Vona’s Restaurant

Oswego restaurant still serving up hearty, classic Italian dishes over three generations of family ownership

By Julie McMahon

Stuff rigatoni topped with chicken parmesan and Vona’s famous sauce. The red sauce was an absolute highlight of the meal.

For nearly 80 years, passed through three generations of family, Vona’s in Oswego is still serving up classic, hearty Italian meals from the same location.

On a recent Saturday evening, we were greeted by a full bar of patrons and a server who couldn’t quite find our reservation, but still sat us immediately. We were treated to a homey dining experience complete with tasty Italian comfort food and nice drinks.

Upon greeting us, our server rattled off some specials and promoted the blueberry mojito, which we happily ordered along with a Hayburner IPA ($8.32). The mojito ($10.36) tasted like fresh blueberries and mint, and had a really good flavor. It was topped with a sprig of mint leaves. I love when bartenders do this, so you can smell as well as taste the mint in the drink. The mojito was so good I had to order a second partway through the meal. Hayburner was one of two IPAs on draft along with a Michelob Ultra and Stella Artois. There wasn’t a huge selection but a decent variety. The Hayburner came out fresh and crispy, a very good draft.

Then, we had to start with the Vona’s Famous garlic bread with cheese ($8.32). We ordered a half loaf but somehow ended up with two loaves of bread covered in melted cheese and garlic. Our server explained that the chef cut off a piece that was a little bigger than expected, so they were happy to box up the extras for us to take home.

Vona’s Famous garlic bread: it lived up to the hype.

The garlic bread lived up to the hype. We could smell the garlic as it arrived at our table, as advertised piping hot. We ended up with a huge amount of cheesy bread, but we’re not complaining. This had a perfect thick layer of melted mozzarella, crispy edges, good bread for the base, and a great garlic flavor.

We also started with a side salad ($6.24), which came in a very hefty portion with a huge glob of blue cheese on top. My only slight complaint of the meal was this was actually a little too much dressing. I like my salads with a good amount of dressing so I was still able to enjoy it. The salad came with a good amount of tomatoes and onions and croutons, and one olive. It was tasty and fresh.

Vona’s is a very classic Italian restaurant, and the décor matched. Paintings and greenery adorn the walls inside, and we heard some very faint Italian music playing in the background. The service was good – friendly and quick. Traditional and reliable are the words that come to mind to describe Vona’s.

For our entrees, we ordered the special: stuffed rigatoni topped with chicken parmesan and Vona’s famous sauce ($21.84). The chicken was excellent. The crispy cutlet, fried nicely on the outside, must have been pounded out really thin to get it as tender as it was.

Side salad came in a very hefty portion with a huge glob of blue cheese on top.

The stuffed rigatoni was very cheesy, and the ricotta stuffing had good salty flavor. The rigatoni, presumably stuffed by hand, was sealed off nicely so the cheese stayed inside.

The red sauce was an absolute highlight of the meal. Though red sauces can sometimes be a bit boring, Vona’s had a depth of flavor that was exciting and different, though relying on classical flavors like basil and oregano.

We also ordered the shrimp and scallops alfredo (34.32), which came out in a very large portion. It had a good number of scallops and shrimp and these were also well-cooked and tender. Vona’s didn’t skimp at all on the protein.

The thick alfredo sauce came across as a parmesan blend with seafood flavors and left with a good taste in the mouth. The fettucine was al dente and tender to the bite.

Even though we walked away with leftovers, we were so tempted by the homemade coconut cream pie that we had to stay for dessert.

It didn’t disappoint — Vona’s served us an absolutely massive slice of pie ($10.14) with rich creamy texture. The coconut cream flavor was very sweet but still complex. The crunchy coconut flakes were delicious. Though one of us is less of a fan of coconut, neither of us found either the flavor or texture overpowering. The pie had a good flaky crust to top it off. We had a hard time finishing the huge portion but enjoyed attempting.

At $116.55 (on credit card including tax, with a cash discount offered), this was a reasonable price for a traditional Italian meal. The good service and classic flavors made this a worthwhile experience.