun. The pizzas are delicious and always perfectly done. Will be back soon. read more

The bartender was very rude and I got ignored for about 20 minutes trying to get my bill. He wasn't busy and the food was cold by the time I was able to cash out. He also messed up the food order. read more

Pasta was overcooked, oversauced, and overpriced. Portion sizes are too big--every table went home with a box, except for me since I was so dissatisfied with my food. "Fresh" veggies were clearly frozen. Kraft Parmesan in the shaker. You can buy better pesto at the grocery store. Decor looks like it hadn't been updated in the whole 60 years it's been open. Terrible smell as soon as you walk in. Would not go back. Call Gordon Ramsay, this place would make a great episode of Kitchen Nightmares. read more

I was born in 1972, and I grew up eating at Vitale's on Leonard frequently. I moved away from Grand Rapids in 1998, and I think I had only been back to Vitale's once until last week when I returned to the area for a conference. I was so proud to introduce my friends and colleagues to this Grand Rapids heritage restaurant last Thursday night! I ordered manicotti, which had been my mother's favorite Vitale's dish before she passed away in April of 1990. It was just as I remembered it. The tomato sauce was perfectly balanced. The scents, flavors, and textures sang in harmony. It was perfect. My friends and colleagues were also impressed by both the quantity and the quality of the food. Vitale's on Leonard is a classic Italian restaurant. It's a treasure. It's a jewel. I've been to Italy. I live in Chicago, which is known for the mafia! Yet, my favorite Italian food is still found at Vitale's on Leonard Street. P.S. I couldn't find my receipt after my visit. I sent off an email this morning, and they responded with a copy of my receipt very quickly. Impressive! read more

We ordered take out from here last week and each got a Stromboli. They are a great value for the price. We each ate half and saved the other half for lunch the next day. We also ordered extra sauce because often places skimp. Not Vitales. There was the right amount of sauce as is. The sauce has a slightly sweet taste that we LOVED. I've heard great things about their pizza and after this experience we will definately go back! read more

The customer service here is awful I called and asked for delivery and they told me they didn't but the website clearly says they do. The guy that answered the phone was so rude and I won't ever eat or order food from this restaurant again read more

I love a good pizza. Although I'm from Chicago and do enjoy a good Chicago style pizza, I still appreciate thin crust, thick crust, and all other crusts in between. I decided to try Vitale's since it is close to where I live and since it had decent reviews. I ordered a large pizza with ground beef and mushrooms and an order of onion rings. The onion rings were not very good. They were rubbery and didn't have much flavor. The pizza crust was good, but I didn't like the overall pizza. The sauce is way too sweet for my taste. If you like your sauce sweet, then you will like this pizza. I also wasn't so happy that the mushrooms were canned. I prefer fresh mushrooms. So, I will continue on my quest to find a great pizza place in Grand Rapids. read more

Vitale's pizza is fresh, original, and unique--and that's saying a lot from a guy born and raised in Chicago, where pizza doesn't get any better. Vitale's sauce is extraordinary--sweet and robust. I love their cheese sticks/bread, too. For about $16-$20, you can't beat the quality of Vitale's. read more

Best pizza. Great sauce, that slightly sweet taste mostly found at mom & pop pizza places. This location is definitely the best Vitale's in town! read more

I had sort of tempered expectations before eating at this place, but I was pleasantly surprised with the pizza. Got the pepperoni pizza with garlic bread. The garlic bread was kind of a throw away. A little soggy and not particularly flavorful. The pizza was nice though. The crust wasn't my normal style, buy it worked. The cheese and pepperoni were flavorful, but the star of the meal was the sauce. Great sauce. There was the right amount and it had a nice flavor with a sweetness to it that I wasn't expecting. I would imagine this is some of the better pizza in the area. read more

Best Pizza ever. Never had a bad experience. Friendly staff...ALWAYS. Love this place!

Ever make a mistake with your order?? Don't do that at Vitale's on Leonard. I have never had such rude service at a restaurant in my life. After years of patronage I won't be back. read more

The best Italian in Grand Rapids. Lovely place to take a date. Love the manicotti meat or cheese. Mostacoli very good. Pizza is great. Worth a wait. read more

so we've never ate in at this place, but it's right by our house and a decent pizza. it's a thinner, new york type style (though obviously not a new york pizza). we went in to order the first time and noticed the mushrooms come from a can, which is their most interesting topping, so we only order the cheese. it's not a bad cheese pizza, and i'd probably agree with the other reviewer that it is probably the best pizza on the north side. the only complaint is that it is greasy! be prepared to dab! the bread sticks are nothing special, we stick to the pizza here. the staff is always really nice and the pizza usually comes out quicker than they assume it will. when they say 20-25, it will probably be done in 15, so if you like super hot pizza and are ordering pick up be there a few minutes early. read more

I've been here many times...one word= SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW... I've been a server for many years and I have patience and I am understanding and I give the benefit of the doubt... but this place is bad. It's a continuing problem.. multiple occasions... SLOW read more

This is the best pizza on the north side HANDS DOWN. It is also the best Vitales location and for some reason the pizza is just better here than the others. read more

Service was great, but the pizza (regular not deep dish) was below average. Not sure how it got so many high marks other than perhaps it is an institution for locals. Crust was flavorless, sauce was barley used and tasted like Prego. The toppings were nice but not special. I only had the pizza so perhaps there is something else that is extraordinary here. read more

They cannot keep their takeout straight. Waited 20 minutes to find out the pizza had been done for a period of time. I understand it can get busy, but people who have paid should be first priority. read more

I haven't found a place in Chicago that matches the comfort, experience, and deliciousness of the food here. I grew up on this pizza and pasta, and EVERY TIME it has been wonderful. Always great service, I love the decor with their little grapevines, and it's a great place to take your family or a date. Just a regular spaghetti here is wonderful; the sauce is mildly sweet but not overly done and the sangria is refreshing. And it's reasonably priced for what you get - I usually walk out with the next day's lunch in hand. I miss you, Vitales! read more

After moving to Grand Rapids, we found this little guy less than 1/8 mile away. Their pizza is one of our favorites, especially the barbeque chicken. They have a very cheap lunch buffet which offers plenty for the price. With a lot of tvs, its a great place to catch a game. Although sometimes a bit loud, I guess after all, it is a sports bar. read more

Absolutely horrible service. Ordered some chicken wings and a pizza. It took 1 hour and 15 minutes to get our chicken wings. Pizza took 1 hour and forty five minutes to come out to table. I just had them box it to take home at that point. Had to go up to bar myself to get drinks twice. read more

Manager of Vitale's emailed me about my review just a week after I posted it and wanted to know what waitress served me. Nothing about how they can make up my poor experience, no money back, etc. I was severely disappointed, I had to make up my boyfriend's birthday dinner because of this place (another $50 spent on top of the $50 spent here)! Maybe my experience was not ordinary, but I would not expect management to ever make up a bad experience. All they wanted from me was to know who to fire. Thanks, but no thanks. She could have been having a bad day, but it's YOUR responsibility, Management, to fix my experience. read more

I've been going to this sports bar for years. Love the pizza, but recently have been snacking on the breadsticks with cheese and bacon. Awesome value and really filling. Plus the leftovers are killer too. And the bartenders are cool, the crowd is diverse and they are right down the street. read more

Best pizza in town along with other Vitale's. You won't be disappointed!

The pizza was bland, greasy, and overcooked. Would not recommend this pizza to my worst enemy. Overall the restaurant's atmosphere was subpart, reminds me of a back street bar in the Bowery. Its a no go for me.. read more

We had dinner here last night, 6/18/15. The last time I ate here was 1998 and had only fond memories if the food and atmosphere. Things have not changed much over the years. Our waiter, Mlue, was very attentive and made us feel welcome and like important people to him. He was very pleasant and funny as he served us and continually checked on our progress. This young man is a very good waiter and you may want to request him when you visit Vitales on Leonard. We had the Lasagna, and it was as good as I remember. The only difference is they have changed from fresh shredded parmesan cheese to fine grated type, but it was still as good as I remember. [This cheese is a table item to be added at your discretion.] If you are looking for a great experience in eating and service I recommend this wonderful establishment, read more

Went to Vitale's Sports Bar @ 5:00 pm on Friday, left @ 7:00 pm, received our 12" pizza @ 6:45. Wow, and it didn't even get busy until after 6. The pizza was warm, hmmmm did it sit in the kitchen waiting for delivery. Good thing we ordered the breadsticks. This at least held us over until pizza arrived. Normally we would have sent the pizza back, but after 1hour and 45 minutes and having to endue the waiter giving excuse after excuse. It was like an airport waiting for your flight, every 15 minutes you're giving a new expected arrival time. Very disappointed, but we still like Vitale's pizza, however we will be selective on which Vitale's we go too. read more

Long time customer and usually have no issues with Vitale's. They were somewhat busy tonight so I can understand a wait. But 50 minutes for a breadstick and lasagna is insane. When I paid for my food after showing up 30 minutes after ordering, the girl at the register looked for my order. Noticed no breadstick, and said it would be up soon. Well they never made my breadstick. After 50 minutes I asked for a refund because I was sick to my stomach after seeing the female cashier cough and rub her nose multiple times with no gloves and continued to put sauces in pizzas and take cards and cash. Even if COVID wasn't a thing right now that is still completely unacceptable. Watching her rub her nose and cough then tough sauces that directly touch the breadsticks and pizzas made me lose my appetite immediately. After ordering here weekly for the past 2 years I'm not sure if I'll every go there again. They tried to make up for the wait by giving me a random free pizza that had been sitting there. It was cold and we didn't even like the topping included.....coming from someone that has worked in the industry for 8 years I was thoroughly disappointed by Vitale's tonight. read more

We were the out of town hockey team yesterday and the locals strongly recommended this place, and as it was less than a mile from the rink, most of our team went. We were not looking for anything fancy, someplace you can get a good burger or pizza. It had all the trappings of a great sports bar, walls covered with flat screens, any game being played could be watched. Admittedly, we were a large group, 10 teens, and probably 8 more adults. The menu looked promising. Perhaps half the waitstaff had called in sick. Our section, which contained many more diners than our group was staffed by one (very soon frazzled) waitress. There was no way she could do her job properly for that many customers; this is managements fault, not the waitress'. After a very long wait, part of the food arrived. Certainly not worth the wait. The Lasagna was more like a soup in a bowl -- noodles and sauce covered with a melted white cheese like substance. Though the cheese was melted, it wasn't browned as if it had been put in a oven. It seemed microwaved. The ravioli was simply indistinguishable from the lasagna - the plates seemed and tasted exactly the same. The white cheese was? Well, we're not sure. It had no flavor. One of our party ordered a salad with chicken strips. It was inedible. The lettuce was mushy, as if it had been negligently frozen, then thawed. I had the Hawaiin Chicken sandwich. Supposed to be a grilled chicken breast on a bun with pineapple and cheese. Oh, it had cheese - more of that white glop that had no taste. In fact the whole sandwich had no flavor. I actually dug around in the cheese for a piece of the pineapple, eventually found one, and tasted it alone. While it did sort of have the texture of pineapple, it had no flavor whatsoever. The entire sandwich tasted of nothing. The potato chips that came with the sandwich were fine, but not much to make a dinner out of. The pizza was fine, nothing special, but fine. Our drinks were never re-filled, and when our family left, some of our group had not received their dinners yet. Fortunately, there was a bar sink near our table and we helped ourselves to pitchers of icewater. read more

Favorite place for bar food in GR. Always go to the sports lounge and never been in the actual restaurant across the parking lot. Phenomenal pizza and burgers. The appetizer sampler (and their ranch)is top notch too. read more

We went to Vitale's on Leonard this evening and were seated right away as the restaurant was not crowded. After 15 minutes no one came to our table so we put our coats on and left. On our way out the host said, "have a nice evening" read more

Went to the trivia night and has a wonderful time. Ate a delux pizza and it was the best. Very enjoyable experience.

Wow! We used to dine here frequently and we very happy but it's been a while and things have definitely gone downhill which is very disappointing! It took over 20 minutes to get our drinks because the bar was "out of paper", but we looked at the bartenders and at that time they were just standing, talking to each other, on their phones! All while there's also huge stacks of dirty cups...they were also out of a couple things we tried ordering. Our salads didn't come, finally our meals came. We had to ask about 3 times for ketchup, red pepper and parmesan. And there was more but I wont share every detail...like my daughter said, we got "dinner and a show". Salad and bread came after the meal was served. Then one meal was not what was ordered. Manager did take that meal off the bill. Waitress was very friendly, very busy. We felt the problems had to stem from the restaurant not being properly managed as there were at least 2 managers on and so many problems that it was pretty unbelievable. Management didn't seem to have too much experience and weren't too on top of the problems from what we observed during our time sitting there. We thought we were on one of those reality tv shows that test your patience! We're hoping tonight was just a bad night for them and hopefully they can get this place running properly again. read more

Vitale's on Leonard has been our favorite for many years. Always excellent food and service! No other Italian restaurant in the area can compare! We've tried others, but we and our friends agree, there is absolutely NO place like Vitale's on Leonard! read more

We were expecting ratings from the "old" Vitali's I guess. Everything was either bad to inedible. The antipasto was a joke: ham rolls substituted for salami, tough prosciutto was hard to cut through. Lettuce instead of cheese? The mushrooms stuffed with crab appetiser had old mushrooms with garlic and onions: we tasted no crab. The linguini with clams was a generic canned white sauce with a few canned clams thrown in. Salads were the food industry giant bags. The bread rolls were a rolled out bread dough coated with parmesan, but unbaked dough in the center. We really wanted to enjoy a good time here, but, honestly, this was the worst restaurant experience we have had in 15 years. Server Kenzie was rather inexperienced, but she showed eagerness to fulfill was expected of her; manager was amazingly apologetic and willing to ameliorate our bad experience - and comped us as a result. Wow; not expecteted - but hope that is a symptom of Vitali's willingness to adjust. read more

Terrible service in the takeout area tonight. Long wait on the phone and then they sold my pizza to someone else. They offered to make another pizza and give me 2 dollars off but I would have to wait 15 minutes. Just the worst experience I have ever had there. read more

Flies everywhere, bit into my breadstick the sauce was so cold it felt like I was biting ice! The guy who works in the takeout doesn't know how to make a pizza sub to save his life. And I'm pretty sure he spit in my food so I didn't eat it. The chicken wings were ok though. read more

Vitalies is da bomb, Pizza, Lasagna, Stromboli all awsome. For for the haters from chicago, maybe you shoulda stayed there

Moved to GR about 4 years ago and live pretty close to Vitales. My poor husband has wanted to go there for years so last night we finally tried it. I wasn't that anxious because I'd had the pizza and didn't love and adore it like everyone else seems to. Good points: Plenty of sauce, massive portions, great waitress and a good price on a 1/2 liter of house chianti. The wine was kind of thin, but tasty. I had eggplant parmesan, which I typically love, but this was so greasy and had a nasty kind of batter taste like a fish fry - wasn't terrible, but also didn't leave me wanting more. My husband ordered a stuffed sirloin called spidini or something and he said it was flavorful but overcooked. Our ten year old son loved his trio plate of chix parm, lasagna and fettuccine alfredo. The pasta was all cooked perfectly and the sauce was good. The entrees included salad - we choose caeser. It was served oil based and my poor lettuce was drowing in 1/2 an inch of it. Would hardly call it life changing, won't go rushing back, that's for sure, even with the high points. It's also really small inside, which was surprising. It wasn't very busy for a Friday night so it wasn't a problem but wasn't what I expected. Overall, okay. read more