We saw the Joe La Barbera Quintet here quite recently. The band was fantastic, and the room appeared to be full of all of La Barbera's friends and fans. We didn't eat but the food all looked quite good. There was a weird, rude, couple with a 4-year old in front of us (our set whet until 10:30 pm!). That certainly wasn't Vitello's fault... I won't quibble with them allowing such small children into the upstairs supper club at all. We had a really good time anyway!
Review Source:This is a very trendy hipster place. Â Great vibe, outside patio, back room, upstairs dining room..it's fancy stuff. Â
There's live jazz music in the evenings. Â I came here for lunch so I missed the romantic stuff. Â I ordered the Baked Salmon with Pesto. Â The meal comes with veggies as well. Â I highly recommend the Arugula Avocado Salad. Â DELICIOUS..fresh spinach and pinenuts make it good. Â Service was aiight. Â Maybe the servers weren't ready for a big party, so maybe they could work on that aspect.
I'd love to come here in the evening for some sexy jazz music though.
I ate pizza, drank a beer, and had a piece of ice cream cake...all the while pole-dancing. Â My table with friends was in the very corner booth, and my view -- a pole. Â I had to shift left, then right, then right, then left. Â Yes, it was quite a workout, and I feel very toned in all the right places today.
SOUND/VENUE ---- Small, intimate -- seats 80-100 people. Â Nice sounding room. Â I came to see Kathleen Wilhoite perform with band, What an amazing voice and songwriter! Â She's quite funny, too! Â Kay Bess, a friend of mine for years (and close bud's wife), was singing backup that night, and is amazing in her own right and when she leads with her band. Â Anyway...the sounds is great!!!
FOOD ----------------- Eat before or during the music. Â Yay! Â Super-thin pizza (slightly thicker than matzah), added pepperoni -- super yum. Â The menu is small, but they also feature a handsome amount of daily specials of fish, meats, and pastas. Â It's old-world, traditional Italian. Â
SERVICE ------------ Attentive, and professional. Â
CONCLUSION ----- I've been here once before, and overall, the food is good but not great. Â It's located in the uber-cool quaint and charming area on Tujunga...so it's neighborhoody, and makes a nice date place with the live featured acts upstairs, or if you prefer - the piano bar downstairs in the back.
What a profound disappointment. Made reservations to go for Valentines Day, thinking that it was going to be the Vitello's that I've known and loved for years and years. Well, that Vitello's is as dead as Robert Blake's wife. They've taken the most cozy, comfortable, warm, old school Italian restaurant and ruined it. Gone are the awesome banquettes, gone are the great old hollywood head shots, gone are the characters that both dine and work there, gone is the funky fun mural, gone is the intimate warmth... Vitello's is gone. Now you will find a cold, uncomfortable shell of a place that is masquerading as Vitello's. In fact, they should just give it a new name! The menu is similar but about double the price. It was so depressing that we got up and left. When the server asked us if there was anything she could do, I said, "Bring back the old Vitello's!" This new Vitello's is totally out of place on a cozy little street like Tujunga in Studio City! What a bummer.
Review Source:I genuinely like it here a lot, and really enjoy their Jazz shows and their new menu, but watch out for this little scam they are running these days: You will go in and be told it's a very long wait for dinner (we were told an hour and fifteen minutes), but if you want to eat dinner upstairs during a Jazz show right away they can sell you tickets at a reduced rate. They let my party of 5 go for the price of 3 , which, at $25 a ticket was not insignificant , but we wanted to eat right away and figured the show would be fun so we went for it.
But, once we got upstairs we found out they only serve a limited menu up there. Then, when someone from our group went through the downstairs to use the restroom they found tons of empty tables in the main part of the restaurant!! Â Oh well. It was still a very fun night, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. We very well may have chosen to go upstairs on our own if they had offered us the deal without telling us it was a ridiculous wait for downstairs even though there were dozens of empty tables.
Went last night to see the Afro cuban All Stars, they were great but the Venue Sucked!.. they dont tell you that its only 1 hour show!. they dont tell you if your still drinking your drink and the 1 hour show is done, you better get the hell out of there!!.. I am shocked!.. the lady announces that ok pay your bill and we have people waiting for the next show!. also the Afro cuban Allstars says ok we are taking a break!. so we are left with our mouths open to see if they play again!. surprize!.. your bill comes and you need to pay and go down stairs the opposite way cause all the people are here for the second show!.. WHAT!. my dad still had his wine glass to finish..so he swollowed it down and the waiters were already setting out new silverware and napkins ready for the next show!.. NO more drinks to order!.. maybe thats why the waitress is pushing a drink down your throat for a 2 drink min,.. but we did order food.. its takes long so swollowed it down before they end. $180.00 dollors later and your out the door in hour!.. so sad cause we traveled so far.. to see these guys 120 miles from Riverside. Will I go again?. Probably not!..IF I lived close maybe!.. Food was ok for the 4 of us!.. I woun't say good.. OK. only. So think if you really want to be pushed  to eat fast and a fast concert!!! DISSAPointed!!..
Review Source:They are only getting two starts because of their deception. Â I booked two tickets for the upstairs room, for $35.00 each. Â Then $4.00 handling fee each. Â
Then when I arrived there was a sign at the hostess desk that each of us needed to spend a minimum of $18.00 No where was this disclosed on the website.
The entertainment was good--no complaints.
We got dessert, having eaten dinner elsewhere. Â Our request was denied because they were out. Â So we had to settle for a second choice, that tasted bland.
If it weren't for the fact that Vitello's the restaurants is very good at - you know - food, this place would have a blazing five stars from me. Â Alas, Vitello's is pretty mediocre Italian food and completely overpriced.
But the rest of the stars are for the music. Â The acoustics in here are curiously good. Â And when I say "curiously" I mean that I'm curious as to how that works because it looks like the sound should suck. Â But it doesn't, so ... yay!
I love jazz and this is the place to be if you want great jazz. Â They have some serious talent roll through here. Â Supper clubs are hard to come by and these folks do a great job.
It would just be nice if they were a little better at the "supper" part.
VITELLO'S!! Â What a great evening we all had!! Â A very "Jazzy" venue set the scene for a memorable night of music and song. Â Headlining was a terrific singer named Lee Hartley who effortlessly segued from Jazz to Swing to a misty duet with Les McCann and had the joint jumping with some hip wigglin' Bosa Novas and Blues. Â The band was a very tight Trio fronted by the fabulous Eric Reed on Piano, backed by a rooted Mike Gurrola on bass, and a VERY solid exhibition on drums by Wesley Anderson. Â Put together these elements and drop into the mix the peerless Mr. Les McCann and you had the recipe for sensation and the crowd reflected the energy erupting from the stage with genuine zest. Â I mean the joint BOUNCED!! Â Ms. Hartley connected with and won over the crowd, AND the Band, with a mix of sincere friendliness and the saucier renditions of a well thought out songlist. Â
A true benchmark of the of the evening's level of quality was the smile on Mr. McCann's face. Â Seated like a sacerdotal eminence in the center of the assembled muscians, he responded to Ms. Hartley's or Mr. Reed's efforts with a glorious smile that reflected his own enchantment at this world created, truly his very domain. Â When Ms. Hartley sat next to him on his piano bench during their duet of Les' own "The Truth", there was scarcely a dry eye in the house and a wave of emotion visibly crested over the crowd. Â When Ms. Hartley graciously turned over the stage to Les, and he settled into his rendition of "Amazing Grace", I think the crowd would have agreed with me that Mr. McCann's rendition of this song clearly makes it his own. Â I watched the crowds face near rapture as the band joined him, took it to a jazzy place and then allowed him to bring it back to earth like a graceful, great bird. Â The crowd roared its standing approval. Â
Ms. Hartley re-took the stage (and NOHO) without firing a shot, and though her gracious nods to Mr. McCann and Mr. Reed's Trio were well deserved, the night was clearly hers! Â A finer Chanteuse would be an unattainable request to pursue, and a pointless effort. Â The definitive success of an evening well spent is in the audience's positive reaction, which Lee Hartley gloriously harvested. Â The love and appreciation was a two way street between the stage and the room, and Ms. Hartley clearly owned BOTH!
Once again, knowing the crowd appreciated her bringing to, and sharing WITH us Les McCann, Lee shared in the spotlight and allowed Les to end the evening with a resounding cover of his lionized rendition of Gene McDaniel's "Compared to what?". Â The joint came down around us as Mr. Reed, etal, segued to Eddie Harris' "Cold Duck Time" and Les scated with his smile beaming a shining path for the cheering room. Â The evening ended much as it had started, with great hope, promise, and a celebration of one career in twilight and another (Ms. Hartley's) in bloom... Â Well done!!
I went to this event because I needed to watch a Jazz performance for a report I had to do in school, and I have to say I really enjoyed the place!
The upstairs room at Vitello's is very intimate, lights are dimmed with tiny lamps with candles on every table and the tables are set up in rows so that every person is able to see the performers. I came during a night when Courtney Lemmon and the George Kahn Trio were performing. The sound was crisp and great, the band was very professional (but still fun) and the crowd was very respectful and many looked as though they were having a good time. Let me say that my sister and I loved the music and the ambiance was very calm and relaxing.
On the night that I came, the pricing was $15 to watch (price varies every night), with an $18 dollar minimum per person (you can spend it on either drinks or food). They have a good selection of Italian food, with pastas and entrees. I ordered the Lasagna which was delicious but not anything out of the ordinary. My sister however ordered the Salmon entree with pesto sauce and that was VERY DELICIOUS (she finished her whole plate). We ordered two entrees, two drinks, and dessert and our bill came up to $95 (including the $15 each for the show). Not to bad for a dinner and a show.
The servers and hosts were very helpful and attentive, answering any questions that me and my sister had, and overall the place was very clean. I would suggest going here if you want to have dinner and enjoy a live band playing. I wouldn't mind going here again. =)
The following is a review I wrote for Goldstar after they asked me to rate my experience at a recent show I attended. So as not to offend the gentleman who took offense at people who did not differentiate between the mid-week shows and the Sunday shows, this show did indeed happen on a Sunday evening. I have no idea if Mr. Sterling had anything to do with it as it was not advertised as a Sterling event. However, this is the only listing on Yelp for any events at Upstairs at Vitello's so I am not sure where he would like people to post their reviews about events that happen upstairs which is separate from the downstairs dining experience. To avoid further confusion, I rated my event at Goldstar as 5 stars but, as you will see, I very clearly let them know that that rating pertained to the performance, and not the venue or the experience itself. Hence my 2 star rating here on Yelp.
___________________________________________
My 5 Star review is for the entertainment. I have been coming to Vitello's to see Billy and Lon (who are also personal friends of mine) for several years now. In the time that I have been going there, there has been a complete management and owner change which has resulted in a change to the way they cook their food and, most recently, a complete remodel of the entire restaurant.
Vitello's has been an important part of the landscape of Los Angeles eateries for many years. While I understand the need to make changes from time to time, there was no need to change the way the food is cooked as it was delicious and people had grown to depend upon that quality of food. Now, dishes that were once rich and delicious are bland and the portions have been reduced significantly. Yet the prices have not been reduced. They require an $18 food charge per person on top of the tickets to the performances.
Another thing that I notice is that the audiences that attend shows at the Upstairs venue are the rudest and most ignorant people I have ever seen. Last night, a table of about 10 people were placed front and center in front of the stage. When Billy started playing, one of the gentlemen at the table closest to the stage warned him that they were going to be loud. He wasn't lying. This group of of people loudly talked throughout the entire performance. Not only that but one of the women managed to almost set herself, and by extension, the club, on fire by knocking over the candle on her table. Thanks to the quick reaction by the wait staff, a disaster was averted,as this would have been a fire blocking off the only exit to the room. But they weren't the only table talking. There was a couple to our left that talked the entire evening as if they were just at a restaurant for dinner. Yes, Vitello's is a restaurant. However, Upstairs at Vitello's is a smaller, separate room for concerts and events. The entire downstairs area is a great place to eat and talk. I will never understand people who will pay for a ticket to attend an event and then ignore the event taking place. They could have saved themselves $15 a person and eaten downstairs and talked to their hearts contents.
I'm not sure what, if anything Vitello's could have done about the behavior of these patrons but you are asking for my review and this was my experience. It's not the first time I have experienced this at Vitello's. Between the less than satisfactory and overpriced food, if Billy didn't play here once a month, I would most likely not return.
Stopped in recently to see a friend perform. I wasn't expecting much and luckily was forewarned about the $18 food and drink minimum. The venue itself is pretty average, small stage with a bunch of tables in front and booths circling the edge of the room. It was a little awkward ordering food/drinks during the show as I wanted to give my full attention to my friend onstage. The wine list was decent and my glass was a good pour. I decided to order the Al Caprino which was the goat cheese pizza with prosciutto and arugula. Thought I can't go wrong with that right? Well I was sadly disappointed. The crust was thinner than a cracker and there was barely any sauce on top. There were maybe 4 tiny dollops of goat cheese and 4 slices of proscuitto layered with a little arugula on top. I ate a few pieces because I was starving, but couldn't finish it because it just didn't taste good. I mean a pizza even a thin crust pizza should have a little bit of substance to it. If I sneezed this crust would probably crumble into dust, it was that thin! I felt really bad when the waitress asked if I wanted to box up the rest of the pizza and I looked at her and said no. I think she knew that my dish was bad and silently walked away with the plate. I would be embarrassed myself to serve such a dish! I was hoping the newly remodeled Vitellos would impress me that night but I'm sad to say I will never be coming here again!
Review Source:I'm going to tell you the 5-star aspects first......... perfect sound, very intimate venue (not a bad view in the place) to hold live jazz performances by some kick-ass artists. Â Tonight, we saw Alan Pasqua (piano) , Darek Oles (bass) & Peter Erskine (drums/percussion) perform. Â THEY WERE AWESOME. Â My husband and I got to see/hear two solid hours of jazz music, and we were sitting very close to the stage with perfect views of all three performers. Â So why, do you ask, did I only give 3 stars? Â I'll tell you. Â :)
When we initially viewed the online ad for tonight's performance, it very clearly said that there was a show at 8:00, and another at 9:30. Â We specifically bought tickets for the 8:00 show. Â This morning, I was reading the Yelp reviews to see what to expect, if there was food, how was it rated, what to expect. Â I read that the food is okay to good, but nothing spectacular, and some even said to eat ahead of time.
So, here's what we decided based thereon......we'd eat NOTHING, and then, because the show was over by 9:00 (since the next show was to start @ 9:30), we'd eat dinner AFTER the show......but somewhere else. Â However, when we arrived early to pay for the show, they said, not yet because they would give us a bill for the food, as well. Â We said we weren't going to eat any, and they told us we had to order $18 worth PER PERSON. Â I stood there stunned. Â No one, nowhere, not even on Yelp, and certainly NOT on their website .... said anything about having to eat.... or drink... $18 worth PER PERSON. Â Some Yelpers mentioned a "cover charge," but I knew about that...... that was the price of admission. Â Even one Yelper said "eat before you go." Â
After we got over the shock, we then decided, okay, we'll eat an appetizer, and maybe we'll be hungry for a lighter meal AFTER. Â As it happens, we had decided upon Katsu-Ya, so I just figured we wouldn't eat as much at the jazz venue, yet our bill at Katsu-Ya would just be cheaper. Â Welllllllllll, after dining on a caesar salad and appetizer "pizzetta" (as they called it), the waiter said that was good enough. Â He wouldn't hold us to the $18 per person.
Then the jazz trio performs. Â They do their hour long set, and they close by saying, "See you in a few minutes for the second set." Â I turned to my husband, and I said, "second set? Â He made it sound like we could stay." Â What about bringing in new customers, moving us out, making way for other people to get food, eat and listen to jazz? Â What is going on? Â Nobody, nowhere, once again, said ANYthing about a second set or it being just one show with an intermission. Â The ad very clearly made it sound like TWO SEPARATE shows. Â If we had known this, we would have definitely eaten our dinner HERE, inspite of the reviews I read. Â The ad said nothing, the hostess said nothing, and even the waiter said nothing. Â When we then asked him about it, he said, "oh yeh, sometimes they kick people out for a second group, and sometimes, like tonight, they let people stay."
So, long story short...........we got to see 2 "sets" of great jazz, had a very light meal of appetizers because we didn't think we needed to eat dinner there, and...... we missed out on Katsu-Ya. Â :) Â Moral of the story.........don't just rely on ads..... or employees to TELL you how it works. Â I didn't read this in any of the Yelp reviews either. Â I'm surprised by that. Â
The pizzetta, Magherita style, by the way, was as paper thin as it could get, and the flavors with the fresh basil were divine. Â Surprisingly good. Â This is their house specialty, we were told. Â The caesar salad was as flavorLESS as could be. Â
As good as the views were from our seats, our chairs were as uncomfortable and unyielding as they could get. Â NO appreciable cushion or give to the seat. Â My butt really hurt after 2 hours, but I will say, the room was PERFECTLY air conditioned, and with as many people as they pack in there, it could have been bad.
Anyway, I don't like having incomplete information about a place like this. Â They honestly should go out of their way to tell people, either in ad form or over the phone what to expect........both in terms of how long the show is AND that you are expected to buy $18 worth of food/drink minimum PER PERSON. Â I'm still shaking my head over that one......that I had NO clue. Â Oh well. Â The lack of communication was big for me, and thus, this place drops to 3 stars only. Â Great place for jazz, though.
If you find yourself needing some serious inspiration as well as a little - ok a LOT of gratitude, I suggest you hoof it on over to Upstairs at Vitellos for  a performance from New Direction Veteran's Choir.  They are currently there on the first Sunday of every month and you will not want to miss them.
You  may have seen them on the first season of America's got talent.  Please check out this link:  <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.newdirectionsinc.org%2Fabout_choir.html&s=bfc723a09a697de4fda6c7d0b68e42d0ad6381c12e9482e2c581d6e354663aff" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.newdirections…</a>.  They are amazing people with incredible stories and no one should miss their performance.  I am so thankful to be a friend and  coworker of George Hill's lovely wife, DeAnna, otherwise I may have missed them.  George Hill is a singer in the choir and also the Directer and songwriter.
So as far as the venue itself I recommend you try to reserve one of the tables or booths along the walls or you will be seated cafeteria style like a sardine and you will have to crane your neck sideways to watch the performance.  As for the food, I can't speak very much of it as I only had a slice of margherita pizza which was ok.  However, I did notice some of the other dishes that were being eaten by other patrons and they  looked pretty good!  In any case, after such a rousing performance I didn't care if I had to sit on the floor and eat Kraft macaroni and cheese!
Suffice it to say I can't wait to go back and see another performance by New Directions and perhaps try the restaurant, which is downstairs, for dinner.
And you should too!
I'll echo what the other reviews have already stated about this venue. Intimate and small area for great jazz with very friendly service. Since the other reviews had prepared me for decent food, I wasn't expecting that much so maybe because of that, my expectations weren't too high and thus, we enjoyed a nice dinner as well.
If you want to talk, sit near the back.
Wine selection was okay as I managed to find a nice bottle of cab that went well with dinner.
We got half off admission via Goldstar and it was definitely well worth the price.
I would come back if I lived in the area since it was quite a drive for a Friday evening.
Great Jazz! I would give this place 5 stars if the food menu was better.
They feature a great selection of Jazz here which I LOVE. You'll see a nice variety from greats like Poncho Sanchez to small local trios. My first time here I got to see Seth MacFarlane (Yes! The Family Guy creator) and his huge big band (Yes! The band that does the music for the show). It was a loud, boisterous, amazing night. The music was great and the place was packed (understandably).
The second time I went was completely opposite. We went to see a friend's friend Julia Gottlieb sing (with an amazingly pretty voice). It was just her, drums, guitar and bass. It was a much more subdued concert and the audience was sooooo quiet. I think everyone was afraid to talk and interrupt the singing. We felt a little awkward.
Know before you go:
Go early for best seating.
They add the cover charge to your check - no trying to sneak in!
If it's a quiet show, definately sit in the back if you are planning on having conversation.
There is almost always a cover charge - the cheapest being $5. The most I've ever paid is $25.
This is not a dancing kind of Jazz place. You sit and sip your wine and enjoy the music. That's it.
There is a $13 food and drink minium.... BUT know that the food in the lounge is pretty limited. It's not the greatest of options either. Â
Eat before you go.
First!
I'll be the first to say that Upstairs at Vitello's is a good music venue with unexpectedly good music, acoustics and service.
I went to hear jazz on a weekday night and was pleasantly surprised. Growing up in Chicago and living in NYC and London, I've been to several small, intimate venues. I liked the old school look of the place: leather booths surrounding the walls, black and white photos of musicians, "playbills" of local theater and music on each table. Â
Notes:
-- Make a reservation in advance.
-- $13 minimum for food and/or drinks.
-- There will likely be a $10-15 cover charge in addition to the food/drink minimum.
-- Limited food menu available, maybe 6-8 entree options and desserts.
-- Be prepared that, depending on the music, the room can be subdued or boisterous. If you want to talk during a subdued show, sit towards the back.
-- We went to eat dinner in between sets and sadly ended up missing the second set. The manager, who had seated us for dinner and who we had told we were planning on coming back for the second set, came down and comped our cover charges because she felt we shouldn't have to pay for seeing half a show. Not only was this incredibly kind of her, but it made me feel like I definitely want to go back!
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