Classic Upstate Italian. Family has been going there for years - super nice people:) I think the business has made it to the next generation, and while they have simplified the menu, they have also lost a bit of attention to detail. Positives: Wedding soup is perfect! Salad with Italian & crumbly blue is excellent. Great steak and pasta choices Great bar & wine choices. Slight critiques: The bar is too high, basically difficult to eat at - plus it's not very attractive. Gone are the days of complimentary white garlic pizza at the bar:( The Sunday Vona's sauce is good, but something seems to have changed? Maybe a tad too much sugar? Not sure. The chicken Marsala came out in chunks, not pounded as it should be. A classic dish like this should not be reduced a "chicken riggy" (if you don't know what that is your not missing much in the culinary tradition of upstate NY) I understand veal is expensive and requires more culinary expertise - sad to see it go. Overall great place! But the lack of culinary detail to the classic Italian recipes that made this place great means that a 4 star review is generous - meaning I hope they improve because we love Vona's. Improvement could be as simple as staying true to original recipes or even finding better Italian recipes. read more

Not good and overrated. The chicken taste like the other place down the road. The breading is so thick with a thin piece of chicken meat with the breast cut in half providing two pieces which makes the plate look plentiful, but the chicken meat is skimpy, and the breading is thick and nasty. Added the eggplant a top of it. I thought they used it as a sponge to wipe up all the oil. There's so much sauce you could take a bath in it not a traditional Italian place which means I don't have any of those classics, but I wouldn't come back to this place. read more

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One of my favorite restaurants in Oswego. So sad they are closing. Vonas will forever be a part of Oswego. The smells, the tastes, seeing familiar faces, family get-togethers, weddings, funerals, graduations, first dates, proms, so many memories connected to this place. Grateful for Vonas and the Occhinos for helping us family create so many memories. We will miss you. Having our last dinner there tonight. read more

Fabulous food, very fresh, large portions, awesome service, Stephanie was our waitress, went above and beyond to make us something not on menu, nice quiet old fashioned atmosphere, lots of old time regulars, very clean. Will be back. read more

Vona's Restaurant - Cavatelli and meatballs were my choice - Pizza Near Me - Oswego, New York

Best Italian around town. Love their Lasagna and Chicken Cordon Blue. Quick serving and thorough wait staff. Grab some of the free garlic pizza if it's the right time of day, Fresh tossed salads and great tasting bread round out the meals here. read more

Got a reservation, and when we arrived, my party and other parties who had reservations were stuck waiting due to a mistake made by management. Food was not very good. Ambiance seemed like an old church basement. They added an automatic gratuity to our party OF TWO. Then after the added gratuity they gave us the receipt and it tried to trick us because it had a section to add more tip! Very sneaky. They had a bus boy dressed in slippers with salt stains from the snow, also wearing sweats like he just rolled out of bed. Bad food. Bad service. Bad management. 0/10 read more

Ordered pepperoni pizza and medium wings. The wings were cooked well, but very salty. There was no flavor to the sauce," or lack of it. The pizza was edible, but had a sauce with no distinct flavor. I'm trying to check out all of Oswego's Pizza shops since we moved back, and now I can cross Vona's off my list. I had pizza there a lot 50 years ago in college. It's not what I remember. read more

My brother in law reserved a room for a family luncheon. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. They set up a buffet table for us. The cheesy bread was hot, the meatballs were huge and deliciously amazing! We also had a salad, Italian bread, ziti, chicken with wine, roasted potatoes, green beans were fresh (not the canned stuff). I would highly recommend this restaurant read more

My wife and I were traveling and visited Oswego, NY for the first time. We have a rule that we never eat at any restaurant that is available back home, so we avoid chains. We discovered Vona's. I have a good friend named Vona and the place sounded different, so we went. Based upon the patrons present, Vona's is a popular destination for families. But we agreed that it was also a good date night choice. The atmosphere is pleasant and relaxing, no loud music. There is a bar with a television, but it did not disturb our dining. The menu had a wide choice of seafood and pasta and offered steak as well. Some may consider Vona's pricey, but we were surprised at how affordable it was. Portions are large, so we split a "small" antipasto salad. We each ordered a bowl of soup, which was refillable. I had the wedding soup and my wife ordered minestrone. She remarked that it was the best minestrone she had ever eaten. My wedding soup was superb as well. In all, we paid only $26 for this sumptuous meal! My wife wanted to return repeatedly so that she could try everything on the menu. Our server was a local college student who was attentive, visited, and did everything to make us welcome and our meal enjoyable. We wish that Vona's was in our hometown so that we could visit more often. It is truly a gem! Note bene: Vona's observed sanitation precautions and employees wore masks, as did all of the patrons. Like most diners, we miss the experience of eating out. Vona's did all it could to make the restaurant worry-free in a time of COVID. read more

So... Sat promptly in a booth the smelled predominantly like sewer odor ( so much so that I asked my husband if he had passed gas) server was prompt initially. Received first drink order, and asked for more time to order. She didn't return for an hour. Finally got in another drink order and ordered an Appetizer. Appetizer was good and quick. Drink refills took forever, placed dinner order. Food was quick. Prime rib was salty, pasta on all dishes was grossly overdone. My dinner was fake crab with a can of cold Alfredo plopped on top with microwave last night pasta. My Cesar was iceberg lettuce with Cesar dressing. No bread, no waters, no music. Just disappointing and obvious they are cutting every corner. Maybe it was authentic Italian 30 years ago but sadly now you're better off at Olive Garden. read more

We order there as a weekly staple! Love the Italian wedding Soup! Garlic pizza! And they have gluten free pasta too

The Chicken Parmesan was out of this world along with the service. Very reasonable prices as well.

In a Wednesday dinner slot we go to this restaurant. The waitress told us right off this was her second day working here. Got our drinks wrong but our food order was right. I ordered the haddock parm which was tasty. My friend ordered chicken medallions which was really good and my other friend ordered the battered haddock which was overcooked and leathery which shouldn't have been served. He didn't eat it. The waitress didn't ask if anything was wrong and my friend is not one to make an issue. Won't be going back here. The restaurant is not what it once was. read more

We had a very good meal, and the servers were very friendly and helpful with meal substitutions. On my particular visit (on a holiday) the tips were automatically included with the bill which I strongly oppose, otherwise it was a good meal and great atmosphere read more

Located in the town of Oswego, you're either going to Canale's or Vona's; well everyone wanted Vona's so who am I to argue. It was a perfect time of year to visit since they had all their Christmas decorations out and a beautiful tree. It was a cold November night but the conversations were going as a few townies stopped by our table to chat (the locals love this place). We all browsed the expansive menu and finally made our decisions. I decided to go with the french onion soup; a steaming crock of tender onions in rich broth, topped with homemade croutons and melted mozzarella cheese ($5.99). Why not pile on the carbs anyway since it's Italian restaurant, so I went ahead and ordered the ravioli-pasta pillows filled with ricotta cheese and topped with Vona's sauce ($13.99). As a little pre-starter we were given complimentary garlic cheese bread, which was so much better than the typical bread and butter given at restaurants. It was nicely warmed, a little greasy but very tasty. For a small town Italian restaurant, you couldn't ask for much better. and it certainly works for the locals. The food may not be plated fancy or come adorned with fancy napkins but the quality of the food is the selling point here. You'll be fine in jeans and a t-shirt or even in sweatpants. Even though it's not a fancy place, you'll still get a good meal. So come in your comfy clothes and don't forget to leave room for dessert. read more

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They fire employees with no reasoning or notice beforehand. I have also had to sit there and be stared at by waitstaff for 45 minutes before my order was taken. read more

I feel so welcome and at home. The food is fantastic. I had the gnocchi with Meatballs. So good. My husband had the shrimp scamp and said it was fantastic. read more

Amazing Valentine's Dinner here thank you!!! We ordered the special which was prime rib and it was one of the best I've ever had. Desert was exceptional too! read more

If We just can't decide where to eat, this is our go-to restaurant!!! Sauce is delicious!!! Probably the best sauce we can find in the area. The salads are wonderful..food is amazing. Love Vona's!! read more

Alfredo with chicken & broccoli tasted like something you'd expect from a hospital cafeteria. Menu stated FRESH, Grilled chicken. Neither of that happened. If you're going to steam frozen broccoli season it, even minimally, so the customer can tell you made an effort. Store Brand tasting Alfredo sauce, pre-packaged, and frozen ingredients over fettuccini does not equal fine dinning, though the prices suggest you should believe otherwise. read more

Was seated quickly, but my party waited for their food for about an hour. When the food finally did come, the portions were huge. I got the chicken parm and it was delicious. Negative: - Messed up order - Long wait - Smelly and dark atmosphere However, for Oswego the food was good and I will return. read more

Great food great price, I go on a date there every year with my wife, while on vacation. Would not miss it!!

I love the chicken riggies here. They are better than Canales's riggies. However, I typically get them to-go. For $15 bucks, you'd expect it to be a large portion. Unfortunately the serving size is pretty small and doesn't even fill me up. The restaurant itself is comfortable. read more

Vona's Restaurant - A $15 portion. -quite small (that's a salad fork) - Pizza Near Me - Oswego, New York

Awesome place for a first date if you're in the Oswego area. The food was amazing especially their homemade red sauce. The service was outstanding! Our waitress Mia was friendly, interactive, and was conscious of our needs. The only drop side was that you need to make a reservation beforehand unless you want to wait a good sec to be seated. Overall this restaurant is great and I plan to go again when I'm in Oswego. read more

First of all I love Italian food this place is wonderful just their pasta and meatballs is amazing and I love the wines Whether you sit at the bar or seated at a table it's a very nice place read more

No reservation, only had to wait 10 minutes on a busy Friday night. Goat cheese stuffed pepper appetizer - really good. Italian wedding soup, excellent. Chicken Parm, crispy and HOT! Good flavor of the sauce. Chocolate, peanut butter pie...mmmm! Not only did we have a good waitress (Nicole) but she was paired with a bus girl. Between them, they kept us supplied with bread, water and a clean table. Very enjoyable meal!! We'll be back again. read more

We were having the beginnings of our "family reunion".... my two brothers, my niece, and my sister-in-law. Had a lovely dinner, good food, super service and a very enjoyable atmosphere. Was so glad I suggested Vona's! read more

I had the Italian special. It was OK. I now know that the eggplant parm is amazing BUT the stuffed shells and fettuccine Alfredo were just OK. Vonas homemade sauce is fantastic!!! A delicious mix of garlic flavor and spices. Also- the chicken riggies are great if you like spicy! We will go back. read more

let me start off my by saying i've had my fair share of nice restaurants.. Now i may only be 20 but here i felt wanted. me and my friend felt welcomed and like they wanted us to come back! very attentive and great pricing.. portions are good aswell. first time here and i will probably be back later this week! read more

Firstly, I found a hair in my food which immediately turned me off. Secondly, my Dad ordered gnocchi with extra sauce and they sent him broccoli with extra butter sauce, so some of their employees don't even know what Italian food is. Lastly, the food is nowhere near as good as the food at Canales. read more

I wrote a review and I guess it wasn't liked so tough they stunk how's that! Mother's Day buffet was horrible! Each check at our table was charged a gratuity fee! For what? Delivering a few drinks? 18 percent per check. We each ordered that crummy service food buffet. The desserts were frozen, the mashed potatoes were instant. The prime rib was precut and thrown in a warmer so it was overdone and tasteless. The salad was soggy with oil. The other centres were also prefrozen junk and the vegetables were burnt to a soggy blackness. Not happy with the gratuity bull either. We all had the buffet. The waitress kept asking how many checks! That told Me something was up. The gratuity fee is not found on the web menu nor in the house so that's against the law! We were each charged 18 percent for the fee and nobody brought us any food we each got our own. I'll never be back NEVER! read more

Vona's has both great red sauce and good pizzas. I almost always choose Canale's (down the street) when I'm visiting home and want some Italian food, but its really a matter of personal preference - both are good. read more

My friend and I stood at the "wait to be seated" podium for at least 10 min. The bartenders never said a word to us. The place was full of customers. We went through the menu and picked out an order. Waited, and waited. Ended up leaving and going to Canale's where we were seated quickly. read more

Went for lunch and couldn't believe how much it smelled of stale cigarettes. The Service wasn't very good--- they seemed to act like they were doing us a favor. Dirty glasses along with all of our silverware. The food was marginal at best. The ambiance/decor was as if we were back in the early 70's. We will NOT go here again. read more

After a long day fishing had a great meal at Vona's. Meatballs and pasta were very good along w veal scallopini. Place was clean, food was good and waitress was helpful. read more

Excellent meal, I had the greens and beans for an appetizer, and the egg noodles and meatballs for my meal. Real home made noddles made this dish. read more

I just revisited Vona's with a large group and had a great meal, efficient service and alot of fun. The Chicken Marsala was very good, my friend had Riggies and loved it. Prices were reasonable and everyone was friendly. A little older decor. This place has been in Oswego for many years . I think they updated their menu. I was happy with the meal. read more

For us parents visiting the college, nice place for dinner. Not your NYC type Italian food but was good. Fried Calamari good Lasagna good and Veal good, service good.... would repeat, give it a shot and see what ya think, read more

Food: OK. Not amazing. Not bad. Server: Very nice and welcoming. My main complaint is with the manager. I went out with a group of my friends and we got our dinners with separate checks. My friend presented 1 coupon for $10 off that clearly stated that only 1 could be used EVEN IF there were separate checks. That obviously restricts the use of more than one at a table. It does not however restrict the use of one at all when there are separate checks. The manager proceeded to say therewas "no way iI'm going to win this so just never bring one of these coupons here again." If a coupon is only supposed to be used in one particular way make more terms and conditions; or remove the coupon entirely. I work at a resturaunt myself and if one of my managers ever spoke to a customer in that way they would have been fired on the spot. I find it funny that she told us to never bring that coupon back because I will never be back to use that coupon. read more

We were a party of ten that got exceptional service on a busy weekend. Everyone loved their meals and there were no complaints. Portions are generous and prices are fair. I had the salmon oscar and every bite was perfection. Really great flavor, it was delicious and could not have been better. read more