Vinny's Ten-O-Three Cafe

04/29/2008 Posted by austinite08

We use to enjoy Vinny's and since they have tried to cut costs, so much has changed. For lunch we'd get one of the specials.. just today I got the stuffed Sofia and I had to do a double take on the pasta portion.. It was less than the size of a large spoon.. noooo not the type you stir the pasta with. SAD... Of course now they also charge you for salads which I can understand and it's merely 1.00... The atmosphere is Austin and it's still a nice little place to go to if they'd quit getting new staff over and over. Our waiter brought us our food and came back with the check. Never offered more tea or water. I guess the change of staff has to tell you about the place as well.. management making changes and some not for the better! Won't be there anytime soon but will tell others about the poor experience today.

Pros: Atmosphere is Austin.. sometimes random music playing that you wouldn't expect

Cons: Staff not too friendly, portions have been CUT for prices, not good!

03/10/2008 Posted by jarcher54

Vinny's is the last of the old traditional Italian restaurants in Central Austin. My whole family (elderly parents, teens, kids, spouse) loves the atmosphere. The pasta primavera is always great. Convenient location for downtown workers and residents, and friendly staff in our experience. Don't come if you are in a rush or are a food snob.

03/09/2008 Posted by julscr

The food was okay. I had the vegitarian Spaghetti and sampled the spaghetti with meatballs. There was tons of vegatables in my meal. The waiter was friendly. It was average.

11/03/2007 Posted by josimcy

It takes a lot for me to write a poor review of anything, but after dining at Vinny's last night, I felt that it was my duty to warn people about how bad this restaurant is. First came the delivery of our bread-- the waiter drops a loaf with a knife through it on a plate with a plastic cup of oil and herbs. Then the salad comes out, absolutely drenched in their house dressing (which wasn't bad, but there was WAY too much of it). Then the entrees-- I had manicotti and a vegetable medley. The manicotti was tough and the filling inside (chicken and mixed cheeses) was dry and flavorless. The vegetables were soaked with oil, limp and soggy. My date's dish, a chicken breast layered with tomato, eggplant, and pesto, was similarly bad. We're not hard to please, but the chicken's quality was noticibly poor-- tough, stringly, and way too hard to chew. Her side of pasta was overcooked and instead of tossing the pasta with the sauce, they just ladled it on top. Service was actually fine for us, but the food quality was inexcusable. We came in with an open mind and no expectations, and the experience somehow still managed to be a huge let down. And someone should tell the management-- when your only signage on the marquee is "we tow", that doesn't exactly welcome customers... that should have been our first clue that this restaurant was going to be a diappointment.

Pros: Cheap, average service

Cons: Truly bad food quality; Bland taste; Depressing atmosphere

10/04/2007 Posted by ieatp

Eat more P everybody! The best joint in town for a steaming bowl of P! Cool off with a Bellini, or steam it up with P!

Pros: Plenty of P

Cons: MOre P!

09/15/2007 Posted by ekfather

I used to LOVE this restaurant, my husband and I went often for great food at affordable prices. Unforgently after our last visit I will never return to one of my favorite restaurants solely out of principal. We arrived there on a Friday night and were greeted and sat at a table. We were waited on in a timely matter and everything was going well. I ordered my favorite meal, the stuffed sofia chicken breast. After about 15mins our food arrived. I was so happy! It looked wonderful! So I take my knife and fork and cut into the chicken only to find that it is obviously undercooked, it was blatently pink. No big deal, I'll just let the waitress know. Well the hostess came to the table first and asked if everything was alright. I responded "Well, actually this chicken is under cooked. I'm sorry I'm not trying to be rude or anything, I just really don't want to get sick." She doesn't even respond she just grabs the plate and walks off. I felt awful, although I had no reason to, who wants under cooked chicken?! After at least 10mins the hostess and our waitress walk up to the table, hand me a Menu and say "You can order anything ELSE you want to off of here" and walk off. No "We're sorry" or anything! And what does it imply when they basically refuse to cook what I originally ordered? That I'm an idiot and they think the chicken was fine...IT WAS PINK! I was so embarrassed by their treatment that when the hostess (why is she the one handling this?!) came to our table to ask what I wanted I said "Nothing just give us our bill please". So we left, feeling like our business after going there for almost 10yrs meant nothing to them. On our way out my husband saw the cook smirking at us. I will never go back there and I don't recommend it, the quality of the service has just plummeted over the last few years. If you do go, check your chicken!

07/01/2007 Posted by vinnys

If you are on a date I would recomend asking to be sat on the patio or next to the garden at booths # 7, 8 , or 9. To drink I would suggest looking over Vinny's wide variety of white and red wines to choose from or go for a Moretti or Peroni Italian beer. If you are realy hungry go for the fried artichokes to start with. Be carefull not to fill up too quick . A fresh crisp green salad with a refined basil vinagrette that simply cannot be paralled in the 78704 zip code is on the way to your table. To accompany your salad you will receive a generous portion of garlic oil, and hot bread. Now for the main course I would recomend trying the tasty "Auntie Bellas" pasta. This meal is like a chicken alfredo for Italians. For dessert you have got to try the Tirramisu. I know what your gonna say its not prepared traditionaly with lady fingers. Trust a long time South Austin patron its the best dessert on Barton Springs. For those of you who said the service stinks loosen up its South Austin have a heart. Ask for Mike Seymour if you want to get the most out of your Vinnys dining experience. What are you waiting for ? Auntie Bella is waiting for you to ask for her house specialty. Enjoy your meal and go back often.

Pros: Ambience, Value, Service, Taste, Location, Bar, Ect.

Cons: There is only one Vinnys for all of Austin to share what a shame.

06/18/2007 Posted by letigonzo

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04/09/2007 Posted by bjones03

I hadn't been to Vinny's in over a year (moved out of town for a while) so I thought I'd stop in as soon as I came back to Austin. I came in on a Wednesday night at 7 or so and were happy to see that some of the bright color contrasts in the bar have been toned down to a classy red and black decor. The hostess was very sweet and found us a nice booth by the garden as we requested. She told us the vegetable and soup of the day and said that our server would be right with us. Sure enough, a couple of minutes later, our server showed up. She was very cordial and sold us on a couple glasses of red wine. We ordered an appetizer (Danny Zucco platter - you have to try this! The fried artichokes are AMAZING!!!) and decided on our entrees: Chicken Marsala and Pollo Scallopini. Our dinners came with a salad and some bread & oil. NOTE: if they could fine a way to bottle and sell their garlic oil, they'd be millionaires!!! The salad was crisp and the house dressing, a basil vinaigrette, was some of the best I've had. Our dinners arrived with great timing as we were finishing our appetizer & salads and they were HUGE portions. Although a bit daunting in size, the taste was unparalleled. My Italian boyfriend said that he hadn't had chicken marsala like that since living at home with his Italian mother! My chicken scallopini was just the right amount of breading and lemon butter sauce and the artichokes and mushrooms were a great addition. We ended the meal with their homemade tiramisu and espressotini combo. Although a bit disappointing that the tiramisu didn't have ladyfingers it was very light and creamy with a great coffee flavor. The espressotini was fabulous!!! Had we not been driving, I'm sure we would have had another! Everything was great and a five-course dinner with wine and martini for less than 60 bucks can't be beat!!! We will definitely be back for more...

Pros: Food, Service, Value, Atmosphere

Cons: No ladyfingers in the Tiramisu

03/23/2007 Posted by milago22

I loved to eat at Vinny's, I used to be a regular with my boyfriend. But the last couple of times we've gone, the food was cold, we had to wait 20 minutes to get a cup of water. Their staff are not very nice, especially when they are busy they are not very nice to you. I haven't been back in awhile, and I miss it, but I hate bad service.