Large portions of food, whatever you order. Staff very attentive. Looking forward to going back.

Had dinner with family over Thanksgiving weekend. Food was basically good service a bit uneven. Portions are generous and the menus quite diverse. Staff a bit stressed although it was very busy. I would go again. read more

A nice find. Looking for a place for lunch when returning from our Accountant in St. Augustine. Being an Italian from NY I can be a bit particular. Had the eggplant parmigiana. Definitely homemade. Not just done fried eggplant with sauce thrown over it, It was baked and very tasty. Like having linen tablecloths in a casual place for lunch. Service was cordial. read more

I visited this restaurant on 02/06/15. Good food, but very poor decor. I had chicken scarpiello, and my wife had shrimp parmesan, both dishes where good not great. When the bread came out I asked for olive oil, and instead of pasta my wife substituted mixed vegetable. I got the bill, and I'm from NYC and i've eaten in some of the best Italian restaurants around. I have never seen a surcharge of $1.95 for olive oil and $6.95 for a tiny portion of vegetables. I was outraged, I don't mind paying $21.95 for shrimp parmesan in a dive, but $1.95 for olive oil?? I complaint to the waitress and the owner went hiding in the back. I told them that I would never return. Oh the waitress told me that hidden on the menu somewhere it says $1.95 for olive oil. Stupid stupid restaurant, by the way this the same place that was closed down by the board of health in St Augustine for having mice and droppings read more

Loved Barrancottas back in the day at this location so saw lights there and thought we would check it out. The Good... The building is of course amazing! Mid century architecture, 50's groove!!! Portions were very generous! The Meh... The food was good, but not great. Tasted like Spankys to me but not Barrancottas, or Aruanno's by any means. (Places I use to enjoy in St.Augustine) Overpriced IMO. The could be improved... Asked for a soda; got a 16oz plastic container with no refills for $2.25 (It would have helped to have no refills communicated to me when I ordered it) For us we won't return or recommend but others may love it! read more

Something must've happened to this restaurant. We went there for my wife's birthday. I had chicken cacciatore and she had a version of eggplant Parmesan that was not breaded. Her sauce was very bitter and so was mine. The chicken did fall off the bone in my dish so that was a plus. Also, our waitress Jo-Jo was extremely pleasant. This is certainly not like the homemade food we are used to, however. I do not recommend this place. read more

First off, this place only accepts cash or debit card, so go in prepared. My wife found this place and we decided to go. Once outside, I was kind of skeptical because of the size of the place, but I was wrong. Walking in, the atmosphere is very "homey" and reminds you of grandmas house! I loved it! The tables are close to each other and give you a romantic feel. We were given the menu's and offered wine/beer/water as well as some of the freshest bread I've ever had! We started with soup and I had the Italian Bruton beer (get the darker brew, tastes amazing) and ordered the Pasta Primavera while my wife ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo! After all, whats italian dining without pasta?! It took some time for the food to come out(meanwhile we ate the fresh bread with the butter creme sauce thats homemade), but keep in mind they make it all from scratch, and my god was it worth the wait! First off, they come served in these massive bowls with fresh cheese already on them. Hands down the best pasta I've ever had, as well as the freshest tasting pasta! The sauce was amazing and the veggies were so fresh! My wife, who usually cant finish a plate, devoured the food as she said it reminded her of her trip to Italy! The service was great and the waitress wasn't overbearing which was perfect for the mood and the atmosphere! Great place, 11/10 rating, can not compliment the food enough, and the atmosphere was terrific! Thank you for such a great birthday weekend dinner! read more

The food was excellent!! Large plates with an extreme depth of flavor. Totally worth checking out this place!

Ponce de Leon only wishes he had discovered this gem! Tucked away just off Highway 1 near the Shores, Casa Benedetto is a treasure. My second visit, this time during the pandemic, did not allow me to dine inside. But my take-out salad (Artichoke Sensation) lived up to its name. And the bread?? Oh my. As if the herb butter wasn't enough, the eggplant-pepper-tomato spread was over the top. They have gluten-free options, too. I'll be back! read more

The Casa Benedetto's is definitely an authentic Italian family restaurant. This place has the best tortellini & penne a la vodka! The cheesecake is delicious! DO NOT order a pitcher of Sangria if it's just 2 of you. It's truly a pitcher not just a carafe like Carrabba's. Well worth the drive from Jacksonville to St. Augustine.. read more

Casa Benedetto's Italian Caffe - Italian Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

Sorry to say I cannot recommend Benedetto's due to my experience. Too bad as the atmosphere was a cute cafe, with good service although I felt it was a bit pricey. The Shores needs more good restaurants as the population increases. I have had an upset stomach, now 4 days post-dinner, after eating only half of the dinner and a Cesar salad.. Would not recommend any dish with the tomato sauce. The sauce was thick, greasy, and smelled like tomato paste. It was as if it had been sitting in a pot for a long time, not fresh as I grew up in the N.J. so know good Italian food ! read more

Disappointing is the best I can give them. There is potential but they miss the mark. We were so excited to see a NY Italian restaurant so open so close to us since we haven't had good Italian since we moved to Florida 15 years ago. Baked clams were mostly bread. Lacked flavor. Rice balls were bland and the meat sauce served with them was burnt. Linguini with white clam sauce. Pasta cooked al dente but not hot and barely any clams. Flavor was lacking. Chicken Francese. Chicken was cooked beautifully but again the flavor was lacking. The service. Not bad. Not good. Won't be going back anytime soon. read more

To those who want to go here (and you should!) know that the establishment only takes cash or debit cards so be prepared. This review is for a trip in late February. Casa Benedetto's is not only the best Italian in town, it's one of the best restaurants in town period. I first got to experience this place when they were at their old location near Crescent Beach when I was student at Flagler College and they have since relocated to their new location in Vilano Beach. Craving some great Italian my father and I made the drive over and were once again blown away with the quality of our meal. The atmosphere is very quaint as the new building is older but provides a lot of intimacy. Once seated my Dad and I ordered an appetizer of calamari which was perfectly prepared - great taste as well as texture, which can be somewhat tricky with calamari. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp added in and I can say it is the best I have ever had. Creamy sauce with just the right amount of thickness that had a great taste to go along with fresh grilled shrimp in with the pasta. That dish is a favorite of mine and while I'm thrilled with what I got, I am only disappointed in myself that I did not order the crab stuffed shrimp which sounded just heavenly. My Dad ordered the Zuppa de' Pesce and was equally thrilled with his meal. I cannot comment on this personally but my father loved it - and he is quite hard to please with Italian food. The owners are wonderfully nice people who chat with their guests and really go out of their way to make you feel at home. I would recommend this place to anyone seeking out phenomenal Italian food and believe me when I tell you it's worth the drive if you're from around the area. read more

This is a wonderful Italian family restaurant in Vilano. We went the night after Thanksgiving and still ate a lot, it was that good. A multigenerational New York Italian family has got it right here! The owner was sitting in his chair with his dog when we came in, which we took as a good sign. We had the basics - spaghetti and meatballs, clams with red sauce and the manicotti, all very good. Highly recommended! read more

I wasn't impressed. The prices are high and the food is mediocre. The atmosphere is nice, staff was on top of things but the food is really not that good. The bread is good, but they don't cut it all the way through so you have to pull it apart and mangle the thin slices in the process. The veal picatta was boring, tasteless capers. Veal sorrentino was boring and heavy on breading. The side pasta had the worst marinara I've had in a long time. read more

We happened across Casa Benedettos by chance as yelp did not reveal it when we were looking in the neighborhood. We cruised town and as we slipped into the 1950s complete with period signs all about we spied Benedettos. After checking Travel Advisor and seeing a 4.5 with 1100 reviews we opted to stop for lunch. Only after having a superior lunch did we see the very mixed yelp reviews. I really do not know what happened to others but we had a lovely time. Do not expect speed and allow yourself to slip into a slower time and you should be ok. Have a glass of wine and take the time. The Italian bread that was served is probably the best I have had in a restaurant. The crust was firm and crunchy and the inside was warm and delicate. The whipped herb butter was lovely and the eggplant caponata was an interesting and tasty addition. I had the lunch portion shrimp pomodoro over homemade fettuccine which was out of this world. The sauce was rich and well balanced with just the right acidity. The texture of the pasta was spot on. Overall this was my favorite meal in the Jacksonville area in 2.5 mo read more

Hands down the best meal we have had in St Augustine and all have been good! A wonderful combination of authentic Italian cuisine with wonderful service. Our meals were chicken cacciatore, lasagna and Chicken Parm. Homemade desserts were delicious as well. All reasonably priced. Completely recommend! read more

Listen here! HEAR YE HEAR YE. THIS WAS THE GREATEST MEAL I HAVE EVER EATEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE AND I EAT...ALOT. literally, words do not express the love I have found for this little house turned into the Disney world of Italian food. I'm struggling writing this as I am dying of a literal food coma but justice needs to be served as this place deserves all the stars. read more

Solid Italian/Sicilian food in a great location. This was super fun to visit. I came at an odd time so I was one of a few people in the restaurant. I imagine it gets very crowded for dinner. The bread was served hot and came with an herb butter and eggplant caponata. I had chicken parmigiana (probably an odd choice for being near the beach) and it was delightful. I'm so glad I made a detour and stopped here! read more

This was a quaint place! We ordered the fettuccine Alfredo and fusilli with meat sauce and meatballs. While the Alfredo was good (and a huge bowl) I thought their meat sauce was really delicious. The meals came with soup or salad. The soup is homemade and good, the salad was also good. Their bread was some of the best I'd ever had! For dessert, we shared the bread pudding. It was a small serving, thank goodness! I'd definitely return. read more

See all

Outstanding! A cute, little mom and pop Italian restaurant right next door to our hotel... You don't feel like you are in a restaurant, you feel and are treated like a guest in someone's home... Everything was so amazing that we came back the next night just for coffee and dessert.. read more

Casa Benedetto's Italian Caffe - Lobster ravioli and chicken tortellini... Outstanding food outstanding service! - Italian Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

We were happy to hear that this was a family owned Sicilian restaurant. Two orders of lasagna take out was disappointing. The lasagna was not stacked as a a typical dish would be, but merely 2noodles some acidic sauce with possibly a touch of ricotta, meat, and then literally smothered in 1/4 to 1/2 lb of mozzarella. The bread was served with herbed butter and an eggplant spread that was interesting. As a Sicilian, I'm not going back read more

Cute inside. Service was fine. The food? A little sloppy. Starts off with really good bread (fresh baked?) and some eggplant campanatta. Very good. Next up was fried calamari. Also good. Add in a couple of tasty rice balls and we were ready for the main event. The pasta fagoli soup was oily and more like a minestrone. Not eaten. For my entree i had the chicken scarpiello. The presentation was a mess. The sauce was so dark, i couldn't see what i was eating. And too much sauce, everything was swimming in it. Zero finesse. It tasted just ok. The angel hair side was sitting in a cup of watery red sauce. Did not eat. My wife got chicken parm. Chicken was super tender. Again, it was a big sloppy mess on the plate. Overall, it reminded me of when I used to order take out from the pizzaria when i lived in NYC... Except that this was $20 plus per entrée. Now that i am a local here, would i go back? Maybe, if someone was visiting and were desperate for sloppy red sauce italian .. And they were paying. read more

Amazing food - the best garlic bread we've ever tasted. If you want genuine Italian cuisine in a family restaurant atmosphere- this is the place. Jay and his wife were lovely and the meal was amazing. read more

My mother & I stumbled upon this colorful building with LOTS of character before taking a fabulous sunset cruise with Red Boat Tours. We quickly ordered 2 soups (pasta fagioli) & 2 sides of thin pasta to which we asked them to add marinara sauce. In addition, we ordered a salad to split. The food was truly divine!! Thank you!! read more

To say this was one of the best Italian lunches we've had would be a disservice. The food was creative, flavorful and left us wanting more time in St. Augustine to come back. We started with the fried calamari appetizer and I was pleased to see they included both body and tentacle. We were also served fresh made bread with butter and a tomato/olive dip that was amazing! Entrees for us included the crab stuffed shrimp with a side of linguine and chicken scarpiello with a side of angel hair. This dish was hands down the highlight of the day. The vinegary tang, mixed with the paper thin sliced sausage and mushrooms in gravy was a refreshing surprise. It's cash, check or debit, but so worth it! Run, don't walk read more

Came here again after being impressed 2 years ago. We were equally impressed again this time. Ignore the less than impressive building and sit back and enjoy great food and friendly staff. Feels a lot like a bed and breakfast where the owners really care about the service they provide and food they present. read more

Great little spot. Authentic and romantic. Needed to slow down tonight and just enjoy the moment and this place hit the nail with the food and the atmosphere. read more

Stopped in for dinner on the first night of our visit to St. Augustine. Can't say enough about the food. It was fantastic. To atmosphere is great. Sort of a little house converted to a restaurant. Frank Sinatra playing in the back ground. Very cute decor. The chicken strachiatella soup was wonderful. Very full of flavor. Everything we had was terrific. The service was great as well. This place has set a very high standard for the rest of our visit to live up to! read more

After reading the reviews for Casa Benedetto, we were excited to drive the 8 miles south down Rte 1 to have Friday night dinner there. When we arrived, we were promptly seated & offered drinks. After placing our order, requesting a glass of wine to accompany my dinner, it was about 25 minutes later when I was told, "Your dinner will be out shortly, what kind of wine would you like?" Then suddenly there was a hammer drill happening over my head on the opposite side of the wall. Even the couple across the aisle asked if we were waiting for things to fall off the wall. Quite frankly that was the expectation. It was very loud, annoying and uncomfortable. Another 15 minutes later, glass of wine finished, we inquired and we're told "As soon as we get the to-go order out the door your dinner will be out". After watching a number of bags go to the front presumably the to-go order, finally the table of four that arrived 10 minutes after us was served their food and the table of two behind us was served their food. Another 10 minutes goes by we again ask if dinner is coming anytime soon and we were told "it's being plated". There were only five tables occupied at the restaurant. Meanwhile the presumable owner was meandering around hanging pictures. He should have been helping the kitchen. Thankfully the hammer drill only lasted 10 minutes. Finally, we were served our food about 55 minutes after ordering. I expressed our dissatisfaction to our waitress who just said I'm sorry and took our empty glasses away. When the bill came it was $61.00 for a glass of wine a beer and order of sausage and Peppers and chicken parm. Given the extensive time it took us to receive our dinner I would think that any restaurant would either comp us a round of drinks, offer us dessert or comp one of our meals. None of that was offered. When I told our waitress I'm sorry I will not be tipping you because I think that this is a lot of money already to pay for the poor service that we received. Her response, "I'm sorry you had a bad experience." read more

Be patient. Owners and server friendly. Chix parm average (no better than olive garden). Salad was fresh, cold, and crisp. Bread was hot ans fresh. Sauce good but heavy. Cannolis not great but fresh. read more

Strange little place. Dog at the front to bark at you. We didn't get the friendly waitress but talked to her later. The water was horrible. If the tap water is that bad, please use bottled water. But 3 stars because the food was great. Not good enough to go back though read more

Very nice dinner with my wife. The service was very good and the owner came out and said hi which made us want to come back again. We tried the place out mid week and it was perfect since it was not busy. We tried the crepes Florentine and the eggplant roll ups. The meal came out in a reasonable time frame and a perfect temperature. The portion size was generous and the prices were fair but not cheap. The crepes were special and I recommend them to everyone. Each entree comes with a salad which was small but fresh. We took home some food and three cannoli. I will be back again. read more

Food was delicious and service was great! This little place reminds us of an Italian grandmothers home ! Definitely recommend!

The service is spectacular. The is just a live average. I had chicken Parm and thought that the sauce was a touch oily. Girlfriend had the special of the day which had chicken mushrooms fresh garlic sun dried tomatoes and artichokes served over penne rigate. We both find it rather tasty. Was not too happy that there was only 2 pasta choices the h The over all price for both entrees and appetizer and 2 cocktails was very reasonable. read more

Casa Benedetto's Italian Caffe - Chicken Parm - Italian Near Me - Saint Augustine, Florida

See all

Interesting place! Service was fair and the little dog that sits on the chair at the entrance was cute, but almost as unfriendly as the gentleman that seated us. With this being said, the food we had was exceptional! If we were to go back though, we would get the food to go! read more

Went here after reading the reviews. This place did not disappoint...in fact exceeded my expectations. Our server was Aspen, she was more than awesome. She knows how to treat customers. Bread was warm and delicious, red sangria was very tasty. Salads were fresh and my Caesar was really good. Then came the entrees, I had manicotti (OMG), others had penne vodka, penne w/broccoli, and the special was a chicken pasta with sun dried tomatoes, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, in an oil sauce. That dish gave me goosebumps, so incredible. If you're looking for great food made scratch this is the place you must go. If you want fast and not so good, go anywhere else. We will be back! read more

Having lived in Italy, I am hard to please when it comes to Italian food. We tried Casa Benedetto's with low expectations. Wow, were we wrong. The modest family restaurant made me feel like I was in Bella Napolitano again. My penne pasta was a perfect all dente, and the sausage, peppers, and onions were perfectly blended in an excellent primavera. My daughter's tortellini carbonara was the best I've ever tasted - anywhere! We have lived in St Augustine for 16 years and finally found what we've been looking for! We will be back! read more

Excellent Atmosphere! A little Sinatra playing, candlelight and cozy home feel leaves you relaxed and full. The portions are basically double sized. Take a nice stroll on the ocean afterwords and listen to the waves. Ahhhh... read more

A must visit if you like Italian. Traditional Italian food and it was awesome. The Veal Picata and Chicken Marsala were both fabulous. Enjoy. read more