A few weeks ago I got a DM on Instagram from a restaurant I’d never heard of. They let me know they opened and asked me to come in and try their menu, so right away I decided that’s what I’d do the coming weekend, and I’m SO grateful they reached out.

The Villa is a cozy, Italian restaurant located in Palmer Lake. The menu is filled with pizza, pastas, salads, and sandwiches, and everything sounded delicious. It was hard to pick a few items to taste and I can’t wait to go back and try some of the other entrees they offer.

Before we ordered food we grabbed a cocktail and glass of wine. The wine selection was good, and there were a few signature cocktails to choose from. I got the Manhattan’s Shadow, which is their twist on a traditional Manhattan. It was delicious! Sweet, but yummy.

We started off with their Pans and Nella salad. The grilled bread was the perfectly toasted, and the arugula and capers were a great match together.

For our entrees, we ordered the lasagna, the truffle gnocchi, and had been debating ordering a pizza, so I was pretty pumped when they brought us a pizza along with our entrees.

The lasagna was definitely my favorite. It was super cheesy and I loved the sauce. This was comfort food at its best for sure. This thing could feed three people probably, and the leftovers were perfect the next day.

The truffle gnocchi sounded so good on the menu, but it was way better than I had imagined it. The creamy sauce worked so well with the mushrooms, and the arugula on top of the pasta lighted it up a bit. The only change I would make would be for the mushrooms to be sliced smaller, but that’s just personal preference.

When the server brought out the wood oven-fired pizza I was excited because it looked amazing, but overwhelmed because there was just so much food on the table. The pizza had a pineapple pesto base and was topped with chicken, spiced pear, and arugula. The pesto was different in a good way, and the spiced pear really added a unique flavor. I’d for sure order a pizza again – the crust was perfect – but I’d probably choose something more on the savory side. Another thing to note is that the small pizza would easily feed two, so don’t let the large option trick you into thinking this is an individual size pizza, because it is not!

While everything was exquisite, my favorite part of the meal was dessert. At this point, it was hard to enjoy because we were so full, but it was so worth trying. These Italian donuts are a cross between a donut and beignet, and came with a caramel dipping sauce. This is going to sound so strange, but the sauce was my favorite part. Don’t get me wrong, the donuts were exceptional, but the caramel took it to another level.

Overall, I had such a wonderful experience. The food was amazing, the service was impeccable, and everyone who worked there not only was nice, but they seemed genuinely happy to be a part of the restaurant. And while I’m going to a restaurant to have a good time, I’m much happier to support a place where the people who work there actually enjoy being a part of that business.

The Villa has had a number of owners and names over the past few years, and is now owned by Matt Beck. The executive chef, Anthony Ramon, came to our table and talked about the menu. Right now the menu is a bit larger than it will be in the future, and they’ll start to hone in on what works as they’re open longer.

Located in Palmer Lake, it’s a bit of a drive if you’re in the Springs, but what a fun excuse to spend the day exploring some of the fun restaurants and shops in Palmer Lake.

The Villa is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. They’re closed on Mondays.