Mediterraneo is consistently excellent. Last night my wife had the Frutti de Mare which she usually orders and always loves, and I had the Veal Osso Buco special. The veal was fall off the bone tender and delicious. It’s served with a parmesan risotto which I loved. Service was good despite the fact that our waiter also had a party of 10 which was seated at the same time we were and demanded a lot of his attention. Several reviews mention that the restaurant is loud and I was thinking about that last night. It is a little loud but it’s loud because it’s crowded and it’s crowded because it’s good. The restaurant has a festive/party atmosphere which definitely adds to the experience. We had two drinks, which were generous, the sautéed calamari appetizer, the dinners, two cappuccinos, and a crème brûlée for $200 including the tip. In my opinion that’s an exceptional value considering the quality of the product.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Patricia Barry
Excellent restaurant. Our favorite in Sarasota.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Newman
I want to start off, I will maybe try the restaurant again, but my overall experience was not great. I went for my wife's 59 birthday because her favorite meal is a veal chop. We did make reservations for indoors and we were sat in the outdoor patio. It was warm but the draft under the table made my wife uncomfortable. Our waiter was Daniel. He took forever to come to take our order. We gave him our beverage and appetizer order and he wanted also the main entree order. He was rushing us even though we had questions. My wife ordered the veal parmigiana but found out there was no side. So, she asked Daniel to change it and he said "No, I can't put the order in, the kitchen is too busy to fix it." I said that was unacceptable we just placed the order maybe 2 minutes ago. He fixed. We asked for a drinks menu and Daniel answer was we ran out of them. We asked for suggestions he had none. We order an appetizer and 2 drinks. The appetizer came, ate and no drinks. My wife ordered a lemon drop martini thinking it was a safe order, nope, it was undrinkable. We asked if a drink menu now was available, he never brought it, she ended up with a diet coke. We ordered the osso bucco and veal milanese. She loved her veal, nice portion. The osso bucco barely had any risotto underneath it which was disappointing. Then, I had a allergic reaction to my meal which was highly unusually since my allergy is for shrimp. I asked a waiter for what was in the osso bucco to try to figure out what I had a reaction for and the answer from the kitchen/chef was that "we need to buy the recipe to find out", which was a stupid answer. Daniel at the end of the meal saw how annoyed we were and tried to apologize for his service but it was too late. I guess he remember that his tip was might be affected.
Tammy Harvey
my husband and i go here often! the food is delicious the staff is family to us we love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Bernard Othman
Awesome Italian restaurant !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Peter LaSalle Realtor
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant is an absolute gem in Sarasota! From the moment you walk in, you’re welcomed with a warm, authentic Italian atmosphere that immediately makes you feel at home. The food is outstanding—fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. Every dish we tried was perfectly prepared, from the pasta to the sauces and entrées.
The service was just as impressive—attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable without ever feeling rushed. You can tell they truly care about the dining experience. This is the kind of place you come back to again and again, whether it’s a casual night out or a special occasion.
Highly recommend Mediterraneo if you’re looking for excellent Italian food in Sarasota. 🇮🇹🍝
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
karen
Typically it's consistently good here. The sautéed calamari was awful, gummy and fishy. When told server she said well sautéed calamari isn't for everyone.....well actually we love sautéed calamari and this just wasn't good! Also the pizza with shrimp and spinach had really no flavor, and steak was just ok.
Ben Ciliberto
best restaurant in sarasota
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gannon
I have been going here for 28 years. It is consistently great. The ingredients and the preparation are consistent and in a town with sooooo Italian restaurants, I've never gone wrong here.
Restaurantji Recommends
STEEL - 1948 Main St
Juice, Juice Bar & Smoothies, Nutritionists, Vitamins & Supplements, Vegan
Early dinner reservations, the entire service we were rushed so they could get the table for a second service. Immediately came to table for the order, read the specials and then took order. dinner arrived in minutes and starting clearing table before done eating and hovered the table until we left. Not a pleasant experience
joanne
Absolute fabulous experience. We all enjoyed our meals. My husband and brother had squid ink pasta and shrimp. they cleaned their plates. I enjoyed a linguini with clams in a white sauce. One of the best I ever had. My only complaint which is not the restaurant's fault is the noise level. People just have to be loud and forget they are not in a private dining room. But all in all we will certainly return
Nelson
Excellent food, good service. The pappardelle Bolognese was particularly good and al dente. The linguini frutti de mare was delicious, although the linguini was a bit overdone and soft. Overall, and excellent meal!
Mini
Mediterraneo is always wonderful. The service is great and the food is always excellent. Great specials and I always look forward to having a meal there
Howie
We're out-of-towners who've dined at Mediterraneo Ristorante Italiano many times. Each time has been wonderful. Classy but casual. Mert took such great care of us throughout. He's a top-notch server, someone to request. We started with ice cold martinis (bleu cheese olives, of course) and a marvelous bresaola appetizer. Artwork on a plate. The complimentary bread plate is warm. Yum. For entrees, we were thrilled with the linguine with clams, mussels, shrimp, cherry tomatoes special, along with the perfect Tuscan rose. Great pairing. Mediterraneo is one of our all-time faves and always our Sarasota kickoff.
Great local spot!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mediterraneo is consistently excellent. Last night my wife had the Frutti de Mare which she usually orders and always loves, and I had the Veal Osso Buco special. The veal was fall off the bone tender and delicious. It’s served with a parmesan risotto which I loved. Service was good despite the fact that our waiter also had a party of 10 which was seated at the same time we were and demanded a lot of his attention. Several reviews mention that the restaurant is loud and I was thinking about that last night. It is a little loud but it’s loud because it’s crowded and it’s crowded because it’s good. The restaurant has a festive/party atmosphere which definitely adds to the experience. We had two drinks, which were generous, the sautéed calamari appetizer, the dinners, two cappuccinos, and a crème brûlée for $200 including the tip. In my opinion that’s an exceptional value considering the quality of the product.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent restaurant. Our favorite in Sarasota.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I want to start off, I will maybe try the restaurant again, but my overall experience was not great. I went for my wife's 59 birthday because her favorite meal is a veal chop. We did make reservations for indoors and we were sat in the outdoor patio. It was warm but the draft under the table made my wife uncomfortable. Our waiter was Daniel. He took forever to come to take our order. We gave him our beverage and appetizer order and he wanted also the main entree order. He was rushing us even though we had questions. My wife ordered the veal parmigiana but found out there was no side. So, she asked Daniel to change it and he said "No, I can't put the order in, the kitchen is too busy to fix it." I said that was unacceptable we just placed the order maybe 2 minutes ago. He fixed. We asked for a drinks menu and Daniel answer was we ran out of them. We asked for suggestions he had none. We order an appetizer and 2 drinks. The appetizer came, ate and no drinks. My wife ordered a lemon drop martini thinking it was a safe order, nope, it was undrinkable. We asked if a drink menu now was available, he never brought it, she ended up with a diet coke. We ordered the osso bucco and veal milanese. She loved her veal, nice portion. The osso bucco barely had any risotto underneath it which was disappointing. Then, I had a allergic reaction to my meal which was highly unusually since my allergy is for shrimp. I asked a waiter for what was in the osso bucco to try to figure out what I had a reaction for and the answer from the kitchen/chef was that "we need to buy the recipe to find out", which was a stupid answer. Daniel at the end of the meal saw how annoyed we were and tried to apologize for his service but it was too late. I guess he remember that his tip was might be affected.
my husband and i go here often! the food is delicious the staff is family to us we love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Awesome Italian restaurant !
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mediterraneo Italian Restaurant is an absolute gem in Sarasota! From the moment you walk in, you’re welcomed with a warm, authentic Italian atmosphere that immediately makes you feel at home. The food is outstanding—fresh, flavorful, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. Every dish we tried was perfectly prepared, from the pasta to the sauces and entrées.
The service was just as impressive—attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable without ever feeling rushed. You can tell they truly care about the dining experience. This is the kind of place you come back to again and again, whether it’s a casual night out or a special occasion.
Highly recommend Mediterraneo if you’re looking for excellent Italian food in Sarasota. 🇮🇹🍝
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Typically it's consistently good here. The sautéed calamari was awful, gummy and fishy. When told server she said well sautéed calamari isn't for everyone.....well actually we love sautéed calamari and this just wasn't good! Also the pizza with shrimp and spinach had really no flavor, and steak was just ok.
best restaurant in sarasota
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I have been going here for 28 years. It is consistently great. The ingredients and the preparation are consistent and in a town with sooooo Italian restaurants, I've never gone wrong here.
Restaurantji Recommends
Early dinner reservations, the entire service we were rushed so they could get the table for a second service. Immediately came to table for the order, read the specials and then took order. dinner arrived in minutes and starting clearing table before done eating and hovered the table until we left. Not a pleasant experience
Absolute fabulous experience. We all enjoyed our meals. My husband and brother had squid ink pasta and shrimp. they cleaned their plates. I enjoyed a linguini with clams in a white sauce. One of the best I ever had. My only complaint which is not the restaurant's fault is the noise level. People just have to be loud and forget they are not in a private dining room. But all in all we will certainly return
Excellent food, good service. The pappardelle Bolognese was particularly good and al dente. The linguini frutti de mare was delicious, although the linguini was a bit overdone and soft. Overall, and excellent meal!
Mediterraneo is always wonderful. The service is great and the food is always excellent. Great specials and I always look forward to having a meal there
We're out-of-towners who've dined at Mediterraneo Ristorante Italiano many times. Each time has been wonderful. Classy but casual. Mert took such great care of us throughout. He's a top-notch server, someone to request. We started with ice cold martinis (bleu cheese olives, of course) and a marvelous bresaola appetizer. Artwork on a plate. The complimentary bread plate is warm. Yum. For entrees, we were thrilled with the linguine with clams, mussels, shrimp, cherry tomatoes special, along with the perfect Tuscan rose. Great pairing. Mediterraneo is one of our all-time faves and always our Sarasota kickoff.
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