This is a Long time established family owned joint. The homemade gnocchi is amazing! Several of the pastas are homemade. Anyone still making pasta has my respect. The squingilli is a rarely seen delicious dish. The staff is not the friendliest crew you've ever seen, but they're very good for what you'd expect on the beach. All of the Italian American dishes are tasty and they're specials are always a go to. It's the best Italian restaurant in the area. read more

Good, but not great. We really loved the bread and appetizer at this restaurant, but were underwhelmed with our entree. We typically don't spend a lot on our dinners, so $25-$30 per plate is a treat for us. Our waiter also paid very little attention to us, and didn't even offer us drinks. read more

Service was great. Very friendly and accommodating waiter, Steve. Good: portions were small for the price. The food I would rate as a 6 out of 10. It is good food, but there were 6 NY Italians and it was not up to our standards. It's good Italian food if you're not Italian. Enjoy read more

Our party of 6 completely enjoyed our dinner. From the sausage and peppers appetizer to the Scallops Sinatra, handmade pasta, the amazing Italian wine to the great service, it was a fantastic evening. Reasonable pricing was an added benefit. This will be a go to place for all of us. Well done Forlini's! read more

Expect to pay a little more for this fine dining experience. I ordered the sausage Capri... It was my favorite meal on my trip. The sausage was perfectly crisp and flavored. The sauce was perfect. With a little bit of spice behind it. The mushrooms cooked to perfection. And the homemade bread .... Bon appetit. read more

Not a good experience- first let me say the food was very good. It was the Service that was bad. I left a voice mail message for reservations but they never confirmed it so we just showed up. They had our name. I asked for a Sauvignon Blanc. Bear in mind they are closed Sunday/Monday and this was Tuesday night at 7 pm and they only opened at 5. They had just used their last bottle- really! Saturday they didn't realize they were on their last bottle? The waitress was like a drab dish rag. No personality- never told us the specials. We didn't know they had any until the waiter next to our table told his table. "Do you want dessert?" Brings us one menu for the 4 of us. Best person in the entire place was the lady filling the water and clearing our plates. read more

This may have been the best meal of my entire life. I sat at the bar and was genuinely welcomed by Emily. She has great knowledge of the their EXTENSIVE wine list (I settled on a Barolo), as well as the dinner menu. I enjoyed their fresh bread, then a caprese salad (of which I ate all four pieces), followed by a side-salad with fresh, homemade bleu cheese dressing, and finally the lobster Sinatra for my entree. I ordered it over angle hair pasta and it was absolutely delicious and perfectly cooked. I am so happy that I was here by myself so that I could eat like a pig. Like I said, Emily was delightful, and the food and wine were exquisite. Make this your first stop in Clearwater so that you can come back and order something different each night! read more

Forlini's Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Clearwater Beach, Florida

I gave a rating of 3 stars. The food was great but I think our waiter was devious. We had delicious meal at Forlini's last night, Lasagna, Chicken Parmigiana, Veal Parmigiana and the Short Rib Special. I didn't care for their house Pinot Grigio, so I ended up ordering a bottle of Santa Margherita. We also had an appetizer along with two bar drinks. When we received our check the total for the four of us was $316. We were curious as to why it was so high! Well, our waiter charged us $147.00 for the bottle of St. Margherita! He had manual inputted "Misc. Wine $147.00". I said this isn't right, this wine never cost that much! I quickly showed our waiter and he fixed the price again manually "Misc. Wine" $47.00". He barely apologized. Scam was written all over that check. If we had not had checked out bill our waiter would have gained an extra $100 plus extra tip on that money. So, make sure to check your bill and make sure you are not being over charged for you meals and beverages. read more

This was a very unfortunate experience. I was so looking forward to eating here and made a reservation to assure the spot on a Saturday night. When I arrived no one acknowledged my presence or my friend. Things went downhill from there. The waiter was very curt and uninterested even though my friend mentioned she had eaten there the week before. I ordered the chicken Parmigiano. It arrived on two separate plates which was odd. The chicken wasn't a piece of juicy breaded and fried chicken like you would expect but 4 small tough salty over breaded chicken strips that were so inedible I had my friend taste them as well. She agreed they were awful. The pasta was obviously store bought not fresh pasta with red sauce. The pasta was ok but not worth the $28 price tag. Only 2 bites of the 4 tenders were eaten when the buser took the plates. We told her the food was not good. The waiter showed up and we quietly mentioned the chicken parm was not good. Instead of talking to us quietly he moved to another table and yelled at us. He was very flustered and loud and rude and it was quite embarrassing. I told him I would pay for pasta but chicken was not edible. He returned and said all that can be done is they will remake it. They refused to refund the chicken portion. Then the chef and hostess came to our table and proceeded to yell and me and my friend just because we complained about the food. I've never been yelled at and insulted at a restaurant before, but it happened last night in front of a full dining room at Forlini. It's a shame because they have lost loyal customers that live in Clearwater. They forced us to pay the full amount and never apologized for the horrible food or service. The one star is for my glass of wine and the hot roll. At Forlini the customer is apparently NEVER right. Sad. read more

Most wonderful meal I've had in Florida yet. I loved the wait staff, the food was incredible, and the restaurant was beautiful. Right when you walk in you are greeted by the most lovely wait staff to seat you. We had a baby and asked for a more secluded spot, in case the baby got loud. They put us in a nice little corner away from everyone and we loved it. Drinks we ordered a bottle of the 5004, I don't remember the name, but it was pitch from one of the sweetest servers. I'll be looking for this bottle again! My mother had the house Moscato and we both loved the flavor of it. My father had ice tea and he said it was some pretty good tea. We ordered such great food, started with 2 escargot and 1 sausage and peppers. 10/10. WOW was the escargot, so garlicky and I lov3d how they had mushrooms in there too. The sausage and peppers were exactly what we were looking for. Our main meal was actually helped out from our wonderful server Luke. He suggested the lobster sinatra and man was right. It is to die for. My mother had the chicken parm and wouldn't share any she liked it so much. My father had the spaghetti and meatballs, he shared his with the baby and I didn't here anything from either of them as they enjoyed their meal. Our dessert was amazing house made lemoncello shots, and 2 chocolate cakes... if I wasn't happy by this point I know that the dessert would've put me there. I was so pleased with this dessert that I almost ordered another round. Mmmmmmmhhhhhhmmmmm good. I'm not from around here, but if i was I'd be eating here weekly. So great. read more

Absolutely amazing food best Italian restaurant in the area if you are visit must try. We ordered variety of the appetizers / I had lasagna and I'm very picky this was spot on to perfection. Cheesecake was amazing as well. Definitely adding it to my rotation each time we are in the area. Thank you Paul & your staff for accommodating us. read more

Best food in the Bay Area for sure. Go here you won't be dissatisfied. Family owned also just great people

Best Italian place ever! Cozy, friendly with excellent service. You must try the Carbonara!

I've been to Italy 7 times, so I know the difference between "American" Italian and authentic Italian. Forlini's is family owned and operated. Every dish is individually made by Paul (one of the owners) who is the chef in the kitchen. Paul's wife is the hostess at the front door, so any comments about how they were treated, is highly suspect to me (at best). Is Forlini's a fancy high end Italian restaurant? No. I've been in Italian restaurants all over the world. I'm not an expert, but I know what good quality Italian cuisine is, and Forlini's uses fresh ingredients and has a chef who has run a restaurant all of his life. It is excellent, well prepared Italian food. read more

Best food I've had the whole trip! My friend and I shared the lasagna and the spaghetti carbonara with chicken and they were both delicious. You tell it's homemade Italian. We also had the caprese salad it was so fresh and lite. I will definitely be back. I wish I would have found it sooner. read more

Do not go here!!! Honestly, I have never written a review before, but, the experience here was terrible! The waiter was beyond rude, told my daughter to "move her head" while serving the food. Never asked about drinks, if we needed anything, nothing. Ordered the chicken parmigiana, FYI- it's chicken tenders with sauce & cheese. Just sad, the place looks nice & the owner was very polite. But, the service is awful & food is not good quality. I would not recommend & seriously, it took a lot for me to write this poor review. But, I felt it was necessary. read more

Forlini's has some of the best italian food in the area. The service is always on point and food is always fresh and delicious! My family has been eating here for over 10 years and will continue to enjoy this amazing place! read more

After a busy day of traveling and sun baking in the beach we stopped in for a sit down dinner. The place is very classy and family friendly. The staff was super nice and the food was great. The veal parm was tops. I highly recomend this resturaunt when your at clearwater beach. read more

ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH IT!!! The waiter had a attitude when we first sat down bc we asked about the kids portions and how big or small they were that we had to get the hostess which is the owners daughter! She was helpful. Got us a new waiter. We ordered chicken parm and shared it , didn't taste like those I had in the past. Come to find out they are made with frozen chicken tenders with sauce and cheese slapped on it!! Could at least been a cutlet with sauce and cheese for $25!! Definitely not worth it. Next thing is for dessert they ran out of cheese cake and we got a slice of chocolate cake took literally one bit and it tasted very freezer burned. We brought is to the hostess attention and she states her mom makes the by scratch every day that it is not frozen. I asked kindly to be taken off the bill she rolled her eyes and stomped off as she stated that she would get someone to come speak to us. They never came, waiter came with the check and apologized and said the manager refused! Over all the food is terrible and I would rather have went to McDonald's. Save your time and money and go else wear! read more

Honest review. As soon as your walk into the restaurant it smells like feet or a Parmesan cheese, not in a good way. Our waiter seemed like he was having the toughest day of his life. For a mid-high priced restaurant the food did not all compare. However the lobster sonata, the conch appetizer, lasagna, and the starting bread; they were all very good. All together I would not recommend this to true Italian lovers, if not you could enjoy this restaurant. read more

The food was really good. The hostess was great! But our server was awful. Went thru my entire meal with an empty drink. Server was no where to be found. read more

Ambiance: The ambiance was somewhat descent. There were plenty of tables and a sports bar. A large party was there and was a bit loud. Service: Service I would have to say was average. The server went over the specials of the day and mentioned all was freshly homemade. After we ate, all said was definitely a lie. The bread was definitely not homemade and neither was the pasta. Appetizer: Shrimp Cocktail and Escargot The shrimp cocktail was $9.50 for three medium sized shrimp; rip-off. Escargot was average. Salad: Salad dressing choices were not the best. Raspberry vinaigrette and Blue cheese. Entrée: Veal Picatta and Linguini & Clam Sauce The veal was not fresh and the lemon sauce was just disgusting. The linguini and clam sauce was somewhat good. My husband and I do agree, this food tasted like something we would get at a pizzeria in Jersey for twice the price. Dessert: We could not bear to order. Overall: My husband and I would definitely not go back to this restaurant. I suggest to try some other place before heading here. We spent about $100 for two people and the food was garbage. read more

I still have mixed feeling about Forlinis. The calamari was good but I've had better. The roasted duck salad made me think(as bad as this may sound) only chinese people can make a good duck anything. I think the only respectable appetizer was the Jumbo Shrimp cocktail and the cocktails at the bar but I suspect the bartender was trying to get us drink(good times). Dinner was actually the best thing but it felt a little over priced. I think we should have been paying Olive Garden prices but the excellent service made up for the ok food. The Spaghetti Aglio e Olio was good but the Chicken Parmigiana was ok and I could have made better. I don't know, I think 3 stars is ok but if they had series competition in the area I'm sure they would step their game up. read more

Did not care for the Bolognese sauce on the gnocchi, but I am a sucker for the fresh baked bread rolls on the table. The service was good and the food was good. The tiramisu is unusual because it has strawberries and they use cake instead of lady fingers. read more

Fine, old school Italian food. The sauces are tasty and they need to be as they dominate the plate. Better wine selection than most restaurants. Pricey corkage fee. The bar selection fine for basic scotches, etc. The place is pretty but seldom full so if you're looking for a quiet dinner on Clearwater Beach this can be a good alternative. The owners are friendly and if they take a liking to you, they may pour you some of the homemade grappa. read more

Just had dinner there last night. Food was amazing. Bread was to DIE for. Homemade. The oil served was decedent. The service was prompt and good was hot. I had the whole wheat pasta and chicken piccata, it was so perfect. Homemade noodles- best whole wheat pasta I've ever had. Beat place we've eaten in Clearwater. read more

Forlini's Restaurant - Chicken piccata and whole wheat pasta. Delicious. Lamb chops in the background :) - Italian Near Me - Clearwater Beach, Florida

We have been several times for dinner.Have never been disappointed.Love their pasta!Fabulous lasagna with delicious homemade lasagna noodles,to die for!!service was excellent on Saturday night.no room for dessert.Fabulous!! read more

Don't waste your money. The lasagna was terrible. It looked and tasted like it was from a fast food restaurant. Salad was nothing more than lettuce and dressing. Waiter was not friendly and the bill for the two of us was $100. We had buyers remorse all evening. read more

Went to this restaurant with a business group. Seems to be a favorite of many. We had wine, appetizers, and the dinner. My appetizer is good and the wine is not so bad. I'm not a big fan of italian wine so much. The wine I will not complain about. It was good. The main meal was well prepared and flavorable. Location, atmosphere, wait staff, all were great. I'd suggest going if you've never tried it. read more

I typically don't leave reviews, but I feel like the current reviews on here just didn't do this place justice. My wife and I had a wonderful 5 year anniversary dinner here. Called in at noon and was able to get a reservation for 6:00 with no issue. The man who took our call was very friendly. When we arrived the place was rather vacant, minus the staff. Apparently people don't go to dinner in Clearwater until the sun is setting. While it is a gorgeous sight to see, if you want a calm dining experience, go to dinner before 7:00. The atmosphere was very nice and upscale, and everyone was extremely helpful, but not overbearing. For our appetizer, we ordered some bruschetta. Now, I am not a huge fan of diced tomatoes, but these were seasoned fantastically. This was a great way to start off our meal. My wife ordered the Chicken Pizzeria, which she said was absolutely delicious (Sorry, neither of us are good at describing foods). I had the Lobster Ravioli, which was one of their specials. If this is available when you go I would recommend ordering it. The ravioli was freshly made and covered in a cream-based sauce. For dessert my wife had the Tiramisu, she said it was good, but did not have the strong alcohol taste she tends to like in her desserts. I had the chocolate cake, which was very rich and delicious. Overall, this was a great way to celebrate an occasion, while there is no dress code, make a evening of it and dress up. Your significant other will appreciate it. read more

As soon as i walked in the restaurant the girl was on face book kicking back in the chair - could not of cared if we were seated or not. Once we were seated the smell of mold and general musty mold in the air was very strong. The waitress was vey slow and weird personally i would of NEVER hires this waitress to serve people. Other than the bad smell and water damage and slow waitress- the scallops with risotto was excellent the family enjoyed there meal as well Recommend the food - be careful of the rest read more

Disappointed. The interior looked modern and cool. Nice intimate lighting. SPorts bar with a TV. OK selection of domestic and italian wines. Two jazz musicians, piano and bass, played live (Thursdays only). The beginning was really promissing. The service was sub-par. We had to remind the waiter to list the specials, to bring our food (that he forgot to order). The food was so-so and not congruent with the image of the restaurant: salads and appetizers looked like they came from a frozen section of the supermarket. Their taste confirmed the suspicion. Who knows maybe they indeed prepared the food on premises but they sure managed to make it bland and dead. For higher-than-medium prices (appetizers: $9-13, pasta: $19-22, osso buco: $30) they could've done better. Completely disappointed... read more

I just moved into the area and went there last week for the first time. being alone, I sat at the bar and not only the bartender made me feel at home, but I met a couple who turned out are new neighbors of mine. They are regulars there. I ordered the mussels for an appetizer and the Eggplant Rolatini main dish which came with a salad. I've lived in Washington, D.C. for 30 years and I must say the food equaled the best family-owned Italian restaurant that had become my favorite there. Reading some of the other reviews, I think some folks get used to chain restaurants where everything is made to a machine-like level of same-ness and the restaurant runs like a machine as well. Forlini's takes their time, but delivers their service and their food with quality and pride that evidences a family-owned business. Eat at chain restaurants if that's your preference, but if locally sourced food, family recipes and pride in ownership and service are important to you, Forlini's is the place to go. If just one thing is not to your liking, they listen and adjust to your satisfaction. read more

Forlini's is our favorite local restaurant. The food is amazing and the service is top shelf. If you are looking for authentic Italian cuisine you can't go wrong. The sangria's are my wife's favorite on the Island (thank you Luke). In an area where there are a lot of touristy type restaurants, there is a reason you will find the locals at Forlini's...great food, amazing drinks, and fantastic service. read more

I brought my team here last week, and as always when dining with a large group (24) there was some nerves on my behalf as to how good it would be, especially when they didn't ask for any orders in advance, nor did they restrict the menu at all, which I would have understood had they needed to. Anyway, my fears were unfounded. When we arrived they had setup effectively a private dining area for us, with plenty of wait staff who kept us plied with drinks. When the food turned up, I was impressed that it all seemed like it had been prepared freshly, and had not sat under a heat lamp for any period of time. It's impressive for a kitchen to get 24 dishes out at the same time, all hot, and all to a high standard. The prices were fair for what we got. The only thing that let it down was the pasta, which was not fresh, which in an Italian restaurant I don't think is ideal. read more

My fiancé and I attempted to dine here tonight while on vacation and celebrating our engagement. Upon arrival it seemed to be a very nice establishment, however we quickly realized their service was awful. We were served a tiny shrimp cocktail for an appetizer, not very good. We asked for 10 mins to look over menu and for recommendations. Didn't see the waiter again for 25 mins so we decided to just leave. Manager & host treated us like we did something wrong upon paying bill. We did pay and tip waiter. Terrible service. Manager is a joke. Could be nice if management was changed. Avoid this place read more

Old school Italian been going for decades with friends and family. We love it!

We arrived around 9pm and had a cheerful blonde waitress. Very attentive of all our needs. We started with the mussels Bianca and calamari fritti, both amazing. For our main entrée I had the lobster Sinatra and my husband had the scallops Sinatra. Everything was flavorful and so tasty! Definitely will be coming back when we come back to Clearwater! read more

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This is must go to experience. Solid Italian experience, but go off menu to specials for an amazing time!! Whether you are local or tourist this is a memorable experience!!! read more

If you want authentic Italian, I found a diamond in the rough. Was going for a nice dinner and had one of the best meals we've had in years! This restaurant has been in business for over 40 years and there is a reason why they continue to be successful. Impeccable service, delightful food, and wonderful atmosphere! We would recommend to even our closest New York Italian friends! read more