La Vita Gustosa

Recommends

Silver Hammer

Joined 4 years ago

Great Abeetz. Tried pasta dishes & pizza so far. Good quality & attention to detail. Had no service issues as per other reviews , and have eaten here 6 or 7 times.

Nice taproom with a gorgeous timber & copper top bar.

Kinda pricey but not excessive.

Doesn't Recommend

gourmetmom73

Joined 4 years ago

NOT KID FRIENDLY. We have gone to La Vita Gustosa many times on dates without kids and have had a nice time with average wine and average food with good red sauce. Tonight we took the kids while we waited for our takeout pizza. The hostess was rude and sat us in the furthest corner. My 3 and 5 year old were better than usual with inside voices and great manners. We ordered from the childrens menu while we waited and the waitress was nice, but other 'patrons' were unhappy that kids were present. I felt awful to spend so much money, because they aren't cheap, and be made to feel like an outcast because I have kids. I have been in fine dining establishments with kids in San Fran, Chicago, Philly, and New York and been treated wonderfully. La Vita Gustosa in East Haddam is not chic or fine dining and should welcome any customers. The last straw was when the bar tender that we have seen every time we have been there said as we walked out 'I hate kids' and my 5 year old heard him. We will NEVER be go back and I will be sure to spread the word!

Doesn't Recommend

kidsdaddy

Joined 5 years ago

Are you a money bag ???. horoble service and food.At first we sat on the bar for drinks,we waited about 10 minutes,finally one of the four bartenders comes over and says"what's up money bags? than i ordered veal parmigiana and i got chicken in stead ,,and still got charged for veal, the server was arguin with me and still said that it was veal,and i paid for the veal,but's ok they'll never see the money bags again

Recommends

dipeach

Joined 5 years ago

Excellent Italian food. My husband and I eat at La Vita Gustosa every time we go to the Goodspeed Opera House. We have always had excellent service and the food has been wonderful. I like to experiment with the specials of the night although all the dinners I've had off the menu have been great as well. When the weather is warm they have a great outdoor patio where you can sit and relax. I think you will enjoy your exprience.

Recommends

aliceflanagan

Joined 6 years ago

Great place for good food and relaxing meal!. We have eaten at La Vita Gustosa in East Haddam many times, and we were allways welcomed as if we were part of the family, we were allways seated promptly, and a waiter arrived at our table quickly. If you want the typical Italian food, then this is not the place, the recipes are true italian and the ingredients are always the freshest possible. The resturant has grown from dinners only to a bar menu, to outside seating, and has expanded to a seperate room with a fireplace. We always order different items in order to taste each dish and have never found them lacking , my favorite is the chicken picata, with the light lemon sauce, allways tender and light. with just enough egg bater . Prices are what you would expect for good quality food, with lunches being very reasonable. All of the employees are friendly . All in all a fun place to eat and enjoy an evening out.

Doesn't Recommend

carriemain

Joined 6 years ago

used to be better.... I used to love this restaurant, but as it has become more popular the food quality and service has gone down while the prices have skyrocketed. The penne vodka used to be phenomenal but the last few times I ordered it I found it inconsistent. One time it arrived with shrimp on it, which I do not like and did not order. The waiter assured me that it always comes with shrimp, even though I have never had it like that and the menu made no mention of shrimp. The last straw came this past summer. I was with a few friends dining outside. After placing our drink orders, we waited for 45 minutes and did not receive them until a member of our party went to the bar and got them herself. The appetizers we ordered were never brought out, and the service remained incredibly slow and rude for the remainder of our meal. Two members of our party ordered the swordfish, which they discovered was still frozen when they attempted to eat it. No apologies were made to us for the horrible service or frozen entrees. I have not been back since but I hope some drastic changes have been made, otherwise I would recommend dining at the Gelston House or finding the nearest fast food joint, as the service would probably be better.