Va Bene

This is a local gem! The food is over-the-top delicious. In fact, my guest, who has eaten all over the world, said that the Maple Glazed Salmon Risotto made his top 5 best meals ever. My gnocchi with basil pesto was exceptional. You can't get better food or views anywhere else. Tom was an excellent server as well. Thank you for an amazing meal and service!

10/10 highly recommend. The BEST Italian I’ve ever had except for the food I ate while traveling in Italy. Absolutely delicious food, great service, and stunning views. Don’t forget a scoop of gelato to go. I would go out of my way to eat here again and again! Be sure to plan your visit in advance, a reservation is likely needed - especially if you want to sit in the lofted area overlooking Lake Superior.

We were recommended by several people in Duluth to try Va Bene, but unfortunately, it turned out to be a disappointing experience. To start, the host could have been more attentive. I understand they were very busy and I appreciated being seated as a walk-in, but when I arrived, I stood waiting for a couple of minutes. Another customer came in after me, and the host helped her first before finally noticing me. We were seated at The Grotto, the downstairs patio overlooking the lake, and were told we could only stay for about an hour. For drinks, we ordered a black coffee, which was warm and not good, and a Purple Rain (lemonade with lavender syrup), which was average. The food took over 30 minutes to arrive. We ordered the Pasta Alla Zucca Violina (butternut squash with creamy pecan sauce) and the Spicy Erbe with sausage. The sausage was the only ingredient we enjoyed. The squash pasta was undercooked—far too hard, leaving my jaw tired from chewing—and the sauce was overly sweet. The Spicy Erbe was okay, but again the pasta was chewy, which ruined the dish overall. In short, it was one of the worst Italian meals I’ve had, and though the view was nice, the food and service did not live up to the recommendations.

Got the Niçoise salad for takeout - really solid. Fresh ingredients, good portion size, and well seasoned without being oversalted like a lot of restaurant food. Ordering and pickup was smooth. The atmosphere looked nice inside and there's plenty more on the menu I want to try. Would definitely return if I'm back in the area.

Our server Tom was one of the most personable professional server we have had in a long time. He did a great job helping us pick out a wine and was patient. Food was fantastic, we will make this our go to place when we visit.

Va Bene is our favorite Italian restaurant and they have the best GF pasta options. We visit Duluth every summer and make our reservation 3 months in advance to ensure we get a table during our visit. It is fantastic! They also have Gelato and gluten free chocolate cake!

We sat in the covered addition with the view of the lake. Food was great. View amazing. Service friendly. We had a reservation and we were seated early so it was fine. It was worth waiting for.

Really enjoyed our meal! The honey goat cheese with pear appetizer was great. We also loved the complementary focaccia bread. The pesto frutti di mar was divine! We enjoyed the chocolate and pistachio gelato, so good! It was a wonderful experience.

We love visiting Duluth and this last time tried out Va Bene for a little date night. It was so delicious, our waitress was really nice, and the views were amazing. We got to sit in the enclosed porch, which was beautiful. I can't recall the name of what I got but it had butternut squash, pecans, and pancetta. It was delicious! And gelato for dessert was yummy with huge serving sizes.

Had a lovely dinner on a Friday night with a view of the lake from the solarium. We had made reservations, and ended up with a window seat. There's also a main indoor dining room and an outdoor patio during warmer months. I got the iced tea and chicken alfredo, which is usually my go-to for pasta. It was delicious and filling, especially after the bread they gave us to start the meal. Service was efficient and friendly. I'd definitely come back and visit in the summertime!

Great food and ambiance, highly recommend. Best we had in Duluth................ Ask for the patio

Easily the best dining experience in the Twin Ports! Service, food, cocktails and ambiance all exceptional!

The food was everything and more from the starters to the main dish! The building felt rustically charming and had an amazing view from the sun patio overlooking the lake. The staff were friendly and very polite a specially when it came to the time for seating out side!

We were able to snag some last minute grotto spots and boy was it worth it! The view was amazing and if you are worried about being cold, they have heaters and blankets available. From the drinks to the appetizer and the entree, everything was delicious. Recommend stopping in if you are in Duluth!

We came to this place around 1pm and it was full. This place had a really pretty lookout seating but unfortunately it was full until 4pm so they ended up seating the four us at a table by the door and it was really cold because of everyone who kept on coming in and out. We ordered some appetizers and one of them that i had high expectations was the honey goat crostini and the grilled bread was very burnt. So was the other appetizers. The best part was the complimentary focaccia bread. Had higher expectations for this so called italian restaurant. Also you can see their kitchen and everything is out to the open so it smells. Maybe i just got a bad experience and others have better luck?

Va Bene Caffe was a great experience, the view for the seating I got was great. The staff were super nice and friendly, and they really gave us a great experience. I was able to reserve seating for their enclosed deck seating, which gives you a view of Lake Superior while enjoying your food. I ordered their pesto gnocchi, the dish was really good and the pesto sauce was amazing, I really enjoyed the dish. My husband got the Salmon Fresca which tasted super good, I highly recommend! The Salmon was beautifully cooked along with the sauce and pasta they used. The dish also included some dry tomatoes which went along nicely. As for dessert we tried their pistachio gelato, super creamy, very tasty, I really recommend trying their gelato here as it tastes super authentic. I highly recommend this place next time you visit Duluth, or if you live in Duluth. It has great food, great staff, and delicious dessert!

Astonishing food and service! Best pesto I've had anywhere. Ingredients are fresh and prepared to perfection.

I am a real tough critic when it comes to Italian restaurants. Being first generation Italian and visiting family in Italy each year .. I know Italian. Let me tell you .. Va Bene did not disappoint!!Food like my mamma makes! Service excellent. Great cocktails too! Definitely will go back!

Va Bene has been a long time magical place for me. Every year I go to Duluth is a must because of the food and exceptional service. Entering va Bene we were greated right away. There was a slight mix up with our table and was corrected right away. Every staff member smiles and greets you and that makes you feel welcomed. This year our server was Erica she was fantastic and had a big smile. She was there anytime we needed something. We started off with the goat cheese and pears and omg they are to die for. I have a huge issue where I start eating and forget to take the photos. I took a photo of half the dish. It is creamy and had a crunch. The honey and goat milk compliment themselves well. This started leaves you in a state where you just want to keep ordering more of it. Next we decided just to eat then mains since we were Still stuffed from our meal at Pickwick. I ordered the pescadore frutti de mare. Omg the pasta was cooked to perfection. The cheese and sauce blend left me craving for more. The shrimp were not overcooked and were full of flavor and the scalopes were tender and did not taste gritty or salty. This dish is one of my Go-Tos and they have never disappointed me. My other half ordered the salmon fresca. The salmon is diced up in bite size pieces and it's filled with pasta shells. Then they have a while wine creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes and a little lemon. Damn can I say amazing. The portion size is fantastic so don't fill up on starters. The sauces are always rich and creamy so if you walked there in winter you better have am uber on stand by. On the way the staff members wished us a great night and well they sure make this a memorable experience every year. See you all next year.

Delightful! Lakeside balcony, beautiful weather, view of lift bridge and right by train track. Just an "all Duluth" adventure with great food. To start, try the luscious Peach Bellini or one of their other yummy drinks, bread and the the pear goat cheese honey on brioche. Yum! Move onto lunch with maple salmon rissoto and carbonara. Everything is fresh, delicious and filling. Best lunch in Duluth.

First time customer. The food was delicious and the staff were very helpful and kind with my elderly mother. Love this place by the lake!

Love it here! We always stop here when we head up to the north shore. The views are great and the food is yummy. This time around we got some appetizers. The meatballs are awesome, we got some extra focaccia bread to dip in the sauce. And the bread is so yummy! I would have been happy with bread and the olive oil dip on the side! We also got the bruschetta, always a classic. Very flavorful. The servers are super nice here, friendly and quick. Definitely one of my favorite places in Duluth.

100% our favorite restaurant in Duluth,MN! During the summer you have to make a reservation, but it's not too difficult to get in during the off seasons. Great for celebrating! Compared to the rest of the town prices, we find this ver reasonable for the quality of the food. It's fun seeing the boats come in on the patio or watching the kitchen cook your favorite pasta if you're inside. They also have gelato for dessert! Small, well lit and elegant. Great for intimate moments (;

Make reservations early as they have great seating areas with a view. Excellent restaurant. We started with the Bruschetta, which was very good. I had a picky eater with me or I would have ordered the Honey Goat Cheese Crostini instead. My husband raved about the Bolognese with Meatballs. I also thought it was excellent. My Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce and shrimp was even better. So much flavor. My all time favorite drink is a peach Bellini. I was spoiled to have my first one at Harry's in Venice. Nothing will ever measure up to that but this was close. White peach puree blended with sparkling Prosecco wine. All peach Bellinis should be made with a white peach puree. For dessert we had gelato. They have about 12 flavors so try something new. Service was okay. They were very busy so that had some impact. My phone needed repair so no photos.

Popped in for lunch Cute Exceptional choices and variety of options- had the beet salad and added salmon Fantastic view of the lake Friendly staff - however a star lost because the hostess said we needed to be out by 2

We loved our appetizers , meals, drinks and dessert. Look forward to coming back next time we are in Duluth

Whenever I visit Duluth, this is the restaurant that I always make an intentional effort going to. The food here is great. What makes this place even better is the fact that diners have the ability to sit right next to the window to have a view of the lake! On a day with good weather, especially when the sun is out, sitting by the window or even outside is just perfect! In terms of food, some of my strongest recommendations are the pesto frutti de mare, the gnocchi, the caprese, the honey goat cheese with pear crostini, the pomodoro e palpette di carne, the pasta alla zucca violina, and the bruschetta. Among all of them, the honey goat cheese with pear crostini is a very pleasant surprise because I have not had anything similar in other Italian restaurants, so when I ordered them, they left a huge impression in my brain. The pistachio gelato is a an excellent dessert, too. This is not to discredit any of the other dishes I have gotten, though! Almost everything has been great. The only dishes that I think can use some improvement are the salmon fresca and the Italian sausage soup (the salmon was slightly fishy and did not mesh with the rest of the ingredients in terms of flavor, and the Italian sausage soup was not seasoned enough in general). In conclusion, I recommend everyone visiting the Duluth area to give this establishment a visit as I consider it a staple restaurant in the city!

A great dinner in a great spot. I had the carbonara. It was excellant. My wife had a rigatoni dish. It was done Al dente and was First -rate. Sorbet was marvelous. Good service and the best view in Duluth.

If you're looking for delicious pasta in Duluth with a great vibe, look no further. We came here on Friday before grandmas marathon. We didn't plan very far in advance and 3:30 was the latest reservation left for the day so we took it. Making a reservation online was easy and I requested a table with a view and in the shade, which we got. I got the spaghetti with bolognese and my friend got the gnocchi with bolognese sauce. Both dishes were so good! They serve bread with olive oil as a starter which was also delish. We had an amazing view of Lake Superior and our waiter was friendly and efficient. Highly recommend!

The location is great as it looks out over Lake Superior. Make sure to sit on the deck if you can. They do take reservations for the prime seating locations. The service was super fast and the food was good.

**** Always a quality experience here... nice staff, fair prices (especially love the Wednesday 1/2 off price of bottles of all wine) Service was good, view was nice and the food was fresh, ... unique dishes prepared cleanly.

We had a great experience at Va Bene. The food was delicious, good environment, friendly staff. I definitely recommend and I'd for sure go back to try the other dishes.

Overall an excellent Italian Style bistro Service was excellent but they wouldn't seat us with a view ("party's too large"). Martini was an actual bar drink, correctly made. Allow me to recommend the bolognese - truly an excellent pasta! I also recommend not getting meatballs - the bolognese is so much more luscious than the meatballs were and pretty meaty in itself. Maybe the best bolognese over spaghetti I've had. We had a party of seven and everyone loved what they ordered which was all over the menu. Pricey but not for what you're getting.

Incredible Italian food prepared in house, on demand. I've been here multiple times for birthdays, graduations, or just a nice dinner out with friends, and it never disappoints. The food is fantastic, super flavorful, always something exciting. Every server that I've met has gone out of their way to make us feel welcome and recommend drinks and dishes that we throughly enjoy. If it's summer, request to sit in the lakefront porch - incredible lake views! Do make sure that you make a reservation at LEAST a week in advance, especially if you are dining with more than two people. It's always a treat to eat at Va Bene!

The staff there was very friendly and nice. We made reservations for a lake view table and the view was AMAZING! Getting a lake view table is a must! The food there was also great. I would say overall my experience there was fantastic. It can be expensive but trust me, it's totally worth it. I can't wait to go there again! I would recommend to book online first before going there so that it's guaranteed you'll get a lake view table.

This is the best Italian food I've ever had in the United States. Every dish I've gotten is amazing. Everything is wonderfully flavored and the portions are more than enough.

Food: awesome! Everything was so delicious and perfect. It was hard to make choices! Had meatball app, beet salad and mista salad, entrees pictured, tiramiSU, and a bottle of Pinot noir. Service: we had Andy as our server. He was so professional, helpful, kind, and fun. Ambiance: could not have been better. We were seated at the rail overlooking the Lake (and the bike trail we rode earlier today). The only reso we could get was 4:30, and it was perfect. Had time to make it to the concert at Chester Park.

Outstanding food and service. I was visiting for business and a local suggested Va bene . It's a must do when in the Duluth area.

Our experience was okay. Service was a little slow. We started with the honey goat cheese with pear crostini and that wasn't too bad. Our food took a long time to come so they gave us some free focaccia with olive oil and balsamic vinergar to tide us over in between. I got the conchigle con fungi and it was rather tasteless. My husband got the Salmon Fresca and he enjoyed it. It had much better flavour. Ambience is more of a cafe feel rather than a proper sit down restaurant. If you can get a seat in the grotto, the view is truly spectacular. This seems to be one of the better places to dine in Duluth.

I enjoyed the gnocchi with bolognese. Service was great. The reason I'm rating Va Bene a 3 is because it's an open kitchen and I came home absolutely reeking of smoke and food. A few times my eyes would water from whatever smoky item was being made. Do they need stronger exhaust fans? If you have a sensitive nose and don't like smelling like your food, I advise only sitting in the lakeview side room.

I just want to go back to Duluth so I can go to va bene and try all their dishes. My bisteca was amazing, though was a small portion at first but then I was ok. The coffee was incredible, with ice cream inside and the combination with caramel really really delicious. The staff was very kind too Can't wait to go back, seriously.

Great food, great service, great with people with dietary restrictions. Our server was extremely helpful in determining what would be safe to eat for someone with celiac. Fun drinks too!! Very very good. Great view of Lake Superior as you enjoy your meal! Highly recommend!!

My husband and I took a short trip to Duluth and ended up eating there twice because the food was AMAZING!

The ambiance of this caffe is charming, great location right on the lake - the Italian food is out of this world. I honestly haven't had better Italian food - the waitstaff are very knowledgeable of the menu, give great advice in making decisions and are honest. This is hands down my favorite place to eat in Duluth. Make reservations early to get a table right on the water.

Hands down, always and forever the best food in Duluth. Consistently excellent. Great servers. I really used to think the up the shore cafe with a scenic view was the epitome of great but looking back that place is hit or miss. Va Bene shines above them all! I can't say enough about the food each and every time being 10 out of 10. Hard to get in but worth the wait so plan accordingly, you won't be disappointed.

If you're coming to Duluth, definitely make a reservation to get a great water view outdoors!! We managed to snag a table for 4 walk in at ~2pm during late lunch hours, but all dinner slots were booked. Focaccia was delicious and they give you a free plate (but we liked it so much we ordered another plate for a bit extra). The bistecca was good if you like blue cheese!

Loved it so much we made a reservation for 8 days from today. Our wine and beer choices presented good quality. I had the chardonnay and my husband had the cream ale. Bread w/olive oil & balsamic was tasty; we ordered more. My husband's carbonara was excellent and fattening. My pesto salad was okay; just not much flavor. One of the best parts of our meal was the view!!!!

Food was AMAZING and came out fast and the view on the porch was gorgeous!! The staff was kind and the service was great.

Awesome evening. The food was delicious and the service great. Beautiful view, will have to come back in the summer and sit outside.

Best Italian place in Minnesota maybe the world. Great salads and pasta , excellent service

This is not a big place so I highly recommend you make reservations. We knew we would be in Duluth and secured our spot. We chose the solarium, not knowing how cool the night would be and we made a great choice. We could have easily eaten on the deck as well, but our spot was perfect. We were behind windows as opposed to being in the open or inside. Staff was wonderful. I ordered the mahi mahi and it was hot and tasty. We started with a Caprese salad. We found a parking spot right in front but the lot is small and I noticed others parking on the street. This is a great romantic spot with a stunning view of the water and the lights of Duluth.

Amazing food, would recommend I enjoyed it and they severed me well, coffee was a little cold, but breakfast sandwich was amazing! Definitely coming back

Va Bene is the best italian in duluth hands down! Service is always spectacular and its a fun spot to watch the waves

Stopped in for lunch with the family. Pasta was great and the staff was accommodating. We sat on the street side inside the restaurant which was pleasant. The balcony was a bit small for our group size.

Delicious food with amazing view. And their gelato was the perfect ending to a great meat. Be sure to make a reservation as they tend to book up.

We had outstanding service and food. Highly recommend. Rare to get such flavorful Italian food. So good.

Service was excellent, food was top notch, approximate size drinks, all at fair prices. But like most restaurants going as a single you won't be treated as well as if you are with a party. I highly recommend this place, but not as a single party!

One of my top 5 Duluth restaurants. Food is wonderful, great views from the back and love the intimate experience