What a great find in Venice! This restaurant is one of my parent's favorites and I can see why. It was so cozy and beautifully decorated for the holidays. I enjoyed the Italian wedding soup and the stuffed shells with meatballs. The portions are quite large and the food is delicious too. This restaurant is also one of the few places in Venice that takes reservations - bonus! read more

First time here tonight for dinner. Very nice atmosphere and staff was friendly. I had the linguine w/clam sauce, had good flavor, but the sauce was very thick, almost like a jellied consistency. Not for me. May come back and try something different. Eggplant parm looked good read more

Lucarelli's - The atmosphere is sweet - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

Delicious with great service, this Italian place is popular with locals and tourists. Make reservations, even for a weeknight! The service was friendly and attentive. The food is fantastic! Even the veggie of the day was very good and not too oily or too hard or too soft. Just right. The desserts are fabulous. It is the best cannoli I've ever tasted, and it was still crisp after two days in the 'fridge. The wine menu maybe could use a boost but we were not disappointed. read more

My boyfriend and I were looking for somewhere to have a nice casual romantic-ish dinner and decided to try out Lucarelli's and it turned out to be perfect for what we were looking for. The food was great, the atmosphere was great, the service was amazing, and also they had great music playing. I'd go back again. read more

We went on a Wednesday night, a gentleman greeted us at the door asking if we had reservations. The place had multiple open tables so we questioned if we needed them. Regardless of reservation or not, we were seated at a nice table right away, everyone was very nice, very polite. I would recommend reserving a table Jan-Mar during peak hours. Food was good, not quite like Nona's, but very good. Gelato dessert however was THE best, hands down, that we have tasted anywhere. read more

First visit after a neighbor recommended this place. We arrived early for a 5:15 reservation. I believe the woman who sat us was the owner. She was dressed very nicely and we were seated immediately at table 1. I believe this was the Green Bay packers table referenced in other reviews. Cute decor and very nice lighting throughout. Our server "Hunter" was delightful. We opted for their mussels appetizer and they were very good. Needed more bread tho to sop up the broth. We chose the Italian combo as an entree to share. For an additional five dollars my husband got the salad and I got the Italian wedding soup. A salad with fresh my soup while very good it needed to be much warmer. The entrée came out on a beautiful place in each of the dishes were easily identifiable. We had cheese ravioli one link of Italian sausage one meatball and one chicken Parmesan during our sitting. We opted to bring the other items on the dish home as it was very filling. Will have to report lay er on the lasagna and stuff shells. Forgot to mention the rigatoni with Bolognese in my opinion that was the highlight on the plate the Bolognese sauce was incredible. Overall a very nice meal and we will return. read more

Classy inside, first class service and excellent food. Priced accordingly. Not what you would expect from a strip mall restaurant.

Always a treat. From steaks to veal to seafood to pasta it's always a wonderful experience. The kitchen staff knows their way around food and there is never a skimpy portion. Excellent value for the money. My wife loves Bob's Bolognese Sauce over pasta and I love his steaks and chops. Additionally, Bob and Pam offer nightly specials which are always mothwatering. read more

This is a real Italian restaurant with an excellent menu. The owners take pride in the food and service. A good selection of sauces and pasta, accompanied, if you desire, with appropriate meat and seafood. Excellent, timely wait staff and comfortable clean atmosphere. read more

Our group of Four just left this amazing Italian restaurant, the Lasagna Boleneses was fantastic! The Shrimp Scampi was wonderful and so was the Eggplant Parm! The desserts were were very good as well, the Canoli and the Cheese cake were fresh and delicious! Job well done Defina's,can't wait until we dine there again! Thanks from The Cuozzo & Wilson Families read more

Dinner special for two was a good deal. Lasagna was good but would have preferred meat in it, however, they do give you 2 nice size meatballs that were very good and definitely home made. Wine that came with the meal Line 39 blend was actually a decent wine. Overall very surprised by the delicious meal and will definitely go back and recommend them to friends. Thank you for a nice take-out dinner for two during this Covid19 shutdown. read more

A great family owned and operated Italian restaurant ... Great daily specials and value!! I had the Mahi Mahi special and wouldn't have changed a thing. I was in town visiting from New England and felt like I was back home (until I walked outside and saw the Palm trees). A great choice and far better than any of the well known national chains...take a chance and you'll be glad you did. Cheers !! read more

I had dined at DeFina's since it's reopening in 2010 and always had a great meal. The latest visit was disappointing though. The food was subpar, almost seemed like it was shoveled out of a pre made pan. Hope our next visit will find a return to quality food. read more

Great Gnocchi dinner. Meatballs tasted freshly made. Staff was very attentive and friendly. Reasonably priced for the quality and portions of food. I would definitely come back read more

This is my third time here. The staff are extremely friendly and greeted us each time. The food is excellent as always. The owner Pam is awesome and makes sure your dinning experience is wonderful. This is one of our favorite restaurant. read more

Great family restaurant, service was excellent. Loved the specials, calamari, mussels, chicken Marsala, chocolate gelato were among our favorites. read more

Unbelievable take out dinner we had last night the scrumptious bone in veal chop done to our liken. A delicious mussels appetizer I dipped my bread into the tasty sauce. The chop was grilled with an array of veggies. Bought an antipasto for today's lunch. Will be back real soon to enjoy the many other dishes. It deserved five stars for a local couple putting out such a great meal. Louise Mak read more

The food was great and service was excellent. Make sure you have a reservation as this place gets busy - even on weekdays.

I stopped by on a thursday. I had a great salad , veal chop that would stand up to a 5 star veal chop. Cooked to perfection, juicy, season well. I cannot wait to go back. I did have a side of meatballs. Just to taste a sample of them. I like more cheese, and seasoning in them, for me. read more

Awesome food and great customer service. Very nice atmosphere and they take reservations!

The lasgena was the best I ever had thick layer of creamy ricotta, homemade crepe type pasta perfect sauce and a meatball that is better than mine. I cannot wait to go again to try something else. Another positive is being able to get a vegetable rather than pasta with main dishes. I was wish it was light rather than romantic AND there's no dessert menu. read more

There is a reason this place is full on a Thursday night in mid April. It's because of the overall excellence in all areas. When people writing reviews say they recommend a reservation they mean it. Locals know this is the best restaurant in the Venice/Engelwood area. Every aspect of our dinner was great. Wine, salad, soup, entrees and dessert. It's not just Italian food that is great. The seafood, steak and pork chops are excellent. This is a really great restaurant. read more

Comfortable, good dining. Limited menu. Atmosphere excellent, very cozy. Great service. Only issue, meatballs hard as rocks and clearly burnt-hostess apologetic and said she would speak to the chef...a complimentary dessert would have been the icing on the cake and given this place 5 stars. read more

Venice has quite a few Italian Restaurants and this one fits right in. Have not been there for some time but joined some friends there last night. I gave it five stars for its overall service, food and friendly atmosphere. I also take into consideration it's value. This place is very fairly priced. Add very good food and it is a delight. I ordered a special fish dinner. It was Parrot fish( no kidding, I have never heard of this either.) served with a crusted nut finish. Delicious. Seasonal vegetables and side plate of garlic mashed or pasta with choice of sauce included. Why not, it is an Italian restaurant. Salad included with house dressing and Gorgonzola cheese. Service was attentive but not intrusive. One suggestion, when offering the evenings specials, offer the price as well. It is awkward to ask. Owners are active in the restaurant and pleasant. Exception.. The Green Bay Packers picture in the rest room,,,,after all I am a Bears fan from Chicago. I demand equal time. Go and enjoy a very good meal. My wife loved the Pustineca, enough leftovers for lunch today. read more

I love DeFina's restaurant. The food is exceptional, tho it's better in season. Love their menu and staff. Agree it is a little dark and dated inside, but I'm there for the food anyway. read more

First time our friends that live here took us and I wish I lived here instead of vacationing . This place is probably my top Itialian pick everything was first class read more

Was glad to see they were open for lunch! My husband and I had the flatbread pizza and the Meatball Bomber. Huge portions for a great price. Restaurant was beautiful and elegant, and our server was sweet and very knowledgeable about the area and surrounding attractions. Definitely a must if you want a nice sit down lunch without the rush of a fast paced cafe. read more

Been there twice now. Great food, great service, and owners are as nice as can be. This is becoming a favorite place to eat when we visit Venice. read more

My husband and daughter hosted a fantastic birthday party for me here. They did a super job with food and wine quality and perfect service! We had a party of 13! read more

Defina's has been one of our favorite restaurants for the last three years. The menu offers a nice selection of mostly southern Italian dishes prepared very lovingly by owner/chef Bob. We are never disappointed. We especially enjoy the veal Positano which chef prepares expertly. The homemade Italian sausage is also a favorite. All the pastas are cooked perfectly and served hot. Service is very attentive and friendly. The hostess owner Pam always makes us feel at home! read more

Friendly staff. Pam is a sweet heart. Great food. You won't be disappointed. Nice quite setting so you can have a conversation. Packing is off street and only a few steps to the front door. They take reservations so I'm always sure of getting a table at the time i want. Nice! read more

Fantastic italian food! Went with party of ten and everyone loved their food. House wine was great too. Great service and friendly staff! Can't wait to go back! read more

I had the clams appetizer then shrimp scampi. They mince garlic and smothered both dishes with it. A good chef knows better than to overpower food with garlic. The best restaurant in town is Cassarianos, they understand that garlic is to be use to hint food not destroy it! read more

Ate there with friends Saturday night. Had the white flat bread appetizer, which we all agreed was very good ( asked for extra garlic) the soup Italian wedding was very good,as well as the salads. The bread basket had rolls, bread and breadsticks. Nice variety! Our server was nice and attentive. Our disappointment was with the entrees, 3 out of the six of us had very bland food! Not seasoned well. I had the fettuccine with chicken. The chicken was very tasty, lightly breaded on top of fettuccine Alfredo, which was very bland, no cheese flavor, needed salt! My husband had the linguine with fresh clam sauce. It was bland, had capers in the sauce which didn't help! My friend had the pasta primavera, loaded with nice fresh veggies, but again bland. The others enjoyed their dinners ( veal Parm. chicken parm, and stuffed shells. I was really hoping that this restaurant ( now called Licarelli's) would be a hit, but was disappointing. read more

Great food, great atmosphere! Very clean and great staff. I've eaten here many times.. love the Montepulciano!

Excellent Italian food and service! Chef is the soup king. Atmosphere is relaxing. Dining experience is one-of-a-kind!

I have gone here 3-4 times and Love it every time.. I going back to Florida in a few weeks and you bet I'm going to Defina's again.. They have great Chicken Piccata, and The Salads I love too.. And their Special Shrimp apps.. mmm a must try! If your in the Venice area and looking for a great place and value, you have to try this place. Thanks Pam and Bob for serving up a another delicious meal. read more

Best food in town! The specials will blow your socks off best tasting filet you'll ever eat

Excellent; Service, Food & Ambiance! We will be back with friends. Casual or dressy. We both had the shrimp scampi, salad, bread, cannoli & a bottle of wine. read more

Dark and comfortable atmosphere. The wine menu was superb. The service was a trifle over solicitors but okay. The lasagna was good. The rigatoni bolognese was ordinary. I would come again. read more