Italian food that falls short where it matters the most.
Little Venice! I have eaten here a handful of times over the last couple years and my experiences are typically very consistent in being underwhelming. There are, however, a lot of positives that should be discussed first.
This visit was on a weekday for lunch, between noon and 3 pm. The establishment was not busy.
I arrived with my party for lunch and we were immediately greeted and sat. Service throughout this visit was outstanding. Our drink and food orders were taken promptly, we did not wait long periods of time for our food, and staff were prompt at refilling drinks and removing empty plates. A+ service!
For appetizers we ordered each variant of the egg rolls. Yes, this is still Little Venice, an Italian restaurant, we are talking about here. For these options there are chicken egg rolls with alfredo dipping sauce, sausage rolls, and a pepperoni, ham and cheese egg roll. For being a not very traditional appetizer, these were fantastic and I highly enjoyed each variant, and would go as far as recommending these egg rolls if you do find yourself at Little Venice.
I also thought very highly of the dessert, which on this visit were the three mini cannolis. Cannolis are one of my favorite desserts to order out and these ones did not disappoint.
So with all of these positive attributes, why did I rate Little Venice so low? Short answer: consistently dissapponting main courses.
I don't believe I have ever been to little Venice and been overly happy with my main course. On this visit I ordered fettuccine alfredo with chicken, specifically with the breaded chicken cutlet at the recommendation of the staff. When my order arrived at the table I found the fettuccine very difficult to separate from itself as it was very sticky and overall was only adequate at temperature and flavor. The Alfredo sauce itself and the chicken we're both fine but the fettuccine situation really brought the whole dish down. Unfortunately, pasta should really not be a difficult thing to get right at an Italian restaurant, especially in an area so saturated with very good Italian establishments.
Coupled with all my other really sub-par experiences in the past, like overcooked or burnt chicken, soggy sandwich rolls, etc, I have a hard time recommending Little Venice over many of the other local Italian options unless you really need to stay within downtown Binghamton for your outing.
Tom Chan
-
October 27, 2023
A traditional Italian restaurant with great food and excellent service. The parking was easy and plenty, and we were seated quickly without a reservation. We ordered wine and drinks, and they came quickly. Our server was friendly, extremely helpful and attentive. The dishes we ordered, the sampler, the meat loggers and manicotti were all made to order and served piping hot. The sauce, meat and cheese were all well seasoned and the portion size was substantial. All the prices were very reasonable for such remarkable traditional food. It's definitely a place that we would come back the next time we are in town.
Johannah C
-
December 16, 2023
What a great place. An old school Italian restaurant with lots of character and local charm. I sat at the bar and had great service. Everything I had was fantastic and I could drink the sauce I had wedding soup to start and they gave me bread with the marinara sauce. The portions are huge. I got the chicken parmigiana with a side of homemade ravioli. Worth the upgrade. To go, I got the spaghetti and meat logs... yes meat logs. They were great. It was enough for 2 more meals which was perfect since I was staying at a hotel. I also had a few espresso martinis and gelato for dessert. If you're in town, check it out!
Caitlin Holtslander
-
February 16, 2024
Just ordered from here for the second time. I’ve purchased the house made ravioli parmigiana both times. The first time, it was amazing. This time, was a total let down, and waste of money. It was half the amount I got the first time, and they “baked it” to an absolute crisp-literally. The edges are totally black, burnt, and hard. The top looks like an over-baked pizza, as opposed to a nicely melted mozzerella. Underneath the ravioli is also totally burnt, so every bite tastes like burnt toast. It’s disgusting, to be honest. For $15.00 I expect to at least have it be edible- and it is not. Lost any good thoughts I had about this restaurant, and will not be returning. Whoever “cooked” this should have at least had the common knowledge and decency to realize they screwed up, and have started over. The fact they even considered this okay to give to me, is beyond my comprehension.
Do better, Little Venice, this was a massive disappointment.
Patti Cordasco
-
October 29, 2023
The food was OK, but not great. I have high expectations of Italian food as my husband (the cook in our family) is Italian and he makes amazing Italian food, as does my MIL. I liked the eggplant 🍆 (sometimes an eggplant emoji signifies an eggplant 🤣) parm...it was thinly sliced and a very generous portion but the spaghetti 🍝 side that came with it wasn't the best. The noodles broke off when you twisted them around the fork instead of pulling away cleanly. Just slightly mushy and overcooked instead of al dente. The sauce was good, slightly and nicely sweet. The restaurant itself is comfortable and cozy. There's a nicely sized bar, which is where we sat for dinner. They had the F1 Mexican Grand Prix practice session on, which was great. The service was excellent, from the hostess to the two bartenders who waited on us, to the speed of the kitchen. The front of house staff was super friendly and attentive. They also have a large parking lot for convenience, though we walked over from our nearby hotel.
Our Address
111 Chenango St, Binghamton, NY 13901, USA
Claim Listing: Little Venice
Please Login or Register an Account to Claim Listing
Italian food that falls short where it matters the most. Little Venice! I have eaten here a handful of times over the last couple years and my experiences are typically very consistent in being underwhelming. There are, however, a lot of positives that should be discussed first. This visit was on a weekday for lunch, between noon and 3 pm. The establishment was not busy. I arrived with my party for lunch and we were immediately greeted and sat. Service throughout this visit was outstanding. Our drink and food orders were taken promptly, we did not wait long periods of time for our food, and staff were prompt at refilling drinks and removing empty plates. A+ service! For appetizers we ordered each variant of the egg rolls. Yes, this is still Little Venice, an Italian restaurant, we are talking about here. For these options there are chicken egg rolls with alfredo dipping sauce, sausage rolls, and a pepperoni, ham and cheese egg roll. For being a not very traditional appetizer, these were fantastic and I highly enjoyed each variant, and would go as far as recommending these egg rolls if you do find yourself at Little Venice. I also thought very highly of the dessert, which on this visit were the three mini cannolis. Cannolis are one of my favorite desserts to order out and these ones did not disappoint. So with all of these positive attributes, why did I rate Little Venice so low? Short answer: consistently dissapponting main courses. I don't believe I have ever been to little Venice and been overly happy with my main course. On this visit I ordered fettuccine alfredo with chicken, specifically with the breaded chicken cutlet at the recommendation of the staff. When my order arrived at the table I found the fettuccine very difficult to separate from itself as it was very sticky and overall was only adequate at temperature and flavor. The Alfredo sauce itself and the chicken we're both fine but the fettuccine situation really brought the whole dish down. Unfortunately, pasta should really not be a difficult thing to get right at an Italian restaurant, especially in an area so saturated with very good Italian establishments. Coupled with all my other really sub-par experiences in the past, like overcooked or burnt chicken, soggy sandwich rolls, etc, I have a hard time recommending Little Venice over many of the other local Italian options unless you really need to stay within downtown Binghamton for your outing.
A traditional Italian restaurant with great food and excellent service. The parking was easy and plenty, and we were seated quickly without a reservation. We ordered wine and drinks, and they came quickly. Our server was friendly, extremely helpful and attentive. The dishes we ordered, the sampler, the meat loggers and manicotti were all made to order and served piping hot. The sauce, meat and cheese were all well seasoned and the portion size was substantial. All the prices were very reasonable for such remarkable traditional food. It's definitely a place that we would come back the next time we are in town.
What a great place. An old school Italian restaurant with lots of character and local charm. I sat at the bar and had great service. Everything I had was fantastic and I could drink the sauce I had wedding soup to start and they gave me bread with the marinara sauce. The portions are huge. I got the chicken parmigiana with a side of homemade ravioli. Worth the upgrade. To go, I got the spaghetti and meat logs... yes meat logs. They were great. It was enough for 2 more meals which was perfect since I was staying at a hotel. I also had a few espresso martinis and gelato for dessert. If you're in town, check it out!
Just ordered from here for the second time. I’ve purchased the house made ravioli parmigiana both times. The first time, it was amazing. This time, was a total let down, and waste of money. It was half the amount I got the first time, and they “baked it” to an absolute crisp-literally. The edges are totally black, burnt, and hard. The top looks like an over-baked pizza, as opposed to a nicely melted mozzerella. Underneath the ravioli is also totally burnt, so every bite tastes like burnt toast. It’s disgusting, to be honest. For $15.00 I expect to at least have it be edible- and it is not. Lost any good thoughts I had about this restaurant, and will not be returning. Whoever “cooked” this should have at least had the common knowledge and decency to realize they screwed up, and have started over. The fact they even considered this okay to give to me, is beyond my comprehension. Do better, Little Venice, this was a massive disappointment.
The food was OK, but not great. I have high expectations of Italian food as my husband (the cook in our family) is Italian and he makes amazing Italian food, as does my MIL. I liked the eggplant 🍆 (sometimes an eggplant emoji signifies an eggplant 🤣) parm...it was thinly sliced and a very generous portion but the spaghetti 🍝 side that came with it wasn't the best. The noodles broke off when you twisted them around the fork instead of pulling away cleanly. Just slightly mushy and overcooked instead of al dente. The sauce was good, slightly and nicely sweet. The restaurant itself is comfortable and cozy. There's a nicely sized bar, which is where we sat for dinner. They had the F1 Mexican Grand Prix practice session on, which was great. The service was excellent, from the hostess to the two bartenders who waited on us, to the speed of the kitchen. The front of house staff was super friendly and attentive. They also have a large parking lot for convenience, though we walked over from our nearby hotel.