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View Full Version : Review: Villa Maria



Kg810
01-22-2011, 04:44 AM
Villa Maria
http://villamariaristorante.com/
121 - 17th Avenue SE
Phone: 403-228-5556

Reservations: Might not be needed but recommended (depends on the night)

Restaurant is about a block from the Elbow Casino. Great location if you are looking for a place to eat before a Flames game, going to the Casino or just a walk-in.


Ambiance and Atmosphere 8.5/10

Had reservations made at 6:30pm, which was around the time people were heading off the the Flames game so it was fairly open. About 3 tables on a Friday night.

Parking is behind the restaurant and I believe there is 2 parking lots, so plenty of access to parking.

As you walk in you there is a small sectioned off area where you'll be greeted by the host and a section to the left to hang your coats.

The staff there is amazing, every one of them was super friendly and were extremely welcoming. Based on other things I've read it's a family restaurant, which in my opinion, almost always has great customer service. The owner turned out to be the one taking care of us throughout the night, great guy. Reason why I am bringing up this here rather than put everything in the "Service" section is because their customer service skills really created a nice atmosphere for us.

The decor of the restaurant is on par with a lot of other mid-sized Italian restaurants, so nothing fancy. Everyone was comfortable, and found the place cozy. There is music playing in the background which you don't hear at all while talking, but can hear while eating so it's quite nice. There was also a TV for customers to watch the Flames game on. :goflames:


Food: 8/10

Before we could order, the owner presented us each with complementary bruschetta, which was very good, and two baskets of bread.

For Starters, we ordered the following:

Minestrone Soup
Insalata Di Pomodoro e Cipolla (Salad)
Caesar Salad
Cozze Alla Sorrentina (Mussels)

I didn't try either salads or soup, but from the looks and what my friends said they were tasty. I shared the mussels with my girlfriend and we both thought it was flavourful, not the best we've had but it was satisfying. The portions of the salads were the right amount, but for the mussels I believe they could have been a little more generous. The size of the mussels they served were a good size and the sauce was light garlic tomato white wine sauce, really good. There is enough sauce leftover for you to use to dip the bread they give you with.

For the Pastas, I can really only comment for mine and my girlfriend's as I did not try the other pastas. But my friends all enjoyed the pastas and all the portions were very large, which is a good thing.

I ordered the Linguini Alle Vongole with white wine sauce and out of all the dishes we ordered my portion was the biggest, almost double of what I could handle haha. The clams were good and clean. Pasta was cooked just right, but ever so slightly on the salty side but not a huge deal. In hindsight, I wish I went with the tomato sauce.

My girlfriend had the Gnocchi Bava. Another generously portioned dish. The dish was sauced and seasoned just right, no complaints. She did however order the Lobster Ravioli first but, they ran out of Lobster so that was a minor setback.


Service: 10/10

We experienced phenomenal service. Everyone was warm, friendly and very natural. As mentioned, I believe it is family owned and ran. They were very attentive and really funny people. Throughout our night, the staff would attend to us and crack jokes here and there.

We were there for a friend's birthday and he received a complementary tiramisu, which was excellent and we all received the bruschetta that I mentioned above as well.


Overall/Conclusion: 8.5/10 Would go back

The total bill for 8 people with drinks, beers, appetizers, pastas and entrees came out just a little over $300. So roughly $35-$40 if you order from each part of the menu. If it's just a simple appetizer + dinner, you can expect $20-$25/person.

I think we will go back and in a point form summary explain the reasons why:

- Excellent Service (Super friendly, attentive, natural)
- Great Value (Big portions for Pastas/Entrees)
- Not Super Busy (No 15-20 minute waits for walk-ins)
- Easy Parking
- Quiet Ambiance (I personally hate loud restaurants *Mercato*)

So if you are looking for an Italian restaurant that has great service, great value, and is available without reservations then check Villa Maria out. Even though it may not be fancy or be the best Italian restaurant in town, the people and the treatment you get is more than enough to at least check it out.

cancer man
03-27-2012, 06:33 PM
Just had dinner there,best pasta ever.

01RedDX
12-22-2014, 02:33 PM
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