Venetian Hot Plate

Food was great 👍, it hit the spot. Recommend reservations, we didn't have any but got seated in the small bar area. Lots of wine selections.

If you haven’t been here, what are you waiting for. The food was phenomenal. Seriously, some of the best food I have eaten in a while. Service was amazing. We had two lovely ladies waiting in our table and we lacked for nothing. The wine recommendation was on point and the dessert was exceptional.

This will be our go to spot when in Port A.

Giving VHP a 5-star review for two main reasons: 1) the owner welcoming us in at 5:00pm without a reservation and saying he could seat us if we could be out by 6:45PM! and 2) our waiter Mike who was fantastic at accommodating our desire not to be rushed, and who had our check on the table at 6:35pm! Oh yeah, there is a third reason ... the food is great! We shared many dishes, the Crab Crostini, the Grilled Romaine salad, the Scaloppine Carciofi (veal w/ creamy artichoke hearts), the Lamb Chops special, and the Tiramisu ... all were outstanding! We plan on frequenting VHP on every trip to Port Aransas, you should too!

Update 11-28-2023

Off season in Port A, TX this week... not a whole lot of folks around the week after Thanksgiving, many of the people who are here were at VHP tonight, the restaurant was busy on a Tuesday night, when many other places in town had 1 or two cars in the parking lot... say no more! VHP consistently serves up one of the best meals in town!

Tonight's culinary adventure began with a bottle of 2020 Stefano Di Blasi Gold from Tuscany (when in Rome, right?), the bottle was from our cellar at home, so the modest $20 corkage fee was a bargain. FYI, when dining out, BYOW when you can... call ahead to find out about the corkage fee. If allowed, it's the best way to have great wine with your meal without breaking the bank!

The food parade began with an order of the Misto Mare, a delightful blend of shrimp, diver scallops, blue lip mussels, littleneck and chopped clams, steamed and served in a light garlic white wine sauce. The surprise is a little kick from the pinch of crushed red pepper... OMG good! The seafood was SUPER fresh, not a hint of "fishiness" from "yesterday's catch!"

We followed the seafood with one of our favorites, the Domingo's Grilled Romaine salad. If you've never had grilled lettuce, try it sometime, it's a game changer when to comes to getting your veggies in every day. The grilled lettuce was presented with a light balsamic reduction, a nice handful of fresh parmigiano cheese and crispy baked prosciutto... heaven on a plate!

The next act, the entrees, included one of the specials of the day, the lamb chops, and the Scaloppine Carciofi. The serving of lamb chops was HUGE and included enough for lunch tomorrow! Wonderful sauce under the lamb, with sides of garlic spinach and roasted potatoes. YUM! We ordered the lamb medium rare, and many of the chops were more rare than MR, we saved those chops for lunch tomorrow...

Not sure why I keep ordering the same veal dish (Carciofi), I should have read my last review! LOL I'm drawn to fantastic food! It was awesome as usual... perfectly cooked tender veal, smothered in a creamy artichoke, tomatoes and mushrooms sauce, with red potatoes (cut in the shape of mushrooms) and garlic spinach on the side. We easily brought home two pounds of leftovers. Everything was Delicious, with a capital "D."

We ended the meal with a wonderful piece of Tiramisu ... forgot to get a pic of that... sorry! LOL

Special shout out to our waitress, Karen, who did a fantastic job... attentive but not intrusive. Thanks Karen, job well done. The bus boys also did a great job (didn't get their names), including bringing our "leftovers" bag out to the car after we left it on the table (happens often).

One observation I will make about the process/procedure at VHP... a trend we're seeing more and more, was a 3.5% add on to the check AFTER the bill was initially presented and the credit card run. No notes on menu, no mention of the charge when picking up the bill to run the card, or even when presenting the final bill to the table. Ours was a debit card, so likely no fee incurred, but for the $6, I let it go.

Note to business folks... Many customers will take the charge out of the tip, which hurts your wait staff. Be upfront and not short-sighted!

Highly recommend Venetian Hot Plate, one of the most special restaurants in Port A, and worth the visit every time we're in town. A real treat!

This restaurant is the best dining experience in Port Aransas. I love knowing I can count on the consistency of the food quality and service. Angela assisted Paul, our server last night and WOW, impressive service. There is definitely something to be said for hiring and KEEPING seasoned experienced servers. What a winning and difficult business model to maintain. Congratulations to the ownership for your serving staff.

There’s a reason this is considered the best restaurant on the island. The food is delicious, seafood is fresh and steak was so tender. The staff is great and the owners seem wonderful - very friendly and they clearly know all the locals and regulars who come in. Nice wine list and a corking fee if you bring your own. What a standout in this cute little touristy beach town.

Still laughing about a 1-star review left the same night I visited. Couple complained they were asked to move tables to accommodate a party of 8. Manager was very kind about his request and acknowledged it was his mistake at seating the couple at that particular table instead of one over, as he’d meant to. The restaurant was full; people were waiting/standing for a table. This couple didn’t have food or drinks on the table yet, so it should have been no big deal to move one table over. Instead, they threw a Kevin and Karen fit and said they didn’t want to be near a big party. TOO BAD! You don’t get to decide who you’re sat near, especially in a busy restaurant and the height of dinner rush. The entitlement is out of this world and I think the entire staff and nearby tables were relieved when this awful couple left.

Good for the owners/managers for not putting up with their terrible manners, and still acting professionally while they were acting so rude and calling his wife a b****. Absolutely trash behavior from people who claim to be in service roles. Meanwhile, the table of 8 were lovely and disturbed no one.

We arrived without a reservation and we were lucky to find a table for two. They made it work for us even though we arrived on a busy Saturday night.
The place is just adorable, there person in charge of our table couldn't be nicer and more attentive. He was always checking in us, making sure things were perfect for us!
Food and wine were just the best Italian food I had in a while.
I highly recommend their muscles and fettuccini meals. I was so excited about how tasty the food was that I forgot to snap more pictures

The food was outstanding. Between the 4 of us we had the pork chop, chicken Marsala and the spaghetti. And the service was great too. I lost my earring and I got a call from them saying they had found it under the table before I realized it was gone!

If I could give this place more than 5 stars I definitely would because this place is one of a kind. The scallops in my linguine golfo literally melted in my mouth and the shrimp was so fresh. The grilled romaine salad was not what I expected at all but still uniquely tasted. The flourless chocolate cake really packs a punch with chocolate but still delectable. This place cannot be missed and has to be the best Italian restaurant in South Texas.

My boyfriend and I stumbled into this restaurant actually thinking it was a different one! But we decided to give it a shot anyways. I’m so glad we did. Paul and Tara gave us the best service you could imagine, the wine was perfect, and the food was absolutely delicious!! Best rack of Lamb I’ve ever had! We did come in on a Tuesday night but they still sat us immediately with no reservation and made us feel welcomed. I highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for a special date night with your significant other!

Food is always excellent and you cant go wrong with anything on the menu. Recommend always making a Reservation as many walk-ins get turned away or advised of the long wait. If using a credit card instead of cash, there is a convenience fee. Owners are very friendly and run a great place. Huge wine selection.

Wow... just wow. An authentic Italian restaurant from a family from Venice, Italy that knows how to cook many different dishes. We had the homemade lasagna, spaghetti bolognese, garlic toast, Caesar salad and house salad. Dressings are also homemade.

Check this place out! You need advance reservations and they sell out daily.

The food was delicious! Our server, Nancy, and her assistant were attentive without being pushy. The atmosphere was great.

Wow! I chose to have my birthday dinner at Venetian Hot Plate, and I’m SO glad I did! The meal was absolutely incredible! The Caesar Salad and Crème Brûlée were the best I’ve ever had, and the duck was perfection! They really know what they’re doing here! The owners/staff also made us feel very welcome, and the service was impeccable! This will definitely be our “go to” spot when in Port A!

We loved our impromptu dinner! (Although, I would recommend reservations - the restaurant filled up quickly even in the OFF season) The food, the service, wine selection were awesome. We found a new favorite!

Dinner here was amazing. Beautiful, delicious and food was served fresh and hot! Wine list was nice too. Highly recommend

Absolutely amazing food and such a lovely dining experience! ❤ Everything was cooked perfectly and our waitress was so pleasant. This is the perfect place for a date or to celebrate an anniversary. Order a bottle of wine and be sure to try the lamb. Single handedly that was the best bite of lamb I've ever tasted in my entire life!!! Come give this place a try. You won't regret it!

Italian. A little out of the way but not much. Great service, great staff. You know it's a good place when the "locals" go there. Lasagna was perfect!

It is unusual to find a restaurant in America with such amazing Italian food and not a shred of pretentiousness. Everything I have eaten there has been so good! Bread, mussels, pasta, steak...everything!

The food was outstanding and the service was even better! We were a walk-in on a Tuesday night, not realizing how busy they would be. The hostess bent-over backwards to find a way to seat us. Karen was prompt and consistent in her attentive service. Perhaps the highlight was that even the bus person, Scott, was friendly and attentive in his service. He went out of his way to ensure we were taken care of. This establishment gets customer service right -- makes you feel good just to set foot in the place. Thank you for a terrific evening out!

Nice ambience. The shrimp appetizer was delicious, and made a good sauce to dip into with the fresh bread also served. Their Bolognese was excellent, as was their lasagna. We will be back!