The Early Word on Corktown's Italian Newbie Ottava Via

Hotly anticipated rustic Italian newcomer Ottava Via opened slowly and surely, first with friends and family previews and then with a quiet soft opening in mid-July. Since then the reviews on social media, personal blogs, user review sites, and major papers have been coming in fast and furious. Surprise, surprise: People seem to like the place. Or most people. Check out what Detroit's restaurant obsessives are saying about the pizza, the service, the music, the cocktails and more up ahead. >>

The Superb News: A Yelp reviewer is happy with the service and the pizza: "Sat at the bar and engaged in great conversation with both bartenders. They were extremely personable and obviously were interested in making certain our experience was positive. We ordered cocktails, beers, and pizza. Everything came quickly, accurately, and was great. We have been here 3 times previous to this, twice just for drinks and once for dinner with clients. We sampled the salads and many of the pizzas. They were all superb and everyone raved about the pizza." [Yelp]

The Average News: One Yelper isn't blown away by Ottava Via: "I've been here twice (for two different parties). It's an average thin crust pizza joint with average apps and entrees. Their pizza is okay. There is way better thin crust pizza in Eastern Market and just north of Detroit in Ferndale. The service is better than the food and much better than the (way too heavy pour/flat tonic/out of my brand) cocktails and wine list." [Yelp]

The Early Pro Review: The Detroit News' Molly Abraham just couldn't wait and filed on the place just one week in. Of course it's a "work in progress" but she writes, "Fledgling though it may be, Ottava Via already has the earmarks of a winner." [DN]

The Second Early Pro Review: Jane Slaughter of the MetroTimes also couldn't wait for the restaurant to settle in. Her review ran a month after the soft opening: "when the porchetta was placed in front of me, the sentence "this is the most sinful thing I've ever eaten" involuntarily escaped my soon-to-be-smacking lips. That's because it's pork belly wrapped around a pork loin, with its wide bands of way-better-than-bacon fat artfully coiled, and topped with a tangle of dressed arugula for tartness and pink grapefruit to add an acid note. It's heavenly." [MetroTimes]

The All Around Good News: A Google + business comment is straight to the point, praising Ottava Via's every aspect: "Awesome food, reasonable prices, great service. What more can you ask for?" [Google +]

The Gushing News: This one from Hell Yeah Detroit: "I've been fortunate enough to eat two meals at Ottava Via, and can attest that the food is minimal on complexity and abundant in flavor. It's worth mentioning here that the food is fresh and cooked to order. Even the pasta is house made. The Italian Sausage with Polenta was some of the best Italian Sausage I've had in some time...I've tried both the Pepperoni and Fungi pizzas. Pepperoni was bold and flavorful with olives and onions, but the Fungi was exceptional." [Hell Yeah Detroit]

The "Delish" News: A Foursquare tipster orders fellow Foursquare users who visit Ottava Via to eat up: "Pizza Bianca and pasta with meat sauce are so good together, and the pickled vegetables on the charcuterie platter are super delish! All salads are great! Eat up!" [Foursquare]

The Hospitable News: A reviewer on Detroit Yes has only one complaint that was swiftly addressed by staff: "A friend and I went several weeks ago, during what I believe was its soft opening. We split a salad and a pizza. Both were delicious. The service was fine and the atmosphere was much to my liking. One problem, for me, was that the music was too loud in the main room; but when I mentioned it to the hostess she promptly offered us a table in the back room which was just fine. I definitely will be back!" [Detroityes.com]

The "Fresh and Tasty" News: An Urbanspoon tipster loves the atmosphere and the food: "The atmosphere is great, love the lofty look. My experience was awesome. I loved the Italian sausage with the sweet peppers and white polenta. I'll definitely return soon! The chopped salad is a must, so fresh and tasty!" [Urbanspoon]

The Great Food, Meh Pizza News: A Yelp reviewer gushes about everything but the pizza: "The salads were enormous and cheap. My wife got the caprese and it was mouthwatering (something I never say about a salad). The pesto in it produced a near-mouthgasm. I had the Italian sausage over polenta as an appetizer, and it was very good, too...My wife had the beets and asparagus appetizers and declared them the best she's ever had. The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the pizza. I can't recall the name of it, but it had pancetta in it. It was just meh, not bad, but nothing to write home about, and I doubt I will try any of their other pizzas." [Yelp]
— Emma Kestler