50 Best Italian Restaurants near Windermere

“Hallelujah, I’ve been lost and found! I’ve been searching in the wilderness that is Orlando Italian restaurants for the 25 years that I’ve lived here and I am so happy to proclaim from the rooftops that the new Manzzo’s in “Windernear” is the first authentic Italian restaurant that I’ve found in Central Florida. I’m not saying Italian American, I’m saying Italian. As someone not only of Italian heritage, but as someone who is lucky enough to travel to Italy somewhat frequently, I was so happy to dine at Manzzo’s tonight. Yes, Amatraciana has guanciale in it (not bacon), yes Carbonara has eggs (not cream), and yes, the Tiramisu is not overly sweet. The wait staff is great, the atmosphere is a nice vibe and the wine list is good enough. The food is wonderful. We had a pasta dish and a risotto tonight and it brought us back to Rome, I think Stanley Tucci would be proud to eat here. Even if the authenticity of the Italian food is not a concern to you (admittedly I am obsessed), I am sure that you will find Manzzo’s to be the best restaurant on the west side of Orange County. Give it a try!“

“Very welcome and friendly manager and servers. The food was super italiono delicious. 👍🏻 from Thai fellows here.“

“Tonight was our first time eating here. I love how close by it is to where we live. We split an "Antipasto" salad and ordered a 16" "Mediterranean Chicken" pizza. The place was not busy in-house, but they were dealing with a good number of takeout orders. The pizza and salad came out quickly. The pizza was "oven hot", but eating the salad first allowed it to cool a bit. Excellent pizza... thin crust that had a nice chewy texture without being tough. They told us that the crust is "aged" for 72 hours after being mixed to develop flavor. Toppings were freshly prepared and tasty. Our pizza had a pesto base... really good. Very happy with our meal here... we'll definitely be back!!“

“Piesanos provided pizza and delivered it to our church for a youth event recently. They were super friendly and the pizza was a huge hit with our teens! Thank you for the awesome service and delicious food!“

“I ordered a couple of pies to go last night. They were quite busy when I got there and I did have to wait a few extra minutes, but the pizza was definitely worth it. I will be ordering from them again as I also found out that they will deliver it!“

“Great Thanksgiving dinner experience while in Orlando. Jose was excellent!!!!“

“While at Epcot we dinned here twice. Our waiter Francesco was awesome. He was very attentive and went over the menu with us. The food is superb and the resturante is beautiful. Francesco even helped me with my italian. we give this resturante 5 🌟 stars!“

“Good food! Nice staff. Pizza and chicken parmigiana absolutely delicious“

“Fast friendly service great food as always. Calamari was perfect“

“We always enjoy lunch at this I-Drive location. The food is delicious and May, our server, is always amazing. May is extremely attentive and personable. Good job Carrabbas and May! Can’t wait to go back.“

“Rica la pizza, cómo me gusta. Amplió el restaurante y el servicio súper especial“

“Great food and great service“

“This was our first time but it won't be our last. They were very accommodating with Gluten free options like GF pasta and GF bread. They also offered to make almost any entre GF.

The service was EXCELLENT!! Antonio and Josephine were amazing hosts. They really made you feel welcomed and were happy to answer questions about the menu.

We had the shrimp scampi and it was delicious with plenty of jumbo shrimp. This came with rainbow carrots and broccolini.
We also had the Filet Mignon with mashed potatoes and vegetable. The food was prepared exactly how we wanted and seasoned to perfection.

We had the house Tri-Mozzarella platter appetizer and it was amazing!!

We had an excellent meal and great experience!!!
We definitely recommend this restaurant!

Dietary restrictions: Gluten free options available such as pasta and GF bread. They also are very accommodating in offering to prepare almost any entre GF!!

Parking: Huge parking lot.

Kid-friendliness: High chairs available.“

“Sam (our server) and Angeline (our Sommelier), along with a very nice young man (been there about 8 months) who brought us in (sorry I didn’t catch his name) made sure we wanted for nothing. We asked for suggestions and they delivered all the way through dessert!! Professional, engaging, and genuinely nice people! Oh, and the food!!!!“

“I recently had the pleasure of dining at Maggiano's Little Italy in Orlando on International Drive and it was an experience worth sharing. From the moment we walked in, we were greeted warmly by the hostess, who promptly seated us at a cozy table that perfectly set the tone for the evening. The waitstaff was exceptional—attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable. They made sure our glasses were never empty and checked in just the right amount to ensure we had everything we needed without being intrusive. For the main course, we chose the Chicken Parmesan, which was cooked to perfection with a crispy exterior and tender, juicy chicken inside. The pasta was al dente, and the meat sauce was rich and savory. It was really enough for two people to share. To top it all off, they brought two plates of their famous lemon cookies to our table, to celebrate our third anniversary. Overall, our experience at Maggiano's was nothing short of excellent. The combination of outstanding service, a welcoming atmosphere, and delicious food made for a memorable evening. I highly recommend Maggiano's for anyone looking to enjoy a wonderful Italian meal with top-notch service.“

“I stopped by because I could smell how good the food was walking to Publix, Jay helped me find a perfect late night meal.He is the kindest person and understands the menu and its pairing very well! Jay provided excellent recommendations and you can tell he genuinely cares for customers and its elevated the dining experience. i’d highly recommend this restaurant!“

“Great first date place to impress. I wish they would enforce the dress code more strictly. Saw men in jeans and women in bad tank tops. This place is too classy to not require people to respect the last of what use to be a special night out kind of code...so dress the part.“

“Visited Orlando for the weekend golfing at Bay Hill. Fresco's was recommended by the folks at the Lodge. Glad we stopped in for dinner. The food is excellent. It will be my goto on future Orlando visits.“

“Fantastic food and friendly but professional staff. We had tiramisu and wine one night and then the meatball appetizer and lobster ravioli the following night. All was delicious but the meatballs with the polenta was a delicious new twist.“

“My favorite restaurant in Winter Garden. Decided to do Italian for Thanksgiving and it was outstanding. My favorite is their Pork Osso Bucco and they did not disappoint. Service and owners are always on point. Thank you for enjoying my first Thanksgiving being waited on. Always recommend this place, never a bad meal. Thank you Dorina“

“Catherine was amazing and offered the best possible service. She is truly an amazing server and deserves all the praise she can get and promotion. Seriously, put her in charge of training other servers. She is exemplary in how she handles big tables and makes everyone feel welcomed and happy being in the restaurant. I can not express enough how amazing of a worker she is.“

“Huge RAVE for La Piccolina - Winter Garden. We went to celebrate my father’s birthday and everything was wonderful. The food was delicious, so flavorful and generous portions! On top of our delicious meals the service was excellent! They went above and beyond, surprised my daughter with a fun make her own pizza, which was so fun and a sweet surprise. This place is authentic and caters to hospitality! Thank you for making our dining experience so wonderful! We can’t wait to come back.“

“I love the soup and salad special. Cuppa Toscana is my favorite!!

Parking: The parking lot is big, but sharing with Dennys and very full after 6 p.m.

Wheelchair accessibility: Accessible. Two disabled parking spits.“

“We came rolling into Orlando after a long day of traveling! We were all very hungry for some good pizza! V Pizza did not disappoint us! Our 13 year old granddaughter kept saying it was some of the best pizza she'd ever eaten! As previous owners of a pizza restaurant, we thought our pizzas were pretty amazing! The staff was very friendly and eager to serve us. The restaurant was clean and had very modern decor. We will probably go back before returning home!“

“They Best italiano fotos I loved si good“

“Amazing setting, music, and food. Everything is very presentable, and fresh.“

“This place is always busy; so be ready to wait. The food is good and the staff is friendly. Be patient when you come here, they are servicing volumes of people daily.

Parking: Parking can become difficult during peak hours.“

“The food is amazing.The bartenders are friendly and efficient. My friends and I try to go at least once a month for happy hour .“

“Delicious food and amazing service !!“

“What an awesome experience at the portifino resort at universal. Felt like a date night in Italy. The food was delicious, prepared fresh, and the atmosphere was very nice. Had a few folks walking around playing music and singing. Too notch service and food that I would pay too dollar for and not much more expensive than everything else at universal. Definitely worth checking out where ever you are staying“

“Love this place… perfect combination of atmosphere and great food.“

“The Stuffed Veal Chop is to die for. Excellent food and service. Our waiter was super nice. Forgot his name.“

“Sue and I have not been to this place since they converted to sit-down and order. Finally joining the real restaurant world. We have eaten here about 20 times in the last few years and have always enjoyed the food, but felt strange with the get-your-own-drink aspect of it. Anyways, we are seated at our favorite booth, Perry Como, Elvis, Dean Martin, and Sinatra (the usual suspects) crooning at a comfortable level, with decent speakers. Oscar greeted us and took our drinks order, leaving a couple of rather impressive menus with us. We spent some time looking at the menu, as the format has changed somewhat. I ordered the shrimp marsala on linguine, Sue ordered the same on some other pasta noodle (You choose). After a reasonable interval, our food arrived. 2 huge bowls of deliciousness thick enough that it could have been called a stew. Lrt me tell you, I've been to restaurants that the orders contained little meat, little mushrooms, and a LOT of broth. Not here! These bowls were crammed with a ton of food. Shrimp, portobella mushrooms and pasta that was not overcooked. I gotta tell you, Sue and I dine out a LOT...various venues all over WG/Ocoee/Windermere/Clermont. This was probably the finest meal I ever had. The improvements the restaurant made are A+ Definitely worth dropping a hundy on.“

“The hotel is beautiful, huge, rooms were great, lots of choices on places to eat. HUGE DOWNSIDE…. Parking!!! There was a cheering competition here(no I didn’t know when we booked or we wouldn’t have!) so we had to park about a mile away from the hotel every time we wanted to come and go, even though we have handicap parking they didn’t have any spots only a couple that have been taken since we got here. And don’t forget anything you need. Lol Hubby ran out of cigarettes, ran down to the little market downstairs. $18.00 a pack.“

“Cauliflower salad is absolutely amazing“

“Everything was spectacular. My family shared an order of suppli and a margherita pizza. Reminded us of our vacation to Rome. Our entrees were authentic and delicious. The wine suggestions were excellent. All the servers are knowledgeable, attentive, and hilarious! It was a perfect evening.“

“I can tell you that Italio was a great find!
Whoever else claim "fresh italian food" doesn't really achieve any freshness as this place.
Price is correct and individual plates are well served! Sauce is fresh, salt correct and the pasta is "al dente" .
The paninis are also a must!
Highly reommended!“

“We had a wedding shower Bella Tuscany in Ocoee on Sunday. The room was the perfect size, the food was outstanding (we did a brunch), and the service was amazing. A big shout out to Barb and her staff who helped us make the shower so memorable.“

“Worst experience ever. Ordered food for pickup checked in and waited for 15 mins. Then had to go in and was treated with no respect from the hostess. Was told to wait were busy. Funny only 10 cars in the whole parking lot. I didn't spend $70 to pick up cold food. Don't waste your time at this location.“

“Their are clearly mark take out and delivery. Do you feel the same way when you go papa johns or Dominos and there is no sitting.“

“Amazing, great food, love the ambiance!“

“It’s always a great way to end your shopping day at Brio’s! Love it!“

“I love this place. I ate so much and left happy. We'll be back soon. 100% recommended.“

“Have been to this Olive Garden a few times and each time it is such a pleasant experience! I have 3 kids that are 3 and under and they always accommodate us so well! Just went in today for Valentine’s Day and our server, Shack, was probably the best server we’ve ever had there! Nothing went empty, and when he wasn’t at our table a manager was stopping in to check on us or refill anything we might need! Truly great location and even better staff!“

“My family enjoy eating at, I love new york pizza“

“Every time I come to this resort. I Play their games that they have throughout the week and I always win free pizza, drinks and ice cream. So of course it's a five star. I never have to pay for anything. The pizza is great and has a lot of cheese.“

“My sister and I had our first visit to Cariera's in Winter Garden, FL, a family owned restaurant, for lunch about a week ago. I first heard about it a few years ago on the NextDoor App for the Dr. Phillips neighborhood in Orlando, which I believe was their original location. We grabbed the menus, sat at a booth, made our selections and then went up to very friendly Cashier/Waitress Valerie to prepay our meals and tips. I had the Fried Calamari, Shrimp & Crab Ravioli ala Vodka, fruit infused red sangria and for dessert, Limoncello cake. Sis had the Lasagna. Everything was delicious (see pics)! The calamari was seasoned crispy on the outside but light and tender on the inside. The ravioli didn't have as much crab as I would have liked but plenty of shrimp. The vodka sauce was creamy and cheesy. Even the garlic roll was fresh and warm. Everything was perfect and there was plenty leftovers to feed us a couple more days. The owner and Valerie and other servers checked on us periodically throughout our meal. The food, welcoming atmosphere and excellent customer service provided our first-time visit with a very happy, delightful experience! There are plenty of veggie and vegetarian options and a $10 'Little Bambinos' menu. Cariera's is located in a strip mall with plenty of parking except handicapped spaces are limited. We plan to return to try different things on the menu and would highly recommend for indoor and/or carry out meals with family, friends and visitors.“

“The best pasta I have ever tried! On top of that it’s the customer service you receive whenever you make an order or go to the markets. A company with true customer loyalty with the best fresh pasta at its heart.“

“Amazing service! The staff is outstanding. We got in early and were able to check in early! They were extremely helpful with our bags and even provided a pack and play for our son. Every day we’d come back to our room with clean beds and towels and they’d even set up all of my daughter’s toys and she thought it was the greatest thing ever. Check out was a breeze! They definitely played a very large part in the success of our trip!“

“I have no idea what the people who rated this establishment lower are talking about. The service, food, atmosphere and general ambiance were exceptional. After dining in some of the higher end resort hotels in Disney this Universal treat beats them hands down. Even with the construction maze one has to navigate that may detract a bit one must remember it is not the fault of the restaurant and they more than make up for this slight inconvenience by their service.“