50 Best Italian Restaurants near Longboat Key

“Fourth time tonight since the first of the year. Food is AMAZING and great service. Gustavo was personable everytime and remembers little things about his past customers. Ask for oil with the bread. This make the bread even better than it already is... We will be back soon. Ate outside for the first time. Would like to hear more music if possible. PS - The pizza is the best on the island!!!“

“Everything from the food, to the service, to the atmosphere were fantastic!“

“Such a wonderful and serene location.“

“It's breakfast by day and Italian dinner by night. We had breakfast here for three out of the five nights we stayed here and had dinner one night. And dined at CW Prime and places on the island.\n\nFine, attentive service by DAWN who served us for breakfast. Great coffee that gave us that morning boast for the day. We opted for the Great buffet, plenty of great choices, fresh fruit, scrambled eggs, sausages, crispy bacon, breads and bagels and cereal for the kiddies, fresh waffles and an egg station which was manned by AARON who made me three fried eggs, sunny side up, no flipping and no cover every morning !!! So perfect and the way I love my eggs!!! TY!!!🍳🍳🍳🥓🥓🥓🧇🧇🧇\n\nFor dinner, one evening, we had ANDREW who was on top of his game, knowledgable about the menu and specials, answered all of our questions about the entrees and the way the chef preps the dishes.\n\nA bottle of Amarone Tommasi started our night for my wife and I. Our friends had a Prosecco Rose, and a few JW Black for my buddy. For our apps we all shared the rice balls, meatballs, and the Burrata. All three were just delightful, full of rich flavor, seasoned perfectly, and hitting the spot. We ate up all the focaccia bread and dipped it in the sauces!!!\n\nFor our main entrees, my wife had the Chicken Milanese, I had a spaghetti with bolognese sauce, our friends had the corn and ricotta Agnolotti with shrimps and my buddy had the Squid Ink Pasta.\n\nAll four entrees were absolutely Delish, flavorful, fresh made in house pasta, and hitting our palates with satisfying results!!!\nPaired it with our wine and we were very\n happy!!!\n\nOverall, great food, this is the only place in the resort for sit down breakfast, and Italian dinner, superb service from Dawn and Andrew. \n\nWe will be back!!!🍽️🍽️🍽️🍷🍷🍷🍝🍝🍝🥓🥓🥓🧇🧇🧇🍳🍳🍳“

“Pane e Amore was by far the BEST Italian my husband and I have eaten! Portions are perfect, food was thoughtfully made to perfection! I could taste all the individual flavors in the rigatoni alla vodka! The owner/ chef exceeded our expectations and made us feel like family. This will be a forever place for us! Go in, request a table, and soak up the experience! Buon Appetito 🇮🇹🍝“

“So delicious, everything is home made. It is a small intimate restaurant and the owners/chefs are so welcoming. The pasta is so delicious and the focaccia bread to the mussels appetizer to the lamb sauce over fettuccine was perfectly cooked and seasoned. The homemade mixture they serve with the bread is unlike anything we have ever had and it was their grandma’s recipe that made it extra special. I would suggest a reservation for this hidden gem!“

“Amazing wine, food and service!“

“What a gem! Beautiful decor, excellent food and exceptional service. Our waitress Angel was top notch - she's very knowledgeable on both the menu and wine pairings. We went with everything she suggested and were not disappointed. Highly recommend!“

“Food was amazing. Got us in right away. Great service. Would recommend to any of my friends. 🥰“

“It’s been a few years since I’ve eating at Carrabba’s. And today I was reminded why it was my favorite restaurant years ago. The food was amazing, but even more important, the service was excellent. Lexii took such good care of us. We didn’t have to ask for a thing. She proactively anticipated our every need and was so sweet. My daughter said she gets 100 stars. We’ll def start coming more often.“

“Been looking for a good pizza ? place and I found the best pizza ? place ever I give it 10 stars if you are looking for a great place for pizza please try this pizza“

“Just finished a lovely dinner with family at this special place. Everyone loved the food. Fresh and flavorful. The meatball appetitizer was delicious, from the salad to the dessert we enjoyed it all. The best Italian suisine has to offer. Highly recommend you take a trip to Palmetto, just over the bridge, to this lovely old home and enjoy what tastes like home cooking.“

“Oh my goodness the food was delicious! They just opened recently and are still getting the kinks out. They’re from Salerno, Italy. The decor is simple trattoria. There were 4 of us. We shared arancini- very good and a Cesar salad. Extra anchovies added on the side. Pasta dishes- bolognese fabulous, gnocchi delicious even the bread was real. Service was slow due to staffing issues but that’s what o meant re: getting the kinks out. But, food came out quickly and so good. Bottle of San genovese good & reasonably priced.“

“With only eight tables and reservations in constant demand, we somehow managed to secure a weekend spot by calling more than a month in advance. I was genuinely grateful just to be there. They seated us at a little two top tucked into the corner by the window. Normally I am not a fan of two-seaters because they can feel like an afterthought. But this one felt intentional. From our spot we could see the whole intimate dining room and watch the chef cooking away. It felt cozy, not cramped.

We started with a bottle of white and two appetizers that set the tone immediately. The tuna tartare was bright and fresh, perfectly balanced. The sausage over spinach and broccoli was warm and rustic and full of flavor. Simple ingredients done really, really well.

I especially love that they wheel the menus over on chalkboards instead of handing you a printed menu. Our server Gus was great and carefully explained each item. You can tell the chef works with whatever is best that day. That detail alone says a lot.

My husband, who is very picky about pasta, ordered the lobster pappardelle in red sauce with a little kick. He was thrilled. I had the shrimp and lobster pappardelle in a sauce that I honestly cannot even describe properly. It was just incredible. Rich but balanced. Every bite made me pause.

Everything was marvelous. I have not enjoyed a meal that much since Florence. And finding that kind of experience here in Florida felt like a little gift.“

“Thanks you . cibo davvero delizioso. il vitello è super tenero“

“We are from Tampa and came to Sarasota just for a couple of days to celebrate Valentine’s. Andrei!!! the waitress was awesome, he knew the menu and was able to recommend different alternatives, food was delicious and service was great, definitely coming back. My husband and I did not have a reservation but we were able to wait for a table at the bar which was also good 😊“

“Loved this place! Thank you for taking care of us!“

“Great good, great service!“

“Amazingly fresh and delicious food, an adorable, cozy atmosphere, and wonderful, personable owners, including Oliver. 🐾 Can’t wait to return!“

“Was a great evening with the wine Pairing yesterday. The wines were great and Tatorial was informative. The 5 Dinner courses were exceptional, can't wait for the next ? one.“

“Lived here for 12 years and just discovered this place. Definitely the BEST Italian restaurant around. Everything tasted like my mother and noni had prepared it. Caesar salad was the real thing. Gnocchi truly melted in my mouth. Sauce was exceptional.“

“Fabulous experience!! Great service and amazing food! Highly recommend!!!“

“Excellent place to relax! Great people, great food.“

“We enjoyed our first but not last visit tonight. Warmly greeted right away. Bread dipping olive oil …delicious. Nice salads. Veal Marsala…delicious. Big portion too. Lasagna… delicious. Attentive service. Couldn’t eat it all. I think it will be great tomorrow. Thanks. Next time we will bring our wine.“

“Food so good menu changes weekly“

“Absolutely our favorite restaurant! The owners, staff all make you feel at home. The service, food, wine, music and atmosphere is perfect. Scarpino’s is definitely are GO To Spot, whether by ourselves or hosting company. Be sure to check it out! Ciao, Ciao!“

“Excellent food! Excellent service ! Recommend 100%“

“We took grandma for her 97th birthday lunch. We could not have picked a better spot! From helping mom get inside with her walker to the outstanding service for a party of 9 to the fantastic food, we were so impressed. You can taste the love in every bite! They make their pasta and focaccia in-house and you can certainly taste the difference from dried bulk pasta. We tried a variety of options from soups, salads, pasta and stuffed focaccia sandwiches-all were so delicious. The restaurant is quaint and they made us feel like family that came in for a delicious home cooked meal. We will be back! This is my new favorite restaurant!“

“The food at Sardinia is exquisite. The atmosphere is elegant and the owner is very warm and friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant. One of the best in Sarasota! Will be returning there with friends and family many times.“

“My husband and I are big-time foodies and travel to Michelin star restaurants all over the world. We really had no expectations prior to our dinner tonight, but it turned out to be such a pleasant surprise! Food was fantastic, great outdoor courtyard, and really good service! Such a pleasant surprise!“

“The homemade sausage is excellent! The caponata was a little mushy. Overall, not a bad meal.“

“Verona’s Pizza & Italian Restaurant in Bradenton is the real deal. If you’re craving authentic NJ/NY-style pizza, this is the place. From the very first bite, you can tell they know exactly what they’re doing. The crust is cooked perfectly—that ideal balance of crispy (not burned) on the outside and soft, chewy on the inside. The sauce is flavorful without being overpowering, and the cheese is melted to absolute perfection.

As someone who knows true New Jersey/New York pizza, I can honestly say Verona’s nails it. This isn’t “Florida trying to be NY pizza”—this is legit NY/NJ pizza done right. You can taste the quality and care in every slice.

If you’re missing home or just want truly great pizza, don’t think twice. Verona’s Pizza is hands-down one of the best pizza spots in Bradenton. We’ll definitely be back again and again!“

“Jose provided excellent service on multiple occasions and Jared, at the bar was amazing as well… food is AMAZING!!“

“Went there with my wife as a dinner date and the food was amazing. We both agreed that we will be going back there in the future“

“Great atmosphere Amazing drinks! They’re open now! After hurricane Milton! The best Mule I’ve ever had“

“The pizza was amazing. So much cheese!!“

“The overall service use to be amazing at this Olive Garden. We have come here several times over the years and this is the worst front staff I’ve ever experienced. I checked in and was told it would be a 15 minute wait and told them that I had people coming but instead of seating us after 25 minutes passed I came up to ask the pregnant hostess if they were waiting for my party or something because we’ve been waiting and she was like oh yeah yeah we are without so much as looking at me or apologizing for the wait. There were several of them up there that were just laughing and joking around unprofessionally and the pregnant hostess was eating up there talking with the other ladies at the podium while they ignored us. She disappeared completely for several minutes and after 30 minutes I asked a girl who showed up if we were going to be seated because my party was waiting. She said she would check because she just got there. She went to find the pregnant hostess and told her we were waiting 30 minutes and my daughter overheard her denying it. I’m just not used to that at any restaurant. If you tell me 15 minutes and it’s not busy in there then we have better be seated whether we are waiting for people to arrive or not. It put me in such a terrible mood that I wanted to leave but thankfully our waiter came right away and was amazing. He was very attentive and kind and I felt he deserved a good tip. What made me write this review was when we left there were a gaggle of women at the front with the pregnant hostess and we all noticed that they just stared at us and didn’t say the usual thank you have a good night. No one bothered to politely open the door like they have always done for us in the past. You just knew that they we’re talking bad about you. If this is what this Olive Garden restaurant is turning into then I have to stop coming. I don’t know what’s up with those women but this is their place of work not a place to gossip and bullshit about their life or talk shit about their paying customers who are there to be treated with some measure of respect and kindness when they are out with their family for dinner. I hope a manager sees this review and addresses this issue of plain rudeness. We are also not white and so obviously white people were being treated better and seated immediately. By the way, our pregnant hostess was black but for some reason thinks it’s ok to be rude to us. If this ever happens to us again, a complaint will definitely be filed to your corporate management or the BBB. I will not tolerate this behavior in front of my family.“

“Amazing dinner! Pizza. Italian sub. Philly steak and dessert. 5/5. Perfection“

“Nice monday night we had with our waiter Josh. Taking the time to explain the menu and promotions elevated our experience for a quick Monday night dinner. Offering complimentary refills of salad, breadsticks and bottomless pasta made us feel welcome. Thank you for the great evening“

“Great food, service, and atmosphere!“

“Fantastic food and service!“

“I cannot wait to dine here again. Incredible menu, quality delicious food and ingredients. There were so many items I wanted to try, but everything we had was excellent. I had homemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach in a vodka sauce, my husband had sautéed parmigiana encrusted grouper. We also shared homemade stuffed mushrooms, stuffed with sausage and goat cheese. Great wines by the glass and great service. The hostesses were exceptional as well, they gave as a quick tour inside to see if we preferred indoor or outdoor seating. Definitely a new fave! This restaurant also has one of the most beautiful patios in all of Sarasota! Such a gem spot.“

“Great place best veal piccata in all of Florida. Service was great food excellent on make sure you get the lemon cello cake it is to die for. We will be back for sure just wish it were closer to Port Charlotte.“

“Always excellent pizza! Order some! You won’t be disappointed!“

“We ordered Pizza and it was delicious!! The service was great!! Sophia made us feel welcome and was very pleasant. She must have visited our table 6 or 7 times making sure we were doing ok.“

“Everything was excellent. First time trying your place and we will be back.“

“The food is great and you get a lot! Niki, Ashleigh, Linda, Debbie and Hakan are super servers. A very friendly place. Only one thing…bring back the ICEBERG lettuce for the salads!“

“Visiting from Pennsylvania. We love the food. The atmosphere. would recommend recommended highly.“