There's a reason that, prior to 5 PM, a line has already formed outside the door with people waiting for a table. We arrived at 4:55 to a line at least 20 deep. We were so fortunate to snag a table before Riccardo's completely filled up. Moments after we were seated, I overheard the staff indicate that they were already a full house. Granted this is Valentine's Day weekend, but I suspect that this is a regular Friday night at Riccardo's. Located in Betton Place, right in the heart of Tallahassee's Midtown, Riccardo's is a classic Italian family kind of joint. We walked in hungry and waddled out stuffed. We started our order with their famous "Secret Bread" and were also treated to their house bread with whipped garlic butter. No vampires will be of concern this evening. Hubby ordered a thin crust 14 in pizza with pepperoni and sausage. As good as their pizza is, it's always prudent to order extra for weekend leftovers. I'm not sure what ruler they use in their kitchen, but that was the biggest 14 in pie I've ever seen. Perfectly crispy edges complemented the sweet red sauce, cheese and toppings. We also ordered their secret bread with cheese. It was ooey gooey in the best way, and paired with their sauce, it was a bite of heaven. I ordered their classic Chicken Parm with a spaghetti side. I had to cry uncle before I finished the chicken. It was so much food. I watched the tables around us and everyone was equally enthralled with their own food. Every single table was full, as were many stomachs. Tucked away in the corner of Betton Place, Riccardo's is the BEST family Italian restaurant experience we've had in Tallahassee. read more

Riccardos - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

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Best prepared Pizza Crust and bread. We ordered Chicken Parm. The chicken was very good. They have a bright red sauce that needs a little help, very acidic and after one bite, did not try further. Excellent servers, friendly, family Italian place. Salad was good but, very small in quantity of lettuce. We will go back for pizza and try the Alfredo dish. read more

First visit. Will definitely be back! The "secret bread" is awesome too. Portion sizes are good and so are the stuffed shells. Service was great, and we had no wait. read more

Great Italian spot. Very busy and lively, but we were seated immediately. The wine was great and the salad was good. Their secret bread & garlic butter is to die for. Our meals were all delicious with a decent portion size. We had eggplant parm, spaghetti and meatballs, & lasagna. All were great! Our server was amazing! A young FSU student... we just loved her! read more

My Tallahassee kids love it here and I surely know why as we went for my first time tonight with friends. The food was incredible and have to say the best linguine in clam sauce I have ever eaten and we lived in Naples Italy! The service and wait staff was fabulous with the owner John bussing tables and serving as well! Homemade bread that is worth coming in for on its own as well as take out!!! Definitely worth our trip from North Carolina as we will be back! Bravo and Molto Grazie! read more

We hadn't been here in a while so we decided to stop in. This used to be a really good Italian restaurant but now it's just okay. I was honestly a little disappointed with my meal. The garlic bread was very good as always. The house red wine that I had was okay. For my entree I had the meat lovers calzone. It lacked flavor and it seemed a little bland. I tried to add red pepper flakes and that made it a little better. Maybe I should've tried something else on the menu. read more

Riccardos - Meatlovers Calzone - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

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Amazing food no matter what you order. Service is always pleasant and respectful. The atmosphere is delightful and warm. Love this place.

A nice hidden Italian restaurant in Tallahassee. It's been over 25 years since I ate at this location, but it was a different name that I think was owned by the same person as Andrew's downtown. The food was wonderful back then, hope it carried over. It took a couple trips around the building to find a parking spot, but we snagged one. I figured the place was going to be packed and we would have a wait, nope, 10 open tables and booths. Humm. Why all the cars. Never figured that one out. A nice clean restaurant with decorations. The staff were very friendly and took our drink and food order quickly. The wife ordered linguine with clams in garlic butter sauce. I ordered my favorite Italian dish Veal Parmesan. I changed out the side to a salad with no issues. Dinner was served with hot herb bread with herb butter. Nice. When the wife's dinner was served you couldn't miss all the clams on her dinner. They were cooked perfectly, I had to try one. Now for my dinner. Right off the bat you can tell the cook didn't wait for the oil in the pan to get hot enough before laying the breaded veal in the pan. What happens when you do that? The breading soaks up all the oil and it's like the veal is covered in an oily bread. Breading should have been crisp, not even close. The red sauce was wonderful, but it was hard to get past the oil soaked breading. The veal was tender, and again the sauce so good, I made the mistake and ate the dinner. At 1am my stomach reminded about the mistake. So two dinners, one really good, and the other the chief and I blew it. He cooked it wrong and I ate it. I will return, but it won't be for the Veal. read more

The food was absolutely delicious. Friendly service and great price! We had spaghetti & marinara with meatballs and baked spaghetti along with mozzarella and tomato salad. The dining area was well lit and the noise level was pleasant enough you could enjoy conversation while dining. read more

I've not had a restaurant experience this bad in a long time. Riccardo's reminds me of freshman year of college; an absolute mess. After 3 tries getting through, I placed an order to go. Grilled chicken salad, take n' bake pizza, a sandwich and garlic bread. Basically my order required almost nothing to be cooked. I like to keep things stupid simple. I was told to come in 25-30 minutes. Being conservative, I arrived 45 minutes later. This is when chaos ensued. Every 5-10 minutes for the next 40 minutes I waited there, I was told I'd have my order shortly. No dice. I wasn't offered anything as I waited, and frankly the manager seemed like he could've cared less. Oh well, I still tipped $7 on a $50 "to-go" order. When I got home, of course the order was botched. The salad was missing 2 of the 5 ingredients that were supposed to come on it. It maybe had half of head of lettuce and the chicken resembled a rubber duck. The pizza had a paltry amount of ricotta on it of which I spent an extra $3.50 on and was so misshapen that it looked like Ray Charles had rolled out the dough. The sandwich was missing one of the types of meat that were supposed to come on it and the garlic bread was colder than Amber Heard in front of a jury. That's typically what happens when you stand around waiting 40 minutes for something It's a shame as this place is just right down the street from my house; but what's it matter when you wait longer than an appointment at the DMV? read more

Riccardos - Grilled chicken salad. No onion or hard boiled on this $11 quarter head of lettuce. Pathetic. - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

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I enjoyed my first time at Riccardo's, went with a friend and ordered a really nice bottle of red wine. THE BREAD was amazing this is definitely some of the best bread I have had in Tallahassee. The chicken alfredo was really basic just the alfredo sauce and pasta like no seasoning. I tried a slice of my friends pizza it was tasty. At the end of our meal the re-corked the wine and we took it with us. I will definitely come back to try some different items on the menu. read more

Riccardos - Chicken alfredo I added the pepper - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

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Good pizza and good service even though we were with a large group of about 30 people. We had the cauliflower crust pizza.

The food is spectacular by far, words can't describe how fresh and yummy this place is, the inside of the restaurant is clean and beautiful and I was greeted at the door, go here!! I recommend the #5 sub!! read more

Since moving here from Los Angeles in 2018, I've been on the hunt for notable foodie spots here in Tallahassee, and pizza is always at the top of my list. When this place advertises a secret bread recipe... Get curious, it's real! Perfect crispy outside with a soft doughy inside. Listen, this may seem like a generic boast, I get it. Just try it and thank me later. My 6 year old even noticed how good the crust was and 98% of kids will usually leave that bit on the plate. Also to mention. The price point is perfect for a comfortable family night out. Well done Riccardo's, we will be back read more

Riccardos - Pepperoni & Sausage all over / Basil & Olives on half - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

Riccardos is pretty good. I got the baked spaghetti which was ok, but my mom got one of their calzones and it was delicious. If I were to go again that's what I would get. I would stick with their calzones/pizza/subs. The pasta is average and honestly you might be able to make better at home. The secret bread is fresh and delicious and good for scooping up the ample sauce they put on their pasta. It's also good to try with the garlic butter. They have good COVID pickup service. It didn't take long to get our food after we ordered. They are tucked away in a nice location near Midtown and they have decent evening hours. read more

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This was my second time eating Riccardo's food. Pre-pandemic I had a girls' night here where the food was delicious. Tonight Riccardo's knocked this family meal deal out of the park! Pictured is their penne and meatballs (huge meatballs the size of a golf ball and a half), 5 pieces of their massive "secret bread" with garlic and herbs interspersed, addicting garlic butter, and four salads. Their Covid protocols made me feel comfortable getting their food (masks, sanitizing their pens, distancing) and one of their severs helped me carry the pasta out of the door. It is a ways away from my house, but well worth the drive. Riccardo's is a class act. read more

We had an absolutely great experience, one of the best Italian dinners we've had in years. Just moved here full time from S Florida that has many 5 Star restaurants. So we thought we would try Riccardos and it was excellent! Lucky to have them close to home. Congratulations! PS try the SECRET BREAD! Wow. read more

First time trying this place out. Ordered a pizza to go but it was amazing. Definitely will be back to try other stuff from the menu. read more

Riccardos - Pepperoni and sausage pizza. - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

Disappointing and 2 stars is generous to be honest. Almost practicing no Covid safety in the place. All booths full, no wiping down of menus, tables except using the same cloth, no hand sanitizer. Stuffed shells, chicken parmesan, tasteless. Yes, the "special" bread was hot and fresh but missing salt so that was blah. House salad was mainly romaine, dressing was oil no spices, staff overwhelmed and untrained. Oath to self, no more trying Italian restaurants in Tally, always disappointing. Fellow yelpers, what happened that the rating is so inflated? read more

3.5/5 stars. This place wasn't bad, but it was nothing extraordinary. The interior space was nice and clean with good layout and lighting. The menu had a good amount of options without being overwhelming, unless it's a Thursday night, during which they also offer German food. The prices are also decent; it was like $10.95 for fettuccine Alfredo with extra $3 with chicken. I got the stuffed shells, which were very rich but tasty (pictured) for $11.95. The pasta was cooked well and it was a decent portion. A half loaf of garlic bread was like $3.99, which was enough for the three of us. The secret bread itself was okay. It came out so hot, we couldn't touch it for the first few minutes. There's an herb in it that's faintly detectable, maybe rosemary. The garlic bread wasn't super garlicky or buttery, but it was soft and better than the big hunks they serve with the appetizer. The only thing really above average about it was the temperature. We had really nice service; our drinks and food came at good speeds and our waiter was very polite. Overall, I feel like this is a decent Italian food place but nothing extraordinarily special. read more

Riccardos - Stuffed Shells - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

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Fantastic experience last night for dinner. Had the chicken parmigiana and it was cooked to perfection. The bread came in great size and our drinks were never empty. Honestly, the price was Quite impressive as well. Will certainly go back and try more of the delicious menu. read more

The bread here is phenomenal! But that's as good as it gets. You also only get it if you order pasta which disappointed one person in my party because they had ordered a calzone. She just wished that she had known before she ordered. I got the fettuccine alfredo with chicken for my entree. To be honest, I found it really bland. The service also could've been better. We are here on a Saturday night so I understand they're busy but we were sitting waiting for the waitress to come back with Parmesan. We said something to her and said she had grabbed another tables drinks and then our food came out as she brought the drinks out. That wasn't true because she had literally asked us if we wanted Parmesan as our food came out and then she brought several other tables' drinks out while our food was getting cold. Once again, I understand they were busy but it just seemed out of order to me and I didn't enjoy the fact that she blatantly lied to us. read more

Riccardos - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

A coronavirus update: We are so grateful for Riccardo's being open for curbside pickup. Their meatball parm and eggplant parm subs were delicious (serving them on secret bread puts them over the top!) and the calzone was exceptional (made with secret bread? Absolutely!). They deliver to your car and put it in the trunk as we asked. They are serving a full menu (only Wiener schnitzel on Thursday's German menu). And the cannolis were fresh and tasty. Bravo to them for doing what they can to keep their staff and us safe, read more

After just having lunch there, I have to say I was disappointed in a few things - the size of the dinner portion of the Fettuccine Alfredo (for the price) and the fact that it is not offered on the lunch menu even though it is offered on the kids menu. The fettuccine was good, but it would make me want to go back just for it. It didn't come with anything else other than the bread which was good as well. The portion size seemed small for the price - even though I know prices are high right now on a lot of things. The location itself is very nice and service was quick (we were the only 2 in there until almost noon). This was not an issue for me and my friend as we like to get in and out when we are having lunch out from work. But I only saw 2 bathrooms (as in only 2 toilets) so if they are really busy then you might have to wait on the facilities. I will give them another try as I want to try their German dishes as well as their pizza and calzones. read more

Great pizza Secret bread crust Fresh ingredients Also add garlic butter for dipping read more

Food disappointing and bland. I will say meatball was good. Secret bread ?! OMG they should have kept it a secret. Hard and dry and for me inedible Service was spotty. They were busy a full restaurant at 5:15 and they opened at five. Place certainly is popular with the locals Ambiance ....loud and louder. Mostly older crowd when we were there. No bar to sit at if you need to wait for a table. Basic Italian but nothing special seems like a hit with senior crowd and locals. Fast and fairly reasonably priced. But I would shop elsewhere read more

What a wonderful little spot. Great ambience and service, great prices and delicious food. My favorite dish so far is their pizza. The crust is soft, crunchy and delicious. Their chicken Parmesan is so juicy and the bread.... Just perfect. They also have a good variety of wines and beer. 5 from me! Will definitely be back to keep trying the rest of the menu! read more

Had a birthday lunch with friends today. Lunch special under $12 included salad, entree, bread drink. The house dressing is perfect as well as the salad. Ordered bruschetta and was amazing. There was meat lasagna, veggie lasagna, meat ravioli, meatballs with spaghetti. Everyone loved their order. Superb! Highly recommend. They have a German night I've yet to try but will. read more

The spaghetti and meatballs are great. The secret bread is great. Drinks are great. The service is great.

Best italian food in town! Pizza, spagetti and meatballs and the sleeper is the sub! John is the best and the service is always top notch

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere! I highly recommend this restaurant for dine in or take out.

Finally decided to give this place another shot after a bad take out ordering experience long ago. Most of our food was decent at best. Our server was very nice and attentive. We came in an hour and a half before closing and left 30 minutes before close and halfway through our meal they started sweeping the dining room with quite a few people still eating. I personally find this gross and just not okay. I understand if you must clean up under a table with one of those vacuum sweeper things but sweeping with a broom well before closing next to customers dining is not okay to me. I had the pesto pasta with sausage and it was pretty dry and if I didn't add the sausage it wouldn't be worth eating. My partner had the linguini with clams and it was unimpressive, the clams overwhelmed the dish (did not come in the shell and seemed possibly canned/not fresh), would not order that again. The bruschetta appetizer was great and the fresh bread and delicious butter were the highlights for sure. They were out of a lot of draft beers and the menu was not updated so the waitress had to show up a picture of what was available. I opted for a red wine which was decent. I really love supporting local businesses and maybe I still have a bad taste in my mouth due to my last experience and that tainted my opinion this time but I just don't see myself coming back at least anytime soon. read more

The secret and garlic bread w/ the garlic butter, still superb! I can't tell you how many "garlic butters" I ordered w/ our bread, it was too good! Our waiter and floor staff, excellent! They managed a "full house" well. The house Moscato, delicious! I ordered two glasses . I used to come in college at their previous location and expected so much more... The issues? Hence why pictures weren't neccessary. My "meat laaagna" was full of frozen, tasteless, meatballs--very much noticeable. I also could not tell between noodles and cheese, and felt like most of my dish I was eating tasteless frozen meatballs, subpar marinara sauce and cheese--not noodles. My House salad, my mixture (lettuce, romaine, cheese and onions) tasted "old". As if it had been sitting outside of the fridge. No crunch. My husband had the same issue, he tasted frozen, unseasoned meatballs w/ loads of cheese in his calzone. Again, we both used to come in college. New management? New location? I don't know, but it is evident this is now "middle-class parent land". Will be looking for another intimate, quality, Italian restaurant for this area. read more

Visited this restaurant several years ago for dinner (before the pandemic) and recalled having a nice time. An elderly acquaintance, who loves Chinese food, wanted to try something different for her birthday. Since I was taking her to lunch, I suggested Riccardos, which was not too far from her place of residence. We were seated immediately, though not particularly in a warm manner. We were informed that we could sit at a certain table, though there were several booths and only one other dining party in the restaurant at that time. My elderly friend is usually more comfortable sitting in a booth and I asked if we could do so. The service was ok; I did not particularly care for the waiter's demeanor and his impatience with my guest. Sometimes we have to take a bit more time talking when dealing with the elderly. In any case, I had the eggplant parmigiana (which was not tasty) and my friend had the veal parmigiana, which she quite enjoyed; she also had a glass of wine, which she hadn't had in a while, to celebrate her birthday. She did enjoy the wine. :o) The salad was decent (hard to mess up a salad) and the "secret bread" was just ok. Though my first experience with this restaurant several years ago was pleasant, I can't say the same for this second experience. Not sure if there is a difference in lunch wait staff as opposed to the dinner wait staff and not sure if there is new management. At the end of the day, the lunch experience was not as pleasant as I would have liked and I doubt I will return. read more

Riccardo's is my favorite Italian restaurant in Tallahassee. The staff was all super nice, the service is was a little slow but they were very busy and I didn't mind wanting. The calzone I had was really good and all the food around me from pasta to pizza all looked fantastic. The feel of the restaurant is cozy, small dining area with low lighting. If your going for dinner be sure to get there early because just after 5pm there will be a line to get in. I will be taking friends and family to Riccardos many times in the future. read more

I will never understand why people rave about this place. It is a family owned business which I always want to support over a chain but the food quality is terrible. The chicken parmesan (an Italian restaurant staple) is a Tyson chicken patty topped with sauce and cheese. I thought it was a joke. My friends ordered the eggplant parm and it was rubbery. The homemade bread people are so obsessed with is just warm bread with herbed margarine. You could make this at home for a fraction of the cost if this is what you're looking for in "Italian" food. The delusion around the 5 star reviews deeply concerns me. Beware. read more

Riccardos - Eggplant parmesan - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

Great local Italian restaurant with good service, prices and food. Took my daughters here for a daddy daughter date and they loved it. The fresh bread amazed them as this is one of the things they are known for here. The pasta was fresh and delightful. The menu is simple but nothing more is needed when the food is spot on. read more

Riccardos - Menu - Italian Near Me - Tallahasse, Florida

Two months ago we were 20 year regulars. At least twice a month or more. Our last visit was at lunchtime. Around 1:00 we walked in to a quiet restaurant. Several booths had customers, none of the tables were occupied. The only server there was doing his usual scurrying around. He looked at us and said if you want a booth, you'll have to sit down and wait. My husband and I looked at each other, trying to decide whether to stay. We did not want that server. He again said even more tersely while pointing to the couch, "Sit down there." We left. If the owner is interested, we can give you the name of the server. read more

This was my first here. The restaurant is right on par with the price point. I wasn't blown away but I was not unimpressed either. It was just as I expected. The bread that comes with most entrees is great. The half order of bruschetta was perfect for two people. The chicken Parmesan was not the best I've ever had, but for $11 it was a great value. Riccardo's is not going to blow your taste buds out of the water, it is however a nice break from the chain Italian establishments. An appetizer, two entrées and a bottle of wine came to less than $60; so you be the judge. While I didn't have any beer, the selection was quite impressive for an Italian restaurant. Over all great value for the money; I'll be back. read more

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Great food and great service! Their garlic butter and secret bread are great, crusty on the outside and soft and warm and in the middle.