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.“

“Absolutely love it here… The pasta, sauces, and dressings are all homemade. The pizza with their homemade dough is phenomenal… which also comes in a gluten-free option, for those of you… My favorite thing about this whole place is the server and manager, Johnathin. He brings a personal and enjoyable experience every time. 10 out of 10 I highly recommend.“

“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!“

“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!“

“Amazing atmosphere and food“

“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 !!“

“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!“

“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!“

“Always great food and attentive, friendly service. They have a special summer menu that is a pretty amazing deal, see below. They also have a full menu of pasta and risotto back again. The risotto at Bruschetta is about the best I have had this side of Italy.“

“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 a delicious meal here. Homemade mozzarella balls, garlic knots and bolognese tagliatelle were very good. But the bomb was the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. So
Glad our waitress recommended it and the Philly native owner brought the perfect recipe.“

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

“Amazing food in downtown Sarasota.“

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

“Yum!! We go to nice Italian restaurant once a week. We have our favorites & this place is now at the top. The eggplant app was incredible. So much flavor, yet light. The best we ever had. Bread is fresh served with garlic olive oil, fresh. Husband had artichoke fettuccine, excellent. I had a wagu pasta that every bite was wow this is so good! We are going back soon!“

“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 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.“

“Great service and food. They have a large selection of wine. The veal chop was excellent and very big. The table side caesar is also a must try. The menu changes frequently. Everything was top notch quality. I visited for a second time and the food was again excellent. The service was as good as can be.“

“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.“

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

“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.“

“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.“

“I have been all over the world, eaten at many Michelin star restaurants and this place is one of my top 10 favorite Italian restaurants I’ve been to in the entire world. My wife and I split a Caesar salad which was almost an entire meal itself. The anchovies were wonderful. The dressing was not overpowering. I had the veal raviolis outstanding. My wife had the salmon. The only negative was a lot of cappers on it. And we shared two desserts, the tiramisu, and the lemon cake delicious. I would highly recommend this 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.“

“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! 🙌🇮🇹🍝“

“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!!!!“

“Most autenthic italian restaurant in town!“

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

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

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

“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“

“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 -“

“As we were staying at the St Regis hotel, we decided to have one of our dinners at Riva. It was excellent. We had the Ricotta appetizer. The bread was rustic and really tasty. The ricotta and fruit spread was delicious. My entree was the risotto with scallops. The scallops were huge! The risotto was an asparagus style and really was excellent. My wife had the gnocchi. It was very different from what we normally see, but it was really good. I enjoyed our time here.“

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

“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!“