VELE

Fantastic! The location, being in a strip mall setting, kind of threw me off and lowered my expectations for a "fancy" joint. The service, food quality, food timing, and everything else with the experience far exceeded any kind of expectations. I was on a 1-day work trip at work paid, so I bought extra just to try it out. However, I did have to pay for the smoked old fashioned out of pocket. The presentation and mixture of the old fashion were perfect. Never had a smoked old fashioned but it's made for a cool picture.Haaa. Appetizer- Shrimp & Crab cakes - Amazing Eggplant bruschetta - Good quality, but I'll stick to a traditional bruschetta. Entree- Ribeye, Med-rare. Wow, 6/5 stars. I'm a steak snob and rarely order a steak from a restaurant these days as I hate paying for disappointment and mediocracy. I grill steak pretty much weekly all year round, and my preferred method is reverse Sear. The cook on this steak was beyond what I can do. Kudos, Mr. Grillmaster. The french fries that come with it or excellent french fries. However, on my next trip back, I will substitute those for mashed. Dessert- I typically don't order desserts, but hey, not on my dime, so I ordered two! -Blooming tiramisu- Again, quality was there, but as for a Tiramisu, I would stick with a traditional. The presentation was awesome, but I didn't know I was getting ice cream. -Cheesecake- That was amazing! Overall, 112 out of 5 stars!

Let me just say why, as soon as you walk in? You're indulged in elegance. The staff is extremely friendly. They're very knowledgeable about their dishes and drinks. Drinks was a smoked glass of Rye and Espresso mixed drink. For the Entrée I ordered the seared Halibut, served over a bed of coosgoos, sun-dried tomatoes, and sautéed asparagus. The wife had the seafood spaghetti with squid ink noodles. Both dishes were absolutely Devine. Our server went above and beyond he was absolutely amazing.

Good food, service, and atmosphere here at VELE in Springfield, Illinois. It's a nice Italian spot and very nice for it being in Springfield, IL. I was not expecting this restaurant to be this good. The staff was friendly and were helpful in helping us decide what to order. The only downside to this restaurant was that the water had an odd, bad taste to it.

The food was top notch. The appetizer were filet bites on Bleu cheese and marscapone orzo pasta with a cherry balsamic reduction. The meat was so tender and flavorful and the pasta added a creamy component to it. It was delightful. I had a wild mushroom campanelle pasta with truffle mushroom cream sauce. It was a rich and decadent pasta. We shared the tiramisu for dessert. The lady fingers were nice and crunchy and the tiramisu was awesome. Our waiter was super friendly and attentive. The restaurant was very cozy and romantic. You do need reservations. The price was a little on the high side but well worth our meal. I really really enjoyed Vele and there aren't many places like it in Springfield.

This is another restaurant we opted to try for the first time. We had not visited them when they were downtown, but glad we gave them a shot. They have a good whiskey selection and plenty of wine to pick from. We ordered the caprese and Caesar salads. Both were well put together and very flavorful. 2025 update: while I thought we would be back sooner than four years we made it back. It was a great time again. Our waiter Nick took fabulous care of us and showed us the new reservation only speakeasy themed joint. My wife’s filet was cooked to order and my salmon was delicious with the pesto orzo. If you like special goat cheese and crackers give the goat cheese appetizer a shot. The goat cheese is flavored in such a way and the pistachios are seasoned so that you could order this app as a dessert if you wanted. After a little suggestion, Nick convinced us to try the cannoli cheesecake, and it was worth the price of admission. Ideally we will return in fewer than the last time it took us to get here, but we will be back. Thank you. Our entree was the 8oz filet. I ordered mine medium rare and it was cooked perfectly. At some places you ask for med rare and it's ok on the inside, but it's mushy and soft on the outside. Here the steak was plenty warm, and had the perfect level of crispness on the outside. We'll definitely be back.

The best restaurant in the city. The food was 5 stars but the service was “10”. Elegant, ambience perfect for a date or just have a good time. We travel a lot and visit restaurants mostly every night and we weren’t expecting this quality in a restaurant that we visited with no previous recommendation. So… 100% RECOMMENDED ‼️

The bartender deserves a raise, absolutely amazing drinks. Get your cocktails smoked! It's worth the extra couple dollars for the presentation alone and, of course, tastes better. Food and desserts were mouth-watering delicious. 10/10 recommend the lamb lollipop and splurge and get the teriamisu for dessert.

Wade & Joe crush it when it comes to making drinks in the bar. They are extremely knowledgeable. It’s my go-to spot for hand crafted cocktails. The cuisine is top notch. Splurge for a tower of oysters if you fancy seafood. If you go on the weekends, make a reservation ahead of time. If you sit at the bar, no reservations are needed, and that is my preferred spot because you get a glimpse into the kitchen as well.