La Sponda

We really enjoyed our dinner at La Sponda. We share the calamari, which was delicious. My wife got the fish special, and it was good. I got the chicken and crab and the homemade fettuccini was top notch. A little disappointed in the Brussels. The flavor was good but they were boiled. Was hoping roasted or fried for some crunch (like the photos on their website). Overall we were very pleased. We finished off with the tiramisu. It was excellent.

It was okay! The ambiance is very nice and sophisticated, but the food flavor just wasn’t there. The calamari was good and probably the highlight of our meal, but both my pasta and my husband’s were just okay. Nothing bad, just lacking flavor. With a little more seasoning and depth, this place could easily match its beautiful atmosphere.

My family and I just moved to the area and decided to try this restaurant since every time we passed by, the parking spots were always packed. It did not disappoint! The food was excellent, and the customer service was fantastic. We chose to sit outdoors and enjoyed the relaxed view and pleasant weather. We can't wait to return to try different items from the menu and experience the indoor seating.

Visited from out of town. There were a lot of nice place to choose to eat downtown, but this is probably one of the best options. A bit more upscale but I didn’t feel out of place in my casual outfit. The food was amazing! I got the butternut squash agnolotti and my partner got a NY strip steak that was a daily special. We got the bruschetta for an appetizer, and it tasted good but was too crispy, and we felt that we probably would’ve preferred to skip it since they give you bread with the meals anyway. We sat outside and it was so beautiful!

Great Italian food and friendly staff. If you like seafood try the Zuppe di Pesci- OUTSTANDING!!!

Easy parking. Next to a bank. Unassuming entrance. Once you enter there’s exposed rock wall which looks rustic? I like the vibe. The tables are a little too close for me. Can hear other tables conversations. They do have private areas and an outdoor area with a nice creek. Pretty lowkey area. Lots of older people eat here it seems. I ate here twice in the same week. The handmade pasta is good. Tried the seafood fettuccine and bolognese fettuccine. I also tried the oyster special and it was delicious. Tasted very fresh and high quality. Is it as good as a Michelin star? No but it’s about bib gourmand level. Pretty cheap too for handmade pasta.

Nice spot to spend time with family and friends. The restaurant is beautiful inside but the food wasn’t what I expected. Food was kind of salty. Salmon was over cooked, pasta was kind of watery, octopus had too much seasoning and the portion was way too little for the price. The desert was good! The service was amazing. She made sure we were not missing anything and very friendly.

This place is amazing! My boyfriend took me for my birthday and this was our first time here and definitely won’t be our last. Service, food, and drinks were beyond exceptional. Love the atmosphere. Favorite Italian spot to date!

Amazing food. Great wine selection and bar offerings. Quick courteous service. Old paper mill gives a rustic ambiance. My husband has seafood risotto and I had the rib eye special. Highly recommend. Indoor or out door seating available.

We were in Downingtown for another sports practice and decided to celebrate our Anniversary. The outdoor dining had a lovely view of the creek. Our waiter never missed a beat, very attentive and friendly. We started with the beef carpaccio. It had a lovely mix of arugla, fennel, pickled onions & shaved cheese on top of it. It gave it a great balance to the beef. We especially loved the fennel in it. As our entrees we got the pork cheeks radiatori & seafood risotto. I loved the pork cheeks, the pasta was unique and helped to soak up the creme sauce. Yummy. My hubby liked the seafood risotto but wasn't blown away. Would we come back? Yes, we would love to try other dishes. A great date night.

We came in on a Wednesday at 6:30 with a baby stroller. We had no reservation. The staff was very welcoming and it was absolutely no problem. We got a table near the back that had plenty of space for the stroller so we didn't have to worry about getting a booster for a six month old baby and we weren't in anyone's way. We told the waiter we would be needing quick service since we had the baby with us and he was wonderful. The food was incredible too. I had the gnocchi house made gnocchi rapini which had chili flake - I asked him if it was spicy and he said no, it's just a nice flavoring. He was so right. DELISH!! My companion had the butternut squash agnolotti - scrumptious!! As promised, svc was quick and just in time as baby began to fuss! Highly recommend this place!

I wanted to like it, I really did, but maybe this building is cursed because I've lost track of the number of restaurants that have been here over the years. It's a shame because it's a really beautiful location. I had made a reservation for 1PM but after arriving I couldn't even get anyone's attention for 5 or 6 minutes, during which time two other groups of diners came in after me and looked equally annoyed about the lack of someone at the front desk. The guy I flagged down seemed irritated that I had walked into the restaurant to find someone, and he just waived me at a table. Another member of the staff brought me some bread and oil to start and I ordered a bottle of sparkling water. That water took nearly 10 minutes to come out. For a starter I ordered the Caesar Salad, which again, took a really long time to show up. It was good though. Very heavy on the cheese, so if that's your thing, you'll be happy. It was also pretty inexpensive for the size. The entree is where it really nosedived though. I ordered the Short Rib Ravioli and unfortunately it wasn't any good. The veal demi glace was so strong it completely covered up the flavor of anything else on the plate, making the whole thing very one-note. Also, unlike the salad, this one wasn't a great value either and if it had tasted better I'd have probably been annoyed that there weren't another two on the plate.

Came here for a lunch date and enjoyed perfectly prepared seafood, risotto, and salmon over rice. Risotto can sometimes be tricky, as it's easy to over or undercook. However, my dish was served on-point and was incredibly flavorful. My wife's salmon was seasoned to perfection. The outside dining area it's very enjoyable and an offers a sense of seclusion, despite being off a busy street. It was very easy to sit back with a refreshing glass of white wine and take a perfect fall day. Service was prompt and attentive, and very friendly. Easily one of my favorite dining options in Downingtown.

The quality of service and genuine care of us by servers is always superb. The food never disappoints! We are taking my best friends from North Carolina there today. I hope La Sponda continues to be a place we return to again and again.

Growing up in NYC and now living in northern NJ, one gets pretty spoiled by the large number of great Italian restaurants. Traveling to Downingtown to visit my stepson, my wife and I were so happy to find La Sponda in this awesome town! The decor (we're guessing it was once an old mill), and the food was fantastic. We started with glasses of wine and the bruschetta appetizer. Made with mascarpone and a delicious tomato jam on top, it was one of the best I've had. The entrees didn't disappoint either. My wife had the Basa Francaise and my stepson and I both had Nana's Castellane. Nana sure knew how to cook because this dish with pasta, meatballs, sausage, and pork, was amazing! We finished off the meal with coffee and slices of the Lemon and Chocolate cakes. The extra calories were well worth it! Our service was attentive, but never rushed. Parking was easy in back. Prices very reasonable. This restaurant which opened in 2021 (a tough time for new places to open), is doing it right!

A warm and welcoming staff. Great food and great service. Excellent value as well. Loved the music that was playing. We will be back!

Always a go to spot!! Even when they are busy and you don't possibly think they can fit you in... they ALWAYS DO! the host is amazing! All the workers are great and the food is great excellent!!

Excellent service, Excellent food!!! I would highly recommend this real Italian restaurant if you have not experienced real Italian cuisine! What an amazing experience

Have been to La Sponda four times now and they are very consistent in overall food, service, and ambience. They have a well run restaurant and their food is delicious. My husband gets the salmon and I get the shrimp and it never disappoints.

Awesome ambiance and great food! The staff is also very nice. I would recommend this place for family dinners, dates, and events too!

This was our first visit and we were pretty impressed. The staff were friendly and the ambiance was prefect. Our reservation was early, so it wasn't too crowded which meant it wasn't too noisy...great for us who enjoy conversation. The food was great from the appetizers through dessert. I had the grilled octopus appetizer which was cooked perfectly. The chicken and crab entree followed age chicken was so tender and the fettuccini was wonderfully fresh. Dessert was also delicious. We agreed we'd love to go back!

There are not many restaurants out there for which I would drive out of my way. This is one. On my way home from a girls week in PA, I drove an hour out of my way, to have lunch at LaSponda. I had told my sister in law how good it was. Now, she knows. As we ate our lunch, overlooking the river, we planned to go back. We enjoyed the short rib egg rolls, and entrees of chicken Parmesan and the carbonara. Above the excellence of those dishes, was the cream of zucchini soup. It was herbaceous and delicious. I can't say enough about how good the food is, what brings me back, is the superior service that compliments the flavors of that food. Well Done!!!

Excellent service. Quality of the food was very good. This will be our 4th in the last 4 months visit since we found out there were new owners.

Second time here, and this time we brought friends to celebrate a birthday! Service was awesome for it being so busy. I'm glad to see the business doing so well. Food was absolutely delicious. The gnocchi is wonderful and it tastes so fresh. Definitely try it if you haven't yet :)

Great atmosphere. Server was pleasant and tentative but not overly. Food was great. Feel I must mention the beet salad as that appetizer would bring me back alone. Will dine there again

A top restaurant for our area with excellent menu selections, attentive service and consistency. This restaurant is a family favorite and many of our out of town relatives request dining here when in the area!

Food was amazing every dish was better than the last. Can't wait to go back and try something else. Service was on point from the waiters to all the staff. If you are looking for a great meal and atmosphere head here.

Well well well, so after three failed ventures in this space, finally the spell is broken. While I initially had little hope for La Sponda, and I haven't ever tried it largely for that reason, tonight I ventured into virgin territory, and was pleasantly surprised. My companion had the Seafood Risotto and refused to share, although I did nab a taste. The scallops and shrimp were well seasoned and cooked perfectly. The risotto was flavored with a seafood theme including lump crabmeat. Excellent, and as evidenced by the tables that had this entree on it, a very popular item. My entree was Nana's Castellane which is a unique wide cut pasta in a red meat sauce accompanied by two meatballs, chunks of sweet Italian sausage, and guancale topped off with a dollop of ricotta. The pasta were perfectly cooked (even for this al dente avoider). The meats were excellent and the sauce was tasty enough. Our shared appetizer, the Roasted Beets were lackluster and I'm still not certain there were actually roasted. The accompanying greens were however spectacular and the highlight of this disappointing dish. Dessert, Chocolate Mousse and a Cannoli, were to go so I'll report back on those. The service was excellent but not overbearing. It's not overly noisy, and parking is convenient for downtown Downingtown. All in all a very good first encounter with some authentic Italian fare in a pleasant atmosphere and all very reasonably priced. Highly recommended.

Great service and food. We'll be back! Lovely place, great for parties or a romantic dinner.

Where have I been? La Sponda was excellent all around. Very creative menu with Real Italian influence. Nice setting. Pleasant helpful crew. Carpaccio was great. 2 seafood entrees were home runs. Desert swell too. Special plus: prices were remarkably reasonable. This will be my Italian food stop in Downingtown- a busy food market. Well done!!

Wonderful Italian restaurant with good food, generous portions and very experienced staff

Very very surprised on how tasty this meal at la sponda was. This restaurant is located in the heart of downingtown 50 min from Philly. We were skeptical to make a reservation on 31st of December but I am so glad we did. The vegetarian dishes were exceptional and our friends really loved the mussels and the meat entrees. The deserts were pretty and tasted lovely. Special mention to the perfectly made cocktails as well! I highly recommend this restaurant. Park hassle free without the busy downtown hustle and bustle and enjoy a very relaxing dinner/lunch.

We had a party of 10 this weekend and everything was most excellent, from the food , service, ambiance and friendly natured Staff. If you're a fan, try the veal saltimboca !! Great !!

A great evening of delicious food and excellent service! I look forward to our next visit!

Great spot for a relaxing meal in Downingtown. Terrace seating is lovely. Fish, salads, and pasta all very good.

Saturday was our first time at this great restaurant. My wife ordered the lamb shank special and loved it. My son ordered the zuppa de pesce and he loved it. I ordered the nana castalane and it was great. They give you good sized, high quality portions. It was our first time, but, not our last time. The waiter and other service staff were great.

We visited early on a Sunday afternoon, so not a peak time. The service was excellent and the ambiance was nice and relaxing. It's a long narrow space that's well laid out. We chose from the decent beverage offerings and ordered an appetizer of dates stuffed with Gorgonzola and wrapped with prosciutto. Really enjoyable. They served bread with a plate of olive oil and sun dried tomato (I think). Not a lot of flavor. The bread was disappointing. It was a small, white bread roll in a baguette shape, about five slices, served cold and just a little stale. They offered a special entrée of corvina, which my long suffering wife had. I ordered the short rib ravioli. The food was served hot and was well presented. The ravioli was an interesting dish that was creative and well executed. Points off, though, for the corvina. The flavor was good, but it was crispy on the outside and a bit mushy inside. A frozen product a tad overdone. With properly done Italian bread and fresher fish this would have been an easy five stars. We'll return.

Good food and friendly service in a cool old building. I had Carbonara and it was served in an interesting and fun way.

This is the fourth time I've visited this restaurant in a little over a year. Every single visit has been terrific! We sat outdoors again this time. Beautiful view of the nearby creek and park. Johny's hospitality and service are amazing. The food is scrumptious and the prices are reasonable. I would highly recommend this restaurant for a superb overall experience!

Had a nice time here. It's a very pretty space, food is tasty and well portioned, and the menu has lots of really good choices. I'm giving 4 stars because service was slow and hubs said his veal saltimboca was mid. What astounded me the most was the reasonable pricing. Cocktails for $12?! Multiple sub-$25 entrees?! It felt like we went back in time. We had 2 entrees, 2 apps and 4 drinks- bill was $100. I can see why it's popular.

What a great discovery! From start to finish it was great! Our waitress from Albania was great. Drinks very imaginative, and priced right "the devil goes down to Georgia". Yum. Appetizers awesome! Grouper dinner was wonderful, risotto, Brussel sprout leaves and cherry tomatoes. The atmosphere is very cool in the old mill with primitive walls.

The food was not that good, I think you'd be better off walking past for the views but eating elsewhere.

It took a few minutes for us to be seated as no one was at the host station, but it wasn't a major issue. Our service was excellent otherwise and our waitress was very informative about the specials. The food was delicious but definitely more on the expensive side. Overall I highly recommend for a special occasion lunch/dinner or intimate date.

I had probably the best pasta dish I've ever tasted last night at La Sponda! It was Valentine's day so we just sat in the bar area since they were very busy. The special was seafood pasta with salmon, crab and shrimp and it was AMAZING! We always love the food, atmosphere and service here.

Great service, great food, great wine! Came for lunch and had the best pasta and bruschetta. Had a bottle of white wine that was delicious! Ask for Hernand, he was awesome!

Liked everything about La Sponda. The food was delicious, the service was exceptional and we loved the atmosphere.

Visited for a meal with my mom while visiting after Christmas, and OH MAN did we enjoy our dinner! It was a weeknight, a Tuesday, and it was packed. It was so nice to see so many people enjoying themselves and enjoying great food! I started with a martini and it was delicious. Very strong! We received warm bread and a yummy tomato/olive oil dip, which was a great starter. We split two salads, the arugula and the wedge. The wedge was very good, if not slightly underdressed, but the arugula salad was outstanding. Hazelnuts were the star of the show! We split the short rib ravioli and the nana's castellane, both of which were SO delicious and interesting, flavor wise. There was a slightly mix up in which we received the short rib entree dish instead of the ravioli, but they amended it super quickly and it was no issue at all. We were able to take the short rib entree home and it was also delicious! While we didn't get dessert, they provide complimentary limoncello shots after dinner, and the liquor was so sweet and bright after the hearty fare. A perfect cap to the meal! Service was friendly and consistent throughout the night, the ambiance is warm and modern, and the food is generously portioned and reasonably priced for a more upscale Italian spot. Can't wait to return next time I visit Downingtown!

My wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a trip to La Sponda and it was well worth the visit. The ambience, overall vibe, food and service were all top-notch. We cannot wait to return to celebrate our next occasion. We highly recommend the veal saltimboca and the short rib eggrolls. The best dining experience we've had in a long, long time!

Pretty empty when we got there at 8pm on a Thursday. We ordered the meat & cheese board and a CaesarSalad to start. The board was great the salad... not so good. The dressing tasted like plain mayonnaise. Just disappointment in my mouth. My friend got butternut squash ravioli, my mother got seafood fettuccine in the pink sauce, and I had the gnocchi. They did not take the tail shells off the shrimp in the fettuccine. But it was all very delicious. The waiter wasn't very attentive. But it's worth a try. Honestly Amani's across the street is just as good, and a BYOB.

We were driving from Michigan to Wilmington and arrived near La Sponda at dinner time. We had never been here before but we stopped in. The menu is extensive with a lot of interesting items, with a definite italian orientation. I had pasta with meatballs and my wife had ravioli. Plus apps, salads etc. All of it was great and exactly what we were looking for. You definitely want to make it a point to go!

GPS takes past parking turn and you have to turn around in Police department Good food good service good ambiance

Ugh! The food quality is dropping fast. It's unfortunate too because the location is great and the service is acceptable. The food.. mushy tasteless risotto, the absolute worst rib eye ever! Full of chewy cartilage even when cooked med rare! It is just too expensive for bad tasting food. Have a drink and an app and have dinner elsewhere.

Met friends here for a local dinner. We made reservations ahead of time for our party of 6. It was our first time here and we were seated right away. The interior is beautiful with stone. There's a parking lot in the back for parking. Appetizers included short rib eggs rolls and the polenta. Both were delicious. They also served fresh bread for the table. Main dishes included: seafood risotto, seafood fettuccine, nana's castellane and 3 orders of the zuppa di pesce. Everyone absolutely loved their dishes. Food was very fresh and flavorful. Nice portion sizes. Service was excellent. Can't say enough good things and can't wait to go back.

Food is excellent! Service incredible. The atmosphere is great. Took the whole family

Great family dinner to celebrate a birthday. Everyone enjoyed. May be my new favorite Italian restaurant in the area!

I came here for the first time last week. I really enjoyed my bread, Caesar salad, and Chicken and Crab entree (although there were large chunks of crab shells in both my dish and my sister's dish, but I guess that's hard to avoid when the crab comes from a can). My sister loved her gnocchi, she said they were super pillowy. My Mom did not like her entree (Castellane Norma) -- the eggplant chunks were inedible and there wasn't enough sauce. Prices were fair for the portions. Ambiance was good and our server was nice. However, the manager was supposed to come over to talk to us (twice) and never came.

The food quality was not good. We had a NY strip and it was tough as rubber. The risotto was ok but not memorable. The scallops were very well grilled though. The espresso I had at the end was very good. It does not live up to the hype and price.