Mariella Hill

The service is SPECTACULAR!!! From the host to the server- very welcoming. The food is amazing. Out of towners who walked by and decided to have some appetizers and drinks. Mozzarella di bufala, bruschetta and spicy salami…. Delicious. We got to chat with the owner… he was so kind!!!!!!! So down to earth!

+4

Rebecca Donahue

We stopped in last night after a few not so great experiences in Mystic and were greeted with such warmth. Via Emilia staff made us feel right at home. Tom and Emily were great. We had great drinks and an app at the bar. We will definitely be planning our next trip back to try more food. The manager even engaged us and was friendly. This place makes you feel at home and that's exactly what we needed. Cheers to great success.

Fishtress3

This is by far the best restaurant I've been to! The service is excellent, everyone is so friendly and personable. The food is AMAZING!! Seriously, amazing. Delicious fresh chef prepared offerings. Delicious signatuature cocktails. Fabulous appetizers, entrees and desserts. Make sure you try their espresso martini!

wes

I was looking for a nice restaurant for dinner while visiting Mystic Village over the weekend, and Via Emilia really came through. Our server, Amanda, was so polite and fun. Thanks for putting up with my foodie questions, Amanda lol. The food was incredible. Solid appetizer portions for sharing, great menu ideas and flavors, and the entrees were delish. I've been on an octopus kick, and Via Emilia did not break the streak. Tender, crispy pieces of braised octopus in a creamy tonnato sauce. The flavor was amazing. I took a chance with the Speck E Mele, and I was pleasantly surprised. The savory prosciutto and the sweetness of the honeycrisp apple with a dried fig was exceptional. Harmonious combination of flavors. The mussels tasted the most familiar of the appetizers but did not disappoint at all. 8oz of mussels is more than I thought it'd be. I used the shell as a spoon for the saffron broth for one nice bite with the mussel meat. Good stuff. My entree was the lamb ragu. Ground lamb and local ricotta with a little shaved parmesan on top. Good portion for me, and by the end of everything, I felt very satisfied. My company also really enjoyed their wines and respective entrees. Thanks for the food!

+12

B C

We were looking for a quick bite before hitting the road and we stumbled upon this lovely Italian restaurant. They make pasta in-house, they also have gluten free that is absolutely amazing! My partner tried it, he is very particular, he could not tell the difference between the two different noodles. The sauce was delicious, clams perfectly cooked and the wine selection was on point. The waitress suggested a great pairing with the cheese and meats. The fig jam and cheese combo was perfect! We will definitely be back!

Taylor Lynn

We had an absolutely wonderful time at Via Emilia this weekend. The manager, Yaz made it a truly special evening. We had a hankering for espresso Martini and decided to stop at Via. The bar is tiny (7 seats) and restaurant was packed. We asked if we could stand for a martini while waiting for the bar to open up. The manager was concerned about other patrons experience as it’s a small restaurant and asked if we would mind waiting outside for 15 minutes. He promised it would be worth it. We waited outside, 5 minutes later he had cleared space near the window for us and had espresso martinis ready! Since we were having such a lovely time we decided to stay for dinner and had a fantastic meal. The pasta was clearly hand made and well seasoned. The cocktails were all incredible and the Tirimisu was one of the best I’ve ever had. My only note is the restaurant is very pricy for what it is. Even so we would return just for Kaz & Espresso Martinis!

+2

Kim H.

We did a Google search for Italian food in the Mystic area and made reservations for three for a dinner on our vacation when we saw some of these reviews. Everything was spectacular - from the decor, to the staff, to the food. We were blown away! I'll go into a little more detail below if you are interested in the specifics of the dishes we tried. Parking can be a bit iffy as this is a downtown location, so be sure to give yourself extra time - and visit the tea & spices shop nearby if you are early! Every course came very quickly, even though they were clearly busy. The portions were on the smaller side... however they turned out to be perfect! Our server was friendly and knowledgeable about the menu and was able to make recommendations. We dressed up slightly because we had not visited before, would have to say "business casual" to jeans would be fine here. Absolutely recommend reservations, it is easy to do online (they do request a credit card number to reserve, and give you directions on how to cancel without a fee) and they keep you updated via text. On to the yummy parts! We were first presented with a champagne toast (they asked about our anniversary when placing the reservation - I would have declined and saved them the pour if I had known - we very much dislike champagne), it was very sweet and appreciated. We were dining with our teenage daughter who is also a big fan of Italian food. We started with drinks. Upon the recommendation of our server, I tried the "Sicilian Mule" (photo) which is a nice blend of blood orange liqueur and ginger beer; and a virgin one for my daughter. It was REALLY good. So good in fact, now that we are home I am going to try to replicate it! It was bubbly and mildly sweet, not overly boozy. My husband had a Long Island Iced Tea which he surprisingly found too strong and bitter (I had to agree after trying a sip) so he did not finish it. There was plenty of fresh ice water and refills. For an appetizer, we were brought slices of fresh bread with olive oil and a whipped seasoned ricotta (photo) - all delicious. We ordered the "Polpettine" to share (photo) - three moist and tasty meatballs in a sweet and savory tomato sauce that was so good we wished we did not have to share. For the main course, my husband tried one of the specials: fresh pasta tossed with peas, yellow squash and cheese (photo) with the highest praises. My daughter had the "Tajarin" (photo) which was a bit different than what we saw on the menu online - but extremely delicious! Her dish was fresh pasta tossed with cheese, prosciutto and spinach - the later of which is her favorite veggie! I tried the "Cappelletti" (photo), freshly made cheese ravioli in a creamy roasted tomato sauce, and I do not have the words to describe how good this was. I would have licked the plate if we were not in public. We did not have room for dessert! Overall, I give Via Emilia top scores on every account, and we will absolutely visit again on our next trip to the area. It is about a half hour ride from Mohegan Sun, and there are lots of things to do in the Mystic area (like the aquarium) so it is well worth the short trip if you are visiting. If you are local... well then I am jealous, but my bank account will be relieved!

+2

Kristin Brown

Had a wonderful dinner with my husband this past weekend. The food was delicious and our waiter was friendly. The atmosphere is perfect for a romantic evening with your special someone. I highly recommend making reservations beforehand. Food is pricey, but the quality of food is delicious. Will definitely be back for another amazing meal!

+2

Marcus Padilla

What a wonderful new Italian Restaurant! The restaurant has been newly renovated and looks great! Everything was very clean and well kept. Our server Maddie was outstanding, and I can honestly say she was one of the best servers I’ve had in years. To start they bring out house made bread, pasta salad, whipped Ricotta and Olive oil, which was all delicious. We ordered the Bruschetta which was phenomenal. The bread was crispy yet soft at the same time, and so flavorful. The entrees were fantastic as well. Everything here is local or directly imported from Italy. I can’t give enough praise from our first experience here, we will definitely be coming back!

+4

Ken Oliver

The service was excellent, the food was good. The charcuterie board was a little unil-inventive, but the oliver in it were spectacular. For the main course, I had the veal porterhouse, which was cooked and seasoned well. The fingerling potatoes were a bit too much on the rosemary side for my liking. The drinks menu was good, and the table really enjoyed the espresso martini. All in all, a decent place to eat Italian food when in Mystic.

+5

D Rey

Certainly a worthy dining experience in Mystic. That said however, although there is great ambiance, the dishes are not spectacular. Having dined not only throughout Connecticut, but aswell in Italy...I cannot honestly state I was impressed. For the pricepoint of the dishes one would expect an exquisite meal and unfortunately we experienced something very lackluster. Tagliatelle, a pasta I made in Italy very simply and very diverse. Tossed in an alfredo style sauce with crab and eggplant. A bold pairing and risky. These two imgredients do not work together in this dish. They fight each other as opposed to complimenting. A thinner and lighter sauce. An alternate protein, should be lobster and a green, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, etc. Would have earned this dish some honor. Pollo Alla Modenese. Chicken cutlet, beautiful cook, crispy breading. Wrapped in an oven baked, well done layer of prosciutto but paired with merely a bed of oil and balsamic massaged greens is uneventful. An orzo or a rice, some starch is engineered for those flavors and it was absent. Sourdough bread for the table for a charge is extremely bold. Especially when offered alongside simple spreads. Oil sauted garlic spread. Unseasoned hummus (chickpeas). And whipped mozzarella. Plain. The mozzarella when seasoned or blended with marinara may have caught attention, but as is??? Challenging.

Fiona had a great personality but the food was not up to expectation. I had a dairy allergy and ordered a dish without cheese on top of my chicken which was simple but it came with cheese and when she finally came to check she just sent a new prosciutto without cheese instead of a whole new dish without dairy. I then had wait awhile for that. I ate my food because I was hungry and tired of waiting but I was not satisfied and the fact that my server didn't pick up on that was a huge disconnect for me. Also I hope I don’t have stomach issues tonight. Don’t think I want to come back here. 🫤