We had a great dinner last night at La Dolce Vita. It is a small place, I didn't think to count…read morethe tables inside but there is maybe a dozen, and a few more outside. Small and busy, I would recommend getting a reservation. I checked out their menu earlier in the day and was very much looking forward to trying their Pappardelle, Funghi e Salsiccia, a sausage and mushroom pasta dish with a creamy panna sauce. I was not disappointed. In fact, I found my food absolutely delicious. I loved the mushrooms, the sausage, and the sauce really tied it all together. Service was fine, maybe just a little slow at the end getting the bill, but we were in no hurry. Very helpful, one person in our group had some dietary restrictions which were accommodated.

Food was terrible, owner was more interested in being a singer than actually cooking…read more I don't know what part of Italy she is from, but it's not like any Italian food I've ever experienced in my lifetime The chicken was mushy and they use way too much salt

The location has plenty of seating options both indoor in the bar area, wine room or dining room…read moresurrounded by windows. Outdoor seating offers both al fresco à la humidity or under a lovely lanai with fans. The meals generally include mixed vegetables and roasted potatoes; however the menu doesn't say that nor did our server. Only the all pasta dishes come with pasta. There is no side of pasta offered either. This was disappointing because we were in the mood for pasta. After overcoming this, the dishes we chose were all delicious. Our guest said the sole of fish and sauce was great. The branzino at $49 we were told was boney but tasty. The lobster raviolis were cooked perfectly and topped with 2 pieces of grilled shrimp. The chicken scaloppini was tender and the white wine sauce was light and smooth. Overall the meal was good. Our server was distracted and sloppy. Considering it was not at all busy and there was sufficient staff, our server looked overwhelmed. Water glasses were left unfilled and drinks were spilled when served. We had to ask for extra napkins to clean the stem of our glasses. Glad we tried it, but with so many Italian options in this area, I think we will leave this spot for the visitors.

What a find! We decided to have dinner here & due to the wind, we sat at the bar to have dinner…read more Discovered that they have a fantastic HH every day! My house vodka martini was great & only $6! We shared ate almost entirely off the HH menu - bruschetta, caesar salad, bolognese, & the pasta with mushroom sauce. Pasta is homemade & you can get it off the HH menu! We even got a bread basket served to us! We indulged in profiteroles for dessert. The bartender was wonderful. The interior looks very nice. Outside they have plenty of tables. Would definitely go back to this place.

We just celebrated our 40th Anniversary with our kids and grandchildren. The food was so good and…read moreauthentic. Our server (Ricco) was so attentive and made our day very special. If you go, please ask to have him as your server, he made a beautiful dinner even better. we were in a private room in the back surrounded by wine bottles, it was beautiful! Try it, you will love it!!

Ambiance, food, and service were top notch! The food was amazing! We all ordered something…read moredifferent to try. The server sang to our birthday girl! It topped off this review giving it a five star!

Jonathan and Nathaniel were incredible. The food was amazing as always. We love to come for a girls…read morebrunch and cocktails

We love Clasico and continue to bring our friends for any occasion. Never disappoints and the…read morecustomer service is always as good as it gets. Our experiences have been delightful and we LOVE the menu. Sometimes we are even lucky enough to have Jonathan as our server. He's absolutely the best ever.

We had a wonderful dinner here with my two daughters a couple of days ago. The atmosphere is…read morewonderful and the food is delicious. I had the veal Parmesan and the girls had the fettucine alfredo. We started with the shrimp Gorgonzola appetizer. We ended up mopping up the sauce with the bread. Really outstanding. The girls shared two desserts--the tiramisu and 3 layer chocolate cake. Both a rave. The complimentary bruschetta amuse bouche is a star. So good. Service was stellar--the chef came by more than once to check on us and his wife is wonderful as a waitress. We will be back.

Stopped in after their re-opening on Gateway in the spring of '26. Come to see Marco and Olga - you…read morewill not be disappointed! Lamb chops were exquisite, and the Gorgonzola dumplings along with the vodka dumplings were amazing. We will be back!!!

We took take out on their Wednesday special of a sandwich with a garden salad for $16 and the Disco…read moreFries for $6.00. Packaging was excellent. There were about 4 tables so plenty of room for more guests and the bar was empty. The sausage and peppers sandwich was flavorful per my husband. The sausages are not sliced but cut making the sandwich a complete mess. The bread is not made to hold the sausage. I had the chicken Marsala sandwich. Again had a huge issue with the bread being useless. The mozzarella was on the bread but none on the chicken. The Marsala sauce was bland and minimal. Would not get this again. The disco fries were not making me happy. Basically thin fries smothered in gravy. Where was the cheese? The gravy was also bland and we ended up tossing most of them out. The restaurant itself is nice with darker colors and clean. Prices on the regular menu are pricey and after trying their sauce I can see why it was empty. Personal peeve, Italian dish that doesn't include pasta as a side option when clearly they have pasta in the menu is wrong.

I can't believe I have lived in Sarasota as long as I have and only now found this gem of a…read morerestaurant. My wife and I had the most enchanting evening and simply can't wait to return. First impression, plenty of street parking directly in front and as we entered we noticed a truly beautiful outdoor patio, nicely landscaped, centered around a beautiful outdoor stone fireplace. When the weather cools we will look forward to enjoying that. As it was a bit warm outside we chose an indoor table. The interior is beautifully done with elaborately detailed tray ceilings, soft colors, soft lighting, a really lovely bar, and a quiet luxury throughout. We were greeted by the host Bob, who we later learned is a partner/owner, and we were seated immediately. Our waitress Holly was fun, engaging, attentive and eager to please without ever being overly present throughout the night. She set the tone by announcing that all wine was $10 off per bottle and all signature cocktails were $10 each. We were informed these values are expected to be offered at all times during low season (not just a happy hour). We found the wine and cocktail pricing to be extremely reasonable even without this extra offer. Holly also volunteered that the kitchen would happily split any appetizer onto two plates and we were also welcome to order just a half salad or half Caesar salad if only one of us wanted one. For the waitperson to offer this without even being asked, we felt the spirit of hospitality was off to a great start as it was obvious the restaurant is prioritizing customer happiness above all else. The menu, which you can review on their website, was full of enticements that had us vowing to return so that we could sample more and more offerings. We settled on a half house salad (excellent), a pasta fagioli (unforgettably good) one of their signature dishes, "Chicken Our Way", and Rigatoni Bolgnaise. The chicken dish was simply out of this world, very lightly breaded and beautifully glazed with a wonderful sauce. The table next to us, having driven up all the way from Northport, politely demanded to know what the dish was as the aroma graced their table. The Rigatoni Bolognaise was as fantastic as any dish we had while travelling through Italy; the bolognaise sauce was unquestionably made from scratch in-house and was as delicious and as authentic as it comes. As we were dining, a woman entered who had the essence of an owner; she went from staff member to staff member, and from table to table, checking on every employee and every customer to ask how things were going. When she stopped at our table, she introduced herself as Beverly, the host's partner. She stayed with us for quite some time showing a genuine and personal interest in us. We were not just a customer to her; we were clearly a new and valued acquaintance. This level of Mom-and-Pop personal service is very hard to find today in Sarasota--and it makes all the difference in the world. We can't wait to go back to see Bob, Beverly and Holly again as they truly made us feel like family. And we can't wait to try more of their enticing dishes. You simply MUST sample this restaurant and see for yourself. I fear though that if too many people discover it, the restaurant may grow and change. I hope that doesn't happen, because it is perfect right now, in this moment, exactly the way it is.

Myself and family had an outstanding meal Friday at Maestrale. The best veal chop I can remember,…read moredelicious homemade cheese ravioli cooked perfectly al dente,an excellent linguine vongole.Alfredo,our server, was excellent and Leah was her usual wonderful self! Atmosphere is cozy, nice lighting, delightful. I highly recommend this excellent Italian restaurant...very impressive..looking forward to our next visit which will be soon! Alan Florian

Absolutely fabulous home cooked meal. Located in an unassuming strip mall. We were greeted by…read moreAllesandro, he's the son of the owner chefs. He could not have been any nicer. The food was absolutely spectacular! Probably the best eggplant Parmesan I've ever tasted! The tiramisu was equally special. Fantastic meal and dining experience.

Last night my wife and I went to Marcello's for our 4 year wedding anniversary. We were excited to…read morereceive the same attention when we went the first time with our parents. Since we told the waitress that we weren't drinking wine his mood changed. The first time we went with our parents the server explain really nicely the menu. This time the server just put the board in front of us and said choose what you want. No explanation. My wife and I were disappointed because the table next to us with the same waitress got a very different experience. The waitress explained each dish very nicely. But because we were young and didn't have a wine. We got a different type of service. The food was great but we got out disappointed that we were treated that way. I am writing this because I do not want this to happen to a young couple that is going for a special occasion and they are treated this way.

Marcello never disappoints... .. there were 8 of us &…read moreeveryone very satisfied! Gus was our server & was great! Like the quaintness of the resturant!