Vines Pasta Grill

We went here for my fiances Christmas staff party I was super excited as I always love fresh pasta that why I was so sad when my dinner came and the pasta was overcooked try getting your servers attention when she is serving 30 other people the dessert was ok we had some kind of chocolate cake not too sure what it was the best part of the night was my bottle of red wine I just don’t think I would recommend this place to anyone it’s too bad because I really wanted to like it

I always enjoy the food there, especially the chicken mushroom soup. Try Tasters night. Go there hungry. Enjoy.

This was my first experience at the vines. I went with my girlfriend on a Wednesday night at 8pm. It was a happening little spot.. Parking is a little to be desired… But it works.
We were seated menus in hand. We both started with the award winning ceasar salad. I had the large, she had the small. I loved it. The large was enough on its on as a meal… HUGE!
for my main I had the currie chicken vegetable penne and my gf had the manicotti. She loved hers. Mine was good.. The sauce was a little dark and watery and not a huge Curry flavor to it. I thibk I’ll let the Indian restaurants let them feed me curry… Not an Italian one. But it was good
All in all. I would go back for sure.

Wow! That was great!
Since moving to Cole Harbour, I’ve heard from numerous people that we had to check-​out The Vines. Tonight they had a pasta bar so we headed over to see what all the fuss was about…
We were greeted immediately, and ushered to a little table off to the side. The place isn’t huge, but it isn’t tiny. It’s cozy, with dim lights, thematic music, and subtle décor. Kristy (Krista??? oh I fail at names!) promptly took our orders (pasta bar!) and got us some drinks. My husband had started the evening with a headache but insisted it would pass and he REALLY wanted to try the pasta, so we headed to the buffet.
There were 7 kinds of pasta available — cheese manaicotti, mushroom ravioli, creamy chicken or salmon pasta, lasagna, another tomato-​based pasta with chicken, and something I can’t remember (whoops!). There was also garden, pasta, or Caesar salad; two kinds of soup; rolls; and mussels in white wine sauce. OMG HEAVEN! I grabbed some Caesar salad, a roll and a few mussels and my husband got Caesar, a roll, and lasagna and we headed back to the table.
The mussels were fantastic. Hot, fresh, lots of garlic. The roll was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside; and the Caesar dressing was divine (and homemade!). I asked my husband how his was, since he hadn’t eaten much and he told me that he was feeling ill. We grabbed him some more water and while he took it easy, I went up for a little bit of a couple kinds of pasta — I tried a little manicotti, some mushroom ravioli, and the creamy chicken pasta. I would have tried the salmon but they were refilling at the time. All three were AMAZING. Hot, fresh, good flavour and delicious. The manicotti had fresh creamy cheese in a cream sauce. The mushroom raviloi was in a tomato sauce with a couple kinds of mushrooms. And the creamy chicken pasta had a great light garlic cream sauce with melted cheese. SO GOOD!
By this time, ol’ hubs was looking pretty rough. So we got him some more water, and then I sent him to the car while I paid. As I was paying, I was chatting with our server, Kristy (Krista? I’m so sorry I can’t remember… she was AMAZING!), and mentioned that he wasn’t feeling well. She said she completely understood — her kids had the flu– and she hoped he wasn’t getting it. Then, as I was about to leave, she offered me a take-​out tray to go get him something for later in case he felt better and got hungry. I have never had anyone offer me take-​out from a buffet like that, or really care when I mention someone didn’t feel well, or something came up — but she insisted that I take a plate for him and had one of the cooks pull together a little Caesar salad from the buffet to take too. It was just a little gesture, but it really made an impact on me — she really cared about her customers and wanted to make sure that we got great service, enjoyed the food, and would come back.
When I took the bag to my husband, who was in the car, he was so thankful. He’s in bed now (poor guy!) but he’s hoping to feel better and be able to enjoy some of the delicious pasta and salad that we brought home tomorrow. We will definitely be going back to the Vines — not only is their food fantastic, their staff are really lovely, caring people.

First tried this place probably a decade ago, and liked it, but obviously won’t comment on that since it’s a blur. Tried it again recently and liked it as well. Considered fine dining for the Halifax/​Dartmouth area, with cozy, low romantic lighting, basic standard décor. I prefer dark atmospheres like this, with the only disadvantage that I never get good food photos taken to show. Quite large inside as well, with I would guess 20 – 25 tables?
The parking lot fills up on busy nights, so you may have to park on the street, but at least that is an option. Entrance is in the back, so if it’s raining or icy out, let out your passengers before parking. J
Very friendly service.
Yummy Mushroom stuffed ravioli served in a roasted garlic blush sauce and portabella mushrooms~19
Tried the Taster’s night and although it had a few unexpected quirks, it was good overall. They have a set menu of four appetizers, four entrees and a dessert, of which you get to try a small bit of everything, hence the name. I emailed the restaurant in advance to ensure they would be able to adjust the items for me being vegetarian, and they replied within minutes that they were. The Cajun chicken mushroom soup (minus chicken for me) was decent. They advised it was spicy, but everyone at my table had a different take on that, and I personally found it had a nice kick, but wasn’t hot, at least not for other spicy items I eat regularly. Their award-​winning Caesar was excellent as usual, although very garlicky (if you like that sort of thing) and shared its plate with the rice balls (creamy risotto, parmesan, fresh mushrooms, mozzarella cheese, oregano and basil tossed in bread crumbs and served on marinara sauce), also very good. I first had to use my fork to separate the two a bit, to prevent the red sauce from getting all over the Caesar. Since all of the entrees included meat, I was given a LARGE plate of an alfredo pasta (half of which I took home because it was what you would expect as a main meal in an Italian restaurant, without having the appetizers). When the others were receiving their second entrée (haddock and arrabiata) I was still waiting for my second one, which never did arrive. We told the server and a manager came over to apologize and offered me a take-​out of whatever item I wanted, plus another glass of wine on the house, so it more than made up for being forgotten. Plus the fact that I couldn’t have eaten more pasta if they did remember to bring it. I was able to make room for the chocolate mint cheesecake though, which was very good, not too rich, but you couldn’t taste a lot of the mint (topped with an After Eight). My only real complaint was that I had ordered a glass of wine upon arrival and every time we had a server bring a new course, I would request a second glass, but it never came. It was probably 45 minutes later that I finally got the second glass, and again, it was made up for by offering me a third free glass later. LOL Unfortunately, one of their Interac machines was out of order, so come 8:00 when the next group of patrons arrived for that seating, the full restaurant was still waiting in line all through the restaurant, waiting to pay on the only working machine. I felt worse for the new arrivals trying to sit at their table amongst dozens of us standing around, than I did for us having to wait.
I would try another taster’s night in the future, but do prefer the less hectic/​less being as full, etc of a regular meal here. But darn, just while writing this, remembered I wanted to buy some of their Caesar dressing to go, and forgot! Next time…

My friend and I came in last night for her birthday and it was her first time and my second. We loved the look of the place at night, a very calming ambiance. Let me just say, the food was AMAZING! We both had caesar salad and then the fettuccine alfredo (mine had chicken in it). Let me just say I have never had better pasta or salad anywhere else. The caesar was perfect, bacon was crispy, croutons were so flavorful, lettuce was fresh and the sauce was delish (very garlicky which I like!). The fettuccine was cooked perfectly and the sauce was so creamy and delicious. The chicken was tender and juicy and there was just enough chicken in the dish, not too much, not too little. Oh and the bread, wow, so good! We then had dessert, I had the cheesecake with butterscotch sauce on it and it was perfect. My friend had the chocolate decadence and appeared to enjoy it but I was too into my cheesecake to pay attention haha.
I will definitely be back, maybe even this week! haha.
Definitely 5+ stars for the food, but I didn’t rate it 5 stars because the service was a scattered. I had this same issue with this same waitress last year when I was there. A comment like «it’ll be awhile before I can bring you your water because I don’t have help for another 15 minutes» is really unnecessary to say to us, especially when there are only two other tables. We wanted a second loaf of bread so I asked for one and said if it costs extra that’s no problem and she said she would bring one, but no surprise it never arrived so we asked the gentleman who brought us our entrée for more bread and he brought it to us and apologized for the wait. Then he asked if we wanted parmesan on our pasta and we said yes but that never came. Anyway I don’t want to yammer on about the service because the food is worth what you might experience with the waitstaff.
It’s obvious the owners take so much pride in their food and I understand it can be hard to find waitstaff who uphold the high standard an owner expects for their business.

The restaurant’s décor was very nice. Candle light, warm colours, even the temperature of the dining area was nice.
However if you’re looking for a quiet experience, maybe this particular restaurant is not for you.
The prices of the food were reasonable and it was delicious. The staff were polite and well kept.
HOWEVER, it was 20 minutes before we were even asked for our drink order and after we ordered our food we waited for just under an HOUR for our food.
Our reservation was for 7:30 and we didn’t leave until 9:30.
This was our first time eating at this restaurant and I would surely go again but it gets a 3 star rating because of the ridiculous wait.

Ate at Vines last night to celebrate my neice’s birthday. There were 10 of us, including 2, 10 year olds. All of us ordered a different dish. There were no complaints about the meal except they sent the wrong pizza for one of the children. The server and Chef quickly replaced the order with the proper pizza. I had the salmon which was delicious and my husband enjoyed the lasagna.
This is a great restaurant with good food reasonably priced and a nice atmosphere. It did take us 2 hours from start to finish but I rather like that; And we did have a party of 10. Will definitely return.

Delicious. Great staff. We went for our anniversary and it was lovely. The atmosphere was great. My husband had veal and loved it. I had a seafood dish and it was great. Their rice balls and ceaser salads are amazing! Everyone should try them.

I’ll admit, until last night, I hadn’t even heard or known of this place. My boyfriend had planned a date for us, made reservations and I love trying out new places (especially pasta!!) so I was hopeful. The parking is only slightly confusing at first; you enter on the right side and exit on the left. I was reading some reviews prior to my experience and a lot of people have said parking is limited. Which, ya it kinda is, but I feel that’s more the customers fault and not necessarily the restaurant’s. Honestly, my boyfriend and I found a place right away but noticed that a lot of customers had taken two parking spaces each for their royal bums.
We entered the house, because yes it is a house and not a building, and the ambience was so cozy. I feel like being in a house adds a nice touch. The guy sat us in our seats and we oogled the all-​you-​can eat pasta bar. However, when the waitress told us what was offered, we mutually decided to order from the menu… much to the disappointment of our waitress. She gave us some bread and time with our menus. The bread wasn’t warm and was quite hard… we were having troubles cutting through it with the knife! But it was tasty once your were able to slice it.
We ordered mussels and I got a caesar with my meal. The mussels were good and the caesar was garlicky… i love garlic, but honestly, the award-​winning salad, didn’t have much taste. It just taste like garlic. Kinda bland.
Then our main courses arrived; he got a cajun chicken pasta and I ordered the fettucine alfredo. He absolutely adored his pizza (and I tried it too — it was good!) but I, again, wasn’t overly impressed by my choice. it was kinda bland. I mean it wasn’t disgusting but it wasn’t something I’d jump through fire for. It was edible.
then dessert comes around and I was so excited to order a tiramisu — a dish widely known as italian but the waitress came to our table and gave us the list and, a little embarrassed, pointed out that the tiramisu was sold out and that the Beaver Tails were no longer being sold. A little bummed about the tiramisu but hey, it happens. I thought it was weird about the beaver tails though– if they are no longer being sold, why still have them on the dessert menu list? Maybe she meant that they weren’t being made tonight? or sold-​out? I don’t know…
I left this place with a «meh» impression. Nothing amazing about it but nothing disgusting either. The place is clean and romantic.

Returned to our favorite little Italian haunt after purchasing yet another Groupon — best experience here yet! Our server, Nicole, was new but did a splendid job; she was friendly, efficient, and attentive throughout our entire meal. After trying the ravioli on our last visit (which, I might add, was most scrumptious), I decided to give the 3-​cheese manicotti a go. If you love cheese, this is the dish for you. I really cannot describe how delicious it was! My only regret was scarfing so much wonderful homemade bread, stuffed mushroom caps, and Cajun chicken & mushroom soup beforehand. Not to worry — everything was still good when I heated it for lunch the next day. This may very well replace my old favorite pizza dish.

Last update, I swear!
We made another trip out to Vines … and it was fabulous. Incidentally, they have new chairs, new linens and new staff so it was an extra-​great experience. Food was excellent and we had a new server named Kevin, who was probably the most personable and charming server we’ve ever had. Vines is definitely back on our go-​to list of restos in Dartmouth!

Gready place to go but as mentioned before, make sure to carpool if you’re going with a few people.
Caesar salad was very garlicky but very delicious, the mushroom ravioli is delicious and the potato and beer soup is to die for!
Last time I went was for new years eve, service was decent considering the number of people and the parking lot was expectedly full. People were lined up out the door, they were a bit slow sitting people. The limited menu was okay but I was disappointed that they didn’t have the rice balls on the menu.

Why must the service always be so slow?!
I have been here quite a few times now and yes, the food is delicious, the portions are massive, and everyone is friendly, but the service speed is just not there. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not but it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
My two sisters and I took our father here for his birthday on December 22^nd. We arrived just as they opened for the evening and we were the only patrons. We ordered water and iced tea as our drinks and it still took a good ten minutes for them to arrive.
We placed our orders and our appetizers were slow to arrive as well. Mussels, bruschetta, and risotto balls. Nothing too crazy, but people who arrived after we did got their food before us.
Yes, it was good, and our entrees were huge but I’m glad we gave ourselves a 2 ½ hour window before having to be at Neptune Theatres for our show. Any less and we probably wouldn’t have made it.

So my wife and I hit this place up on a double date with my best friend and his wife.
I love, the house this restaurant is in. It’s old school grandparenty on the outside, and just awesome on the inside. The décor was perfect for the restaurant!
Lost of seating, limited parking!
Can they park enough vehicles to fill the place? I don’t think they can!
So my BF having been there recommended we meet at his place and carpool.
1) Because he lives in Dartmouth and I don’t
2) Because he knew the parking lot was, well tiny (25 – 30 cars max)
I ordered the Chicken Parm, with a Caesar to start (due to recommendations)
They offer bread at the tables, which was good, who doesn’t love warm bread with butter?
The Caesar was actually fantastic, way garlicky, which is perfect in my world.
I can see how some would find it way TOO garlicky though.
The chicken parm on the other hand, not good, the sauce tasted like they reheated sauce from a day or two ago, the breaded chicken tasted wet not crispy, and the chicken was bland in flavour.
Now my wife enjoyed the Mussel, and shrimp pomodoro.
My BF enjoyed his fish chowder, and his wife enjoyed the potato and beer soup.
Now the service was not good! our server, forgot my wife’s beer, didn’t refill our water, took three attempts at getting our bill right, and for some reason we ended up have someone different ask us for dessert!
I was downright disappointed with the meal in general.
I won’t be back, and not only because it is 40 minutes from home, but because i thought they would be better!

My husband and I visited this location in June for the first time. I was really excited to go, as I had been wanting to try it for years but am a little skeptical of Italian restaurants — nothing is ever better than my grandmother’s!
First, I have to say, after all of this time, is there no solution to the parking issue? Really?
We had a reservation and were seated promptly. It was busy, and there were a couple of large groups, so the noise level was high.
Our waitress introduced herself and the waiter working with her.
A third person brought our drinks.
The second waiter brought us bread.
Eventually the waitress came back (again, it was busy, so the gap in time is understandable) and took our order.
The starter took a while to get to us. A fourth person dropped it off. It took a while for the plate to be picked up after we were done. It took even longer for our mains to arrive. And when I mean long, I am talking the length of time it took my husband to consider leaving. The people at the next table, who arrived about 20 minutes after us, received their mains before we did, even though they had also ordered starters.
Our starters were the rice balls — they were great!
My husband and I both had pasta — he had the seafood linguine and I had the spicy chicken pasta. My pasta, admittedly, was fantastic.
Overall, the food was really good. Our actual waitress seemed to be very professional, however the serving seemed confused and somewhat random.
I think I will give it another try — perhaps at one of the special events I have been hearing about.

I am going to try and write a fair review about The Vines despite being filled with rage!
1) You are presumably named after the awesome Australian band! Yeaaaaaaaah!
2) I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager and have always enjoyed their pasta. Yesterday, for the first time in probably two or more years, my family went out to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
My pizza was awesome. It was so cheesy and saucy and perfect. I’m having leftovers for lunch today and am so pumped. My mom’s pasta was great and everyone else more or less liked their meal. So this would have been five stars.
3) The issue I have is with the service at the restaurant. They treated my awesome granddad (who is a capital «B» BOSS) like a little kid. They messed up his order (which is fine. whatever), but when they brought back his plate you could see that they pretty much just threw the food there. Again, whatever… grampy chowed down. After two bites he pretty much stopped because the food wasn’t palatable. The Vines rules at pasta/​pizza, etc, but they didn’t do so well with the fish.
4) I’m not going to get into too many specifics, but the way that staff talked to my granddad when he was trying to tell them about his food was THE WORST. I was cringing. Instead of answering him they would ask the rest of us what he wanted. Dude is an ADULT and when he is speaking to you, you can reply to HIM. There were a couple of other comments that were just stupid and said in a way that were very belittling to my awesome, tough Navy vet grampy.
5) So that is why I am rage-​y. But I loved my pizza. Frig.

I would have loved to give this place 4 or 5 stars as my expectations were set at that before arriving due to past reviews, however I can only justify giving it a 2.5.
My boyfriend and I were planning a dinner date for Friday and I picked here because I really wanted to try it. When we arrived, we were greeted and were going to be sat at a table that was awkwardly close to the full table beside it, so close it would have been like we were dining with them. I then asked for another table so we were sat in a corner elsewhere. The atmosphere was nice and romantic, and it was not busy at all so the noise level was quite dim, which was a plus. Our server was very nice and informed us of the specials right away and throughout the night was great. On service I would rate a 5 but the food was not up to my expectations.
We each ordered a pasta with ceaser salad and bread. The bread was okay, but nothing special, and I actually enjoy the bread at East Side Mario’s better. I was expecting the salad to be full of garlic flavor due to past reviews, but my mouth was burning it was so full of garlic. Even with the amount of garlic, my boyfriend still felt like it was lacking something. Moving on to the pasta, I got the carbonara and my boyfriend got the fettuccine alfredo. My carbonara was okay but nothing special, the presentation of the plate with the herbs all over the bowl ledge is so outdated. My boyfriends alfredo was bland and he kept saying it had a «fishy» taste to it, and I agreed. Maybe our tastes are much different than those who obviously love the food, but we agreed to skip dessert in the end. I could not get the garlic taste out of my mouth afterward; I brushed my teeth numerous times, mouth wash, flossed, mints, etc — it is over 24 hours later and the garlic taste from the salad has finally disappeared.
Overall, I might go back someday to try the buffet everyone raves about, but next time my boyfriend is going to choose our dining spot.

I’ve been coming to this place for, wow, almost a decade now. We started coming for the fresh-​baked bread and butter, and stayed for the pasta. The Vines has been there for many celebrations, from post-​Musical shenanigans, to birthdays, and even prom dinner. It has never let me down. Well, the parking has. It’s a cramped and confusing lot, and more times than not we’ve had to park quite a ways down the road because the hard-​to-​maneurver lot has been too full.
Garlic lovers, you should hold your annual meeting here. Their ceasar salad dressing will clear out vampires in a 3 mile radius with just a whiff. Every bite burns your tastebuds with the raw power of so many cloves of garlic. It is absolutely delicious. Don’t expect a kiss after this salad.
You like pasta? You’re going to love The Vines’ offerings. My favourite is the fettuccini alfredo. Tender pasta in a creamy, garlic and wine sauce blanketed by a generous layer of cheese will pack on calories, but you won’t care once you have a bite. It is divine. You could add chicken, but honestly, the pasta itself is good enough on its own. The cheese shells are also a yummy favourite. If pasta isn’t your thing, the grill side offers some protein that’ll satisfy any carnivore. The striploin steak is great, but the stuffed chicken is even better. Portions are huge, especially for the price, so you’ll always have enough for a second flavour orgasm with leftovers the next day.
If you’re looking to sample all of their offerings, check out the Pasta Bar on Wednesdays. Stuff your face with as much pasta as you can from their all-​you-​can-​eat selection. The Vines also often have Taster Nights. Sign up for their newsletter, and you’ll be informed of upcoming Taster Nights, the monthly cheesecake flavour, and get the inside scoop on specials and events. If you want to savour the delicious flavour of The Vines from the comfort of your home, you’re in luck, because their entire menu is available for take-​out. Within 20 minutes of placing your order, you can be carrying a large bowl of carby goodness home.

Perhaps one of my favorite restaurants in Dartmouth, Vines offers a cozy and intimate environment and a scrumptious menu selection. Specializing in pasta (with their own special Pasta Menu), other restaurant favorites include lasagna, beef tenderloin, and the grilled-​veggie pizza.
Vines is the perfect place to go for a date or a special occasion. While their prices may seem a little cher, you certainly get what you pay for.