I always have high hopes for family owned Italian restaurants. I hope for incredibly flavored food at a neighborhood price point. Villa Italia doesn't score on either point. When we walked in at 6 we were the only patrons--never a good sign. During the hour we were there, another couple of people came in and i think one person came in and picked up a to go order. As we were leaving it looked like a party of six or so were coming in--but that was it.
the entire time we were there--we only saw one staff person. I have no idea how she would have handled things if they had been busy. She was very nice--but not knowledgeable about the wine or the food. We asked her questions and she indicated that in some cases she had not tried the food she was serving--that is a warning sign for me.
Restaurants like this one--should do just a few things and do them very well. Unfortunately nothing was knock your socks off --little family italian place good. We shared calamari--which were overbreaded and had no taste. I had egg plant Parmesan--which had very little flavor. My dining companion had chicken ravioli--she indicated that she could tell they were homemade but were drowning in sauce. The wine was a small pour and over priced--which kind of adds insult to injury. I think in general--prices for everything were a $1 or $2 higher than they should have been--I would have felt much better if the entree had included a small salad--but that was separate and $5 to boot. My wine was $7 a glass and for the pour and the brand should have been closer to $5.
So the short and the long--this will not be on my rotation--It is not worth going back--the quality is about the same as a chain restaurant or a little below. A meal that was almost $40 and should have been closer to $25 or $30. Too expensive for too little.
Given their location, they are going to have to step up their game considerably for people to take the time to find them and patronize them. I wish them luck