Villani & Co Wellen Park Steak Seafood Raw Bar

This is the first time in my life I’ve ever felt the need to write such a bad review. Very disappointing experience. Both dishes were terrible. My Chicken Parmesan tasted like salty, sour tomato sauce with almost no chicken flavor, and the shrimp and grits were mushy like baby food. The "crispy pork" was hard and almost impossible to find. For the price, the food quality was shocking. We left feeling completely deceived — like the place tries to look fancy but serves terrible food. Our check for two came to $104with tip, and it was absolutely not worth it.

I don’t see how they only have 4.2 stars! We have been there twice and the food has been amazing! They cook their salmon perfectly and the service is top notch. Other than people being a bit loud and obnoxious with drinking too it was great. You can’t fault the people who are here on vacation… With they said the tables are a bit cheap looking but other than that it was amazing. The restaurants in this area are not as good as say Lakewood Ranch but this place definitely takes top place IMO.

Stopped by Villani & Co in Wellen Park and ended up sitting at the bar due to a wait from an event. Busy night, short-staffed kitchen — totally understood and communicated upfront which is always appreciated. The appetizers were the real win here. Fried green tomatoes and calamari were both fantastic and full of flavor. No notes. Entrées were okay but didn’t live up to the apps. I had the shrimp and grits which lack flavor as the shrimp was hardly blackened. My husband ordered the French dip. The au jus was rich and delicious, but the meat wasn’t very tender, which was a letdown. The fries however were great! Service was a bit slow, though everyone was clearly busy and working very hard. One thing that stood out was the overall vibe — especially at the bar. No one seemed to be smiling, even while interacting with guests. It felt a little cold, which was surprising for such a beautiful restaurant. A little warmth and personality would go a long way. Also worth noting: the super bright sterile kitchen lighting spills into the dining room and throws off a rather nice ambiance a bit. Still a solid 4-star experience, and we’d definitely come back and try again on a less hectic night — the apps alone are worth it.

Yesterday, my friends and I went to dinner at Vilani in Wellen Park, having made a reservation. We were seated immediately, but that was it… We waited about 30 minutes for the waiter to simply come over, introduce himself, and take our drink order. Then we waited another 30-40 minutes for our drinks, then waited for our order again, and then sat and waited for the food again… which was completely unappealing and tasteless. By the way, the restaurant is extremely noisy; we couldn't even talk because we couldn't hear each other. I absolutely DO NOT RECOMMEND this restaurant.

In general the food was very good and ambience is lively and fun. Our waiter was a bit aloof from the get go but but most importantly we explained to him that two people in our party had allergies to alcohol and ask if the dishes we ordered could be prepared alcohol free, we were assured they could. Unfortunately both of us had allergic reactions to the meal and when we shared this with our waiter he simply said "ok,". I'm sorry but I don't think you should be in the culinary business if you don't take this specific feedback seriously. A manager should have been notified and at the minimum an apology offered. For this reason I suggest diners proceed with caution at this establishment.

So I had to wait a while to order my food, but I got it pretty quick and would have to say that this place has the best garlic parmesan fries I’ve ever had! It’s located in beautiful downtown Wellen Park. It was a bleakly Tuesday afternoon in Florida and I had to keep circling to get a parking spot. But this restaurant is worth it. They have a summer menu and it’s good value for money. I had a gyro with lamb and beef, garlic Parmesan fries and raspberry sweet tea. My starter was manhattan style chowder. All of this for $19… I’ll say that a a steal of a deal!

I know there are mixed reviews of this stylish restaurant; dined here once last year and it was ok but service was a little awkward. We chose to return due to the extensive menu at lunch, with something to meet anyone's preferences. Service was perfect and thoughtful --they even split my husband's and my fish entree plus salad. The fish special was outstanding: orange roughy over couscous with a Mediterranean sauce of olive oil and capers. Friends loved the peel and eat shrimp (they are from Georgia which seems to have the best shrimp in the U.S. but they were impressed with the Key West shrimp. A Caesar salad topped with white anchovies and grilled salmon cooked to order was also perfect. So glad we gave this restaurant another chance and we'll return!