Permanently Closed - Al Vento

Nick was a great bartender/server as always! Food and everything was spot on! Even though the pizza over was on the fritz- there were still plenty of amazing dishes to eat!

It was our first time back in a couple of years, we are for sure adding it to our regular rotation... Great place for an intimate dinner

The service was incredible. Friend and warm with just the right touch of advice. Pizza and pastas were obviously delicious

Have been to Al Vento countless times and the food is fresh, flavorful and plentiful. We've been seated in all three "areas" and enjoyed the lovely, airy summer porch - the lively packed front room - and the more subdued back room.

The only thing that made this experience a bit odd was that there was a family or group party in the back open room, and we were seated in the narrow hallway in the same space. In a way, we felt like we were "in" someone else's event with photos, speeches and guests mingling/talking...while not being a part of it at all. No complaints, it just felt a bit odd...

Fabulous service from the bartender to the waitstaff. Always a dinner I look forward to with friends. We go here for an annual gathering each Fall. Next year’s dinner is already planned! Food is unique, drinks are tasty and crafted with care, and the restaurant has a classic character. Highly recommend!

The food was fine, but not amazing. We had asked for a table in a quiet area, but were seated next to the bar. Fair experience with friends.

Bottom line:
from time seated to arrival of appetizer= 1 hour
Entree arrival 90 min.
Dessert ? Well we asked for check as we had been there 2 hours and as we were paying the dessert arrived. We grabbed it and fled

I was very disappointed with our visit to this restaurant, especially because it seemed like generally there were good ratings. The service was not very good; we ordered arancini for an appetizer and had to keep reminding the waiter. Finally it came when we were basically done with our entree (thankfully they didn’t charge us). Lastly, the gnocchi we got was flavorless and had just a cold clump of goat cheese on top. Lastly, our doughnuts were supposed to come with a chocolate dipping sauce that others had but we were never served. By that point we just wanted to go.

The only good thing I can say is the pizza was very good and the ambiance was nice. But unfortunately not good enough to make up for the poor service and majority of the food. We won’t be returning.

Unfortunately, I would not recommend Al Vento. We went there for restaurant week, and not only was service exceptionally slow, the food was bland and we both were left a little sick leaving the restaurant. Courses were often forgotten during our experience, and our waitress seemed to have no clue that one of us had be left without an entree for over 15 minutes. I got the gnocci with mushrooms for my main course, and it was very watery, bland, and presented poorly. While she felt bad and comped our drinks, we will not be returning. An unfortunate start to our first ever restaurant week in Minneapolis.

An absolutely perfect dinner from start to finish. Wonderful wine and a meal that was some of the most delicious Italian I have ever had. We had the restaurant week special and were able to try a lot of different entrees including Crab cakes, halibut, gnocchi, roasted cauliflower, and the Italian donuts melt in your mouth.

We went to Al Vento to celebrate my husband's birthday during restaurant week and we will not be returning. We decided to order from the restaurant week menu thinking we were getting a good deal. Turns out that only one of the three appetizer selections was left and one of the two dessert options was left.; we didn't find out about this until we were well into our dinner, otherwise we would have certainly gone elsewhere. When the appetizers were brought to us (the wrong one), we were surprised because our waiter hadn't told us that both of the other options were unavailable. We did not get our waters refilled until halfway through dessert and we were never asked if we wanted refills of our other beverages. We would have been better off going somewhere else or ordering off the main menu. Unfortunately, a lovely birthday celebration turned into the worst restaurant experience I've had in the cities. Such a disappointment.

As always, Al Vento lived up to its reputation as an excellent neighborhood restaurant. This is the most authentic Italian food I've had in the Twin Cities, but what I especially like about this place is the friendly and accommodating staff and the homey atmosphere. The bartender is amazing and interesting to talk to, as he has been a part of the business for many years. I like the cloth tablecloths, the candles and soft lighting, and the sense of intimacy.

Enjoyable evening. Just having returned from Italy, I was really missing my Aperol Spritzers. I ordered the bartenders special spritzer, but thought it was not very good. I was happy they took it back and made me the Aperol Spritzer!
Food was very good, we had the restaurant week specials.

Always good

Consistently good food and staff. Often load but we enjoyed our time together.

Service was quick as we informed them of a theater reservation.

Great tasting menu for Restaurant Week. I loved the crab cakes, halibut and doughnuts. Want to go back and try the pastas.

Food was great. Service was bad. Drinks took an awfully long time to arrive after ordering. The waiter seemed to have disappear while our drinks sat ready at the bar. Salads came after our entrees, which was very strange and not what most would expect. But the food was delicious!

Good food, great service. Had gluten free pasta -was delicious.

Al Vento is always a great experience. Have been going here for about 10 years and will keep coming back!

always dependably good food. nice atmosphere to visit while dining.
split the salad unless real hungry.

Al Vento is one of my favorite "go-to" places in Minneapolis. The food is authentic Italian, the staff is all one could want (good service without being intrusive) and the cocktails are superb.

Delicious every time!

We have been to Al Ventos several times. The food is always very good to excellent, the prices are reasonable and the service is normally good. Last Saturday, the restaurant was packed full and very loud, and, perhaps as a result, the service wasn’t quite up to par. Our server was friendly, apologetic, thanked us for our patience and even comp’d a drink that was late arriving so perhaps restaurant labor shortages are just the new normal.

While the food was amazing the service was not. The wine pours were pretty small for the price.

Always excellent food and service. I have never had a bad meal there or felt like a paid too much for what I got

We booked a table for six (a dinner with our daughter and her family) on a Saturday night, at 6:45. About 5:30 we realized we would all be available earlier. They happily accommodated our request move up our reservation. When we got there, they were totally gracious when we decided we’d rather sit on the porch, instead of inside. And the service during dinner was just outstanding - pouring out that we were in time for happy hour, suppling our 11-yr old grandson with endless bread and letting the adults sample a wine we hadn’t had before. As always, the food was delish!! All in all, a perfect evening!

The food and wine were divine. Loved the menu choices and the Arancini were fantastic. You put the H in hospitality. Thank you.

One of our favorite restaurants in town. Still feels like a hidden gem.

Despite calling in advance as well as noting on my profile, the restaurant was totally unprepared to address our food allergy. We were given one choice for the entire menu to have. In addition they had run out of several options for our guests who were not allergy restricted . We arrived for 7:30 reservation (not a 9:30 one) so I found that odd. Waitress was pleasant but not helpful and did not get the manager etc to work with us. We have been there many times but would not go back again after this experience.

My ratings say it all

Reserved on recommending. The initial impression was very good. Very good ambiance. Great service by all staff. Initial appetizer good. Beet salad was ok, but beet not flavored well. Good wine. Then the entratas arrived. The Halibut was over cooked and the lobster in the risotto was the worst lobster ever. Dry, over cooked and possibly even microwave consistency. The texture of the lobster was that of a water chestnut. Horrible. I couldn’t eat it. The chicken Picatta was also dry with very little seasoning and very little sauce. All food needs much more seasoning. Should have stuck with pastas. Hopefully I will give them a second try to see if the pasta dishes will be better

Always good food and service. Friendly staff. Fresh food and ingredients. Pasta dishes are fabulous

Switch in servers, long wait for drinks, bread. Food overwhelmingly garlicky. Won’t be hurrying back and we used to really like this place!

My guest is nearly 90 and wears dentures. She requested very soft noodles in her spaghetti, making it easier for her to chew. The noodles came out al dente--very chewy--twice more when she requested that the noodles be cooked longer to make them softer. Our server was very understanding, but the chef was not. Also, the restaurant was very noisy, making it hard for my guest to hear. It was an extremely frustrating experience.

Lively conversations near us bounced off the walls and floors to the point we could not converse with our guests, who sat across from us. Nothing in the room absorbs any noise.

The restaurant was not that busy and there were only 2 servers on. We had to ask for bread multiple times. My friend ordered an olive spread with bread and there were pits in the olive spread that almost broke her tooth. We waited for our check for a long time and there were customers at other tables that were fed up with the wait and walked out. The food was not impressive - especially with the lack of service.

Our favorite kind of restaurant - neighborhood feel, can be both dressy and casual, delicious Italian food, homemade bread, excellent value.

It was wonderful

We go to al Vento for our anniversary almost every year. LOVE the patio. Try to get there a few other times during the year as well. Always excellent service, great cocktails, quiet, delicious, love it!