Ferrucci Ristorante was opened by Mike Ferrucci in 1995 as a small mom-and-pop Italian spot with just 60 seats. It's since grown to a 150-seat restaurant at 301 Harrison Ave in downtown Panama City. Mike has since retired and handed the restaurant off to new owner Matt Harbison, who's kept it going. It holds a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award and has been called the best restaurant in Bay County by locals. The food lives up to that reputation. We started with the fresh mozzarella ball appetizer with prosciutto and peppers, along with the bruschetta -- both great openers that set the tone for the rest of the meal. The homemade pasta is clearly a point of pride and it shows -- the spaghetti bolognese was rich and well balanced, and the chicken parm was done right, with fresh mozzarella melted over a well-breaded cutlet. Grilled shrimp was a great lighter option alongside the heavier pasta dishes. Finished with the ricotta cheesecake, a nice twist on the usual cheesecake that leans into the restaurant's Italian roots rather than playing it safe. A genuine downtown Panama City institution, and the homemade pasta alone makes it worth the visit. read more

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My last review of Ferrucci's was about eight years ago, and while it wasn't a bad experience, it was just okay--and we hadn't made it back since during our annual trips. After hearing about the changes along Harrison Avenue and that Ferrucci's had undergone a makeover, we decided to give it another try. Wow, talk about redemption! We had a great night with a lovely dining experience, refreshing drinks, and delicious food that delivered one great course after another. The roasted red peppers and prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella ball kicked off the evening and didn't disappoint. We remembered enjoying it years ago, and it still remains a favorite today. Next, we warmed up from the chilly December night air with a cup of potato soup and chicken tortellini. Both were satisfyingly delicious, leaving you scraping the bowl for more. For entrées, my wife ordered the Zuppa di Pesce, a seafood stew with a spicy tomato broth. It was packed with seafood and flavor, with just enough heat to put a little sweat on your brow. I opted for the night's special--the lobster ravioli with sautéed mushrooms--which delivered savory, well-balanced flavors and the kind of satisfaction that comes from knowing you made the right choice. Too full for dessert, we ordered another round of drinks and toasted to second chances done right. Ferrucci's has clearly found its groove, and in a town with limited Italian choices, that matters. Consider this redemption story complete--we'll definitely be back. read more

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I absolutely love your place but the fact that you hired a sexual offender who lives in my neighborhood and is prepping my food I will never come there again and I hope everybody reads this that Ferruccis hired a sexual offender of children to prep their food that you eat. And I will continue telling everybody I speak to not to go to this particular establishment because they have a sexual offender preparing their food you know the time that likes to do bad things to little children. That's who's preparing your food I wouldn't go there if I were you unless you get rid of Lucinda she's a bad sickly diseased individual. read more

Ferrucci's - Panama City, FL Ferrucci's is a cute Italian spot right on the main strip in Panama City. It was busy when we came in, and since we didn't have a reservation we ended up in the outdoor seating area. The little metal tables are charming in theory (like a sidewalk café in Italy), but they were cramped for four people and not very comfortable. We started with the Calamari Fritti ($14) -- crispy and flavorful, and probably the best thing we ate all night. For mains, our group tried a mix: two grilled shrimp pastas with spicy garlic and lemon butter sauce ($26 each), a Chicken Parm ($28), and a Penne Puttanesca ($24). Unfortunately, none of us loved our entrées. I asked for my shrimp pasta without garlic, assuming that would remove the spicy garlic mix -- instead, it came without garlic but loaded with red pepper flakes, which made the dish harshly spicy and unbalanced. The pasta itself was slightly overcooked and starchy. My friend who had the dish as listed thought it was bland other than all the pepper. The chicken parm was just "okay" and not worth $28. The puttanesca was also overpoweringly peppery -- and halfway through, my friend found a hair in her food. The owner happened to be checking on tables when she told him, and his response was awkward: he said, "That doesn't happen very often," took the plate, and walked away. He never followed up, though the waitress did offer a replacement. By then, my friend was completely turned off and declined. To their credit, they brought us a complimentary tiramisu, which was quite good. Overall: Friendly service from the staff, but inconsistent food, very heavy-handed with the pepper, and overpriced for what you get. Between the hair incident and the underwhelming mains, it wasn't the experience we'd hoped for. The apps and dessert saved it from being a one-star, but we probably wouldn't go back. read more

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Great atmosphere for a dinner. I ordered the Penne Al Salmone which was really good. The salmon pieces had a great smoky flavor & the pasta had a creamy! The Chicken Parmesan was very good and tasty as well. We had a great server that was very polite and always checked on us to ensure the meal was good. Looking forward to checking out more! read more

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You have to make your way to Ferrucci Ristorante you haven't already. I had the best lunch of Penne Siciliana--sausage, eggplant, and just the right kiss of spice in that sauce. Paired it with a Bellini. I swear I was ready to move in. Then came dessert: pistachio mousse pie. Light, dreamy, nutty perfection with a raspberry drizzle that basically whispered, "you deserve this." Spoiler alert: I absolutely did. ‍ The vibe? Cozy & elevated. Playlistst on point, service was fantastic, and their little outdoor patio setup with the quirky planters? Chef's kiss read more

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The food was very good and service was fantastic. Very busy place had to sit outside the spaghetti was a big hit, had the fish which was only so so. The caper and lemon sauce was very light needed to be more quantity. Cheese cake was. Phenomenal read more

The food was delicious. Will is a fantastic server and was very attentive. The restaurant is clean and stylish.

First class food in a very comfortable environment very fresh seafood and all dishes spot on read more

Ferrucci Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Panama City, Florida

Not sure I would call this an Italian restaurant. Definitely no Italians around. Spaghetti sauce is off. It's kinda Mexican salsa in a weird way. Pasta is not great. Our meat dishes were better. Desserts are okay. The place is pretty, but super loud. The help can be rushed and grumpy. Margaritas are good though. Go figure. Enjoy a nice walk around the downtown area after dinner. It's nice with the lights in the trees and the breeze from the bay. read more

My experience was amazing. We came a hour prior to closing and they still seated us. Co-Owner Matt came out and was so welcoming and nice. We were there celebrating my fiancé's birthday. The waitress Mallory was fantastic. Very attentive and very friendly. Everything was so delicious, tasty, and hot. We will come back every time we vacation here. It was the best restaurant I have ever visited. read more

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The food was so good. Hand made noodles. The only bad thing was no parking. The service was very good and quick.

The woman behind the bar was miserable and rude. Never going back If we have to deal with someone as terrible as she was. Lunchtime 1/30. read more

This restaurant is so underrated. I am so happy that I gave this restaurant a try and did not rely on the low ratings. Everything was homemade and delicious. They have some of the best tomato soup I have ever had. Also. The Alfredo sauce they use is extremely creamy and flavorful. My 8 year old ate her whole meal. I definitely recommend. 5/5! read more

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The Food is always good. Best Italian place in town and you can't beat their cannolis.

You don't have a real Italian restaurant if you don't have meatballs and the lamb I ordered was overpriced and overcooked spaghetti and no meat in it just sauce very overrated and very overpriced for what you get read more

We loved the decoration and service but the shrimps with salad was really sour and the spghetti Alla Bolognese with extra sausage was horrible. read more

Not a fan of Italian food at all, but this is 100% the best restaurant I have ever been to. The Chicken Parm was incredible along with the tomato soup. The tiramisu is some of the best I've had. Our waitress Mallory was just the sweetest and went above and beyond while serving us. The outdoor seating has a romantic feel to it and is just beautiful. I would definitely recommend this to anyone in the Panama City Area! read more

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Unfortunately this was not a great experience. From the extremely slow service to the very mediocre food. I would not come back or recommend anyone to go ever. This is coming from a foodie and people in the restaurant industry. First off, we had a reservation and it seemed like they forgot. Then we waited atleast 10 minutes to get waters and even talk to a waiter. The house bread looks like a $5 loaf from Kroger. The calamari had fried pickles and random fried things in it... so weird. We got 2 rounds of drinks and she forgot to put the second order of drinks in and kept blaming the kitchen or bartender:/ THE FISH WAS TERRIBLE. it was soggy and not flakey at all. Felt like it was extremely over cooked or frozen. All the meals were so mediocre, we were so hungry by the time we got our food at that point it didn't matter what we were handed. The best part of the night was the wine carafe house wine deal for $18 basically 2.5 glasses of wine. Much needed service improvement and food quality . We were there atleast 1.5-2 hours for a table of 6. And only there so long because of the slow service. Thsi isn't the type of place I would want to spend much time eating at... read more

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Sitting outside was great. The atmosphere really did it for us. The lobster ravioli special and tiramisu met my expectations. Location in downtown is also a plus! One of the more romantic places in Panama City. Four of us at one table did feel tight, but with fast bussing it's fine. read more

Fair overall. Typically on weekends ensure you get a reservation or risk not being seated. Staff (hostesses, wait staff, expediters)i are just ok; a bunch of teens/very young adults as servers. They really don't listen to requests and simply walk away prior to a need being met. Our server wasn't overly attentive but did fair overall with checking back on occasion! Ambiance is beautiful which is probably the best thing they have going for them. Food? Overall fair to meh. Kind of a disappointment overall which makes me sad. This used to be one of my favorites. Not sure what happened but probably won't be back for a long time. Mozzarella appetizer was delicious, calamari itself was ok but the added random things like pickles and hot peppers fried was a bit off putting. We had a large party and received minimal bread with one small dish of olive oil. Asked for more but did not receive. Some of the food was insanely salty, other flavorless or filled with red pepper flakes which I happen to be allergic to (and was not listed on the menu). Sadly the wait staff was superficial when asking how the meal was and walked away before receiving an answer. Pasta is straight out of a box. Presentation is nice. Again, just meh. I had high hopes and great memories from this restaurant but now just a disappointment and giant waste of money. read more

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Matt & Mynta have done a great job in taking over Ferrucci Ristorante by adding even more to the menu and bringing new items, especially pizza for lunch and their Shrimp Ceviche from Los Antojitos days. Love These Two. read more

Very disappointed The reviews were good . The restaurant said opened at 4:00 pm. No one answered the phone. We arrived at 5:00PM. Guess what the place was closed. It looked like it was going through a renovation. read more

My family has been coming here since it originally opened in the 1980s and tried it recently under new ownership. After a snafu with seating us with a reservation of 5 (seated us at a table without enough table space), the owner, Matt, was extremely rude and hostile when coming to speak to us after we politely requested a larger table and/or extra table space so everyone would fit. We were extremely disappointed as we were really looking forward to our dinner as we do rarely get to dine out together as a family (I live out of town). I would avoid if you have a larger group as they seem unable to make arrangements for groups larger than 4. Our server was wonderful -- she's been here for years and always do a great job taking care of us. read more

Always fantastic! From the food, to the service, the vibe! Especially tasty dirty martinis and that Caesar salad! Yum! Best in town! We love Ferrucci's! read more

It is all that. We stopped in and they did not have a reservation I thought I had made. They were accommodating and professional through & through. The steak sandwich with salad was sublime. Our party of 5 sat in a table as you first enter and we loved the bruschetta, the fettuccine Alfredo and linguine with clams. The remodel is lovely inside and out. read more

Thursday night, 2 people no reservations. Walked in, they were busy but not totally packed. Hostess was prompt and seated us at a 2 top on the rear patio (good ambience). Our server was friendly and quick with drinks, apps, entrees, etc. The meatball app was great, followed by our main entrees of pesto chicken pasta and chicken with eggplant. There was nothing not to like about this place. We will definitely be back when we are in town read more

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I had superb experience eating at Ferrucci. The owner Matt & his staff went above and beyond to accommodate us. We didn't make reservations so we decided to sit outside, the host ensured to turn on the heater for us, then the owner Matt brought another one by us so we were comfortable. He was extremely pleasant and kind to talk to. Felicia was our server was amazing and extremely knowledgeable about the food and wine. The tomato soup was the BEST I've ever had & our dinner was phenomenal. Truly a great experience with real Italian dishes. read more

1st time here & the entire experience was amazing! Panama city lit up at night, sitting outside with friends. The staff was very professional & eager to provide outstanding service. Our server Veronica was hard working & very enjoyable. Calamari appetizer, salads(2) & soup(1) followed by huge bowl of mussels, veal piccata & filet mignon. Delicious! I met the owner (friends already knew him) it was like being with family. Superb!!! Looking forward to taking family here when the visit! Thank you Ferrucci's!!! read more

This place was all around fabulous! The atmosphere was great. Service was knowledgeable and friendly. Food was amazing! We had bruschetta for appetizer and it was perfectly seasoned. For entree my husband had the best grilled chicken Parmesan ever - very cheesy and flavorful. I had a penne dish with pancetta and peas. I added shrimp and it was flavorful. But the best dish was one my daughter had - snapper picatta. It came with some fabulous mashed potatoes and spinach perfectly seasoned. We didn't make it to dessert unfortunately but we will be back! Sorry I forgot to take pics read more

Great food and service! So glad they brought steaks to the menu. Their last restaurant had the best steaks in town. Lobster ravioli is amazing if it's available that night. Normally a special. read more

Great local restaurant. Have visited three times in two months. IMHO, this is the best Italian spot in the area. Service is friendly. The ood it awesome. I wish there was an entree of the fantastic grilled eggplant! We have enjoyed the multiple pasta dishes The house made mozzarella is very good and the bruschetta is so fresh with great tomato and basil flavors. read more

The food, service and ambience were all excellent here. We ate there last Tuesday evening and were seated on their cute patio area. We had 4 different entrees and they were all delicious. Will definitely try to make it back to this adorable restaurant read more

We tried this place for the first time on Friday evening around 5:30PM. It gets busy fast and from the inside, it looks good. They do take reservations, and I recommend making one if you don't want to wait. There were a few things I liked and some I didn't. So I'll share my experience with you. The drinks - apple martini and their house Chianti wine were both good. For appetizers, we started with their Gamberi Grigliati, which is grilled shrimps tossed in a garlic lemon sauce. They were pretty good because of the sauce that came with them. Their tomato soup was also good and we shared a bowl as a couple. Then for entree, we went with their Red snapper special that came with mashed potatoes and spinach. I also ordered their gamberi alle erbe Aromatiche, which are shrimps sautéed in a sauce with fresh herbs and Pinot grigio. Both of these were okay, nothing special. I liked the shrimp appetizer more than the entree. What I didn't like was how long we had to wait for the food to arrive and nobody bothered to refill our water or drinks in the meantime. We had to ask two different people for water refills because our server was quite busy. She was nice but busy! I saw her doing many things from making cocktails to preparing salads to boxing desserts and all. Then we were waiting quite some time for the check as well. So service is definitely slow here. I've had much better Italian food elsewhere, so I don't think I will be returning. If service was better then I could consider giving them a second chance to try other things on the menu. Below are some photos for you. read more

Ferrucci Ristorante - Side salad - Italian Near Me - Panama City, Florida

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I have been to Ferrucci twice now since the new owners have taken over, the food, the staff, the Bartender ( can make a mean margarita ) all are a notch above anything else in Panama City. The creamy tomato soup and the spaghetti Marinara, are amazing. the new interior is bright and friendly. read more

I was excited to try this place because I've followed their social media page for quite some time and everything always looks SO good! We ordered the mozzarella ball, which I was excited for - it was very... boring? I wouldn't get it again. It was really quite difficult for me to finish. We then ordered a margarita pizza, but it definitely was NOT a margarita pizza. No fresh mozz, no basil in sight. It was cooked well though! The water tasted awful. I told my daughter not to drink hers. I know tap doesn't taste amazing, but it tasted BAD! Also, on the menu it said the mozzarella ball was $8, but on the check it said $9.... Was it all awful? No. But I wouldn't tell friends to come here and most likely wouldn't come back here either. read more

Delicious food! Their tomato soup is to die for!! I love the chicken parm with alfredo sauce.

I wanted to provide a review on Ferrucci's in downtown PC. For the record I spent many years in the hospitality industry as well helping friends open restaurants. I've also taken gourmet Italian cooking lessons and don't go out to eat much as I have little tolerance for lousy service and subpar food. Lastly I grew up in Eastern PA and NJ where Italian food is King!! I wanted to make those points as these reviews can be very valuable to folks who haven't tried a particular restaurant and this gives my comments some credibility and context. First, our server Haley was fantastic, very attentive and knowledgeable about the menu. I had the both the seafood chowder and the tomato basil soup, both were very good but the chowder was one of the best soups I've ever eaten and I make a ton of homemade soup. I had the Veal Piccata which was, in my opinion, a risky choice because veal is either prepared and cooked properly or it's not, it's just that simple. This veal was thin and tender and very tasty, I would recommend and order it again as it's hard to get a good Veal dish in this part of the world. My wife had the chicken parm and really enjoyed it. I sampled her pasta and red sauce and it was very good. I would say their bread is just average and I would recommend they find another bread supplier. Even Publix's bread is superior. Up north the bread is a very important part of an Italian meal! I tried the ricotta cheesecake and it was fine, just nothing special. In summary, I wouldn't call Ferrucci's a typical Italian restaurant as it's clearly a melding of the previous owners menu along with the steak and seafood influence the new owners (been there a year) brought from their previous restaurant. But a great menu and a lot of variety. Overall a great night out and we will return. And I hope this honest and straightforward review is helpful to others. Final comment, I ran into several friends in PCB the last 9 days and they all had very positive things to say about Ferrucci's not to mention they are very busy every night so that's a solid sign they are doing things the right way. Enjoy read more

What a neat surprise. I'll be honest, the Yelp photos don't do it justice, neither do mine. It was absolutely worth the 19 min drive from Panama City Beach where we are staying. Being I'm a retired trained Italian chef, Im hard to please. But they made it easy!! This will be a must every time we come here, glad I didn't pay to much attention to the yelp page! I listen to my guy, no literally, my guy said feed me Italian, lol, so there you go. 5 stars and worth the trip and time and money read more

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We went the other night for the first time. The food was excellent. Enough to fill you but not over full. The service was outstanding. And the ambiance was very nice. Will definitely go again. read more