50 Best Italian Restaurants near Palmetto

“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.“

“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!“

“You will not find better deep dish pizza! Fresh ingredients. Amazing sauce. We are totally addicted. Staff is amazing and friendly. We love Mama Maria. Rosa is fabulous too.“

“We had a genuinely great experience at this Hungry Howie’s location. While the surrounding area may look a bit rough, the restaurant itself was sufficiently clean and welcoming, and the food did not disappoint.

The pizzas were cooked to perfection, and the gluten-free crust was absolutely dynamite—easily one of the best we’ve had. Everything we ordered was fresh, well-prepared, and satisfying.

That said, the true star of the show was Donna, the hostess and server. Her service was beyond attentive—friendly, personable, and genuinely welcoming from start to finish. She made us feel valued as customers and elevated the entire dining experience well beyond our expectations.

As a small, constructive note, a bit more attention to the cleanliness of the flatware would be appreciated, but this did not detract from an otherwise excellent visit.

We don’t eat here very often and usually opt for carryout, but this experience has absolutely made us reconsider. Between the quality of the food and the exceptional service, we’ll be dining in far more frequently. Highly recommended—especially if Donna is working.“

“Amazing staff and Excellent Dinner !“

“Hubby had the cod, ff and coleslaw. The cod was perfectly breaded very lightly, the french fries yummy and we never got to the coleslaw (taking home leftovers). I had the shrimp scampi fettuccine, in butter sauce – Yum! The bread with the oil dip was wonderful. I highly recommend this place and wish they were much closer to where I live (SRQ airport-could replace Primos! I’m just suggesting).“

“This Carrabba's is absolutely fantastic! Excellent 👌🏻 food and service (thanks, Kylla!)... I really enjoyed the Chicken Marsala and sauteed spinach with garlic 🧄. The homemade bread 🍞 is so fresh and delicious 😋 This is my very favorite restaurant of all time! 🤌🏻😘 Chef's kiss!“

“In reference to our dinner last evening April 18, 2026. The seating for our table of 7, was very tight seating. The Mrs. and I had the Bolognese, hers was gluten free, both of us had a terrible night sleeping with many bathroom issues. Additionally, I was surprise to see on top of the $200. cash tip I provided, there was an additional tip of over $100.00 added to the check. The waitress that was extremely nice, did not make me aware that there was a tip already added to the check, resulting in a tip of over $300. which in my opinion is a little overboard.“

“I made reservations for my friend's birthday and 2 other guests were joining us. Unfortunately the reservation went to another Tiramisu in another city. Therefore, no reservations showed when our party arrived. The host was icey, lacked empathy or understanding. He was extremely demeaning and haughty. Finally sat us at a table next to the kitchen which was appreciated. Our waiter was stellar and made everything feel friendly again. The food was outstanding......every course. Im a local for 48 years but the host made me feel like an idiot. Never smiled (not to anyone else arriving later). Maybe not the best first impression to offer your patrons.“

“Went to dinner with family at the Carrabba’s on University. Teddy was our server and we was phenomenal. Service was prompt, he was attentive without hovering, and when we had a little mishap by way of a spilled glass of Sangria he took care of us immediately. Alex was our bartender and he’s got mad skills with a dirty martini. If you’re at this restaurant ask for these young men… You will not be disappointed!“

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

“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“

“We were there last evening for dinner. This location is much smaller than the one at UTC. Difficult to carry on a conversation even at a small table. Food was good and service was as well. Very busy and noisy for a Wednesday evening. We prefer a more intimate experience, as well as excellent food.“

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

“Hey Fresta's Fresta's
Happy 1st anniversary! I'll take the whole meau and try it all! Meatballs, garlic bread ball, cheese balls and for dessert a baseball cake ball if you have that! I also will like to take couple of swings of those buffalo wings hopefully it gives me a Grand slam smash Burger home run. although it's spring training! I need that real philly taste. To drive it back to Clearwater at Phillies philly spring training camp! I am dying for that taste of that real philly special cheese steak Italian style and that real Italian stallion sandwich that's light out and it knock your shore right off your feet! Omg! Don't forget that philly cheese as well with any kinda pasta that melts in your mouth and down your stomach that you will good hmmm. That was very tasty. That Florida doesn't even have and they cannot even make it correctly that other Florida Italian restaurants and made up philly steak places cannot even make. Pretty tried going back and forward going home to Philadelphia to get these types of delicious Italian food even philly cheese steak. Forget about it about Arizona Italian food. then back to Florida. No other Italian real taste. Finally there is a real Italian restaurant. In westnorth of Florida. Can't wait to get a taste of Fresta's that everyone in Bradenton area is talking about the Philly! philly! Style. 😋 God knows hopefully this real Italian restaurant grow across the state of Florida. See y'all“

“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!“

“What a wonderful restaurant! I’ve been coming here for years and have never once been disappointed. Every visit feels like walking into a friend’s home—warm, welcoming, and full of AMAZING FOOD. Everything is always fresh and absolutely DELICIOUS! 👏👏 The authentic Italian dishes are incredible, and I’m so thankful that they always accommodate my dietary restrictions. It truly makes me feel genuinely cared for—they already know my needs and always have a plan in place. It means SO MUCH to feel that kind of attention and thoughtfulness. Thank you for making every experience so special. I truly LOVE this place! 💜💜“

“Came in for dinner a while back for their special Osso Bucco ,this was a limited special,but the special was already sold out. Ordered their chicken alfredo. My wife and I have been back several times. Best keep secret in town. You will be more than pleased.“

“Wow - Ortygia has moved forward to a fun and interactive cooking classes, specialty parties, wine dinners and more . Without the restaurant anymore there is so much happening - for low this page and make a reservation- you won’t be sorry. I have been 3 times for series 1,2,and 3 cooking classes - enjoying wonderful filling vegetarian dinners that everyone will love - and you take the recipes home. Wine flows freely, delicious food and great conversation abounds and then you eat - enjoying the Italian scents and savoring the goodness of fresh ingredients. A definite go to on my list and looking forward to making many delicious meals.“

“Excellent food! Excellent service ! Recommend 100%“

“Absolutely loved this restaurant! The pizza was fresh, flavorful and perfectly cooked with the best crispy crust! But the real surprise was the Caesar salad, probably one of the best I’ve had at a restaurant. Fresh romaine, delicious dressing, and perfectly seasoned. Great food, nice atmosphere, and friendly staff. Highly recommend!“

“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! 🙌🇮🇹🍝“

“Growing up living right down the street we’ve always loved Verona’s, even now that my kids are older(2 adults!) it’s a must visit for them Everytime we are in town. It’s not a trip home unless we get some Verona’s! As always, the food was delicious and service that makes you just feel at home!“

“My total dinning experience was amazing. The only thing they should change is the music, it's an Italian Reztsurant it should be Italian music“

“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 food, and the service was exceptional, best lasagna I’ve had in a long time“

“I had the cheesesteak sub a few days ago and it was killer!! Being from Jersey, it’s difficult to find a good one around here. It was a huge sandwich and prepared perfectly. I would have taken a picture but I wolfed it down before I thought of it. I’ll be back… next time I’m getting gelato!“

“Small Italian restaurant. Pizzas and entrees are all amazing. I've eaten in and done take out, always great. Nanna's Longhots- with sautéed hot peppers and crisp potato slices is so flavorful. The meatball appetizer with ricotta and crostini is suitable for a small individual meal. My favorite dish is the Benny's Penne with sausage, mushroom, spinach and creamy marmalade sauce- be prepared to want to lick the plate clean!“

“Excellent Pizza! Fast and friendly service! Our family really enjoyed dining out at Rico’sPizzeria!“

“The food, drinks and staff are amazing, you won’t find better wings in town, the martini will have you clocking out of work by 2:30 to make there happy hour, live this place, highly recommended!“

“My husband and I ate at Ferraro's on January 28th at 5:15pm. Our waitress was Ronnie. She was a good waitress but we would have liked her to smile. She acted like she really did not want to be there. On the other hand, Emma came over to our table to check to see if we had gotten all our food and if we needed anything else. She had a super personality and I personally asked if she was an assistant manager. She said no. She went over to several tables to check to see if they were happy with everything. Emma made our night. We are glad that you have a person like this who enjoys work working here. Our compliments to Emma!!!! Food was delicious as usual.“

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

“Great food, service, and atmosphere!“

“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.“

“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.“

“Attardi's is the best pizza place in Sarasota, and I'm Italian and am picky. And, for you West Virginia's who miss your state's famous "pepperoni rolls" - Attardi's has them, and they're as good or better than any you can get in the Mountaineer state. George the owner/chef has amazing attention to detail, cooks everything perfectly with the finest ingredients. He's a perfectionist (you can tell by watching him). This place is a gem. Just Fyi.“

“Pizza was fantastic! Serves was amazing and friendly! Highly recommend! We will be back!“

“Best pizza I've ever had.“

“Great pizza buffet all u can eat always going home stuffed lol!!!“

“Really nice restaurant with authentic Greek cuisine, portions were tasty and a good size, wonderful atmosphere and excellent service. We will definitely be back.“

“EVERYTHING! MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!“

“I absolutely love their Penne Al Vodka with Chicken, Greek salad, and of course pizza! Fast friendly service. We order at least once a week! A must try in Bayshore“

“Don’t go solo. I was seated in a corner used for extra chair storage away from the main part of Restaraunt. No one else at 2 tables. Plenty of empty tables in main part. Made me feel like I had BO oh well. Plenty of other places where they let you sit with everybody else.“

“Yummy and such big portions.“

“Best pizza Ive had in Florida. Great job.“

“We love ordering from Hungry Howies and order from there about once a week. The staff is always friendly and prompt and food is excellent. Just one slight problem tonight, we ordered a Italian sub and chef salad with Italian dressing, well today we did not get the dressing with our salad. Good thing we have dressing at home, so it’s not really a big deal. I just really enjoy their Italian dressing. We always enjoy their food and will continue to!!!“

“joey d,s all the food is made with love 💕 can't ask. for.more .....“

“We’re from out of town(North Fla) and stopped in for the first time last night. We’ve passed through this area a few times, and I’ll admit the exterior gave us a a little pause, but we are so glad we didn’t pass it up! The food and service were genuinely fantastic! Our server was incredibly attentive, and we noticed every server treating their tables with the same energy; friendly, engaged, and on top of things. Portions were generous, and the prices were very fair, IMHO. The music was at the perfect volume. It wasn’t packed, but it definitely wasn’t empty either. For a Saturday around 5 PM, the wait time for our food was totally reasonable. Overall, we were really impressed with our visit! We’ll be back every time we’re in the area, and we already recommended it to our family in Siesta Key, South Sarasota, and Bradenton.“