50 Best Italian Restaurants near Palmetto

“I always love eating at Ragu. Each time I’m there I discover something new and interesting on the menu. Service is wonderful and the chef is great! Highly recommend this wonderful restaurant!“

“Breakfast is always a favorite and the Rueben! We get here once a week if not more. This is now a favorite of my folks too! They prefer breakfast and hubby is a smash burger fan! Great servers and friendly too!“

“I loved my meal! The Chicago dog and the Italian beef was amazing. I ordered fries but I barely ate them and I love fries. The dog and beef were that good. I’m telling you the Chicago dog was great and I don’t “like” relish or mustard!!! Go figure! Get the beef wet or at least extra au ju on the side! Get the bread wet like Joey Chestnut and you won’t be mad! Portillo’s doesn’t have anything on this place!!! I can’t believe I’ve lived here 4 years and I just tried them!!! Shame on me!“

“I just like going here with my family after a visit down that way or like after the beach or something idk, it's just kinda nice and so are the people the place is kinda weird but it's only because the other guests make me nervous“

“4.9 Stars! Anything on the menu is good. I was there with a very large group. we all enjoyed our meals. the service was phenomenal. prices were reasonable.“

“The food is amazing! Authentic Italian cuisine with incredible flavor and presentation. The owners are wonderful and so kind. They gave us such an incredible experience at their lovely place.“

“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 experience. Wonderful food, enthusiastic staff. All of us enjoyed our meals and the ambiance. What fun!“

“Wow!! What a fantastic busser you have here. Very friendly and made our evening even better. So much energy. His name is James wow james great Job. I may have to steal him away to work at my restaurant lol.

Parking: Parking was easy“

“Highly recommend! Food was fantastic, and the staff were excellent. Can’t wait for my return visit, and if you’re in the area, you better eat here!“

“Authentic Italian food. 10/10 recommend. You will not be disappointed!“

“Been looking for a good pizza ? place and I found the best pizza ? place ever I give it 10 stars if you are looking for a great place for pizza please try this pizza“

“Charming little Italian cafe. Dog friendly!!“

“Food so good menu changes weekly“

“FAVs never disappoints. Great food all around. The bread and meatballs are amazing. Portions are large and you will not walk away hungry. Highly recommend.“

“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!“

“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“

“First time back with the new owners and chef...the interior was a shock from what it used to look like...LOVE IT GREAT JOB...now the food...we were at the bar with our FAVE bartender "Marci"...as usual she welcomed us back in with open arms and still remembered our cocktails of choice. AMAZING... We are talking over 6-7 months age. New martini glasses...yahoo...new dishes...new everything...the food was excellent!...Started with calamari which had the blend of tenacles which I love...cooked perfectly not overcooked ...crispy but not rubbery...(would order it again in a heartbeat) then the chicken Piccata from the "bar" menu...perfectly cooked pasta...spaghetti was done al dente (and NOT broken into pieces...hate that) and chicken was hot and again. perfectly seasoned...this chef knows how to cook. Now the pi'eces de re'sistance would be to get these on the dessert menu...Italian SFOGLIATELLA...ask to warm them up...and WOW!!...but for now Scarpinos is back on our local favorite place...we WILL be regulars again...Chef Martin keep it up and our favorite bartender Marci...“

“Everything we had was delicious! Can't wait to go back!“

“I used to love this place but it has changed. The garlic knots were fantastic but the ziti was cooked noodles with I think canned tomato sauce with no cheese and not baked. The waitress was friendly but the kitchen staff just seemed to mingle about. Plenty of parking and easy handicapped accessible. Price was more than what the food was worth.“

“Highly recommend delicious authentic italian. Would definitely return on our next visit to AMI.“

“Went there with my wife as a dinner date and the food was amazing. We both agreed that we will be going back there in the future“

“I tried Wheat + Water for the first time, and the food is superb! I added grilled chicken to a pasta dish, and it melted in my mouth. You haven't gone to heaven until you've had the tiramisu for dessert. Next up is the pizza!“

“Nobody should work for these people.. They are abusive to their employees. they steal their pay and they make people work off the clock and overtime without proper pay. When I made a big deal of it. I got paid on a Wed and gave these brothers all the Is opportunities to come talk to me and straighten it out. I was told on Wed it would be taken care of. It was not. Than told I had their WORD (not that that ment much) that someone would come in on Sat to fix everything. Not even a message sent to the store that they were not coming. I stayed with Johnny from LWR store till 1035 and nothing. Than on Sunday had the NERVES to call me to fill in for a CALL OUT. I went in to work that day. Also Sal don't make me post your text to me that Monday. U know yall are wrong that's why your acting like this. If yall just took better care of the people that work for yall. Man we do the HARD work daily that makes yall all that money. #dosntpayemployees #pizza #wagetheft #serviceindustry #abusiveboss #srqfoodie #Sarasotaprofessionals #lwr #lakewoodranchprofessionals #lakewoodranchsportscomplex #Bradentonpizza #USDepartmentofLabor #manateecounty #sarasotafood #labordayweekend #RETIREDCOMBATVET #usarmyveteran #Waitressabuse #Fixedincome #FoodService“

“Decided to go here on a Wednesday evening and there weren't many people there. Usually a red flag but we are in off season and their prices aren't super consistent with having a ton of people. Anyway.
Service was excellent and had a great conversation while getting excellent food service.
Food quality was incredible as there was incredible depth to the food. The portion size isn't what I'm used to at most Italian restaurants. They were far smaller than usual. However. I preferred the smaller plates and focus on quality. This is one of the hidden gems on the key. Please, especially if you prefer a home cooked, reasonably portioned Italian food.... Do it. I will be ordering takeout (at least) and should provide an updated review if anything changes.

Please, if you're out here reading this, give it a shot.“

“Very nice. Food and drinks were excellent and service was wonderful. We will be back.“

“was there today.Wonderful service. want to thank you both. The food ,meat balls,Bread,(what i had ) and canolis were Amazing. you let us see how you made the filling . Thank you so much for your Conversation,and lession on how you did things.Looking forward to our next Visit.the Carrelli Ladys😊“

“Every time we go to Ferraro’s we feel like Family. Their service and food are top notch. The specials were excellent this evening. We had the Mediterranean style sausage and The Brooklyn Parm. Both were delicious. Food is always prompt but you never feel rushed. We will keep coming back! We always leave happy and satisfied. Good People, Great Food! 🙌🏻🍝🥖❤️‍🔥🍷🇮🇹🍕🤌🏻🔥“

“The overall service use to be amazing at this Olive Garden. We have come here several times over the years and this is the worst front staff I’ve ever experienced. I checked in and was told it would be a 15 minute wait and told them that I had people coming but instead of seating us after 25 minutes passed I came up to ask the pregnant hostess if they were waiting for my party or something because we’ve been waiting and she was like oh yeah yeah we are without so much as looking at me or apologizing for the wait. There were several of them up there that were just laughing and joking around unprofessionally and the pregnant hostess was eating up there talking with the other ladies at the podium while they ignored us. She disappeared completely for several minutes and after 30 minutes I asked a girl who showed up if we were going to be seated because my party was waiting. She said she would check because she just got there. She went to find the pregnant hostess and told her we were waiting 30 minutes and my daughter overheard her denying it. I’m just not used to that at any restaurant. If you tell me 15 minutes and it’s not busy in there then we have better be seated whether we are waiting for people to arrive or not. It put me in such a terrible mood that I wanted to leave but thankfully our waiter came right away and was amazing. He was very attentive and kind and I felt he deserved a good tip. What made me write this review was when we left there were a gaggle of women at the front with the pregnant hostess and we all noticed that they just stared at us and didn’t say the usual thank you have a good night. No one bothered to politely open the door like they have always done for us in the past. You just knew that they we’re talking bad about you. If this is what this Olive Garden restaurant is turning into then I have to stop coming. I don’t know what’s up with those women but this is their place of work not a place to gossip and bullshit about their life or talk shit about their paying customers who are there to be treated with some measure of respect and kindness when they are out with their family for dinner. I hope a manager sees this review and addresses this issue of plain rudeness. We are also not white and so obviously white people were being treated better and seated immediately. By the way, our pregnant hostess was black but for some reason thinks it’s ok to be rude to us. If this ever happens to us again, a complaint will definitely be filed to your corporate management or the BBB. I will not tolerate this behavior in front of my family.“

“You only have one chance to make a good first impression on a new customer and Eleni’s did not disappoint!! Friendly, courteous, and helpful was so refreshing. The pizza was great — loved the cheese! I’d go back again just for the great customer service. Good job, Eleni’s Pizza Works! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽“

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

“Everything was excellent. First time trying your place and we will be back.“

“BEST pIzZa IN ALL OF MANATEE AND SARASOTA!“

“The food and service were awesome. Will be going back and would recommend everyone tries it out. Family owned and operated. They have a vegan menu menu as well as GF options. A well rounded restaurant. They have dine in and take out.“

“Good pizzas and good salad 🥗“

“Beautiful and delicious! The owners are wonderful and friendly. Ask for anything they can make anything you want the Italian authentic style.“

“On a last minute decision we decided to eat here. We are so glad we did. Service was very friendly and welcoming. The food was fast and fresh. The pizza was great and salads were made fresh. Delish!“

“I’ve been here a few times and have always been impressed. Today I was BEYOND impressed. They were the only pizza place in the area open and the whole staff were working their butts off. The manager thanked everyone for their patience and said everyone had been working non stop since 11am and no one even had taken a break or eaten all the day.
Moral was low at my house and we didn’t have electricity for a couple days: hearing they were open, seeing everyone in there working so hard with a good attitude seriously touched my heart. And the pizza was soooooo good and lacked nothing. My family and my neighbor all had their pizza for dinner and we felt so much better and happier afterwards. A HUGE thank you to the staff of Michelangelos. I could kiss you all.“

“Best pizza I've ever had.“

“Really nice restaurant with authentic Greek cuisine, portions were tasty and a good size, wonderful atmosphere and excellent service. We will definitely be back.“

“Don’t go solo. I was seated in a corner used for extra chair storage away from the main part of Restaraunt. No one else at 2 tables. Plenty of empty tables in main part. Made me feel like I had BO oh well. Plenty of other places where they let you sit with everybody else.“

“I would like to thank Elexas and Madison for their great customer service. These two ladies made my 1st experience at Joey D's a great one. They were friendly, kind, and considerate. Thank you! RaDawn“

“Just did a google search for a “casual Italian” while waiting for someone to arrive at airport. I found Rocco’s. It’s tucked in a strip mall. I arrived 45 minutes before they closed and they happily sat me.
Lucas served me and was very pleasant and provided wonderful service even tho I was the only one left.
The bread came out with a garlic dipping oil and the salad had one of the best dressings I have ever had. Don’t be fooled by how simple it is . It’s perfect.
The pasta came out and it was a HUGE portion! It would be nice to have a single portion option but I took the leftovers, even tho I’m in a hotel. I also orders a lasagna for my boyfriend.
Really enjoyed it all!“

“I absolutely love their Penne Al Vodka with Chicken, Greek salad, and of course pizza! Fast friendly service. We order at least once a week! A must try in Bayshore“

“My new favorite Italian restaurant. Have ordered four times from Uber Eats and haven’t been disappointed. Everything is so fresh and delicious. The eggplant parmigiana is fantastic. The antipasto salad, the cheesesteak, the pizza, the best I’ve had in a long time. Former NYer here and I highly recommend. Don’t forget the Lemon Mascarpone cake. It’s so good I order two pieces at a time.“

“EVERYTHING! MY FAVORITE RESTAURANT!“

“We love ordering from Hungry Howies and order from there about once a week. The staff is always friendly and prompt and food is excellent. Just one slight problem tonight, we ordered a Italian sub and chef salad with Italian dressing, well today we did not get the dressing with our salad. Good thing we have dressing at home, so it’s not really a big deal. I just really enjoy their Italian dressing. We always enjoy their food and will continue to!!!“

“I’ve been in the shop before, it’s very clean. Today I ordered delivery, an 8 corner pizza & I thought I ordered “boneless” wings but after checking the receipt…it was my mistake for ordering regular wings and NOT boneless ones. I absolutely hate the outer skin of a wing when that skin is not rendered…and that’s how these wings arrived. Sooooo, I put some nitrile gloves on, took the skin off, rubbed the meat with that Sweet Red Chili sauce from the skin and the wings were fantastic!! That Sweet Red Chili sauce is Amazing!! I ate the wings and 1 corner of my pizza, the other 7 slices are wrapped up and in my freezer for when I want a slice of some of the BEST pizza around!! I may have had a hiccup with the wings but there’s always a silver lining if ya look hard enough…

Vegetarian options: Salads

Wheelchair accessibility: Sidewalk availability and handicap parking“

“Went a couple Saturdays ago, pizza was fantastic, couldn't wait to go back. Went last Saturday, cook got distracted with looking for chafing dishes and frames for someone, pizza was way over cooked and we were served a burned pizza. Very disappointed. Waited 30 minutes, didn't want to wait another 30 minutes for a remake, so we ate burned pizza. 🫤“