Vita Nova - University of Delaware

Name: Vita Nova - University of Delaware
Address: Trabant University Center-2nd floor 17 West Main Street 17 West Main Street, Newark, DE, United States, 19716
Telephone: (302) 831-0500
Price range: $31 to $50
Rating: 4.9

4.9 (648)

$31 to $50

Contemporary French / American

Trabant University Center-2nd floor 17 West Main Street, 17 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19716

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 15, 2025

7:00 PM

About this restaurant

Good for special occasions
Good for business meals
Charming

VITA NOVA IS CLOSED FOR THE SUMMER. WE LOOK FORWARD TO WELCOMING OUR GUESTS FOR THE FALL SEMESTER! Vita Nova is the signature student-operated restaurant which is part of the Hospitality Business Management program at the University of Delaware.

Vita Nova features a "Best of Delaware" award-winning lunch buffet Tues-Fri and elegant fine dining Wed-Fri during the fall and spring semesters. For lunch, the students offer fresh, local dishes including gourmet salads, soups, pastas, entrees, fire-roasted flatbreads, cheese board and mini sweets. The five-course dinner begins with a fusion-inspired appetizer trio and choice of salad, followed by intermezzo and your choice of entrée. The evening ends on a sweet note with a decadent dessert.

Thank you for your support and being an important part of our unique student learning experience!

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary French / American
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30 am–12:30 pm Dinner Wed–Fri 5:30 pm–6:30 pm
Phone number
(302) 831-0500
Website
http://www.lerner.udel.edu/departments/hrim/vita-nova-restaurant
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Business Casual
Executive chef
Chef Alison Rainis, Chef Gretchen Sianni
Private party facilities
Vita Nova offers private dining throughout the year. The Bistro Room is also available for rent for business meetings, retreats and private events. For more information, please e-mail us at vitanova@udel.edu.

Location
Trabant University Center-2nd floor 17 West Main Street, 17 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19716
Neighborhood
Newark
Cross street
South College
Parking details
Effective 9/1/18, the Trabant parking garage changed to a license plate based system. The system uses an app called PassportParking that you can use to add time from your phone should this be necessary. For more information please visit www.ppprk.com. We recommend estimating 3 hours for dinner & 2 hours for the lunch buffet and the bistro.
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Non-Smoking, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

What 648 people are saying

Vita Nova - University of Delaware reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.9Service
4.8Ambience
4.8Value

Noise • Moderate

Loved For

Philadelphia County
Best Value
Delaware
Best Overall
Delaware
Best Food
Delaware
Best Service
Delaware
Best Ambiance
Delaware
Best Value
Delaware
Innovative
Delaware
Healthy

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Vita Nova offers a "unique and wonderful dining experience" as a teaching lab for University of Delaware students. Guests praise the "excellent food and service," including an impressive lunch buffet and "extensive wine list." The students' enthusiasm adds charm, and it's known for being "the best restaurant experience" in the area.

648 Reviews

B
Brad
Philadelphia County12 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 3, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Food, service and ambiance is always superb. An experience that everyone should have.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on April 7, 2025
Thank you for your feedback. It's always helpful to hear what areas our students can continue to learn and focus on.
Is this helpful?
B
Barbara VIP
Baltimore / Maryland44 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 11, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Always a 5 star experience. Food, service, wine selection are fantastic.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 19, 2025
Wow! Thank you so much!
Is this helpful?
J
Jane
Philadelphia County8 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 10, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
A friend and I thoroughly enjoyed our first visit to Vita Nova. It was a little tricky to find, and parking on any college campus is always fraught, but now that we know the particulars, we'll definitely return. We had reservations for lunch, which is a buffet with not only the basic soup, salad, protein, but also an amazing variety of vegetable sides. Lastly, a wonderful array of mini desserts allowed us to sample several. We especially loved the chicken tagine and the lemon pudding! Service was outstanding - from the hosts who greeted us at the door to our sever to the manager who checked up on us during our meal. All the personnel are students and they've learned well. The space has a relaxing ambience. The chairs are particularly comfortable. And the price was extremely reasonable! We can't go back again this semester, as there are no reservations left, but we'll be some of the first to sign up for the next semester.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 13, 2025
Thank you for navigating the campus to get to us! We thank you for your lovely notes and are so glad you enjoyed your experience. We'll look forward to seeing you in the future!
Is this helpful?
R
Rebecca
Philadelphia County3 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 7, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The lunch buffet had a great selection. The food was hot, well seasoned and excellent presentation. The service was attentive. Great value!
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 13, 2025
Thank you for sharing!
Is this helpful?
T
Timothy
Philadelphia County1 review
4.0
Dined on March 6, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The food was not up to what we've come to expect from Vita Nova. As always the service was excellent.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 13, 2025
We're sorry to hear that. If you'd like to share more specifics so we can better improve, please give us a call or send us an email. Thank you for your helpful feedback!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Philadelphia County2 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
The lunch buffet was fabulous- the salmon was perfectly prepared and the crème brûlée was top notch. We celebrated my grandson’s birthday and he was most happy!
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 13, 2025
Thank you so much!
Is this helpful?
K
Kathy VIP
Philadelphia County4 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 27, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Having lunch at Vita Nova is always a pleasure. The food is delicous and the service is impeccable!
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 13, 2025
We appreciate your support!
Is this helpful?
J
Jennifer
Philadelphia County5 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
This restaurant is a training restaurant for students at University of Delaware in the Hospitality Management program. So, all of the servers and line cooks are students in training. It gives the restaurant the nervous energy of Restaurant Wars but also makes anything that happens in the dinner that isn't quite right seem endearing. The food was delicious. There were lots of gluten-free options including gluten-free bread. It was a unique and wonderful dining experience that I hope to have again.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on February 26, 2025
Thank you for sharing and for understanding what we are doing here. Our guests are a wonderful part of the experience! We look forward to serving you again!
Is this helpful?
E
Ed
Philadelphia County1 review
5.0
Dined on February 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Excellent food and service. Highly recommend for lunch. Can’t wait to try dinner service.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on February 26, 2025
Thank you! Yes, dinner is a whole different experience we hope you will enjoy!
Is this helpful?
S
Sharon P VIP
Philadelphia County27 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Another wonderful lunch at Vita Nova! Service was excellent.
Vita Nova - University of DelawareResponded on March 6, 2025
Thank you for your continued support!
Is this helpful?

FAQs

Vita Nova - University of Delaware is rated 4.9 stars by 648 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Jun 15, 2025

7:00 PM

Google Map for Vita Nova - University of Delaware

Trabant University Center-2nd floor 17 West Main Street, 17 West Main Street, Newark, DE 19716

Additional information

Cross street
South College
Neighborhood
Newark
Hours of operation
Lunch Tue–Fri 11:30 am–12:30 pm Dinner Wed–Fri 5:30 pm–6:30 pm
Price
$31 to $50
Cuisines
Contemporary French / American
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
Effective 9/1/18, the Trabant parking garage changed to a license plate based system. The system uses an app called PassportParking that you can use to add time from your phone should this be necessary. For more information please visit www.ppprk.com. We recommend estimating 3 hours for dinner & 2 hours for the lunch buffet and the bistro.
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Chef Alison Rainis, Chef Gretchen Sianni
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Non-Smoking, View, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://www.lerner.udel.edu/departments/hrim/vita-nova-restaurant
Phone number
(302) 831-0500
Private party facilities
Vita Nova offers private dining throughout the year. The Bistro Room is also available for rent for business meetings, retreats and private events. For more information, please e-mail us at vitanova@udel.edu.

Vita Nova - University of Delaware

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Menu

What 648 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Vita Nova - University of Delaware restaurant rated?

Is Vita Nova - University of Delaware currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information