Il Vinaio

We had a small taste and were coming back for more. We stopped by for dinner before a show at the Mesa Arts Center. Just a short walk from the theater. Il Vinaio was busy but the wait staff were kind enough to let us know what we might be able to get and still have time to walk back to theater. The restaurant seems to be a great gathering place. Lots of large parties having a good time. We ordered the the Vinaio Bruschetta and a Four Cheese Flatbread because of our time crunch. The Bruschetta was a great combination with pesto, goat cheese, caramelized figs, and candied pecans; and the Flatbread was melty fontina, pepper jack, cheddar, and feta cheeses. Turned out this was a perfect light dinner before the show. We shared our choices. My wife and I loved the favors of sweet figs with the goat cheese. We had a great time. Cindy our server was really attentive and wanted to make sure we got to the show on time. Her suggested items were excellent. We are making plans to come back again soon to have a full dinner experience.

My husband and I were in the PHX area for the holidays and decided to escape the family for a night and have a date night. I came across this restaurant on Unilocal and was drawn to their wine selection as well their very gluten friendly menu as I have food allergies. We sat at the small but very cute bar and were extremely impressed the with the service. I believe the married couple working this night were the owners and the male was the one who was waiting on us. They were extremely friendly and hospitable! The quality of food was exceptional as well as were the wine recommendations we were given to accompany our food choices. The antelope burger is amazing! I’m very happy we found this gem of a restaurant because we most surely will be back!

EDIT– Letter back to the Owner: Cameron– I appreciate you writing back. I actually responded to your message on Unilocal that I had come in on Wednesday night, November 4^th, right after your Happy Hour had ended. I appreciate you retraining the staff on how customer disappointment should be handled, and clearly you found our order and waitress that had helped! I had expressed to her the fries were raw, and still think it’s strange that she did not offer anything after the fact.
I do apologize if I said the food took 40-​when it had taken 30 minutes. I still think that’s a long time for raw fries and an overcooked burger when there was maybe 4 other people in your large establishment. And to address your last point-​The broccoli soup was extremely grainy, but the caprese salad was tasty. Fresh mozzarella, tomato slices and spinach.
As a reviewer, the only thing I can do is be honest about my experience. Although it is not reflective of everyone’s experience, that is how I tasted and was treated that evening.
Thank you.

The service and atmosphere were nice but the food was not great. We tried four items off the happy hour menu and they were all generic and too heavy on the sauces/​dressing/​drizzles. I didn’t finish any of them.

The food was serviceable but not great. We went for happy hour but we don’t drink. Maybe it’s better with a couple of drinks in you.
The atmosphere is fun. We enjoyed sitting on a couch while eating. The music mix is very eclectic.

I was looking for a nice gluten-​free restaurant close to Mesa and Il Vinaio popped up. It was my boyfriend’s birthday and he has celiac so I had to be pretty picky about finding a place. I read the reviews on here about how conscious the staff is about their gluten-​free dishes and knew we had to try it. Our server was very friendly and we were seated immediately. The place itself was very clean and inviting. It looked like it was a remodeled church (could just be the stained glass windows that gave me that feel). The place was not very busy, but we arrived at around 5:00pm and people began to trickle in after us.
We both ordered a beer. My boyfriend ordered one of their gluten free selections while I asked for a hefeweizen (which they did not have so they suggested another beer on tap). We both LOVED our beers. I wish I could remember the name of mine because I would drink it regularly.
The food was just as exceptional as the drinks. We ordered two appetizers of gluten-​free bruschetta (one regular and one Vinaio). I HIGHLY recommend the Vinaio bruschetta. It has pesto, goat cheese, caramelized figs, and candied pecans. YUMMY! The sweetness was great with the saltiness of the pesto and beer! My boyfriend ordered the Antelope Burger while I ordered the Lobster mac & cheese because when you see those on the menu, you kind of HAVE to order them, right? We both loved our entrees! Astounding service and remarkable food in the convenient setting of downtown Mesa!
Celiac and gluten allergy sufferers rejoice! Il Vinaio will do you right!

Cozy wine bar with regular life music. Great options especially for brunch.
I love to come here because of the gluten free menu and the owners go out of their way to make sure the food is safe. Owners are very friendly and it almost feels like being greeted by family when you come through the door. Offer gluten free beer, burger buns and pasta.
#happyceliac

I’ve been looking forward to eating here for a few months. I come here occasionally on business, and happened to stay at the motel next door. When I discovered id be there again I was excited, but today I arrived late. About 20 minutes before closing. This is usually not a good time to stop I to a restaurant, especially on a Sunday evening. How ever I was pleasantly surprised when everything went as it should be. I had the chicken linguini, which was delicious. This is also a wine bar, but not being a wine drinker, and not much of a drinker whole I’m working, I can’t really comment on this. It’s location seems like a good one, right next to country club/​main st stop on the light rail. I think I’m going to work hard to land this account, just so I can come here once a month or so…

Went here for the first time with a friend to have a meal before seeing a play at the Mesa Arts Center. For those of you who like to use the light rail, this is one of the places that you can get to easily now that the rail goes through downtown Mesa. The restaurant is in a building that was obviously something else before but they have made the interior their own. I’m not much of a wine drinker but a nice selection of beers and all the beers on draft are $ 5 — a more than reasonable price for a craft brew and the management, when I ordered an IPA, even brought me a sample of the local IPA from the brewery down the street, Desert Eagle Brewery.
My friend had the pork cutlet over a risotto and I had something else which does not seem to be on the online menu, but it was also good. I found this to be a perfect place to relax and enjoy some nice food and a drink or two before an event at the Mesa Arts Center and I’m sure it will be where I go again next time I go to a show.

I have hosted lunches here for The Conscious Community for the past year and Cindy, the owner and the wait staff have always done an excellent job catering to our needs.
The food is fresh and yummy. They offer gluten free items that are incredible.
I also went to dinner there one night when I was on the East side of town and was amazed at the gourmet offerings, paired with a great wine list.
Cindy and her husband make you feel welcome. You’ll be glad you tried it!

Went in for wine tasting for wine of the month club and stayed for a wonderful dinner last night. Pasta bolognese was yummy and the chicken saltimbocca was delish. Always have fabulous wines avail and good craft beer selection

I used Unilocal to help me find some lunch since I’m not from Arizona. I wanted a gluten free menu and fresh food. The food is all made fresh here and a great gluten free menu was provided. My daughter had s cheese burger she loved it, we shared a shrimp appetizer with sweet chile sauce it was delicious! Our wine was perfect and I had a tuna plate which I asked if they would add a side of the chile sauce. It was good. Our waitress was very friendly said its been slow since building the bus system out front. Very good food, friendly atmosphere great wine!

We were visiting Mesa and the hotel recommended this venue. We were delighted with the food and especially the wine. Nicole was our server and made us feel right at home. We had the steak salad which was expertly seasoned and cooked medium rare as ordered. If we ever come back to Mesa this will be our first stop.

What a great joint to meet friends and enjoys glass of ‘old grape juice ’
The tri-​hummus is to die for, and then order up the piled high with pastrami club on marbled rye… yummmmm!

I was excited to try this place, as a huge fan of wine bars and Mediterranean cuisine, but I found the experience disappointing due to issues with three different ingredients in the meal being either rancid or overripe, and more particularly due to the poor attitude of the manager on duty (who told me that I was just my opinion that the ingredients were inedible. The existence of mildew on dried figs or big brown spots on fresh strawberries is factual, not subjective). I would not return here, due to being treated rudely and arrogantly by the manager. Too bad because the restaurant has an inviting food menu and a good selection of wines by the glass. I also appreciated the attentive service by the server.

Had a great lunch here, and hope to get back when I’m nearby.

I just had the nicest time here. I had a Groupon for 2 glasses of wine and a cheese plate, I went with my BFF and we added a Lobster Benedict to our order. Our waitress was friendly and funny, I felt like I knew her from somewhere. Our wine was served first, a generous and well presented serving in a decanter. followed shortly by our cheese plate. The brie, when put onto the toast (she sai it was just some oil and herbs) was inexplicably delicious, it was like angels toasted and buttered it themselves, sniff.

This is one of those special cases where atmosphere, service, food quality/​taste and price all blend to create a wonderful 5! From entering to leaving it was a great experience. We ordered the Hummus Trio — a great starter. My friend received an excellent wine recommendation and she loved her blackened Tilapia (I tasted and agree). I can’t wait to return to have the prime pork loin again! It was suggested that I cut the capers into thirds and include in each bite — this was perfect for flavor. This was a great meal. The owners Cam and Cindy were on hand to provide input and history which was a huge plus — its very apparent that a customers comfort are important to them, it showed. I highly recommend you visit! If I lived in the area I would be a regular.

The food and prices are amazing! The service was great, we had a group staying in the hotel next door and had about 30 person party roll in for brunch. They made everyone feel comfortable and welcomed. It didn’t take long for the food to come out and I can’t wait to eat here again. This place is Canyon State Beard Club approved!

I feel like a spoiled princess everytime I go here! Dear Lord the food and drinks are out of this world, and the customer service is outstanding. The $ 8 bottle of champagne is such a great deal! Their hamburgers are by far the best! So great that no ketchup, mayo, mustard necessary. Im so glad I took a chance and decided to try a new wine bar. A wine bar with so many other options on the menu than most I have ever been too. I highly recommend this restaurant. You won’t regret it!