Great dinner at Scopa Italian Roots

A group of us went to Scopa Italian Roots in Venice Friday night and had a great meal. We had seen their amazing bar and cocktails on Best Bars in America or something like that, and wanted to check it out. Everything is served family style, so it was perfect for a group.

For apps/antipasti, we ended up ordering:
Fried Cauliflower
Ricotta Crostini (our favorite, surprisingly!)
Calamari (in a squid ink batter)
Seafood salad (octopus, calamari and shrimp cooked sous vide, with white beans, lemon and parsley)
Rice Ball - baseball sized. It was good, but our least favorite of all the antipasti.

For mains, we went with:
Chitarra pasta
Rigatoni - vodka sauce and fresh ricotta
Roast chicken with kale and calabrian chillies, with polenta on the side.
24oz TBone Steak

While we waited for the mains, we ended up ordering another order of the ricotta costini and the calamari because everyone enjoyed them so much!

They cut up the meats for us to make it easier to share. Everything was delicious. We had a great server, who made sure everything was timed well and came out at a good time. Copious amounts of alcohol were also involved. Loved The West Side cocktail with vodka, cucumber and mint and the Mamie Taylor with a strong bite of ginger. Several glasses of well aged scotch were had as well.

Everyone really enjoyed the food and we’re already planning a return visit!

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I’m reading on other, uh, sites that it’s typically packed. Was that your experience on Fri? If you didn’t make a reservation, how long did you have to wait?

I’ve wondered about this place, but haven’t been.

How were the paste? Made in-house, I assume. Properly cooked?

I haven’t been since earlier this year, but yeah, at least the pasta I had was maybe not the best ever, but above average for sure.

I need to return I guess. Somehow Jon & Vinny’s eclipsed them, even though they had kind of the same gimmick going like a year before J&V’s opened.

Food is very good. Place is usually packed. Small portions. Small plate costs add up quickly, can be expensive. Very good service and nice full bar. Chef Antonia Lofaso from top chef.
PHOTO BY ANNE FISHBEIN

I was able to snag reservations the day before, but yes, the place was busy when we got there. Not crazy hectic packed though. It was comfortable, but a bit noisy. We were on the bar side of the restaurant though, so the side farther from the bar was probably a bit quieter. I would definitely call to make reservations though as there were several groups waiting for tables.

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What do you like to eat there in particular?

Fried Calamari
Rice Ball (photo)
Oysters
Italian Chopped Salad
Cavatelli
Bucatini
Whole Barnzino
Scallops Oreganata
Eggplant Parmesian
Crispy Squash Blossoms

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