With great Italian food and live music on Wednesday nights, Gusto is always a great time. Try the tortellini in vodka sauce or the chicken marsala--they're both delicious! Peroni on tap is a great plus. read more

The ambiance & the music from The Groov was perfect. The food and service was great! It was our 4th time back. A reservation is best & ask to sit in the main dining room if you want to be near the music. read more

Ate there on 12-23-2016.Dinner party of 4.Birthday party of 50 taking place that was really putting a strain on the staff. Extremely loud duo making noise and would not turn down the volume. Calamari right out of the freezer bag.Uniform size and tasteless. main veal meal was delicious but my mood was tainted on account of above. Will try it again when it is not so busy.Suggest you investigate the Calamari recipe from Miso at the Cosmopolitan in Vegas. read more

Amazing food really good italian and fresh in house pasta. Our server was top notch, helpful friendly and excellent at her job. Highly recommend this place. read more

I recently moved here from south jersey outside Philly the food here is fantastic. The meatballs are delicious . I grew up in an Italian household where we were forbidden to order meatballs when dinning out .However, once I saw the meatballs I ordered one and was not disappointed .i bring family and friends here all the time .The bruschettas are all great it's hard deciding which one to order. My daughter 's friend ordered a pizza I attempted to sway her . However once I tasted it I changed my mind it was delicious and flavorful . I never go there without ordering a meat ball . My nephew is in town this week and taking him there too. Final praise Jeremy the bartender is the BEST !!! Super nice and super attentive . Thank you for great Italian food !!! read more

Well I really wanted to try the food. I know they have not been open long but... Went to the bar and was was ignored. Got a glass of wine and it was excellent. Ordered an appy and dinner. Left after an hour and no food. I get issues they happen all the time . But have to communicate Shame I won't go back in hear the food is good and I am a PVB local read more

The food was awesome. The kitchen really has things together. Ample portions, lots of choices, so you find lots to like and to share. They had a band and the place was packed. The service had some hiccups but the food was so good it brings up my rating. I'll be back again soon. read more

Best Italian in Jacksonville. Reminds me of a neighborhood restaurant I would eat at in Rome and Chicago.

My wife, daughter, and I dined at Gusto on a Saturday night and our meals went from mediocre to bad. We arrived around 5:30pm before they were too busy and thought we would get the best the kitchen had to offer as the prepared for a busy Saturday night. I suspected we were in trouble when our server, who was also working the bar and always distracted, brought the bread basket. The bread was clearly store-bought and not even of good quality. It tasted like toasted hot dog rolls. In my view, any self-respecting Italian restaurant in this price point should be baking their own bread. For an appetizer we had the Arancini Siciliani, which were the best part of our dinner. Fresh, hot from the kitchen, and tasty, these went down well. For main dishes, our daughter had the Ossobuco Di Maiale. It was a large portion and very tender. But the sauce was a bit sweet and it was accompanied by frozen vegetables, not fresh. Again, for $26, I would have expected some nice fresh vegetables to have come with it. My wife had the Cernia Alla Francese, grouper. The dish arrived with a strong fishy smell and we all tried it and we all thought the fish did not taste fresh. We should have sent it back. My dish was the chicken Francese. The chicken was tender and well cooked. But the dish arrived luke warm and the lemon sauce was nearly flavorless with no taste of lemon and only two small slivers of artichoke. Just not a good experience and the with all the great restaurants in the area, we will not be returning. read more

Fantastic selection of authentic Italian dishes. The calamari was an excellent choice to start. Our house salads arrived shortly after and the homemade dressing was delicious. The Meat tortellini alla vodka was fresh and delectable, while the pappardelle Alfredo was one of the best pasta dishes I have ever had at an Italian restaurant in Jacksonville beach. Will definitely come back! read more

So, Gusto has been open for about a week. Bartenders are slow and so is the kitchen. But that has to be taken into consideration when a new place opens. It takes time to get the staff up to speed. The food was above average and the crowd was great. The owner Walter is very friendly and makes a point to visit tables and make everyone feel welcome. The place was packed and the crowd had a very "local" feel. I got the impression that this was a place where friends go to mingle. I will certainly be back again to check things out. I like the live music and the bright open space! Definitely worth a try! read more

Great Italian food. Adult atmosphere, with white tablecloths and great service. Nice happy hour prices! Dinner hour (5-8pm) is frequented by mostly 45+ age group. Full bar and live music. We like the high tops in the back, read more

Kinda started off slow, but in the end had a wonderful experience. The good was delicious, manager was super friendly. Drinks very strong. :-) definitely made up for the slow beginning. Meatballs delish! Get the pizza with arugula, fresh parm, and prosciutto. read more

Our party of 3 agreed that the food at Gusto could not have been more amazing. Executive Chef Tonino DiBella prepared a shrimp, pork and lamb dish which we shared. We had heard in advance how amazing the food was so we gave him liberty to put his artistic signature spin on the dishes. His choices of fresh spices and herbs along with the top notch quality of meats made for some award winning gourmet dishes. It was so nice to see friendly local faces sitting around the bar and out on the dance floor. The musicians were wonderful and there was the option to remain in a corner and enjoy the ambiance or to get out there and dance the night away. The Manager Walter Bianchi was both friendly and sincere to insure that everyone was pleased and enjoying themselves. I highly recommend Gusto if you want to have a fantastic dining experience. read more

Oh my goodness! The food was amazing! The service by Mario was AMAZING! We have found a new favourite place to eat! Don't miss this place!!! read more

This place needs some major help in ALL areas. We were a party of 8. Service takes forever. Our friend ordered spaghetti all'amatriciana it came out cold. The music with the guy walking around is really annoying. We ordered a pizza as an apetizer and it was so hard I thought I was going to break a tooth. We will not be back. Again, this place needs proper management and serious help in the kitchen. read more

Went to dinner Saturday night with a group of 6. We were able to get a last minute reservation, but that is where the good luck stopped. Upon being sat, our water glasses were filled by a nice girl who told us our waitress would be right over. She came over and we asked a simple question, "what do the entrees that are titled in red on the menu mean?" I have yet to find out the answer. She returned spewing some random answer, asking what we were looking for? Just wondering what the red meant, didn't think it was that hard of a question. Following this question she left our table, and the water glass filler came back, visibly nervous and saying "um, I guess I am going to wait on you, I'm new". Now, new is one thing, but this poor girl clearly had never waited on a table by herself. The rest of the night, she commented on how she was new and apologized dozens of times. She put the wrong order in, leaving us with one person at our table with no meal, could not open the bottle of wine we ordered (we had to walk her through how to do it), could not dictate what types of pasta we could have as a side and did not know how to erase the wrong entree from the bill and put the right one on. On top of all of this, the food was pretty awful. Tomato sauce looked like tomato paste, eggplant not cooked completely and just overall mediocre. I do not understand how any manager/owner would ever let this girl wait on a table by herself already. She clearly was not prepared, and at least should have been shadowing a server. I do not blame her, management obviously does not care how the customers are served or of their experience as diners. There were three tables in the restaurant when we were seated and at least 3 waitresses, so plenty of people to help her out or shadow. Also, she asked the other waitresses for help when fixing the bill and both just walked away without helping her. Very rude, very mean and shame on you for putting this poor girl in this situation she was not ready for, who was trying so so hard to please her table and you could tell was disappointed in herself as well. We left dinner unhappy, not satisfied and sad for what this poor girl had to go through. read more

I had dinner here last night and ate the chicken marsala and it was the most tender and delicious meal. My friend had pork ossobuco and he said it was it is amazing and full of flavor. The wait staff was so friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. They had live music which made the night so much more enjoyable. This was our first time here and we will definitely be back! read more

Great food I had the Chicken Francese, lemony, tender chicken served over pasta w/mushrooms. My father got Shrimp a la Gusto and said it was excellent. Owner came over and made sure everything was prepared to our liking. Can't wait to go back. read more

I really want to give this place a 5 star review but I'm just not in love with their red sauce. It has a tang to it that I don't enjoy, and the one time I tried their arrabiata sauce it tasted burned. So what is good here??? Try their authentic Italian sausage, they get it from New York. Hubby loves their fish dishes so that is also a solid bet. Their salads are awesome as well. read more

The service was terrible, but the food was good. We had a party of 5 seated on the patio and it was forty (40!) minutes before someone came out to give us water and take our drink orders and about another 10 minutes before the drinks came out. We ordered a pizza which came to us in a timely manner and tasted very good. It is a small establishment on the inside. So I'm not quite sure how they could have forgotten about us on the patio, especially since we were seated in front of a window with another party at a table near us. I don't believe this place is worth the time or the money when there are other places like Buca di Beppo or even Olive Garden or carrabbas. Prices point is set too high for its location / menu. read more

We stopped in after seeing the sign from the road. It is a nicely redecorated place, don't let the strip mall location fool you. We were immediately greeted and though the service was less polished than some other places we really didn't want for much. We had a caesar salad- good homemade dressing was a little light (though we prefer that to over dressed) and a little heavy on croutons and cheese, but overall fresh and good- adjust your order accordingly. The Margarita pizza was perfectly executed and we ordered fresh mushrooms which were tasty and liberal! Prices were good! The house wine was good and a half carafe was generous. We will definitely return. read more

Outstanding addition to the restaurants on Beach Blvd. for my Realtor friends in Jax, check out the Realtor Happy Hour every Monday from 5 to 7. Excellent special recipe pizza crust makes their pizza light & delicious. We tried the pizza Bianca. Hefty shrimp in the shrimp cocktail & some of the best meatballs we've tried in a long time. Full menu includes many salads, pastas, seafood, chicken, veal & steaks. Also a nice dessert menu, & full bar with nice wine selection as well. We will be back many Monday's for certain. read more

This is the SLOWEST place on the planet. I ordered 6 pizzas at 4:30 and was told 45 minutes. It's 6pm and I still have no pizza. We finally got the pizzas at 6:25 which were very good. The owner did provide a partial discount and apology in the end. What was unexpected was a different man who came into the neighboring bar, identified himself as the owner of Gustos, and began ridiculing us about the original Yelp and how it was our fault for ordering pizza at 4:30 before they were open. They took our order, ran our credit cards and said 45 minutes. You take my money, you ARE open. Walter, your response to Brian was long but not representative of our experience and here is why: I ordered 6 pizzas(not 15 as you stated) at 4:32 and was told that they would take 45 minutes because there was a 6 pizza order in front of us. They received their pizza in Southern Swells at 5pm. Yes, 5pm. You stated that the ovens were not on until 5pm so that's just not true. Again we only ordered 6 pizzas. I walked over there at 5:30 and asked where the pizzas were and was told,"15 more minutes, they are in oven now". I asked the girl to please check and she did and came back and stated it again. At 6pm I came back in and said that I wanted a refund because 6 of our party had to leave to pick up children and that I had to leave to pick mine up. I was refused a refund and assured that they were coming out. I asked to talk to the owner or a manager and waited. The manager came out and was very professional and offered a partial refund, not what I wanted but he was so professional I accepted this and actually felt better. I had already left my Yelp review at that point but I understand nothing is perfect and planned on updating it after the pizza was in my hands. So to your statement,"You take our discount, you ACCEPT our good faith apology and do not go blasting us all over the internet" My statement was already posted and I certainly wasn't adjusting it at that point because I still did NOT have pizza. There were 15 people negatively impacted by this. 15 people, 6 of which never ate the pizza they chipped in for. You referred to me as the third reviewer, I was the first. I didn't double down as you stated, I entered the fact that you came into the bar and confronted us. I never saw you the four times I was in your restaurant. Why is that? I asked for you. The facts are: 6 pizzas ordered at 4:32. 5 pizzas picked up at 6:15 and the last pizza delivered at 6:25. We waited 2 hours for 6 pizzas. They were delicious and I would have adjusted my review but when you came and confronted us for using Yelp you made our experience worse. Please, put yourself in my shoes. Would you think this was a great customer experience? I really wish this did not have to air out all over Yelp. You stated you are the owner and would have expected you to own this. In the future I suggest you ask a customer to call you as I don't see any benefit for either of us here. Bottom line, we are still not in agreement and I find that unfortunate. read more

Lively atmosphere with a good band, wedding like. Very loud, not the place for a quiet dinner. Service is very slow. Food came lukewarm and was just okay. Looks like a fun place to go with a group of friends. I had eggplant parmigiana which was lukewarm. The sauce tasted like it came from a can. My husband bolognese which he said was okay. read more

Buonissimo. The food quality is unsurpassed. I am from Naples and Rome Italy and last night I almost felt home. The ambiance is warm and welcoming. Complimenti chef Tonino and Walter. read more

So finally I have had the time to go to this over talked about about resturant . As I guessed another dud in Jax . The fried so-called Calamari is better at one those Chinese buffets . I asked for their Italian rice ball instead I got a something odd shaped filled with rice and tomato sauce . No sign of cheese what's so ever . I ordered the chicken parm just to be safe that was ok angel hair way over cooked and a drop of sauce . Waiters was ok just wanted my order so bad like it was the end of the world . I told her my appetizers are not even out yet how do you want my order already kept nagging every 5 minutes finally I just told her the most simple dish so just to get her out of my face . I figured if you can't get the chicken parm correct there would no reason to order anything else . I think it's the culture here in Jax to most this is amazing to real people like me this is a step up from Olive Garden at best . Oh had no clue what a lemon peel was for my espresso. Gave three slices of lemon lmao I had to do it my self . Sad so sad this town is but hey again this is backville I mean Jacksonville . read more

Excellent service. Fabulous wine list. We had salmon and grouper francesca, both were incredible. We went early on a Saturday and there was a nice, jubilant crowd but the volume was appropriate for table conversations as well. I am told Wednesday night live music is the best. We will definitely be back! read more

Mediterranean pizza... just wow!!! The dough, the toppings... is a must have. Service is excellent!

Such a great place at the beach! I enjoy every time my husband and I go. I've never had a server who wasn't great. I've had so many great dishes here --- favorites include the mussels, fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, and chicken parm. Good place just to go grab a drink at, as well! read more

I don't know who's posting bad reviews, but I would like to post that the authors of the negative reviews get a "0" STAR rating for not appreciating wonderful food and hard working motivated chef/owner. THANKS read more

Just had New Year's Eve dinner there.!!!!! Food was of highest quality service from Gabby was excellent. Appetizers were delicious house dressing is the bomb and the pork ossanbuccio forgive my spelling was melt in your mouth. Atmosphere was festive and friendly whole staff is what you want in service and wait staff will be back many times read more

I had heard some good things about Gusto and we decided to check it out. We had a pizza as an appetizer just to test what their pizza quality was. It was excellent. A simple Margherita pizza so tasty I felt like I was back in NYC or maybe even Italy. I had a veal parmigiana that was absolutely excellent. Best I've ever had in Jacksonville. There were so many attractive items on the menu I can't wait to go back. Service was very attentive. Our waiter Mario was friendly and helpful. The hostess was very friendly and polite. We definitely have a new restaurant to call our home for Italian food. Based on the appetizer pizza we will be taking out pizzas as well from Gusto. read more

We went on Valentine's night, a party of six adults and one child. We had booked through open table, but somehow our reservation didn't reach them, luckily they were able to accommodate us. The starters were decent, we had goat's cheese bruschetta which was delicious, calamari which a also good. The house salad.. Is AMAZING! Seriously! I had the eggplant parmegian as my main, it was average. Good selection of wine, although we ordered a second bottle of the same and they were out! But the alternative was good too. The band were brilliant!!! read more

This place I amazing! Ira a true taste of Italian cuisine, the portions film you yo and the desert is even better (i recommend the Almond tiramisu)! The people aré friendly and inviting. I highly recommend the place! read more

Last night, a group of friends and I met for dinner at Gusto. It was my second time eating there but definitely not my last. The food was amazing as you can tell Tonino, the owner and chef (who came out and introduced himself to all) puts love into all of his dishes. He and Maryanne were so friendly and hospitable to every table checking to make sure that every dish is amazing. The pappardelle alfredo was smooth, rich, and silky, and Maryanne's flan was to die for. If you're ever in the mood for great Italian food in a welcoming environment, Gusto is a must try! read more

Went there for the first time with my family and we had a great time! It is a casual but very nice decor. I liked the ambience. The food was very good. I had the Veal Frances which was absolute delicious. My husband had the chicken marsala which was good but a little on the sweet side. Our waitress was very sweet and very helpful. We will definitely be back, this is a new staple restaurant for us! read more

Best Italian restaurant in Jax! My husband and I went in for date night tonight because we've heard great things and we were pleasantly impressed! We're from NY and have not found an Italian restaurant in Florida that has been comparable but this one was excellent! We got the fried calamari appetizer, the side salad with homemade dressing was amazing. We shared the margarita pizza and Chicken francese- the sauce was sooo delicious! We will definitely be back! Service was great, clean and pleasant atmosphere. Our new go-to spot for Italian:) read more

Probably one to he best Italian restaurants i've eaten in outside of NYC. Tonino, the owner, is a true paisano in every sense. Great food; great service. The Gnocchi was as light as air with a firm bite. Go figure. read more

The food is good, but the waitress is cantankerous and it took an hour and a half for even a hint of food other than a small bowl of bread.