Reviews of Trattoria La Festa (Restaurant)

Laureen Gorham

We had a delicious meal from the appetizers to the main course! The service was spot on, the atmosphere was great and we can’t figure out what the heck is wrong with That woman named Jill Rees who left the horrible review almost a year after she ate here!

Evan MG

Great service and great atmosphere for a Italian dinner. The waiter was great and was running all over the place to make sure everyone was well attended to.

Kristin Fleming

Amazing dinner! Would highly recommend. Great food, great people, great experience!

Barbara Breuer

We just finished the best meal we've had in a really long time. I had the veal cutlet with just the right breading and prep so none of the flavor lost. My partner ordered the Pescatore and was thrilled with the dish, just the right amount of shrimp, clams and scallops, all prepared perfectly. We both commented on the sauce over our pasta, a nice marinara with flavorful bites of tomato that retained their body and taste. We finished with sumptuous deserts of tiramisu and bread pudding. The servers, while busy, ensured we were attended to and not rushed. An overall treat, thank you!

Ruthy Burgos

Loved it they were very attentive. Food was great has a home field from the outside. And the inside has a very romantic setting. I enjoyed it. Will go again if in área

Carey Lucchesi

Unsure how this place lasted 30 years. Yes, being of Italian descent I'm critical, as is my husband. His lasagna was tasteless, like ricotta only, no mozzarella no seasoning. I had putenesca over Angelhair. Now this sauce is suppose to be spicy from crushed pepper, NOT HOT PEPPERCINI. Peppercini are for sandwiches and antipasto. So while it was spicy, it tasted like vinegar,

David Reed

Good food and nice little quaint place.

Bob K

Excellent choice! Our meals were excellent as was the service.

Wayne Keller

Food and service was good and ambiance was very nice. But while there a patron passed out cold and hit the floor. His wife was understandably very upset. It seems he has had heart problems in the past. The staff was very good and caring for him till he was taken away by ambulance. After he left my wife who was facing them told me how his wife was handed a bill to pay. I wish i would have seen that as I would have picked up the tab for her as I didn't think it was appropriate to charge her for a meal half eaten. It was obvious this was not done to escape without paying. There remaining food was packed for them and they didn't charge them for their drinks but I can't help but think while her husband was in distress that it was in very poor taste to charge his wife. While i thought the food and service was good I am not sure if I could return because of this. Response - Thanks Tony I am glad to hear that. I will surely return as everything else was excellent.

Matt Tercsak

The best way to describe our experience is if your doctor told you that you'd have to go on a bland diet void of any flavor or seasoning; then this would be the perfect restaurant. My wife & I started with the butternut squash soup. Traditionally , butternut squash soup is a thick creamy soup. What we received was a mystery broth soup with undercooked beans devoid of any flavor. But we had fun with it, trying to figure out the soup mystery. My wife concluded the soup was or should be called " hard beans in warm water". Our next venture into the realm of the tasteless was an order of beef carpaccio. When prepared properly this is one of my favorite dishes;Simple but usually a wonderful savory flavor. This was not it! I knew it was beef only cause it was in the title. It was as though they soaked the beef slices in water until they leached out all flavor; then tossed them on a plate with a few capers. The entrees .... Well the chicken Marsala sauce was as thick as pudding; but without the pleasure of pudding. And the penne with meat sauce, the pasta was under cooked and still hard around the edges . The meat sauce...hmmm; I know it was meat , not sure what kind of meat? Had a really funky after taste that was not at all enjoyable. Now I've had bad experience at restaurants before. Maybe an off night for the kitchen, the regular chef out on holiday... Who knows? But usually one could at the bare minimum expect good service . Didn't get that either! At 7:30pm a food runner cleared our table. My wife and I debated about getting coffee; maybe dessert. But when the clock struck 7:50 and our server had yet to return to see if we needed or wanted anything else we opted to request our bill. Nine minutes later our server finally returned with the bill. Maybe we should consider ourselves fortunate that we had such poor service . We were spared dessert and coffee. That might have been the tipping point? At least we left the restaurant with our health.

Jay Pooler

We had the best time. So we went back again..the staff very friendly..treated like old friends my wife and I..we sat at the bar and felt like we had our own little party and personable service..I tip my hat to Patty for the wonderful deserts..when we get back that way we will make its point to stop in...good luck

Bob O'Brien

Outstanding food and service, highly recommend. Great people.

Tom

Very nice place, food is very good and prices are good. Owner treats you like a old customer, even though I never been there until tonight.

Darlene

The best Italian restaurant in Vermont! Our favorite, the food and drinks make for great selections and off course are Soo delicious! Thanks to the owner who puts in so much work and effort to make everything so wonderful! Hopefully we will be back next summer for some more of your peach Moscato and fine food. We were able to find the same wine in RI and are enjoying it! Thanks for sharing the details of the brand with us!! If we can not get to Vermont in 2019 at our timeshare, you definitely will see us in July 2020. Always nice to have something to look forward to!!!!

Dennis Renton

Everything was incredible!!!

Stepf Radev

My Boyfriend and I have been here multiple times. The owner welcomes you at the door and makes you feel at home instantly. The ambiance inside is so warm and romantic. If visiting in the summer eating on the veranda is so beautiful you're surrounded by the restaurants garden and beautiful blooming flowers. Whenever we have visitors we bring them here. The prices are very fair for the quality of food and service you receive. We went last night with my in-laws andI'm already dreaming of our next visit!

Chris Mazur

Our server for a party of ten was excellent. She was attentive, available, and on top of everything. The food was very good (recommend the eggplant tower). Only strike was that the courses came out too fast.

Carolyn Carty

On our last night of vacation in Vermont we went here and we loved the whole experience. The owner greats everyone patron, the staff was excellent and the food was delicious. Would definitely return. You will NOT be disappointed.

Nate Lusk

Great food and an authentic Stowe experience.

Norman M.

This comfortable restaurant in our American Switzerland Stowe Vermont area just getting better and better. My wife repeated three times that she was happy with the cuisine and service of Trattoria La Festa. Our waiter Mr. Andy has anticipated our needs and doubled-down on TLF's service. It is not a oneway street; my wife and I are very good customers. Technical excellence goes to the veal chop. Yes, we know France-born chefs think piece de resistance est les sauces

Richard Anderson

Great food. Quiet environment. Perfect place for a first date or a romantic evening for two

Jeff Luckett

Cozy, intimate dining room. Authentic Italian comfort food, prepared exceptionally well. Lovingly owned and operated for over 30 years ... definitely check this place out when visiting Stowe. Don't forget to reserve well ahead, this place is small and popular!

Joan Usau

Really bad guys! I wanted to like it but the sauce tasted more like BBQ sauce on pasta. Kids pasta wasn't even cooked.

Laura Ott

The food and wine selection are absolutely incredible - definitely do not skip dessert!

Jeffrey Mckeon

Best Italian food in the area.

Jason Lambert

We make sure to visit everytime we are in Stowe. It has a lovely atmosphere, phenomenal food and exceptional service. We highly recommend to anyone who loves authentic Italian cuisine.

cee mack

This place has the aroma of authentic Italian food.... It's awsome.

J Atkins

Wow, can't believe it took us over 15 years to find this spot. Tony and Patty are just so friendly, gracious and genuine. We sat at the bar and within 5 minutes we were made to feel like we had been coming there for years. The food was fresh, homemade and delicious. The salad dressing is also homemade and is light and tasty. The main courses are large portions and so reasonably priced especially for Stowe. Patty makes all the desserts and they are so yummy. They had only met us that one time and when we returned for our second visit that week they remembered us and welcomed us by name, and even remembered our drink orders. That is certainly something that does not happen too often. I can't say enough about this establishment. It will definitely be our go to Stowe spot in the future.

William Eisner

I love this place. Where else can your whole party be so well taken care of? Hospitality at its peak with excellent food and wine.

Richard Turner

Called 15 minutes before we decided to eat there and they had no problem sitting me my wife and my son. Food was so delicious..the best I had in the Stowe area. Freshly made and the service was impeccable. Limited menu options that work in their favor because they do it to perfection.

Eric Ruano

Solid Italian in Vermont. Very good service.

Jeremiah Lamphere

Best Italian food in stowe hands down

Meghan Myers

Our experience at Trattoria La Festa was amazing! We celebrated our engagement and a birthday here and it was just fabulous. Food was amazing and service was impeccable. We will be coming back here for years to come. Ownership and management were awesome and talked to us like we were old friends. Amazing place!

Bean Counter

Decent Italain fare. I've had better, and I've had worse. A bit over priced. They have affordable wine, (on a separate menu) but they only point you to the premium wines, hoping that you will overlook the more reasonably priced ones.

stephen donohoe

Outstanding veal parmesan

Vanessa Castellane

Service was the best. Very friendly and the food was delicious

Junior Taylor

Nice little vintage Italian restaurant

Bonnie Francis

Excellent food and service. Wonderful atmosphere. We love this restaurant.

Happy girl

Nice atmosphere, excellent service and delicious food!

Ann M.

Great food and atmosphere!!!

Nancy Schultz

Friendly staff, nice atmosphere, great food. I'll be back if I ever visit the Stowe area again.

RJ Tromblee

Amazing service, great food!

Norma Pichon

Best restaurants in stowe area

Daniel Luneau

We go to this restaurant often. We highly recommend it and have been very satisfied over many years of great food and impeccable service. Tony and Patty always go out of their way to make you feel welcome, great atmosphere and hospitality.

Kelly Brion

Despite us being a couple of underdressed and hungry hikers, this place was accommodating and got us to a seat during a busy time with no hesitation. The staff were professional and helpful with menu choices, as well as funny. The food was the best Italian I can remember having in my life, and I would proudly fly all the way across the country for their tomatoes again.

Harrison Vanase

We stumbled upon this amazing experience call Trattoria La Festa. We were greeted with true Italian hospitality and although extremely busy the owner found a nice table for us. The wait staff were very friendly, water glasses never empty, attention to every detail. From the bread, salad ,main course and dessert. Absolute perfection. The chefs were incredibly adapt to their art. A must for every trip bbn to Stowe.

Kathy Alpert

We haven't been to this restaurant in a number of years. Food was very good. I had the veal parm which was excellent. My only comment is the red sauce on the penne pasta was a basic sauce, not bad. My husband had one of the specials, Atlantic Salmon with a caper sauce, very tasty. The tiramisu was excellent. I'd go back again.

Bri K

Greatest disappointment. Spaghettis actually were more kind of a "ketchup noodle soup".

Michael Smith

One of my favorite restaurants, anywhere. Wonderful staff, great atmosphere, and so many incredible entrees. It has become a tradition for our family when in Stowe.

SlowFood Guru

I visited Stowe in December 2014 to ski with my daughter. Our first meal of the trip was at Trattoria la Festa. I have mixed reviews. The service was great, the atmosphere very nice, the wine list adequate, but the food was so-so. We ordered escarole soup, my daughter ordered a salad and I ordered the puttanesca. The soup was good. The wine was not bad, though it could have been fresher. The puttanesca was kind of awful. This is an Italian restaurant, guys, get your pasta right at least. The dish had all the tell-tale signs of a cook who has no idea how to cook pasta or puttanesca for that matter. First of all, the pasta was quite a few shades under al dente (meaning that it was not cooked enough) and the sauce didn't adhere to the noodles as a result of poor cooking technique. It is my guess that the cook probably added oil to the water (a no-no) and did not cook the pasta in the pan with the sauce and some of the pasta water. This causes sauce to adhere properly to noodles. Finally, the sauce just didn't taste like puttanesca. I grew up eating puttanesca and it is hard to find a good one, which is a mystery since it is a very quick and easy dish. Perhaps it is because people are afraid of anchovies? I don't know, but that is the point of the dish, so if you don't like anchovies, stick to marinara.The sauce had way too many capers and the flavors just didn't meld together very well. My daughter liked the salad which she said was nice and super fresh with good ingredients and flavors. Oh, how I wish I could cook these guys a proper puttanesca. It would knock their socks off.

Alexandra Parfenov

Tasty food and great service.

Pauline Cassel

A delicious dinner with a new vegetarian dish: mushroom ravioli which was very good. So were the puttanesca spaghetti and eggplant tower

Bryan Ouimette

Excellent service and food.

James Krieger

good food and great ingredients quality

Michael Taricani

Great food, great service.

Matthew Rogers

(Translated by Google) Name name (Original) Nom nom

Scott T

30 of us, yes 30 came for dinner on a pre set family style dinner and everything was excellent. A great wine menu and service was 1st class.

Gene Cullen

It was delicious as always! Personal attention to every diner.

Gator1 Gator1

Awesome place. From the caesar salad to the snails to the chicken parmigiana. Just great!

Jorg Altenburg

Location is great, good food, but not exceptional.

Jamie Elgie

We loved our meal generally. I had a manicotti special that was unbelievable. My wife and middle son shared a chicken parmigiana. Oldest son had a salmon bisque which he didn’t enjoy so the server was quick to get him a different dish that he did like. Drinks before the meal were good. Good selection of Vermont beers on draft. Insalate (caprese) was phenomenal. Oh, and service was great too.

Kristen Martin

Amazing food! Amazing service! We know we are guaranteed a perfect dining experience every time.

Tammy Bischof

My experience was grand. Food start to finish was fabulous! Staff love what they do and it shows. You will not be disappointed if you like good food. Bon Appetite!! Lol!

Greg Corbanese

I thought it was overrated but everyone else I was with loved it. I found it uninspiring.

Hafsteinn Karlsson

Very good food, excellent service and nice atmosphere. Resonable price.

Edward Anderson

Best place to eat, they were closes bit they opened for us. Also I recommend the soda cocktail. It was so good I got it like 10 times

Rich H

Great atmosphere and excellent food

DY S

Surprise small gourmet place with gluten free modifications

Alan W

The food was superb, as was the service. With that being said, they went above and beyond. My wife ordered a plate, it was made perfectly, but it did not suit her palate. (She had tried something new.) They replaced the food, were super kind about it, got the new phenomenal dish out in record time, and did not charge for the mistaken order, and still sent it home with us in case I would enjoy it. Total class on thier part! I'd give them a 10 star if I could. Enjoy! This place is awesome!

Charles Corbally

Great fun, good food

Riccardo Tenaglia

I fratelli Antonio e Giancarlo sono persone squisite, come sono squisiti i piatti che offrono alla propria cliente e, questa trattoria, è uno dei pochissimi veri ristoranti italiani che si possono trovare nel New England. Diffidate dalle imitazioni, non basta avere un tricolore appeso fuori nel cortile per fare davvero cibo italiano! In una fredda serata d'inverno, ho trovato una caldissima accoglienza in questo locale dove mi sono sentito subito a casa. Diffidente da esperienze di ristoranti "italiani" precedenti ho fin da subito capito che i miei pregiudizi erano sbagliati. Antonio è un'ottimo chef che prepara con particolare cura e attenzione tutti i piatti tipici della tradizione italiana, mentre il fratello Giancarlo è un eccezionale sommelier e intrattenitore che offre una carta vini da far invidia a qualsiasi enoteca italiana (Brunello, Chianti, Nebbiolo ecc...). Sono stati semplicemente unici! Li ringrazio personalmente perché mi hanno fatto sentire veramente profumo di casa, sia umanamente che dal punto di visto enogastronomico. Grazie di cuore! Riccardo Brothers Antonio e Giancarlo are very delicius persons, like delicius are foods and drinks that offer to their costumers and, this trattoria, are one of the fewest really italian restaurant in New England. Beware of imitations, Is not the same think have the italian flag outside and cook very italian food! In a coldest night of Vermont's winter, i found warm welcoming in this restaurant where I feeling like home. I was suspected by bad "italian" previous experiences but I understood soon that my prejudices was wrong. Antonio is a perfect chef that prepare with care all the traditional italian foods, meanwhile Giancarlo is a special sommelier and showman that porpose excellent wines like an italian wineshop (Brunello, Chianti, Nebbiolo etc). They were nopareils! I want thank they very much because they made me feel at home, himanly and drinks/foods too. Thank you so much! Riccardo

Dan Labbe

I have been here twice now and both experiences were excellent. The staff is awesome and polite. The Cesar salad is the best I have ever had. The dressing is made from scratch by the restaurant and I have never found anything close to how good it is. The calamari is amazing. It's not fried. It comes in a spicy sauce with capers and it is amazing. The pasta is excellent.

Thomas Spaeth

Great food and pleasant staff

Harry Mooren

We did not make a reservation which explains perhaps our experience. Food quality was not according to the reputation of the restaurant and we where not impressed by staff serving.

Jill Rees

I give this restaurant negative stars. In other words, not edible and concerning. I'm traveling to Stowe in October and in looking up restaurants to eat at, I was reminded of the meal I had there on NYE this past December. It was worst than cafeteria food. We tolerated the strange anti-pasta plate and salad (that was comparable to bagged salad, but not as fresh) and then when the main course arrived, my finance and I were in agreement that we just couldn't eat it. The service? Non-existent. We got up to pay at the host stand and leave to eat somewhere else. The most attention we got the whole evening was when they refused to take our money. I write this review because I'm actually concerned about the public eating there. We left and got a burger at The Bench. It was delicious.

DM Foster

We had a very enjoyable evening at this establishment. We made a reservation for two as it was a ski weekend in Stowe. All of the dishes we picked were excellent. The sweet potato soup with curry was delicious, as well as the the gnocchi Bolognese. To top things off, the chocolate intensity dessert was awesome.

Peter Y

As grandpa would say, " It is a foods to love."

Robert Poppenga

Great food, great service, great family...like it should be.

Braden Mosshart

Quiet and cozy atmosphere. Great service, AMAZING food, great wine pairing suggested from server. If you're going to be there much later than 5 get a reservation, it fills up quickly!