Our group of 8 in for a wine group dinner with a curated menu. They did an amazing job- food and service were excellent. Chef Antonio cane to join at the end of the evening. The location is great, the interior of this old Ringling building is cool and the menu offers something for everyone! read more

This is a small, intimate restaurant that is ideal for a special occasion. The service is fast and friendly, and the portions are good-sized. They even gave us complimentary limoncello at the end of our meal. But the food lacks flavor. The lobster risotto was bland, and the lemon mousse barely takes like lemon (think lemon La Croix, not lemon pie). And the shrimp gnocchi barely has any shrimp in it (and it's not pesto, although there is basil in the dish). The food is expensive, so you want it to taste delicious, but this missed the mark a bit. They have an extensive wine list, but they do not serve spirits, so you can't have cocktails there. The wine is $14/glass (minimum), which is about what I would pay for a cocktail elsewhere. I probably wouldn't go back, but that's because there are many more restaurants to try (and I want to save money!). read more

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After our Christmas movie the dilemma- what's open and where to eat? After stopping at two restaurants which had long wait lists or were closing early, we stopped here. Luckily, they were open and offered us an outside table. The night was cool but the conversation was hot as we debated on entrees. I chose the Caesar salad( generous portion with nice dressing) and the pappardelle with meat balls. Both dishes were good and we watched many visitors with reservations entering dressed up in their Christmas attire. Nice wine selection to complement our meals and just happy to find this restaurant open late. Service was attentive and loved the complimentary lemonchello at meals end. Small private parking lot. read more

The Reserve by Chef Antonio - Caesar salad - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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The ambiance was amazing. Great small restaurant in a historic house. Had the burrata and prosciutto appetizer outstanding. Wife and I both Had the Tuscan chicken it was good but not great. Friends with us had the calamari chipino and mushroom soup both amazing. They had the tortellini and grouper both very good. Tiramisu for desert was great. Will go back again read more

We were celebrating an 11 year olds Birthday and the staff made her feel special. She loved the Lobster Bisque and Lobster Fettuccine. Each staff member was exceptional. Chef Antonio is an amazing with all his dishes. The Rack of Lamb flavors are Superb. The best I have ever had. The Mango Sorbet was a special touch to the celebration. Thank you to each of you and I Highly recommend The Reserve for all occasions! read more

What a cute Italian spot. Being from the northeast, my bar for Italian is pretty high and this met expectations. The staff is very friendly and works very hard. The place is small but very homey. We loved all of the food - everything was very fresh and flavorful. Will definitely be back! read more

The Reserve by Chef Antonio - Burratta and prosciutto - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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You definitely need a reservation! We made a reservation before a show at a nearby theater for 4:30pm for when they open. And everyone started piling in shortly after. Everything was delicious! The Lobster Bisque was very tasty. One of the better ones I've had. The Shrimp Burrata Appetizer was perfect! I would order again. For our entrees we had Deep Water Diver Scallops and a Grouper Livornese. Both perfect sized portions and very good. I have to mention the bread beforehand was so good! Served with Romano and honey drizzle and a tapenade. The atmosphere is quaint and cozy. White linen tablecloths. I felt bad for my server Elena. She was working so hard handling all the tables as it was very busy. She did have an assistant who was also delightful and helpful. We enjoyed our experience here and will definitely be back in the future. read more

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The food was amazing, the service was extremely attentive and ambiance was was quietly elegant. This was our first time eating here. We lived for 4 years in Naples, Italy, and often times Italian restaurants in the States don't measure up. Chef Antonio's restaurant certainly did. We started off with burrata and parma prosciutto as an appetizer, very good, followed by caesar salad that we split. My husband had the rack of lamb special and I had the spinach and ricotta ravioli in a fresh tomato sauce. They were both very good. The kitchen was good about acommodating my husband's garlic allergy. We had a very creamy panna cotta and a lemon cello mousse for desert, topped with a decaf cappuccino and regular espresso. During the whole meal soft selections from theGreat American Songbook played. It was a delightful evening. read more

A mall intimate restaurant with delicious food. Everything made from scratch and served by his caring wife and her well trained staff. Excellent wine list and very reasonably priced. Overall, in my opinion, better than Marcello's and half priced... read more

We had not been there for some time. The food and service were terrific. We had out of town friends in and wanted Italian. They were very impressed. read more

We were greeted by chef Antonio himself in this quaint, beautiful European like restaurant. Chef started us off with a nice bottle of Chablis from France and reviewed the menu. My wife started off with a wonderful fresh mushroom soup and I had a Caesar that is one of the top on my list. Our entrées were the fettuccine and lobster tail which was one of two of the chefs suggestions this evening and I had the duck both were very good Has an extensive wine list with assorted beers. No liquor was available. I suggest you visit The Reserve by Chef Antonio & you will agree . read more

The food and service here is world class. Enjoy family owned cuisine I would rate 5 star at affordable prices.

This is a nice spot that we've passed by many times. Friendly service and a nice warm vibe inside this older house. Buratta appt was great albeit a little too much salt added. Our mains of duck and pappardelle with meatballs were great. Nice wine list, we enjoyed a delicious Super Tuscan. Looking toward to going back! read more

The server we had was very sweet and attentive. Food was really good and the chef came out to check on how we liked the food. Really loved the cozy atmosphere. I would highly recommend. read more

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Fine Italian dining in a historic home. We had the pasta special, which was rigatoni in a grouper bolognese sauce, and ricotta and spinach ravioli in a marinara sauce. Both were outstanding. We also split a delicious Caesar salad which was presented in beautiful slanted bowls. Everyone was so nice and attentive and the chef stopped by to make sure we were happy. This is a truly amazing find in Sarasota. read more

My husband Italien & a foodie FINALLY found the MOST AMAZING ITALIEN restaurant! Food was impeccable, service impeccable & ambiance so cozy! *****+ read more

The food here is fabulous. But the service is impeccable! The restaurant is next to the Airbnb we stayed at. We thought we'd try it just for the convenience. But what a wonderful surprise! Really authentic menú. Extensive wine list. And she was always right there to refill our glasses before they got emptied. The carafe was a nice touch. I haven't had service like this since I traveled to Italy! The complimentary limoncello was a delightful surprise. I wish we passed through Sarasota more often so we could come back again soon. Thank you Chef Antonio and staff! read more

1990s cuisine and presentation, good bones but needs a refresh. The kitchen needs to put away its squeeze bottles of basil oil used to decorate every dish and bring a more modern touch. Caesar salad was fine but ordinary, osso bucco was tender but the vegetable medley that came with it was a very dated event-caterer treatment, mushroom linguine was tasty and creamy. Limoncello mousse had a floury texture. The Chef came around to greet the diners and the venue has charm, good service, nice touches but we won't be back. read more

very good service and delicious food. The meatballs are great 10/10 recommend. The vibes were great and cozy!

Excellent in every aspect and yes the Chef is all that and provides the best quality all around. I got the pork and is was the most amazing tender that I ever recall. The 4 friends who I had dinner with all raved about their dishes as well. You will not be disappointed at all. read more

This place will become one of the top 5 in the city if it isn't already there. New owner doing an amazing job ! We had great food. Excelkent variety And over the top service and finally an owner that cares about the customer and the experience. Everything we tried was just uniquely perfect and made us want to come back the Same week great wine options. Best Italian based chef in town Set up reservations to get in as soon as possible read more

Food - incredibly delicious!! Service- outstanding- don't waste time call to reserve your table!!

Food and service were wonderful, from start (with greeting by chef Antonio) to finish. Lovely garden space without any outside noise.

We recently had dinner at the Reserve by Chef Antonio. It was a beautiful evening with quiet and intimate atmosphere. The chef and his wife came to the table frequently to make sure we were happy with our food, wine and service. Highly recommend and will definitely be returning. Roger, Susan, James and Kelly read more

The food, service and ambience were fabulous! We will be going back every year! I do not usually write reviews but our experience was so amazing that I felt I needed to do so. We shared a Caesar salad to start than continued with the scallops and grouper dinners. It was all mouthwateringly exceptional! The service was as good as if not better than five star restaurants at which we have dined. read more

We had dinner there last night; it is definitely our new "go to" restaurant for Sarasota area. Chef Antonio and his sweet wife make you feel like you are in their home and provide an amazing, cozy experience. The menu has so many of my favorite things to eat; we had to try several; Octopus, eggplant and calamari so delicious and then we had homemade pasta with mushrooms. The bread and tapenade is also delicious. We were too full for dessert but they brought out the tastiest little cookies and homemade limoncello! Divine! Great evening thanks to Chef and his lovely wife! read more