Restaurant Review: Village Italian Bistro

Life is crazy.  Your kids are running wild, your husband works late, your house is a mess…ok, maybe that is just me. 

But I, perhaps like many of you out there, turn to food when things get tough.  My solace of choice?  A big bowl of pasta.

Last week, after a particularly trying day, my husband whisked the family away from the sink full of dirty dishes and brought us to Village Italian Bistro.

When in need of said comfort food, there are lots of local choices.  Village Italian Bistro is near the top of our list because of its large portions of tasty food at reasonable prices. 

Tucked in the strip of shops in front of the luxury adult lifestyle Victorian Village apartments, this Hatboro locale offers pizza, sandwiches, pasta and dinner entrees.  The staff is young and friendly, if a little relaxed.  But, with a large menu, the extra time is needed to make decisions. 

After ordering, we snacked on tiny tasty garlic knots ($1 for six), and gazed around at the paintings by local artists that line the walls opposite from two large murals. 

Our entrees came with soup or salad.  I chose the French Onion and was treated to a deeply rich peppery broth redolent with tender strips of onion and topped with thick bread cubes and chewy cheese. 

The sunset colored Crab Bisque, creamy without being cloyingly heavy, had a just a hint of heat and was delicious.

Gnocchi Napolitano ($11.99) overwhelmed with copious amount of pillowy gnocchi, mushrooms, and sundried tomatoes, tossed in a delightful white sauce.  It was quite filling and my husband took half home.

A soaring stack of breaded and fried eggplant flats were smothered with cheese and tangy tomato sauce in the Village Italian Bistro’s classic version of Eggplant Parmesan ($12.99.) Accompanied by my choice of pasta, half of this large entrée went into the to-go box as well.

The kids ate a fair share of their chicken fingers and pasta ($5.99 each), and were treated to the ice cream that accompanied their meal.  They preferred to pick at our desserts instead, as we chose eye-appealing slices of cake.

A piece of the “Dark Side of the Moon” chocolate mousse cake ($4.00) delivered sweet decadence with its layers of shiny chocolate cake and airy mousse filling.  The “Light Side of the Moon” cake ($4.00) surprised with a thin layer tart raspberries filling hidden between the chocolate cake and creamy white icing.

Filing, hearty and good for the soul, the food at Village Italian Bistro didn’t disappoint.  And, just in case I couldn’t face cooking the next day either, I had abundant leftovers ready to reheat.

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Village Italian Bistro earns 3 out of 5 Whisks for plentiful comfort food at reasonable prices.

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Second Helping of Information:

Location – 420 South York Road, Hatboro PA 19040

Hours  – Monday through Friday: 8am – 7pm, Saturday: 10am – 4pm, Sunday: Closed

Phone – (215) 441-5566

Website – http://villageitalianbistro.ambz.com/

On the Kids Menu – Kids menu, high chairs available, no changing table in the ladies room.