The best pizza on Siesta Key! We order and pick-up several pies EVERY Saturday evening. Unfortunately, it is impossible to know what the cost is going to be, since there is NO consistency in pricing and charges. We always pay cash to avoid the 'convenience fees' and now are getting charged a convenience fee for cash as well. What gives? Securing a paper receipt seemed to be a real chore for the staff. Seems that makes it too easy to verify what we are being charged. Tried reaching out to owners/management to get some clarification but either staff is completely clueless or doesn't WANT us to share our experience in a private manner with the management/owners. 'Family Owned' might want to get their house in order before losing more regular season AND off-season business. read more

Extremely disappointed that I'm leaving this review right now. This place has some of the best pizza around, however after last night, I'm really bummed out. Maybe it was a new employee or something, but I had a pizza delivered and the dough was literally raw. It was a long day and I opted for delivery through door dash, accepting that it would cost more but after spending just shy of $50 for a pizza and a salad, it was like salt in the wound. I'm not knocking this place because they have GREAT pizza, however I'm torn as to how this could happen. The dough was raw and after a few bites the whole pizza was in the trash. Door dash credited a whole $5 and who knows if they even notified the restaurant. Even still, it's going to be tough to order from here again and that sucks because they usually have really good food. read more

Had their hot Italian sausage hero and fries....amazing! I want to try the pizza next time....

I ordered a pizza from there tonight. I go there all the time because it is legit one of my absolute favorite pizza places I live on Siesta so we do frequent there often I specifically asked for black olives, mushrooms, and pepperoni and pointed to one of the pizzas that was in the case And once I got home, I noticed it had green olives. I didn't know they even had green olives at this place, but we took two bites and it was so insanely salty and I love love love, olives we could not do it so I return the pizza everything less two bites out of one slice, the gentleman told me I'm sorry there's nothing I can do. I cannot remake your pizza and I cannot refund you and I don't speak. Good English. Maybe someone will call you tomorrow. Had me write my phone number down on a plate and left. I legit love love love this pizza shop but after this evening, I don't know if I will refer or come back again I'm soooooo mad!! it looks like there's new owners because all the other employees recognize me from coming in so often. This guy did not. Still no way to run a business. I paid 30 dollars for a pizza I did not eat and they got to throw away... thank you. If I could post zero I would. read more

I happened to be in the are and decided to stop in for lunch since they have a huge sign outside. At first, we were a bit confused cause the door said Il Panificio, but then saw that Sol's had a small counter in the back left corner. Our server was very nice and there is plenty of seating inside and out. The pizza looked very dried up and stale through the glass, but I wasn't there for that and wanted authentic Jewish Deli food. She raved about it so I got the Rachel and the Pastrami was melt in your mouth good. Perfectly seasoned, huge portions (I saved half my sandwich for the next day and it was equally good), and loved the cole slaw. The sandwich was about $13 or so and clearly worth it. Can't wait to come back and try the Knishes. I'm from Queens so I'm very spoiled when it comes to my deli food and have the highest expectations. I'm glad this was so authentic! read more

IL Panificio - Delicious!!! - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great pizza for the area. I'm used to New Haven pizza so it's hard to get good pizza in FL. For Sarasota they are good but I miss the Gulf Gate location for convenience. read more

Great pizza, large thin slices with cornmeal crust. 18" fed family of 4 easily. Slices are a bit on the chewy/doughy side with lots of flop while holding. Perfect ratio of sauce to cheese - would eat there again read more

Great thin crust pizza For today's lunch I headed to Il Panificio in Gulf Gate. It has been months since we have visited but they have always had great pizza. Today was no exception. I got two slices, a pepperoni and sausage and a mushroom and sausage. Both were oily and tasted great. The bottom crust had a little crunch to it, which I find much better than those floppy pieces you often find elsewhere. I expected to just order slices at the counter and someone would holler at me when they were heated. Instead it morphed more into table service. Good service too, she brought over the slices and refilled my drink, and even dropped off and picked up the check while I relaxed at the table. The food is still served on paper plates, so it has a ways to go to be a real sit down restaurant. They have seating both inside and out, and during the season they sometimes have live entertainment. There is also a Pokestop, so you can bring the kids or adults that play kids games and spin out your balls and potions while you enjoy the food. That's how I spent my lunch. read more

IL Panificio - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Can't really give any stars for the food. Arrived at 8.30 p.m. and I was told that they were closed. BTW the sign on the door says opened 7 days a week from 9am until 9pm. I mentioned that to the guy behind the counter and he said "it's closed we close at 9pm" I said it is 8.30 he said "is over we close at 9pm" hilarious. Will be back? nahhhhhhh read more

LOVED THIS PLACE!!!!!! As New Yorkers, we know good pizza and this place was a pleasant surprise with fresh, thin crust pizza, flavorful sauce, delicious crust and just the right amount of cheese (not buried in cheese). They have many variations to choose from, prices were reasonable, and the staff was friendly. We've been to various cities in Florida on vacation and always struggle to find pizza to like we have in NY......until Il Panificio! Do yourself a favor and come try their pizza, you will walk away very satisfied. read more

This pizzeria flourished under president Obama but now under Trump it seems to be going out of business. Ironic since they always have Fox News on which honestly kept me from going here as often as I'd like. The staff is also not nearly as friendly as piccolo down the street where they are lovely with much more fair prices. They have very good pizza. Expensive, but very good. Also, an excellent cookie selection. It's a shame they won't be in the neighborhood anymore but I find it beautifully ironic read more

IL Panificio was an interesting place to stop in and have lunch. The waitress was friendly and helpful. The place is bright and open and kind of modern. I looked at the pizza's in the show case and the toppings looked great. The crust looked thinner than I like. They looked a little dry. I got the Italian Focaccia sandwich and a small Greek Salad. Both were fresh and great. Monica got 2 slices of pizza and she was not overenthused with the pizza. (She is of a mind like me - thicker crust, more cheese and sauce and fresher rather than sitting out a long time would be better). So when I return I'll order salad and a sandwich and the great cold beer. If I was to get pizza from here I'd get a fresh baked pie and get thicker crust if available. I like the place and hope to return. I posted pics from the visit read more

See all

New location is open.we held off goind down town and went to new place last night.the new place is so small.Only set up for tables of two.Guss they could do some moving for party of 4.After that i don't think there will be ony way 6 or more can sit together. Now on to pizza.Sill the very very best in town for my money It was a long time from last pie but did not fail me...O so good. read more

Great pizza! Great desserts. Ordered 4 slices of pizza. 1. Cheese, Artichoke and black olive. 2. Cheese and Mushroom. 3. Cheese, Mushroom and Pepperoni 4. Just Cheese. Crust was perfect. Thin and crispy. Sauce was sweet but not over powering. Cheese is stringy and delicious. Has an outdoor patio and a cute but small dinning area. Desserts were awesome! Tiramisu and Chocolate mousse cup. read more

See all

We've been here twice, both were great experiences. The first time, we sat at the bar and my boyfriend and I shared a salad and their sausage, onion, pepper pasta dish. It was good, nothing fantastic. The bartender, Kari I think, was so sweet and helpful. The second time, we had a party of five (four adults and a 4-year-old), and we sat at a table next to the window. Our server was great - wish I remembered his name. We ordered two of their pizzas, and it was plenty of food. They are delicious!! My favorite was their white pizza with chicken -- YUM! We also got a Hawaiian pizza, which everyone seemed to enjoy. I'd definitely recommend going to one of their locations to try their fresh pizzas!! read more

IL Panificio - My favorite white pizza! - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

See all

They moved from gulfgate to Reynolds ave off of 41 just down the street. Now open and just as good as always! My favorite pizza around, and the staff is always great! New location is cozy and clean, still doing by the slice and now has a help your self fountain drink area. Still serving beer and wine! Check out the new location! read more

See all

Very big disappointment!!!! The corn beef & pastrami sandwiches were small & not layered as shown on the website , but in each case the meat was rolled up to make it look bigger on very small pieces of bread. Meat did not seem fresh. Even tho the sandwiches were small, the prices remained the same $13.00 each! Potato salad serving was tiny & did not taste home made, The manager told us that Sol has recently left... which is obvious from the quality of food & the small portions. If yelp permitted I'd rate this a 0! read more

Had so much fun here! Ordered a Greek salad and a slice of pizza. Their salads are huge and fresh brimming with great veggies. One is plenty for a meal, split one if your ordering more than that. Pizza is delicious. I had the ricotta spinach. The best part of our visit was the singing bartender! He has a great voice and so attentive to everyone! read more

IL Panificio - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Very good NY style deli with huge sandwiches and excellent cheesecake. Turkey and corned beef reuben are sure to satisfy hungry patrons and at $12 is comparable to Second Ave Deli in New York City at 1/3 the price. I love Juniors cheesecake but Sol's is every bit as good if not better. Worth the drive South on 41. Coleslaw and pickle come with your order and families are welcome. read more

Ordered a large everything pizza and 2 side salads through the new Slice app last night just before 5pm... delivery was supposed to be 45 or less but ended up taking an hour and a half... pizza arrived barely warm with soggy & hard to chew crust. The girl delivering could not speak or understand English but was apparently driving around my neighborhood for at least 10-15 minutes looking for my house which is not hard to find, she even pulled into my driveway at one point and turned around to continue looking for my house... Will not order from here again. read more

First things first. Il Panifico's food is wonderful. One of the best pizzas I've ever eaten too. I just wish their staff had a little friendlier attitude, although the server we had today, who'd only been there four days was fantastic. This review though is about Sol's NYC Deli. I was at the location on Main three times, and now the new location twice. Each time I hoped it would get better, that the pastrami or corned beef was just sliced bad that day and that the small amount of meat on the sandwich was just a mistake. I don't know why Il Panifico's would take him in unless they are having problems, but to me Sol's is a sorry excuse for a Jewish deli. Today ordered a combo pastrami and corned beef on bagel. What did they do? They pressed the bagel like a panini. Each side of the bagel was less than a half inch thick afterward. Their salami sandwich, which should be made with kosher salami is made using the Genoa salami from the other restaurant. Though great salami, it's not what you get at a Jewish deli. Personally, I'd skip this place and go to Jason's Deli. What a shame that they're better than Sol's. Also, if you look at my other reviews I have never given a negative review before because if I don't like the place I feel it might have just been that day, but I've tried hard to like Sol's. My wife couldn't believe I wanted to try it again today. Won't make that mistake again. read more

I should start off with saying that I've eaten here before, but wanted to give another couple chances before posting a bad review on a local business. Pizza is decent. Different, but decent. It's thin crust, so don't be expecting a NY slice. It's the majority of why this place gets any stars in the first place. That, and the place is reasonably clean. The men's bathroom is orderly. The three stars is for really subpar customer service. I came in on a weekday well after opening, but before the lunch rush. In fact, I was the only customer in the restaurant at the time. It was quiet, so ambient noise wasn't an issue. The male working there had to repeat himself more than once to me due to his accent and because he mumbles. Then, when he rang me up, he said "$12.25". No "that'll be $12.25" or whatever. No small talk. So I give him the money, and he says "no. $12.35" (a little more clearly this time). I happened to have a dime in my hand still, so I give it to him. Without a word, he threw it in the cash register and then walked away. Walked away without saying a word. No "have a great day". No "enjoy the sunshine", "thanks for your business". Just walked away. I am left wondering if I inadvertently pissed in his Cheerios or ran over his dog this morning. Hopefully management reads this and has a sit down with him if he is going to continue working with the public. In the meantime, I will get my pizza from Sal's a few doors down from this black hole of pleasantries. Or even the other pizza places on that same block. If I want to pay money to get treated badly, I will go to an S&M club. If management responds to me (in a timely fashion) and tells me that the problems are corrected, then I will return and update my review accordingly. ***edit*** I am going to take off an extra star because there is a donation box right next to the cash register that advertises for an unknown Navy SEALs organization. Problem is, it doesn't list the name of the charity. This is a scam. Don't give your money to this fraudulent business practice. read more

This is a clean and modern establishment. You can get pizza by the SLICE or whole. Pizza is good, not the best I've had but not too shabby! The Greek salad is AMAZING! Only issue I had was that they wouldn't honor my free drink offer from yelp upon check in. read more

See all

I had never been here but wanted to bring local food to my family visiting. I work in this industry and I know how hard it is especially after this year. However, this place didn't show me they cared for the new customers. I own a bar and take care of local places. But it was like I was intruding because I came in. read more

Peter M They brought in extra Napkins To Help you dry your Tears Get over the fact you Lost This place is Great Why knock them ..Because they have Fox On TV? You Loser read more

This place sucks. The pizza is gross, the place is dirty and the staff is rude. Don't waste your time coming here. They don't have good enough pizza to have staff that are inattentive and cannot provide a even a smile. The thin crust tastes like cardboard. Nix this place, you'll be glad you did. read more

Absolutely awful and barely deserves 1 full star. The pizzas by the slice are all mediocre and way over priced for what you get. They heat it up for you if you eat in and left ours in the oven too long so they were a bit burned and dried out. We also ordered 2 salads and they were pathetic. I've had airport or even airplane food that was better. The caesar salad was basically some chopped romaine with a tiny bit of cheese shavings for $8!! they even forgot to give us the caesar dressing at first. The greek salad wasn't much better and was also wayyyy overpriced for the small portion of basically just lettuce. The sitting area is ok and they do have a coffee bar there so if you want to get a cookie and a coffee it may be ok but it is in no way worth the price to eat there especially given the ample choices of lunch lunch places in the immediate area. read more

- what a treat - our server Dan was wonderful - we've been waiting for this, the Reuben was juicy, dad said the lox and bagel were buttery good, pizza was just ok in my opinion, but the calzone was stuffed all the way to the end, amazing, bruschetta is fresh and loaded w toppings and balsamic vinegar, pastrami was "off the chain juicy" - the ziti was good and cheesy, will be coming back - definitely recommended - Sol wasn't here, but service was good and Aaron checked on us read more

See all

We tried the Margarita, which was okay, but the pepperoni and mushroom slice was an 11 out of 10. Crispy crust, great sauce, overall excellent! read more

Great place for pizza...sandwiches.. Family owned and operated. Original location is on Main Street...Love it here..great job with this second location..! read more

See all

I've had the food ! It's good Servers just standing around talking laughing only two customers and they are looking around hoping someone notices they need something. They have a full bar ask for a drink and told doesn't open til 5 !? Poor service staff doesn't care or know how to take care of guest read more

The original El panificio was located on Main Street in downtown Sarasota and was always excellent. I was looking forward to trying the one in Gulf Gate which was their newest addition. Albeit, the pizza was decent it was not up to the standards I have been accustomed to from downtown. Probably will not return read more

I am surprised at the bad reviews. We went in here on a whim and really liked it. We were there on a Sunday and the joint was jumping. A couple of empty table though. The bartender was singing out loud to a Frank Sinatra song and sounded great. After a while a funky little old timey music trio started playing some 20s music. Service was good even though it was busy. They had a wide selection of pizzas by the slice out and ready to go. We tried the Margherita, pepperoni and bacon, cheese, spinach and mozarrela, and sausage/onion/mushroom. The crust is thin and crispy and well made. The sauce is tasty. We were perfectly happy with the pizza, and I reckon if you ordered a fresh pie it would be even better. The cappuccino was quite good too. 8 slices and a couple of drinks for $35 bucks, so it was a decent deal too. read more

Ive been buying Pizza from IL Panificio since i moved here from NY. My last visit i orderd two pizza to go sat had a warm flat beer. When my order was ready i paid my bill grab my two pizza's and headed home. Burnt pizza tasted like cardboard with sauce and cheese. My question is how could they box up my burnt pizza and let it go out. I think its time to start looking for a new Pizza place. read more

Best pizza anywhere. Love ordering a pizza to go and having a drink while we wait. Also the key lime dessert is wonderful. Highly recommend if you like New York style pizza. read more

Really neat place with great thin crust NY-style pizza, which is very hard to find in Sarasota. I lived in NY-metro for 10 years so I know the difference :-) Sometimes we eat there (indoor and outdoor seating); mostly for pickup; wish they delivered. They also have a restaurant on Main Street - smaller place but same quality. They offer beer and wine and several other menu options that I haven't tried yet. Favorite pizza pepperoni, mushroom, ricotta and jalapeño - sooo good read more

Blissful pizza, home made Italian desserts, kind and attentive staff - great place for a quick casual meal. You can sit inside and feel like you are outside due to great design with tons of windows - outdoor seating too. Really wonderful people working there - proud of their food - and they should be - it is awesome! read more

This place is amazing! We just ate lunch there. I've never had such amazing pizza in my life! The service was exponential as well! The food came out pretty quick! The Pies are HUGE!!! read more

IL Panificio - Biggest pizza ever!!! - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Update: I went back for a return visit on January 9th and was told that Sol was no longer at his restaurant (he had left a few days earlier)-we were told they intend to stay open but were already out of corned beef and brisket as well as almost out of matzoh ball soup. I had a pastrami sandwich that was from their remaining meat and bread and while it was OK it wasn't as good as my first trip, I have no plans to go back and doubt they will be around much longer as Sol's Here is the first 5 Star review from last month: This review is for Sol's NYC Deli only-as someone born and raised in NYC, great deli is something taken for granted while there and mostly difficult to find outside of the area (with the exception of South Florida and some other large cities across the country). That's why it was such a pleasant experience to have lunch at Sol's earlier this week as well as meet the owner (who is from Long Island and who really knows his stuff). I ordered the daily special of a cup of matzoh ball soup and 1/2 pastrami on rye and could barely finish. The matzoh ball soup was outstanding, light, flavorful, and not overly salty, and the cup was really a bowl. The pastrami, which I was told is brought in from NYC, was excellent-fresh, moist, and flavorful and served on really good rye bread which Sol told us is baked on the premises using dough brought in from New York as well. Sol is very proud of his cheesecake and when I mentioned to him my Brooklyn roots said I must like Junior's cheesecake (which, from distant memory, was great) so told us to leave room for dessert-we shared one piece for the table and, as everything else, got great reviews. The service was excellent and attentive as well-I highly recommend Sol's and hope he thrives in this shared location for many years so I can come back whenever I need a pastrami and/or matzoh ball fix. read more

We ordered 2 pizzas,bruschetta and Caesar salad at 6:45. We were told it would take 1 hour. Arrived at 7:45, and they said it would be few more minutes. Went back in 20 min later. Still Nothing. Finally at 8:25 we just left. The staff was terrible. No one seemed to know what was going on and had no sense of urgency to help us or even offer an explanation. It was not even that busy. We will never return. There were 3 workers and not one could figure it out. Pathetic. read more