50 Best Italian Restaurants near Osprey

“Went here for the first time last night with some friends. Friendly staff, great food and service was phenomenal!!! I had the lasagna and was fantastic. Made from scratch ingredients....homemade bread, made from scratch cream of broccoli soup. wings are out of this world! It is a hidden gem! We will definitely go back!!!“

“Great food and great service. Chef Joseph came out to greet us and talked to us about his special risotto preparation. It was nothing short of fantastic!“

“We had a family gathering catered by Dolce Italia and everything was absolutely amazing! We had trays of the Trenne Dolce Italia with sausage, an eggplant dish and homemade pasta with meatballs, which was absolutely delicious. The Mista salad was beautiful, fresh and the perfect compliment to the meal. The process was easy thanks to Matthew’s suggestions and the food was hot, packaged well and ready to be served.“

“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!“

“My husband and I just had the most delicious dinner at Nikki Greek in Golf Gate! Everything was bursting with fresh, vibrant flavors—truly close to authentic Greek cooking. Fresh ingredients were purely delicious. The presentation was beautiful, and every bite was absolutely wonderful. We loved it! Opa!!!“

“Hidden Gem. The owners were very welcoming and the food was fantastic.“

“Always a great evening, The service is amazing and the food was delicious“

“Rocco and crew catered my Mom’s 80th Birthday party! Food was fabulous. All the guests agreed. Thank you again for everything. Next time we are in Sarasota we will be in for dinner.“

“Amazing wine, food and service!“

“We came here for the first time this week. Our waiter was incredible. The food is probably some of the best Italian that Sarasota has to offer. We will absolutely be back. Thank you so much for a wonderful date night!“

“We’ve had several excellent meals at Sara’s kitchen. Homey atmosphere, delicious food and you always feel like family. This past weekend we had a large party and closed the restaurant on a Saturday night. It was unbelievable. Fantastic food, excellent service, beautiful decorations. Please give this fabulous gem a try. You won’t be disappointed.“

“We had our first visit to Maestrale last Sunday, March 1st. Our group of 7 was exceptionally pleased with our meals (we've never seen our 3 1/2 year old granddaughter eat so much!), the attentiveness and the ease of scheduling the reservation. Our meals were all amazing and it was the first of many visits as we expect to enjoy many more meals at Maestrale. We can't wait to go back!“

“Excellent!!! the hostess was so friendly. the waitress very attentive . I highly recommend it !! I just moved from Texas . I'm so happy !!“

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

“Very attentive service, great outdoor seating, tasty menu with so many good options to pick from. Grouper catch of the day (blackened per server recommendation) added the scallop enhancement and sweet potato fries was phenomenal with a refreshing cucumber spritz mocktail“

“Every time, and I mean "every time" we dine there, we fall in love with La Botte. Small and intimate, they bring their native Italy in every morsel of delicious food! This is a restaurant not to be missed. They also have Italian wine to pair with your dinner!“

““Fantastic”food served by a great ,friendly staff.“

“Amazing food in downtown Sarasota.“

“The best place in town for lunch and for meeting with friends and acquaintances. The food is good, so is the ambience in a patio surrounded by bougainvillea and nice music. The service is great and nothing beats Giselle’s welcoming smile.“

“Incredible, 5 stars all around!! The service was incredible!! Every appetizers, drink and meal was perfectly cooked and homemade. Restaurant was beautifully spaced out with romantic lamps on each table. Servers were attentive. Give them a visit!“

“? this place.. great service from Joseph our bartender.. absolutely yummy HH ? and appetizers were awesome ? will be definitely be visiting again soon ! ?‍♀️?“

“While I gave this restaurant 4 stars we had some issues while there. Our server, from the get go, was hurried! It felt like he just didn't have time for us. We were with two other couples there for an anniversary celebration. We wanted to get a bottle of Proseco to share for the table. The server joked with us and said go for the champagne since we were celebrating. We agreed. He pointed out some lovely bottles of champagne some to the tune of $1000 and Over! That's not what we had in mind but we did want something special. I pointed out a bottle on the menu that was $95 and that's what I agreed to. He brought it to the table and we all enjoyed it. Onto the dinner menu which comes on a chalk board. He flew through everything on the menu so fast that we were all dizzy when he was done and then he left. When he came back we asked the questions we had about the menu and that seemed to bother him! Everyone's meals were excellent! The food was delish! We did get desserts to share. Two got the ice cream which they said was good. We got the pistachio cheese cake. Sadly, it was very dry and did not taste like pistachio. Then the bill came!! The server gave us the separate bill for the champagne alone.... $575😵😲 Not at all what we were expecting! Thank goodness we declined the second bottle he tried to get us to have. We did not say anything at the time because for one we were shocked but also because we drank it. Since then, that has just not sat right with me. A good server should have double checked that was what we wanted and that the price was correct. Sadly, we were there for a celebration and this ended up ruining our celebration. I'd love to go back and try other menu items as everything sounded so good. However, I am hesitant after this unfortunate experience.“

“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.“

“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.“

“If you’re originally from the Northeast you likely had many excellent Italian restaurants to choose from. In Florida that’s not necessarily the case. 500 Degrees is one of those places you dream of finding. Fantastic old school Italian. It’s owned and operated by a wonderful family that obviously puts their hearts and souls into this restaurant. If you haven’t been there do yourself a solid and give them a try.“

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

“We’ve loved this place for years! Never disappoints!“

“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.“

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

“If you’re in Lakewood Ranch and craving New York–New Jersey style pizza, you have to try Valentino Pizzeria Trattoria. 🍕 I’m from Long Island, so trust me when I say I know good pizza — and theirs is!. I just realized they were originally established in New Jersey, and honestly it all makes sense zzzThe red sauce, the crust… it tastes like home. Their whole menu is amazing, — the chicken piccata, the chicken parm, literally every entrée is done right. You can tell they put pride and professionalism into everything they make. If you haven’t been, go support this awesome local spot. You won’t regret it! 🙌🇮🇹🍝“

“As a NY Pizza enthusiast (read: snob), the pie here definitely hit the spot!! Perfect balance of cheese to sauce as well as the perfectly crispy crust. Pizza was hot and delicious and the topping were generous. Will definitely be back next trip!“

“Kathy did a fantastic job as always. The food was superb and the management team with Marcell and Dan are outstanding. Marcell and Dan always make a point of stopping by. I love this place because of the people and the food. Great job. Kathy is awesome. Thanks for all you do. 5 star all the way.“

“Authentic Buffalo Style pizza. Homemade crust and sauce is to die for. Definitely our go to place for pizza from now on. ❤️🍕“

“Best pizza in Sarasota hands down..will be getting again tomorrow with friends!“

“Just slammed some Ziti and bread. never disappointed!!!! Thank you for treating us awesome and thank you for the amazing food!!!!“

“This place is incredible! I felt like I was in Italy as far as food and atmosphere goes. Hands down best pizza I’ve ever had and all the pasta is homemade. The place was full of Italians, true Italians which is always a good sign. Highly recommend!“

“The food we had was excellent, and we enjoyed talking with the owner who said he has been in business for 21 years. Its important to support small restaurant businesses especially when they serve authentic Italian cuisine and desserts made with fresh ingredients and pride.“

“For those up north looking for great pizza reminiscent of NJ and NJ… look no further. Great pizza and meatballs. Wonderful staff. Can’t say enough good things about this place. And they take reservations.“

“Went for dinner for son’s birthday! Everything from beginning to end was delicious!! Salads,entrees ,desserts and cocktails were perfection!! Our waiter was Sam best waiter ever!! Highly recommend to request him couldn’t have asked for better service and food! Will be back again!!“

“Went for dinner for son’s birthday! Everything from beginning to end was delicious!! Salads,entrees ,desserts and cocktails were perfection!! Our waiter was Sam best waiter ever!! Highly recommend to request him couldn’t have asked for better service and food! Will be back again!!“

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

“Dinner was OK nothing to brag about .. we were asked to move leave after paying the bill.. I've worked in alot of restaurants and never did this to a party...“

“The food was exactly what keeps people coming back. Everything we ordered was fresh, flavorful, and generously portioned. It’s great comfort food at a fair price, and it’s hard to go wrong with the menu.

The service was also friendly and attentive throughout our visit.

The only downside is the atmosphere. The restaurant was quite loud and crowded, making it difficult to have a relaxed conversation. It lacks the cozy, authentic Italian ambiance you might expect and feels more like a busy chain restaurant than a place to enjoy a leisurely dinner.

If you’re looking for good food and great service, Olive Garden delivers. Just don’t come expecting a quiet or intimate dining experience.“

“Great food, atmosphere and let’s not forget about the amazing chicken parm 🤤“

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

“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.“

“I ordered 6 arancini’s and picked them up today. My only regret is that I didn’t order more. They were absolutely delicious…fresh, hot and the perfect size. Thank you for making these for me. My family thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ll be back for more!“

“The food was amazing. But I made a reservation for 8 at 7pm. Walked in and said told them I had a reservation she came over asked me my name then she answered then phone. After she got off the phone I asked if we could please sit outside and she said “ do you really want to do that I would have to move a table” She then said I have you set up in the back and led me to the back and walked away and said ya great in a smart manor. She was walking around talking to everyone so she must be some kinda lead I wouldn’t even call her a manager but yeah with that interaction me and my 350$ dinner bill will not be back.“