Vieja Lira - OAXACA DE JUÁREZ

Traditional Italian in the historic center. We ate on the roof terrace that doesn't have much of a look, but we wanted to enjoy the warm evening weather, but the inside dining areas had a good decor and atmosphere. Beautiful classic Italian food and good service, so a safe choice if you have an Italian meal.

Oaxacan food is so wonderful and the restoratives are so great that it is terrible to waste a meal. From the moment I went to Vieja Lira, something told me to go. I had to ask at the entrance if there were any tables, even though the staff went by without recognizing me. For a place that says it specializes in wine and is an Italian restaurant, I was disappointed, the only red wine through the glass was Spanish. I still ordered it, but waited so long that I decided if nothing had been delivered in a certain time, I went out. I love to cook a version of Pasta alla carbonera, so I always order it when it is on the menu. What was delivered had to be the most vapid version I've ever tasted - watery and, good, incredibly boring. I even asked the waiter if he had romance in it because I found no evidence. He never came back with an answer. The bread was delivered after the pasta when I came to the point that it was almost not important. I usually have two glasses of red wine with dinner, but the service was so unavailable that I had only one. I really couldn't wait to go.

We came to this restaurant because it was located next to the Etnobanan park we wanted to visit. As soon as we got into us, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the place. We ate down and their menu was varied and it was all... delicious, and best, it was. After our meal we were invited to go to the terrace to admire the view and take some photos. It was very nice up there and well covered so that the sun did not meet us directly, unless we wanted to sit at the open tables. Overall, this is a very good place and very well located.

As much as I enjoy the local Oaxacan cuisine, I can only eat so much mole. So an Italian restaurant was a welcome site. Although we found the setting to be very pleasant, the food was really nothing special. Would have preferred my pasta to...be prepared al dente. It was an ok experience but I really expected more from an Italian restaurant in a major city.

Vieja Lira is an attractive restaurant with good service and an excellent wine list. however, it is let down by the cooking. My risotto had not been prepared slowly and the rice and onions were crunchy. Not up to scratch.