May 2024. It seems Open Table will not post my recent review. I wonder why... Incredibly disappointing and the main courses were inedible. The smoked duck was seasoned with something so poignant that it I was unable to taste anything else, and the skin was rubbery. I have never left 3/4 of my main course on my plate. Pricey and unbelievably bad. My friend ordered the Capesante (scallops) - $57 for3. They were so over salted and not sure if the condiments made it worse. Cooked to perfection but Salt. The charred octopus was not tender and chewy. I am southern Italian and cook. The food was sadly awful. The chef creates the menu and the cook really missed the mark. The only delight was the pasta special, with uni, brandy sauce, chanterelles and a nice crunch. I could never recommend this anymore. It was my 4th time. Plus I had to ask our server twice for the specials. I hate writing bad reviews but I was incredulous.Sept. 2022. 4 stars. The food was excellent and beautifully executed...we were seated outside, the garden seating was delightful. The first course was grilled octopus, tender and the Calabrian sauce complemented it...We added homemade pasta with razor edge clam ceviche, perfection. On to the next course smoked duck which was cooked perfectly and the cherry reduction a delicious accompaniment on a bed of leeks. My friend ordered the swordfish served with a breadcrumb topping similar to oreganata wonderful and different. Why 4 stars...what was wrong...the pompous waiter, Ivan/Evan. This speaks volumes as I am a life long New Yorker who is well traveled, this is the first time I have experienced this type behavior. Will I return remains to be seen...when I recommend the restaurant I will add...ask to be seated in station not served by Evan/Ivan.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
Mira
We are here a decade ago, when we were in Scottsdale. We went out of our way to come back during a trip to Phoenix, and Virtú delivered. Every course was excellent. Even the classics that were on the menu ten years ago and still today (like the polpo) have had changes that made them a new delight. The ragú for the rigatoni was scrumptious. The branzino was amazing. The chocolate and gelato dessert was also lovely. I don't know when we'll be back, but any time we're in Phoenixland, we're going to try and come back here.
JustinK
We have eaten here at least 3 times. We were celebrating 2 college graduates in our family and thought any gesture (a card, non-alcoholic drink at N/C) recognizing that would have been very nice and appreciated based on the amount of money we spent. A gesture would have gone a long way to make us feel more welcome and that it was a special event that we wanted to celebrate at Virtu. It was a very special occasion for our party of 5.
Danny Estavillo
We went here for our anniversary. It was a great experience. Great food, wine and service. The Pulpo was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
richardl
Inventive menu, always enjoy the food, the chitters was fabulous. Branzino very clean, straightforward taste. Could organize the menu in a way that makes pre fixe more obvious. Waiter spends a lot of time explaining pre fixe options versus ala carte.
Dozersmom
What an amazing restaurant. We visited for a friends 70th birthday and it did not disappoint. We had the prix fixe dinner and each course topped the last. The location and ambiance of the restaurant was pleasantly surprising, tucked into a small area filled with vines so that it seemed like something out of a European city. I will definitely revisit and highly recommend!
rrrrrrr
This restaurant is very chic and beautiful. small and cozy. the host / person who sat us was rude and cold (not a good first impression) but our server was excellent ... she walked us through the menu and we never had an empty drink or water. food was so good. small but great menu.
DanP
We hadn't eaten at Virtu in a longtime and had always enjoyed it We had friends that wanted to experience something different then what is their normal eating. We decided on Virtu. Great choice. Our waiter was professional,attentive and friendly. Food was over the top. Our friends were blown away.
Dennis
The food was excellent and the ambiance is very nice. The service, while efficient, was characterized by the condescending attitude of of the server (Evan). It made for an uncomfortable evening for our party.
Kathy Skemp
We dined for my birthday last night. Food was fine. The appetizers were great, especially the octopus! Branzino was good but duck was meh. Here is my issue. The server was uninterested and very busy. The menu is a little different and he did not do a very good job of explaining it. I thought if we ordered an appetizer another course and an entrée we would get the free muse, intermezzo and desert for 95.00 . I ordered an appetizer, octopus and entree that total 106.00 but did not get the other things. Very confusing and felt slighted. Especially since it was my birthday when I brought it to his attention, he seemed a little confused. I think he realized that he didn’t give us what we were supposed to have but did nothing to correct it. We ordered a bottle of wine and had to flag him down to get it to have with our appetizer. I don’t know if it’s because it was my birthday and that we spent a lot of money,that I felt we deserved a little better Treatment. We spent a lot of money and didn’t get what we thought we should and no smiles or happy birthday. Also no thought on where they sat us next to a big family table when we were looking for a quiet intimate dinner and there were definitely other tables they could’ve sat us at. So long story short we still had a nice time and we still had good food. It just wasn’t as special as it could’ve been.
Very disappointed! Pork chop was over cooked and cold when served. Other diner's pork chop cooked perfectly but also cold. Pasta dishes were lacking flavor. Charred octopus was excellent. Dessert excellent. Overall not what we expected for any price.
The restaurant is tucked inside a beautiful courtyard strung with lights. Tabitha, our waitress, was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu and able to make suggestions on cocktails based on the flavor profile I was looking for. She noted our open table profile which states that we do not eat pork and went through each dish that had it and that it could be left out. This is the first time we've had any waiter acknowledge that, despite eating at very high end restaurants all over the country and having the no pork on my profile for over 10 years. We usually have to repeatedly remind the staff and still end up with it on the dish. Huge kudos to her! The food was completely outstanding! The polpo was cooked perfectly and had a great balance of flavor with the watercress and fennel greens and the lemony brightness of the chickpea garnish. The chittara pasta dish was out of this world. The texture of the pasta was perfection and the lemon cream sauce with roasted garlic and pistachios was heavenly. My A-5 wagyu was unbelievable. It was a huge portion for only $90. I've had less than half of the portion at other restaurants and it was well over $100. The 3 salt options were perfect sprinkled over the top and it all melted in my mouth. The sticky chocolate toffee cake with salted caramel gelato was so good I had to close my eyes and savor every bite. We will definitely be back and can't believe we've been sleeping on this place for 11 years!
Laura Feldman
The setting was lovely. Off the beaten trail of Scottsdale tourist dives. Great service...our wait person was very helpful with many details on the menu and great recommendations. The menu is different than the norm. The drinks were delicious (we had old fashions). We started with the Hamachi, which i highly recommend. We had housemade pasta (available as a small plate or entree size portion). Dinner was branzino (sea bass) topped with mushrooms and fiddleheads. We had the butterscotch pudding for dessert. Highly recommend!
May 2024. It seems Open Table will not post my recent review. I wonder why... Incredibly disappointing and the main courses were inedible. The smoked duck was seasoned with something so poignant that it I was unable to taste anything else, and the skin was rubbery. I have never left 3/4 of my main course on my plate. Pricey and unbelievably bad. My friend ordered the Capesante (scallops) - $57 for3. They were so over salted and not sure if the condiments made it worse. Cooked to perfection but Salt. The charred octopus was not tender and chewy. I am southern Italian and cook. The food was sadly awful. The chef creates the menu and the cook really missed the mark. The only delight was the pasta special, with uni, brandy sauce, chanterelles and a nice crunch. I could never recommend this anymore. It was my 4th time. Plus I had to ask our server twice for the specials. I hate writing bad reviews but I was incredulous.Sept. 2022. 4 stars. The food was excellent and beautifully executed...we were seated outside, the garden seating was delightful. The first course was grilled octopus, tender and the Calabrian sauce complemented it...We added homemade pasta with razor edge clam ceviche, perfection. On to the next course smoked duck which was cooked perfectly and the cherry reduction a delicious accompaniment on a bed of leeks. My friend ordered the swordfish served with a breadcrumb topping similar to oreganata wonderful and different. Why 4 stars...what was wrong...the pompous waiter, Ivan/Evan. This speaks volumes as I am a life long New Yorker who is well traveled, this is the first time I have experienced this type behavior. Will I return remains to be seen...when I recommend the restaurant I will add...ask to be seated in station not served by Evan/Ivan.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 2
We are here a decade ago, when we were in Scottsdale. We went out of our way to come back during a trip to Phoenix, and Virtú delivered. Every course was excellent. Even the classics that were on the menu ten years ago and still today (like the polpo) have had changes that made them a new delight. The ragú for the rigatoni was scrumptious. The branzino was amazing. The chocolate and gelato dessert was also lovely. I don't know when we'll be back, but any time we're in Phoenixland, we're going to try and come back here.
We have eaten here at least 3 times. We were celebrating 2 college graduates in our family and thought any gesture (a card, non-alcoholic drink at N/C) recognizing that would have been very nice and appreciated based on the amount of money we spent. A gesture would have gone a long way to make us feel more welcome and that it was a special event that we wanted to celebrate at Virtu. It was a very special occasion for our party of 5.
We went here for our anniversary. It was a great experience. Great food, wine and service. The Pulpo was amazing.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Inventive menu, always enjoy the food, the chitters was fabulous. Branzino very clean, straightforward taste. Could organize the menu in a way that makes pre fixe more obvious. Waiter spends a lot of time explaining pre fixe options versus ala carte.
What an amazing restaurant. We visited for a friends 70th birthday and it did not disappoint. We had the prix fixe dinner and each course topped the last. The location and ambiance of the restaurant was pleasantly surprising, tucked into a small area filled with vines so that it seemed like something out of a European city. I will definitely revisit and highly recommend!
This restaurant is very chic and beautiful. small and cozy. the host / person who sat us was rude and cold (not a good first impression) but our server was excellent ... she walked us through the menu and we never had an empty drink or water. food was so good. small but great menu.
We hadn't eaten at Virtu in a longtime and had always enjoyed it We had friends that wanted to experience something different then what is their normal eating. We decided on Virtu. Great choice. Our waiter was professional,attentive and friendly. Food was over the top. Our friends were blown away.
The food was excellent and the ambiance is very nice. The service, while efficient, was characterized by the condescending attitude of of the server (Evan). It made for an uncomfortable evening for our party.
We dined for my birthday last night. Food was fine. The appetizers were great, especially the octopus! Branzino was good but duck was meh. Here is my issue. The server was uninterested and very busy. The menu is a little different and he did not do a very good job of explaining it. I thought if we ordered an appetizer another course and an entrée we would get the free muse, intermezzo and desert for 95.00 . I ordered an appetizer, octopus and entree that total 106.00 but did not get the other things. Very confusing and felt slighted. Especially since it was my birthday when I brought it to his attention, he seemed a little confused. I think he realized that he didn’t give us what we were supposed to have but did nothing to correct it. We ordered a bottle of wine and had to flag him down to get it to have with our appetizer. I don’t know if it’s because it was my birthday and that we spent a lot of money,that I felt we deserved a little better Treatment. We spent a lot of money and didn’t get what we thought we should and no smiles or happy birthday. Also no thought on where they sat us next to a big family table when we were looking for a quiet intimate dinner and there were definitely other tables they could’ve sat us at. So long story short we still had a nice time and we still had good food. It just wasn’t as special as it could’ve been.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 3
Recommended dishes: Grilled Octopus, Branzino
Restaurantji Recommends
This is the best food I’ve ever had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Bistecca Tagliata, Duck Breast, Panacotta, Grilled Octopus, Branzino, Tomahawk Ribeye
Very disappointed! Pork chop was over cooked and cold when served. Other diner's pork chop cooked perfectly but also cold. Pasta dishes were lacking flavor. Charred octopus was excellent. Dessert excellent. Overall not what we expected for any price.
The restaurant is tucked inside a beautiful courtyard strung with lights. Tabitha, our waitress, was attentive and very knowledgeable about the menu and able to make suggestions on cocktails based on the flavor profile I was looking for. She noted our open table profile which states that we do not eat pork and went through each dish that had it and that it could be left out. This is the first time we've had any waiter acknowledge that, despite eating at very high end restaurants all over the country and having the no pork on my profile for over 10 years. We usually have to repeatedly remind the staff and still end up with it on the dish. Huge kudos to her! The food was completely outstanding! The polpo was cooked perfectly and had a great balance of flavor with the watercress and fennel greens and the lemony brightness of the chickpea garnish. The chittara pasta dish was out of this world. The texture of the pasta was perfection and the lemon cream sauce with roasted garlic and pistachios was heavenly. My A-5 wagyu was unbelievable. It was a huge portion for only $90. I've had less than half of the portion at other restaurants and it was well over $100. The 3 salt options were perfect sprinkled over the top and it all melted in my mouth. The sticky chocolate toffee cake with salted caramel gelato was so good I had to close my eyes and savor every bite. We will definitely be back and can't believe we've been sleeping on this place for 11 years!
The setting was lovely. Off the beaten trail of Scottsdale tourist dives. Great service...our wait person was very helpful with many details on the menu and great recommendations. The menu is different than the norm. The drinks were delicious (we had old fashions). We started with the Hamachi, which i highly recommend. We had housemade pasta (available as a small plate or entree size portion). Dinner was branzino (sea bass) topped with mushrooms and fiddleheads. We had the butterscotch pudding for dessert. Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Butterscotch Budino, Branzino
Very high-end with comparable service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Duck Breast