When you want dinner to feel a little special without going full white-tablecloth formal, Amari Italian Kitchen & Wine Shop at UnCommons nails the mood. It’s stylish but warm, lively but not loud, and set up for a date where you can actually talk.
It’s also in a great spot: right inside UnCommons and near Urth Caffé, with easy parking and plenty to stroll before or after. This is firmly a “Couples” pick—comfortable enough for a first date, polished enough for an anniversary, and flexible enough for everything in between.
Wine Shop Warm-Up, Date-Night Energy
The entrance doubles as a wine market, and the moment you step through the flower-wrapped arch and past the bottle-lined shelves, the night starts to feel curated—like the room is setting the tone for you.
Amari Italian Kitchen welcomes you with a small wine shop up front, where shelves of Italian and domestic bottles frame the path to the host stand. The design is thoughtful—modern lighting, polished wood, pops of greenery—which keeps the room bright and cozy at the same time. The effect is simple: you walk in and feel like you’ve arrived somewhere that cares about details.
Servers greet you just past the arch. If you’re early, that front area functions like a micro wine bar—browse, point, chat. It’s the kind of entrance that sets an easy pace for the night, especially if you’re waiting for your table or deciding between the bar and a booth.
“The check-in moment instantly softened the night—flowers overhead, bottles everywhere, and a smile from the host. It felt like the evening had already started before we even sat down.”
Two Drinks, Two Lanes: Peroni & Fiori Spritz
We kept the drinks simple and classic. Peroni for a crisp start, and a Fiori Spritz for something floral and refreshing. The pour on the Peroni was icy and clean; the spritz leaned aromatic—light bubbles, gentle sweetness, and a citrus finish that plays well with anything out of the pizza oven.
The pacing landed just right. Drinks came quick, bread arrived warm, and the mains followed without a long gap. Water refills were automatic. The team was present when needed and invisible when not—exactly what you want when the point of the night is the company across the table.
There’s also a full bar with TVs tucked into the lounge area. It never overwhelms the dining room, but it’s there if you like a side of sports with your Spritz. The vibe in that corner is high-end lounge: glowing backbar, a long counter, and bartenders who move quickly without breaking the calm.
“If you’re a ‘beer and a bite’ couple, the bar feels like your zone. If you’re a ‘spritz and slow talk’ couple, the dining room is your lane. Either way, you’re covered.”
Start Smart: House-Made Focaccia & Sauce Flight
The first plate to hit the table set the pace: warm house-made focaccia with a flight of sauces.
The lineup was simple and solid—pesto, Calabrian honey, a classic tomato, and whipped ricotta—and it meant no awkward menu stalling. Tear, dip, talk. Repeat.
- Pesto — Bright and nutty, great with the charred edges of the bread.
- Calabrian honey — Sweet heat that sneaks up, then mellows. A favorite.
- Classic tomato — Clean and herby; the “why-is-this-so-good” kind of simple.
- Whipped ricotta — Cloudy and cool, perfect with a sprinkle of salt.
It’s an ideal couples starter: easy to share, not heavy, and it buys you time to look over the rest of the menu without feeling rushed.
Pasta Mood: Farfalle alla Vodka
For the main course, Amari Italian Kitchen’s pasta lane called. Farfalle alla Vodka arrived with Italian fennel sausage folded into a tomato-cream sauce that clung to every bowtie. The fennel gives a gentle licorice perfume—just enough to round the sauce without fighting it—and the pasta landed squarely in the al dente zone.
The portion is generous, which makes it an easy split if you want to trade bites with a pizza. Comforting without being heavy, and seasoned with the right hand: salty enough to sharpen the cream, peppered enough to keep you reaching back for the glass.
“This is the kind of pasta that keeps a conversation going—familiar flavors, perfectly cooked noodles, and that fennel-sausage lift that makes the whole plate feel a little more grown up.”
Pizza Lane: Crispy Eggplant
Across the table, the pick was the Crispy Eggplant pizza—a clever move if one person wants pasta and the other wants a pie. The build hits the classics: tomato, smoked mozzarella, fior di latte, and fresh basil, with the eggplant bringing crunch and a hint of sweetness. The smoke from the mozzarella threads through each slice and plays well with the Peroni.
The crust held its shape (bless), and the eggplant stayed crisp to the last slice. It’s a pizza that eats like a main course—no flimsy toppings, no knife-and-fork wrestling—so it fits perfectly into a shared-table rhythm with the farfalle.
Another quiet win: the plates and flatware. The pasta bowl holds heat without welding sauce to the bottom, and the pizza lands on a surface that keeps the crust crisp. Small details, yes, but they add up to an easy meal.
The Room: Polished, Not Precious
Amari Italian Kitchen’s dining room balances polish with ease for a couple’s night out. There are modern chandeliers, soft booths, and tables close enough to feel lively but spaced so you’re not borrowing your neighbor’s conversation.
The wine wall and bottle displays double as décor, and the staff keeps the cadence smooth—menus, water, drinks, bread, entrées—without crowding the table.
There’s movement (it’s UnCommons, after all), but the sound never spikes. You can settle in, watch the bar’s soft glow, and choose your pace: long dinner with a second spritz or a tight, efficient one-hour date before a movie next door.
The Bar Corner: Screens, Spirits, and a Soft Glow
The bar sits like a jewel box at the center of the space—backlit shelves, a squared-off counter, and screens showing the game without dragging the room into sports bar territory. It’s a great place to start with a quick drink, or to finish if you want a nightcap and a few extra minutes before stepping back into the plaza.
What matters most is how it feels: high-end lounge energy, but relaxed enough to slide into a last call Peroni without feeling rushed. Even when it’s busy, the staff keeps the tempo smooth.
A Quick Word on Value
Amari Italian Kitchen sits in that sweet mid-upscale pocket: you’re paying for quality ingredients and careful execution, not pretense. Portion sizes are generous enough to share, and the bread course stretches the experience without stretching the check. Drinks are measured and clean—no syrupy heaviness, no overload.
Put simply, the night feels worth it. From first sip to last bite, you’re getting what you came for: a good meal in a place that understands date-night energy.
“You know a spot is doing it right when you start planning what you’ll order next time before the plates are even cleared. It’s that mix of flavors you want to relive, the kind of service that feels effortless, and the atmosphere that wraps the whole evening in a glow you can’t quite put into words. It leaves you not just satisfied, but already anticipating the next excuse to come back.”
Amari at UnCommons: Flowers at the Door, Flavor on the Plate
If you’re building a shortlist of reliable date spots on the southwest side, Amari belongs near the top. The entrance sets the scene, the drinks are easy to love, and the menu gives you multiple paths to a great meal—bread and sauces, pasta or pizza, beer or spritz.
Add the glide of good service and the walkable UnCommons setting, and you’ve got a night that feels put-together without feeling planned to death.
Come for the flower arch and wine shelves, stay for the focaccia flight, Farfalle alla Vodka, and Crispy Eggplant pizza. Leave with that light, satisfied feeling that says you found a keeper—of both the restaurant and the date.
Address:
UNCOMMONS
6825 Tom Rodriguez St. Ste# 100
Las Vegas, NV, 89113
Hours:
Mon – Thur: 3 PM – 9 PM
Fri – Sat: 12 PM – 10 PM
Sunday: 12 PM – 9 PM
Phone:
(725) 285-0450
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