50 Best Italian Restaurants near Siesta Key

“Everything was absolutely amazing!! Excellent service, food was delicious!! Hands down a must! We will definitely be back!!“

“First off, this place is amazing! It’s definitely a small hole in the wall shop but the pizza and atmosphere did not disappoint! Had the spaghetti and meatballs also, very delicious and can’t forgot garlic knots! Will definitely be back!!! Price is great“

“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!“

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

“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.“

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

“Amazing atmosphere and food“

“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!!!“

“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!“

“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!“

“Amazing food in downtown Sarasota.“

“Chef Marco's food is wonderful - some of the best Italian we've had in Sarasota. The restaurant is a neighborhood gem! Olga runs the front and the service and attention are outstanding. They have a small but very nice wine list. We had thought they closed - but they had moved, which we were so happy about. Go and eat there - you won't be sorry!!!“

“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!“

“Delicious meal! Service was great! Matthew our waiter was super!“

“We hosted a neighborhood holiday dinner for 42 guests, and everything was fantastic. Laura and Veronica were a pleasure to work with—professional, efficient, and incredibly accommodating. The food was delicious, and they truly went the extra mile to make sure all our guests were taken care of. Highly recommend this restaurant for special events!“

“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.“

“What a GREAT find! Small Italian place with 8 tables and the Chef cooking for the room.

Everything was great! Had the Escargo fra diavolo, table-side Caesar salad for 2. Entrees were the lobster fra diavolo and jumbo shrimp/lobster over cream sauce.

An hour ride but worth the trip. Looking forward to our next visit.

Grazie mille Chef!“

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

“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“

“The food really wasn't that great, but the service was and the atmosphere was pleasant as well. The manager was also pretty awesome. The best part was that we didn't meet the manager because of a complaint we met the manager because he was offering outstanding customer service to help his team. RESPECT!“

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

“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.“

“Always great service, great food at great prices. Always enough to take home. Love this place!“

“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.“

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

“First time here… had a wonderful evening with wonderful Italian food. We have a little 1.5 year old son and the staff and owner couldn’t have been more friendly and expressed to us not to worry about anything with our son being a little grumpy, and told us to just enjoy the evening and the food. Shrimp risotto, linguini, chicken parm, all so tasty and wonderful. Highly recommend. We will be back. Best service we’ve had in a while.“

“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!“

“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!“

“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.“

“Most autenthic italian restaurant in town!“

“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! 🙌🇮🇹🍝“

“nice lil spot that holds late night entertainment. The staff was polite and accommodating. The music was great and we had a good time. next time will try the food.“

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

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

“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!!!“

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

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

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

“10/10 recommend. We came Sunday for the brunch and it was AMAZING! Everything tasted great, and the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. Our waiter Dejan, made our experience even better, he treated us and our baby like royalty. Great, great service. What a great experience today“

“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.“

“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! 🙌🇮🇹🍝“

“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!!“

“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.“

“Such a wonderful and serene location.“