50 Best Italian Restaurants in Sarasota

“Fantastic all around. Food is fresh and delightful. The staff are so kind and helpful. The cocktails are bright and refreshing. Highly recommend this to anyone, regardless of whether you’re local or visiting. Classico always comes through for us, and we’re sure they’ll come through for you.“

“Great food, service, and atmosphere!“

“Absolutely delicious!, Small, intimate, great service, and oh so delicious“

“Had a yet again wonderful dinner experience there this past Saturday. The food was great, bested only by the wonderful service and welcoming atmosphere. I called them this morning in search of my credit card that I was frantically looking for. I believe it was the owner who answered, and even though they were closed at that time, volunteered himself to go the restaurant to see if my card was there. He called me within a half hour that it was there. He waited until I got there to give me the card. He was an absolute gem to do this of his own accord. I can’t thank him and his wonderful restaurant enough!“

“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.“

“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!“

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

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

“Food is fresh and delicious. Very friendly atmosphere. Wine selection is wonderful and menu options are great. And you have to try their homemade desserts! Amazing! Congratulations Chef Leo!!!!“

“Excellent Italian cuisine. Service and food were outstanding. Highly recommended!!“

“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.“

“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.“

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

“Amazing wine, food and service!“

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

“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!“

“This place was highly recommended by a friend. My expectations were completely exceeded. Small quaint place that feels like you rolled into a bistro right from a cobblestone path in Tuscany. One chef, one prep line, small kitchen that creates big bold flavors. Food reminded me of Nanas cooking from childhood. We never went without anything as the service matched the food. Hands down one of the best meals I’ve had in a long time. Thank you chef and wonderful staff for an amazing birthday meal.“

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

“This is a rather small local Italian restaurant hidden at the back of a building in The Meadows. There are no signs visible from the street announcing the existence of the restaurant let alone one directing you to the entrance. You’ll need to rely on Google Maps to find the place. You definitely want to call for a reservation as the place is small.

Parking: There is a large common parking lot.“

“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.“

“Delicious food. Pizza 🍕 is so good. Friendly service.“

“Our server Sam was the best! Great personality as with all your staff. The Bianca pizza is sooo delicious! We are Italian and from NJ. You are doing it right! Your entrees are also delicious! We will see you next Winter when we return. Linda & Tom Sellitto“

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

“Unique service. You enter and place your order at counter. Pay first. We ate in the Pizzeria. We ordered a large meatball and cheese large pizza and two ice teas. We had to help ourselves to plates, napkins and silverware on our own. The pizza was delivered to the table by a server. We had to ask for our beverages to be brought to us. I don’t know why I tipped on the bill if most of the service we did ourselves.“

“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!“

“Most autenthic italian restaurant in town!“

“The BEST NY pizza in Florida, without a doubt! Love it! Eat there everytime we are in town.“

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

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

“Staff and food outstanding every time we come here. Nothing better than here.“

“This is Old Italy style - very authentic, delicious, and uses the best ingredients. The owner is a warm, friendly Italian man that really takes pride in his craft. The Margherita pizza was DIVINE. I'll be a regular when in Sarasota!“

“Food wasn't bad. Service was good. If you're looking for a more quiet place to dine, this would not be it. If you're looking for a place with more chatter and laughter, then I suppose this would be the place for you. In any case, though distracting, customers seemed to be having a good time. Bon appetite“

“Fantastic food and service!“

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

“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.“

“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.“

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

“Such a wonderful dining experience. The food was delicious and being able to watch the chef prepare it was an added bonus. Love to support a small family run business. Everything was very classy.“

“We love wood fired pizza and Atmosphere delivers in every way! This small friendly spot on Beneva has the best wood fired pizza we have ever tasted in FL -“

“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.“

“Great atmosphere and delicious food! Very family friendly as our 7 year old had a blast! Well worth the price and hope to return again soon!“

“Fantastic place. Sal’s is the best pizza around and the owner was super friendly as was his staff!“

“Stupendous! Highlights were the My Father Remembered salad, fettuccine with clams, rum baba. One of the best meals I've had in recent memory!“

“1000% recommend the Baked Feta Cheese & Roasted Tomatoes with Shishito Peppers - wonderful tapa! Cute restaurant, great wine list and most nights have live music. Spread the word!!!“

“Food was prepped quickly and was delicious. Grace was fantastic!“

“This is how you do pizza!🤌 10/10 recommend! Would definitely order from here again!“

“I’ve been coming to Rico for a few months now I’ve been taken care of by Leah and Abby for lunch most of the time. Great service great attention, which is why I keep coming back again and again love the food. Love the service. Keep up the good work.“

“Best pizza hands down ! Real New York style pizza ! Amazing“