My third visit to Cafe Barbosso. First and second visit fair, this last visit a few days ago was not good. Very subpar. Took a family member for their birthday (3 of us in all). Probably 10 or 12 customers in the restaurant. Pasta on 2 meals overdone. Seafood Fra Diavolo swimming in sauce. Rigatoni 'n Fennel pasta with porcini mushrooms had an odd taste and rubbery mushrooms. We were going to Valentino's at Clark and Sawyer then remembered Cafe Barbossa and thought the atmosphere would be better for this occasion and more unique with the art being performed. I was wrong. Won't make this mistake again. read more

It's ok not great though I just ordered a Cesar salad as it was 9pm.....the bread and olive oil was gross and the Diet Coke was gnarly....probably would not go back...it's basically an old age home crowd. read more

Love this place! Drove by it so many times and decided to try it. It was great!!! I definitely recommend.

Terrible experience for a party of ten not worthy of even one star. Three times gluten free people were served food with bread croutons or normal pasta, and the manager was indignant that the diners should be more careful and go as far as giving the waiter a note on paper that they are gluten free. He himself showed off his rashes from eating gluten, so he should understand. Apparently it is not enough to tell the waiter when ordering. One person had hair in the pasta which was so cold that the pasta formed a messy blob and the sauce was congealing. The food was re-prepared and when the manager was told it was taking a long time, he got really mad at the diner and asked "what do you want me to do - comp the meal?" But he didn't. One person ordered veal piccata on linguine and got the veal on a large bed of artichokes which even surprised the waiter. They comped four coffees probably because the bills were already printed, but the waiter refused to put the mandatory tip on. We will never return. They turned a celebration into a most unpleasant experience. BTW of the ten diners, later that night and next morning one person had hours of diarrhoea, one vomited multiple times, and one had stomach cramps and had trouble falling asleep for hours. read more

Pricy, but great atmosphere, with pleasant staff members. I had the pizza to go and it was delicious.

a great energy and we always like the food this time it wasn't great i would still go it could be a one time.. too much garlic on the bolognese. Marsala was good Keep it on you list Really nice staff read more

Our first visit tonight was with a very large party. The service, by the gorgeous waitress Taila, was impeccable. The food was delicious and the martinis were perfect! We are already planning our next visit, that is how good this place was! Two artists were painting right in the main dining room, which added to the artsy ambiance. The Women's bathroom was full of beautiful paintings and mosaic tiles. The faint smell of garlic really made me feel light I had been transported to Italy. read more

I have been to Cafe Barbosso 3 times now over the last couple years. It was quite disappointing this last time to say the least. We had enjoyed it the last couple times so we thought we would share the experience with friends. Tyne decor is great the art work is amazing and for sale very unique atmosphere. The night started with the service, It took over 10 minutes for the waitress to acknowledge we were seated. It wasn't a big deal as we weren't in any rush. We ordered our drinks and after taking another 10 to 15 minutes they brought us 2 beers and informed us that they were out of stock on the bottle of wine we ordered. So it took several minutes for them to get the next bottle we ordered. We ordered dinner and enjoyed the music. The only recommendation I could make is if you request the patio and want to hear the music and have some conversation with your company I suggest that you sit towards the rear of the patio. It was just to loud to converse and enjoy our company. No fault to the restaurant we requested the patio because of COVID reasons. When they delivered the entrees two of the then were missing a key component of the dish. We ordered 2 Seafood Fra Diablo. Which consisted of Shrimp Mussels, Clams and White Fish (spicy). However there were no clams. When we asked the waitress about the clams she had to look at the menu and then said she would go find out. She came back and told us they were out of clams and that they added additional items to makeup for it. I have to say if you would have told me that they were out when i ordered it I might have changed my mind. I shouldn't have asked and then given a excuse. The dish lacked flavor as it was supposed to be spicy but there was very little if any at all. Overall 2 out of 3 times is ok but not sure I will be suggesting this restaurant to friend as there are just so many other options to try in the sarasota area. read more

I set up a dinner date for 12 of us neighbors on our block and the restaurant had everything ready, the waiter was totally attentive, the Cucumber Mint Martini I had was very refreshing. The food was served perfectly and right temperature, with great appeal. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We will go back. read more

Wonderful! Delicious! Authentic! Just are here Sunday eve. Made reservations ( advisable now bc of covid capacity restrictions) bc we didnt want to risk not getting a table. We ate out on the screened in patio, nice and cool with ceiling fans. All staff wore masks and each table has spray hand sanitizer. Im writing this review bc I FINALLY found a superb pizza! I am hooked. Ive been searching for a really good pizza with that fire roasted quality to it and this was it. I dont even know if they use a fire oven for pizza, I imagine they do but it wouldnt matter bc I loved it! Just wonderful in everyway, thin but not too thin, just the right amount of crustiness , perfect cheese. I got the Bianco, comes with chicken, sun dried tomatoes , gorgonzola cheese and mozzarella ( I asked for them to add some parmesan also) and fresh basil. Sooo good. Give it a try, you will be very Happy. read more

Another fantastic meal. Joseph was a terrific bartender/server! Loved the Arancini, Stuffed Pepper and Margarita pizza! Lively atmosphere and all around great evening! read more

Great food, great service. Chicken parm was fabulous. Will be back. Everything was perfect.

Cool vibe, eclectic, great food. The owner is awesome. Curated one of the best spots in town to enjoy a meal. Love the live art and chef tastings. read more

Best Italian in Florida, Joe and Debbie are the best. Great entertainment and affordable prices

We ordered the steamed Mussels appetizer half were closed and inedible. For dinner I ordered the Seafood Fra Diavolo Linguini Pasta, Clams, Mussels, Shrimp, Fresh Fish, Marinara Sauce $28.00 It came with 2 clams, 3 mussels, 2 shrimp a filet of fish broken into little pieces hidden in a half of pound of pasta. I have ordered this dish many times at different restaurants and received much more shellfish. I asked for the manager, Debbie came to the table I explained the problems with our food, she said, "I'LL PASS IT ON" and walked away. Rude All I wanted was some more shellfish read more

This place is great. Authentic Italian and everything comes with great big portions. Going back soon to try the chef's menu which is a 6 coarse experience. I really enjoyed this place and the artwork is very interesting and most pieces are for sale. I really think this place is great. read more

Wow! This place is amazing! Not only was the waiter amazing the owner came and sat at the table with us. What a nice friendly place. OH and the food was some of the best if not THE BEST I've had in Sarasota. Cannot recommend this place enough. Thanks Joe! I will be back! read more

Cafe Barbosso - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

The atmosphere is upbeat and the staff makes you feel like family. Good food and extensive menu.

Had a run in with the owner. He is downright ignorant and rude. I will find a restaurant that really wants my business. There are many good establishments in Sarasota. Stay away. read more

Took my wife and two children for a 7:15 reservation dinner. This business needs some serious organizational help. While waiting to be seated, took a stroll to the bar, they make the same mistake most places do, no place for a walk up area to get a drink, have to beg to squeeze in between others seated at the bar. The drinks were reasonably priced, however very weak. After being seated, waited a good 15 minutes before a waitress showed up. No water, no bread, just sit and wait. The appetizer, bruschetta was bland, needed balsamic and some salt, which again was no where to be found. The entrees, #1, manicotti, bland no seasoning. Entree #2, spicy penne pasta with a side of sausage, pasta ok (way over priced) and the sausage was tough to chew, needed hours in the pot or else it was a cheap cut? Entrees 3 and 4 soggy pasta with shrimp. The service was nearly non existent. While waiting for the dessert, we think it was the owner came by our table and left a small dish of pasta on our table, we said we didn't order that, he said it's free dont complain? Very odd! That pasta again, flavorless. The dessert which we assume was a store bought product was good. This place like most local restaurants was overwhelmed with people. I don't mind spending a couple hundred dollars for a good meal. The food was below average as was the service. I wish all small businesses well, hopefully the owner will take this constructive criticism and make some change. You can't live off a legends name alone. read more

Very disappointing experience last night. They are not dealing with covid well. They claim 75 percent occupancy but it was 99-100 percent. Large groups were being allowed in without masks. We were seated near the door so they were passing close to our table. Waitress just shrugged her shoulders when we asked her why the staff at the door was not requiring masks. If you are at all concerned about your health, this is not the place to go. There are many other restaurants working diligently to follow the rules. read more

I decided to give this place another try! Big Mistake! I Ordered a Small Pizza with pepperoni! It tasted worse than store bought frozen pizza! My coke tasted flat! So needless to say the food was crap! My server did not want to make things right she was rude and obnoxious! The manager was not polite at all and was full of herself and treated me like a piece of crap! The ambiance wasn't bad like the first time I went! I will never go back! read more

This place is amazing. It was our first time and they not only squeezed us in after saying the wait would be 30 mins, but also surprised us with an app, Great staff, great service, great restaurant read more

Love it. Such a great experience. The chef/owner is always there and makes you feel at home.

Food is average for this type of restaurant, but the service is well below average. Waiters are rude (I've tried it twice, and had two different waiters) and service is slow. read more

The food was delicious. We had takeout- chicken Marsala, chicken piccata, spaghetti/meatballs and arincini balls. Everything was great!

We were craving Italian and found a new place on Clark Road (or new to us since we knew it formerly as Pinchers seafood ). They had a very diverse menu, nice selection of specials as well as a "Savior Sarasota Menu" (This is a fixed price menu with a good choice of appetizers, main meal and a desert) that you usually just see in the summer months when things are slower. Honestly we had a tough time deciding what to eat from such a large and diverse selection. I choice them Savior Sarasota option and picked the stuffed mushrooms, veal Marsala and was lucky enough to get tiramisu for dessert (it was awesome) The meals were delicious and the portions so big we took home some leftovers. The Carbonara was very good, rich and creamy a must try. The inside is decorated with paintings from local artists. Actually there were three (3) ladies in the store tonight actively painting. Was neat to watch them paint while we ate. All and all a very good first experience and I would love to go back again to try some other menu items. read more

See all

The rigatoni bolognese & tomato & Burrata salad are the absolute best!!!! A fun lovey atmosphere, one of our favorite Italian places to visit! Highly recommend! They also offer curbside pick up which is so convenient read more

Have had Cafe Barbosso on my list of places to try for a while now. I was excited to finally make it there to have dinner with my aunt. Place was busy, we didn't have a reservation there was a short wait, about 20 minutes not bad, but also didn't think on a Tuesday that I would need a reservation. So I was even more excited to that the place was busy so the food must be good. For appetizers we ordered the stuffed mushrooms and rice balls. The stuffed mushrooms were DELICIOUS, the rice balls were not. The rice balls didn't have much flavor and then the big bowl of sauce that it came in was cold. But the Demi glaze for the stuffed mushrooms was out of this world. For dinner I ordered the fillet of sole and my aunt had veal parmigiana. The sole was ok nothing to rave home about. My aunts veal was over cooked, you could tell the outside edges were dark brown and black color. It clearly was fried too long. My aunt ate some of it and didn't complain, even though she probably should have. Our waitress Cindy came over and asked if she wanted a box my aunt said no and then told the waitress why she didn't want to take it home, because it was overcooked. The waitress was very apologetic, my aunt said you don't have to apologize it wasn't your fault. The waitress came back with the check and says to my aunt I spoke with the manager and she looked at the veal and said it wasn't over cooked it was "crispy" around that edges, so we gave you 50% off of the veal. Which my aunt's response was well did she try it because I can tell you it was overcooked. The waitress knew shouldn't have said that and quickly back peddled and said I'm sorry I'm just repeating what my manager said. We have you 50% off so you will come back again. A manager that didn't have the decency to come out and say that to our face. Apparently the manager didn't believe my aunt so why would she come out and address us. But hey thanks for the 50% of the meal that was overcooked and we didn't ask for 50% off or even complain. But now I'm complaining because that was pretty tacky and no we won't be back. read more

We made a reservation and requested a table at 6:30pm but they sitted us at 7:10 pm and in a different table. Waiter didn't serve us well. They ran out of meatballs and they ran out of ravioli. The pasta was saucy and not a lot of pasta and meat. It was a very bad experience for us. read more

The food was amazing and so was the service!! We ordered the chicken parmigiana and the ultimate eggplant Best Italian in town!!

Atmosphere was fantastic, everything else was sub-par. Caesar salad was severely underdressed. Shrimp and lobster pasta was bland and floating on top of a massive oil slick. Veal parm was soggy and drowned in sauce. Sausage mushroom rigatoni was very good. I would consider trying again at some point before never returning. read more

One of our favorite restaurants when visiting Florida! Food is amazing, and service is top notch! Get the meatballs, you won't be sorry! Make sure to get Eric as your server as he goes above and beyond to make your meal and experience, perfect! Can't wait for our next trip! read more

Cafe Barbosso - Amazing server Eric! - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Ordered gluten free pizza with pepperoni, sausage, peppers and onions. It was ready ahead of time and it was delicious. Services was delivered with a smile. Also ordered a pizza with sausage and pepperoni for grand kids(age 5 and 8). They loved it and the price was right. read more

Went to Barbosso's last night to celebrate a Girl Friend who is starting treatment for Cancer and she wanted to eat a great meal this weekend! All the food was great! I've posted a few pictures! I had the Lobster Shrimp and Spinach over Angel hair pasta! - other dishes the 10 layer Eggplant was Huge! - veal parmigiana- and Antipasto Salad! - the only negatives as we felt a bit rushed through the dinner even at a 5pm seating - I hadn't been for awhile and I was very impressed with the quality! Will be back soon! read more

See all

OH MY GOD. This place is delicious. I live 7 minutes away, and discovered it when looking for an Italian restaurant for my birthday. The owner is the best - just a quality, enthusiast, generous owner. Came over immediately and asked if it was our first time visiting, then proceeded to make a delicious salad for us on the house. You must go. This is a MUST go. read more

If I came here again I would eat pizza. The food was average at best at our table we had the rigatoni Bolognese, carbonara, seafood Fria Diablo, lobster shrimp spinach. Bologonese was pasty. Service terrible 20+ minutes to get drinks and the order was incomplete. Waited so long I finally went to the bar and ordered a beer. Price to value out of wack. read more

Absolutely the best "legit" Italian food around Sarasota. Great service and really good food. We (party of 4) were seated in about 15 minutes on a busy night. Service was really good, atmosphere was great and the bill was so much less than we expected. Owner and hostess stopped by our table to check in on us. We will definitely be returning. There was an artist creating a painting to hang on the wall among the many original and interesting works already there. This place is a "don't miss" dinning spot. Tucked away in a strip mall and not really on the radar makes it a gem in the many choices of dinning choices in Sarasota. Like their staff t-shirts read "Eat your pasta, Mind your business and pay your bill" states it's a real Italian Restaurant. read more

We went with good friends to Cafe Barbosso. It was excellent! They had a Savor Sarasota Menu, which included an appetizer, main course and dessert, for $35. It was well worth it! We had Grandma's meatballs, Caesar salad and Antipasto salad for appetizers; Short Ribs with Polenta, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Chicken Parmigiana and Chicken Piccata for entrees; and Tiramisu, Chocolate Cake and Cannoli for dessert. All were outstanding!! The ambiance is also great. They have local artists who paint in the restaurant; their finished products are for sale. read more

Atrocious. Been there before with my wife and food is mediocre. Attempted to try it with my family and was welcomed with nasty stares and comments. Maybe call ahead to make sure your family would be welcomed. Not sure when a shopping center restaurant turned into a private adults only supper club. read more