Valenza

What a wonderful gem in a small plaza of Brookhaven. Free valet parking upon arrival. It was Monday night and we assumed the place would be empty but I made reservations on open table any way. Well I was wrong. The place was packed. They seated us 15 minutes later than our reservation but they sincerely apologized. Everything we ordered was AMAZING! We had the charcuteri platter and pulpo. I ordered the squid ink pasta with shrimp, pasta perfectly cooked, fresh Georgian shrimp although I do get annoyed having to peel the shell of but that’s just me, my husband ordered the spaghetti with meatballs and he was loving it. The meatballs are HUGE, I felt is was more meatball than spaghetti which my husband appreciated because he is more of a meat eater anyway. My father ordered the veal pork chop special, huge pieces and so tender and perfectly season. My mother ordered the pappadelle (geehs my spelling is probably horrific) and she loved it as well. No complaints at all from anyone. Service was impeccable. From valet service, host and waitress. I’m so happy this place is close by where I live.

Omg good food, still eating dessert (awesome bread pudding). Steak was superb, and pork tenderloin to die for… great ambience and service. Not sure who the chef is bit shout out! Great service too!

Try this place if you like properly prepared pasta that tastes good! Valenza definitely infuses its own take on the pastas, and they’re prepared perfectly with lots of tastes. I love the contorni (veggies) too, but it’s a matter of taste. Love the sauteed mushrooms and the (slightly spicy) swiss chard! Michael at the bar is awesome (read: friendly and accommodating)! I’ve been to Valenza around 8 times now and has not disappointed me yet!!!

Let Chef Matt Swickerath delight you with any of his amazing daily creations, I had crudo, baracuda and mascarpone desert– it was perfect– can wait to go back to Valenza.

We were in love with this place from the minute we walked into the quaint but, vibrant restaurant. The Hostess and Waiter were so friendly and accommodating. We wanted to be outside and they found a table for us quickly. Unfortunately, it started to rain so they found another table for us, inside. The food and presentation was fantastic. We started with the Charcuterie style of Appetizer for the table. It was a plethora of flavors, which was perfectly pleasing with our wine. For the main meal, two of our party ordered the Spaghetti and Meatballs and loved it. I’m extremely picky about Swordfish, and have been disappointed by most restaurants overcooking a thin piece of fish. My Swordfish was cooked to perfection. We all enjoyed the variety of desserts.
An added note of praise for the complimentary parking! We will recommend Valenza to all of our Foodie friends. All in all, Valenza is a winner.

Wow, soooo great. I ‘d the octopus salad to begin and rabbit with marscapone polenta as my primary, while my boyfriend got the beet salad and the gnocchi with mushrooms then we divide a panacotta. I adore cooking, and have taken courses all around the globe so I am pretty hard to impress, and seldom give this type of rave review. Everything we tried was extremely nicely done, the setting was wonderful, and our waiter and bar tender were quite pleasant and helpful. We’ll definitely be returning.

We have wanted to try Valenza for years but for some reason never have… until recently.
The atmosphere is cozy/​upscale but not stuffy. We had reservations and when we arrived were seated promptly. We started with the calamari and it was absolutely delicious and some of the best we’ve ever experienced. My wife ordered the pan seared scallops and I chose the grilled trout. Both dishes were fantastic! Last but not least, service was stellar.
Not sure why it took us so long but we will definitely return sooner rather than later.

We visited Valenza last weekend with our friends. The bar area is big and friendly staff. Once at our table, we ordered few appetizers, grilled octopus and charcuterie plate. Appetizers were great!
Service was great and waiting staff paid full attention to our table. Why 3 starts you say, everyone at the table was bit disappointed with entrees. I ordered trout and its bit bland and couple of folks ordered Scallops and they too were missing oomph from the dish.
Dessert and port made up for the entrée miss.

Walked in early Friday evening 6:00PM without a reservation and was seated quickly. Got very busy over the next hour so I’d recommend a reservation for weekend dining. Great location in Brookhaven. Use their valet service since parking is tight. Rachel our server was knowledgeable and spot on. Opened with appetizers of Brussels Sprouts and Cozze (mussels). The mussels were the best we ever had. The cream sauce was delectable and I suggest them for everybody. Appetizer size was huge. Our entrees were Saltimbocca (pork tenderloins) and Coniglio (rabbit). Simply amazing. Finished with the Chocolate Tart and Cappucino Noce which we shared. Save room for desert, it’s worth it. Ambience and crowd upscale. Restaurant better for couples. Leave the kids home.

Food — 5+, service — 3 (at the best), thus 4 for an overall experience (quality of the food makes it worth to suffer from the service, at least in my book).
Very good wine list, mostly Italian, with a few other options, but very diverse in any case, also offering quite a few wines by the glass.
Ribollita soup with white beans was outstanding — I was expecting something almost stew-​like, and instead the soup was light and refreshing (and delicious, of course).
Had a Golden Tilefish special as my entrée (with risotto, roasted baby carrots and shiitake mushrooms) — had to pretty much stop myself from leaking the plate.
Ultimately creative dessert — Parmesan and rosemary gelato — was absolutely delicious (well, I guess you have to identify as a foodie to attest to it).
For my small gripes, Coffee Corretto was served with Fernet Branca, which didn’t make sense to me (I would much prefer a simple and traditional grappa).
Service was mediocre. It was friendly, but not attentive. Bread basket arrived after appetizers were served. We had to ask 3 times for the silverware after the desserts already arrived. The service definitely doesn’t match the food, which is creative and superb on its own.
Restaurant offers free valet parking which makes it very convenient.
Recommended for the food experience.

We have eaten at Valenza many times and it is always delightful. The Butternut Squash ravioli is to die for! It has a nice vibe. We prefer a quieter area and were thrilled to be seated in a nice round table within an alcove. The valet parking makes it very easy to access. I highly recommend Valenza!

Am amazing experience from walking in the back door! The manager was gracious, and staff was professional. Our meal was outstanding… closest to authentic Italian food we’ve had.

Great neighborhood, nice Italian restaurant. Fresh food. Great atmosphere. Full bar. Great for dinner with friends or a date night. Highly recommend Valenza!

Don’t bother. This place has unwarranted high reviews. The setting is very charming and perhaps that’s what people are responding to. Maybe the chef had a bad night. Flavorless lamb chops, celery root purée was a watery bland substance. Great grilled octopus appetizer but needed lemon – this was my idea for how to fix the dish and that’s all it needed was a touch of acid but why doesn’t the chef know that?. They served cold lasagna which was super rich in terms of cream, but lacking flavor. Great wine and nice server. $ 150 for a dinner for two is fine but not if you have to go immediately to the Octopus bar, as we did, to eat because the food just wasn’t good.

Valenza is right on Dresden Drive in Brookhaven. They offer valet parking, and there is additional street parking in front of the restaurant.
I went with my wife and 2 friends. We had a reservation, and were immediately seated upon arrival. The ambiance is very nice, and the restaurant is very cozy.
We started with a bottle of wine, a super Tuscan, which was delightful. We ordered 2 appetizers to share. The cozze, was a mussels in a white wine garlic sauce, and it was the best mussels dish I have had in a long time. The second was the fried calamari which was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Main Entrees
My one friend ordered the spaghettini, and he raved about it with every bite. He liked the sauce as well as the meatballs.
I ordered the capasante, which was pan seared scallops over a squash risotto. The scallops were cooked and seasoned perfectly. The dish came with shiitake mushrooms that put the dish over the top. They added a distinct flavor that was magical.
My wife picked the orecchiette, which I sampled as well, and the fennel sausage was delicious. Combined with the awesome bitterness of the broccoli rabe, created a brilliant dish.
Our last dish was the penne carbonara, which was a solid choice, but the least spectacular. Came with a raw egg on top and with the pecorino cheese created a nice savory flavor.
Dessert
Chocolate Tart Cake with vanilla cream, was exactly what I expected… Fantastic!
Pistachio Gelato was also delicious
Overall experience was exceptional. The waitress was knowledgeable and prompt. I would definitely recommend this place for a date or a nice dinner with friends.

This was the best birthday dinner of my life and that is saying a lot because I’m no spring chicken!
Valenza is a lovely restaurant, very warm and welcoming.
My friend and I both enjoyed the evening’s special: lobster risotto. It was perfectly prepared
with a large pice of lobster on top. The sauce was amazing!
Our server was very attentive and professional.
We met Matt Swickerath the Executive Chef. He came by our table to make sure everything was OK.
I was surprised by a large portion of tiramisu birthday cake and champagne. Just wonderful!
Thank you Valenza staff for a most pleasant and memorable evening.

Among the very finest Tuscan dining experiences we have ever enjoyed. Outstanding service. The mussel appetizer was the very best mussel preparation we have EVER enjoyed. It is simply impossible to fully explain how wonderful Valenza is for fine dining.
Experience it and savor.

My favorite Italian restaurant in Atlanta. Salad with beets always has delicious and fresh ingredients. Fried seafood app also outstanding, and the fried lemon is a nice twist. Pastas are all fresh and amazing — Penne with the egg is rich and scrumptious, ravioli is full of fall flavors, gnocchi was a bit salty but had bold and fresh taste. You just can’t go wrong!

My wife and I brought an out-​of-​town couple here for dinner. Table is ready right when we got there, though they were very gracious to let change our mind to sit outside on the patio. This was our first time there but Erica, our server, was very helpful in recommending some delicious dinner wine and excellent entrees. The food was fabulous!
Great place for a date night, or just a good dinner out with friends. We are looking forward to coming back.

Celebrating my husband’s birthday, I had very loose plans for an exciting date night. I knew what we wanted to do but didn’t make reservations. We were at Natural Body across the street and decided on Valenza. They took us right to a lovely table on the patio that had great fan coverage in the summer heat. Even without the fans, I imagine it wouldn’t have been too bad because of the great foliage to shade the patio.
Michael was our excellent server. He was very kind and accommodating and passionate about the service and food. We started with an Old Fashioned (for him) and a glass of Grecco (for me) which Michael said would be like a Pinot Grigio. Ultimately, I didn’t care for the wine, and Michael took it away and took it off my bill, offering something else and expounding how he would never discourage someone from trying a unique Italian varietal.
We had the fresh, seasonal Panzanella salad as an appetizer. It was perfect, showcasing all the freshest ingredients. Entrees came out quickly but not too quickly. I had asked Michael his preference between the angolotti and the gnocchi and he preferred the first, so I went with his recommendation. It was delicious and the short rib inside was very tender, but I felt it was a bit flat and one dimensional. My husband chose the orechiette which was phenomenal! The rabe was cooked perfectly and not too stemmy, the sausage was flavorful, and the pasta a perfect al dente. We finished our meal with a complimentary celebratory blueberry crostata. It was a great ending to a delicious meal.
We were both so pleased with our dinner. The service was impeccable and timely, allowing us to get to a movie at a more reasonable time, which is what we were hoping for. We look forward to visiting Valenza again! We saw some of the other dishes go out to other tables that also looked fantastic. It has quickly become a favorite Italian restaurant in Atlanta, and we love Italian food!

We both ordered the pappardelle (sic), a long, flat pasta with a mixture of meat and some goat cheese. Tasty – I did get very bad acid reflux that night, and I don’t know if it was from that or not. We also split a white chocolate bread pudding that was very good. The service was friendly and professional though I do wish they’d been a little faster with the dessert. Prices are reasonable and the ambiance is nice.

I am pretty astonished that I actually remember Valenza given the amount of beer I’ve drank beforehand, the amount of wine during the meal and the grappa for dessert. However, don’t let this skew your opinion of this review, especially after reading my disclaimer. After easily getting a reservation here for Saturday night the same day, both I and the remaining 3 folks at our table thought that this restaurant was absolutely spectacular.
THE 5 STAR RABBIT. This was not just any ordinary rabbit, this was a 5 star rabbit (Coniglio). That little fella was so fresh and tender, if I didnt know any better, I’d think they just shot him down in some random field outside of Atlanta.
CALAMARI TO BRAG ABOUT. Calamari now being a staple in nearly every $$+ restaurant, Italian or not, I’ve had my share of this little mediterranean delicacy. The way they prepared it here was light, the breading was not greasy or overwhelming and the sauce was spectacular. Once again, freshness was noticeable.
SERVICE AND WINE, ENOUGH SAID. Service was solid, wine selection was phenomenal. Ambiance is fairly casual (you can wear shorts), but very beautiful and romantic at the same time. Would be a great place to take a date. Overall, the meal for two with wine and desserts came out just over $ 130. Given the quality of the food, I think the tab was very appropriately priced.
PS. DO NOT SKIP THE DESSERTS. Ricotta Cheesecake. Budino. Musts.

I love everything about this place. First we live right behind Valenza, so a fun night out with great food, wine, service, and company is footsteps away!
We sat on the patio and ordered the famous papperdelle which was very tasty. I ordered the trout which was so-​so, however, the experience was amazing so the trout seemed probably better than it really was.
Next we stepped in for another cocktail at the bar. Michael is the best bartender ever. He is very personable, friendly, and outgoing! He has worked there for about 8 years and we thoroughly enjoyed his company so much that we stayed for three more glasses of wine!
It was close to our first anniversary, so he served us a tasty white chocolate pudding.
We are very thankful of Valenza and will return soon.

AMBIANCE
Lively. A bit loud (it was a weekend night) but I liked it. Décor is nice. Bar right when you walk in. Utilized all the space to seat as many as possible but I did not feel squished or suffocated.
FOOD
Polpo: would not order this again. The octopus was tender but taste wasn’t that great and the portion of octopus was small. The dish comes with a bunch of other stuff in it and doesn’t really complement the octopus. When I asked our server what the other stuff was, she looked confused and then described it as beans. It definitely was NOT just beans…
Cavoletti without the pancetta: first off, pancetta is misspelled on the menu. This bothers me (excuse my English major petpeeves surfacing), maybe because it’s an easy mistake to fix as the menus are paper. Anyway, this was pretty good. I don’t eat pork so I had it without and it still tasted great. Though I may be biased– I love brussel sprouts.
Butternut squash ravioli: so. Delicious. Please order this. Sweet savory yumminess.
Spaghettini: very normal. I didn’t eat the meatball due to the pork but the sauce was a bit too watery/​thinned out for my taste. The noodle consistency was good though.
Linguine Nero: Shrimp was good. The flavor was okay but the dish lacked a lot of depth and could have used a little something more. It was okay though.
Capasante scallops with risotto: really good. A bit rich but not overpowering. I liked the earthy flavor of the mushrooms and the squash risotto together. Order this too.
Food was overall okay. The two standouts were the two dishes I ordered the first time I came: scallops over risotto and the butternut squash ravioli. I’d probably stick to these two dishes if I return. And maybe add the brussel sprouts cuz I’m a piggie.
SERVICE
I visited this establishment during the second weekend of April. This was my second visit to this restaurant and my first visit didn’t go that well. Food was great the first time but service was really slow so I came back wanting to give the service a chance to redeem itself. When I went there yesterday, our service was terrible. We sat for a good 15 – 20 minutes before being greeted by our server. I must add that we went on a weekend night and it was fairly busy, but it shouldn’t take 15+ minutes just to greet a table. Server was uninformed when I asked what certain ingredients were in a couple different dishes. She did not make an attempt to go and find out what these ingredients were and instead gave us inaccurate information. She was also absent the entire evening. The entire time it felt like we were waiting on her to appear again so that we could order something or ask for something. At one point, food was brought to our table but one of the people had no plate or utensils to eat with for a good ten minutes. Keep in mind, we were not a large party– table of 3 people.

Tried this place for the first time last night and loved it! I was so much in the mood for Italian food and they didn’t disappoint us.
We shared Polpo (Mediterranean octopus) as our appetizer and wished we each had our own plate. The octopus was tender and a little spiciness made this dish even more tasteful.
I had Pappardelle for entrée and it was exactly what I was craving for! I couldn’t finish the plate so I had the left over for lunch… still happy with it too.
Next time I want to try some desserts and cappuccinos.
Oh and the service was great too… this might become my new favorite restaurant!

Amazing! Ate with a friend from New Jersey who said it was some of the best Italian ever. The food was great, and the service was impeccable.
Can’t wait to eat here again! Must save room for the lemon cheesecake.

I initially thought it was bad service, but I was waiting at the wrong entrance facing Dresden rd. No employee bothered to say the hostess stand was at the other entrance. There needs to be a big sign.
Anyway, the food was great. I had the rabbit entrée and chocolate tarte and both were delicious. I tried my friend’s butternut squash ravioli and that tasted great too. I sat outside, and the ambiance was very charming. It looked like a lighted garden, and it was really pretty on a fall evening. It was a good experience, and I look forward to returning.

I am giving this 2 stars because I thought the food was below average. If I had wanted a spoonful of salt with every bite this would’ve been my place, however, no one eats like that.
Apps– octopus salad
Entrees — scallops with bean ragout, and penne carbonara.
I love carbonara with a broken egg to mix around. You get better consistency for the sauce and that is my favorite part about this dish. However, this dish was WAYYYYY too salty. I was taking multiple sips of water after every bite. It was not a pleasant dish to have seeing that I am already gorging into a plate of pasta for dinner.
The scallops were ok-​cooked fine but I thought the dish was overly salty as well.
The octopus salad was the only thing I really enjoyed here. It wasn’t as salty, and it had great taste and texture.
Service was good, and the restaurant had a decent vibe to it.
I wouldn’t come back for the food though, as because nothing on the menu seemed to have popped out to me. The food seemed very mediocre.

A group of 8 of us dined here on a Wednesday evening. After reading all the positive reviews, I was very excited to try this place and it definitely lived up to my expectations.
We were seated at a table in one of the separate sections of the restaurant which was much appreciated as it gave our group some privacy. After carefully reviewing the menu and reading many reviews, I struggled to decide between three dishes: the Pappardelle, Bistecca, and the Wednesday homemade lasagna special. I consulted the server and she advised ordering the lasagna although as a server, she should recommend the steak because it’s more expensive, but the lasagna is just THAT GOOD.
I ended up ordering the lasagna and chose the Caesar salad. The Caesar was one of the best Caesar salads I have ever had. It was just the right portion and was incredibly fresh. Our server was right on the lasagna; it was delicious and a hit with everyone who ordered it at our table. I even heard a «best lasagna I’ve ever had» comment. A second favorite was the spaghettini– everyone loved the giant meatballs.
For dessert, you MUST ORDER the Budino. Even if you’re not a bread pudding fan like myself, you will still enjoy it, guaranteed. We also tried the Tortino al Cioccolato, but the Budino wins, hands down.
For first time patrons, I would recommend dining on a Wednesday evening so you can try this incredible lasagna with a side salad for just $ 15; it’s a bargain and a real treat! We enjoyed stellar service from start to finish; everyone is very friendly. Can’t wait to go back to try another dish!