We had such a great experience here! We started with the ricotta toast, which was delicious, and I…read moregot the cheese wheel pasta -- creamy, flavorful, and so fun to watch being made right in the wheel. Another person in our group had the spaghetti and meatballs, one had the salmon, and another ordered the evening special. Everyone loved their meal. The service was impeccable too. Everyone was so kind, welcoming, and genuinely made us feel taken care of. It's also BYOB, which we loved. Between the food, service, and relaxed atmosphere, this is definitely going to become one of our new go-to spots to meet up with our friend group. We'll absolutely be back!

We've driven past this spot countless times, so my wife and I finally decided to stop in--and I'm…read moreglad we did. It's tucked away in a small plaza on the right if you're heading west toward Clearwater Beach, and the moment you walk in, the quiet, cozy atmosphere sets the tone for a great Italian meal. They make their pasta fresh in-house, and there's even a pasta showcase where you can see it being made from scratch. Our server--possibly the owner or manager--was incredibly friendly. We didn't catch his name, but he greeted us warmly and ended up chatting with us about pasta making after we mentioned our own (disastrous but funny) attempt at home. We talked flour, water ratios, and pasta machines. That conversation alone made the whole experience feel personal and memorable. Now, the food. We started with warm house-made bread and olive oil, plus a Caesar salad that was easily big enough for two. My wife ordered the cheese wheel fettuccine, where they mix the pasta right inside the wheel--super fun to watch. I went with a classic: spaghetti and meatballs. The cheese wheel pasta was perfectly al dente with a creamy, rich sauce. My wife said it was the best pasta she's ever had. My spaghetti was just as impressive--the red sauce tasted incredibly fresh, not overly tomato-heavy, just balanced and delicious. We were both more than satisfied. To finish, we grabbed a tiramisu to go, made fresh to order. They offer other desserts, but tiramisu is our all-time favorite, so that was a must. I'm really glad we finally stopped in. We'll definitely be back. I've had plenty of Italian food, but this place truly stands out. If you're in the area, make sure to stop in.

We eat here when we are at Sand Key, I like the atmosphere. This time was different, there was ONE…read moreperson working. The white pizza was good, the pepperoni pizza was not... the sauce seemed sour along with the sour sangria. We did enjoy the white wine, mozzarella sticks, (no dipping sauce) cheese bread and penne fettuccine. We were the only ones in the restaurant, until we were leaving and there was another couple. The place was clean!

Outside seating is a must do! Beautiful sunset views, and the best tiramisu I've ever had.read more

A Mother's Day evening to remember. Thanks to Howlie (Mike)! You made our experience fabulous!…read more We thoroughly enjoyed our evening. Thank you for the great recommendations. We enjoyed the calamari & the veal entrees. Oh & the dessert was fabulous! We will be back very soon.

This is my favorite Italian restaurant, my wife and I have been here many times. We went here last…read moreweek to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We had Calamari Fritti and tomato and mozzarella caprese as appetizers. I had Pollo Parmigiana and my wife had Eggplant Rollatini as entrees. As usual, the food was excellent. Our server, Brian B. was great and constantly made sure that we had everything we needed. Luigi, the owner is always great and attentive. This is a small but high class place. The decor is beautiful and the wall in the hall where the rest room is is decorated with signed pictures of celebrities who have been there. I find that cool. If you are in the area and looking for great Italian food then I recommend Villa Gallace very much.

First time dining at Pizza Shack Italian Grille and it was a very nice experience!! I found they…read morehave been in business since 1982!! Our server, Becka, was excellent!! Very friendly, she kept our drinks filled the entire time & brought food out quickly!! Pizza was very flavorful and cooked perfectly!! We had the Limoncello cake for dessert and it was delicious!! The interior of the restaurant is quaint with a rustic look which is cool!! The bar area also looks interesting with the layout. They have an expansive menu with many selections for everyone. I look forward to visiting again to try more items from their menu. Definitely recommend checking this place out!!

We love getting the uptown pizza every time we are in the area! It has a unique flavor and my…read morefamily loves it! I love the artichokes and mushrooms and the crust is chewy and cooked perfectly!

This is a must try if you love great Italian food !!! They have a menu for all tastes !!!…read moreFantastic lobster bisque soup !!! Escargot !!! And service that cannot be beat !!! Seafood is also very very good!!! You will not be disappointed!!!

Many Clearwater OGs have recommended Cesare's At The Beach. Doing a quick google research dive,…read moreyou'll find the owners are directly from Italy...let's give it a try!! Upon entering, the ambiance is filled with Eros Ramazzotti playing. For those of you who don't know, he's probably the most recognized pop star voice of Italy...think like a Peter Cetera. You hear it, you know. Automatically a point for authenticity. Unfortunately, that's where the authenticity ended for me. We started the evening with a simple bruschetta. On presentation, it looks and tastes like a mini pizza from a middle school cafeteria. Then we got the ceasar salad to share. A generous serving, but tasted like it came out of one of those quick serve plastic bag salads. For entrees, my wife ordered the fettuccine bolognese. Nothing outstanding; I ordered the pollo piccata, which was quite good and saved the evening for me. Food service speed was disappointing. Our server and assistant server were appropriate. Drinks were always addressed without asking. My complaint was how long it took for our actual entrees to come out of the kitchen. It was close to 50 min. In fact, I know the table that was sat after us received their entrees before us. Que será será. Unfortunately, because we were overall so underwhelmed with the quality of the food, we did not get any desert. Cut our losses, and run. Additionally, the prices were higher than other comparable Italian establishments. This of course is because it is located "at the beach." They can do that because the tourists will pay. They will have their loyal patronage. Just not for me...

We hadn't been here in a while (use to be our go to place before Covid) but I have to say I was so…read moreimpressed w the difference in the food, service and everything since our last visit. Jennifer was an incredible server and attention to detail was remarkable. Our pizza was by far better than I ever even remember it being. And the meals, salads and apps were exceptional. I dk what changed but it was nice to see its back to the same expectations it was 15yrs ago. Our friends had driven down from North Florida and always remembered when we took them here and it did not disappoint. We were worried that it wouldn't meet their memory but boy did it and we have to say if your remember how Monty's use to be give it a shot again and be pleasantly surprised to see how much they have brought their standards up. Glad to say this will be our neighborhood haunt again. We've already been back 3x since our friends went home.

Waitress needs to slow down Normally we have a great…read moreexperience, not this time. I don't know how anyone can mess up a simple order. Italian sub with house sauce and onions, instead I got mustard mayo green pepper She needs to SLOW DOWN Even told her ONE CHECK, and got 2!!!

If you find yourself at Cristino's, get ready for a fun evening featuring great food, drinks and a…read more gelato bar for desert. Here are some recommendations for your first visit. This is primarily a coal-fired pizza joint (hence the name) with a whole lot more to offer. Let's start with appetizers! I highly recommend the fried calamari, we sometimes order a second helping of it because it's just that good! The soups and salads are freshly made and my friend tried the pasta and bean soup. The portion was huge. Pizza toppings are a personal matter, but if you want to really get the authentic Italian experience, don't forget the anchovies on your pizza! A little goes a long way! This visit I had pasta instead of pizza, specifically Beef Ravioli with cheese and meat sauce. It was good and I'm going to explore the pasta offerings more thoroughly as we enjoy future visits. You'll notice the staff is young and engaging. I've noticed over the years that a happy staff is a good bellwether of the quality of the dining experience. I always have fun with the cozy atmosphere at Cristino's. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

We stumbled upon this restaurant coming back from the beach. It was an authentic Italian bistro. It…read moredid not feel touristy at all and was in a nice neighborhood. The food was great. We got a coal fired pizza & it was one of the best pizza's we have had. We also got gelato afterwards which we really enjoyed. It would be a perfect date night spot or a place to bring your family. Would love to stop here again on our next trip.

This last time we were in Largo Fl, we happened across sweet little Colella's Italian Deli on East…read moreBay near Starkey. They have lots of sweets. We stocked up on cookies like those anise twists and the powdery ones we call butterballs. They have some ready-to-eat hot foods including large tender tasty meatballs. Stuffed cold sandwiches, too. We found jars of sport peppers for our home-made Chicago dogs! This is a great find!

We are totally IN LOVE with this little top secret Italian deli/market & cafe OuiOui…read more They do a lot of catering, make their own SAUSAGE & sauces AND bake all their own breads, hoagies, cookies, desserts etc., right here on site. We are still working our way thru the menu, but all the sandwiches & calzones we have had so far, including the mufalatta have been incredibly delicious OuiOui. We also ordered fresh loaves of breads to go. Picked them up the next morning. You have to order in advance for the fresh loaves of the top secret bread, as they run out quickly daily. When you go in the morning soon as they open at 10am, the place smells so good like fresh made bread, bc they are baking this amazing super unique top secret bread every morning. If you go soon as they open at 10am & get any of their subs, you will get them with the bread still warm from the oven. Their bread is so unique, I have never had any bread like theirs. It's super delicious, crispy on the outside almost like a rice flour crispy texture, but the inside is like a chewy Italian bread. It's Indescribable! It's so unique and so amazeballs on their SPICY ITALIAN SANDWICH OMG :)... Their Spicy Italian Sandwich also has this very yummy spicy mixture of peppers on it WOZA!!!! I can't even begin to tell you how delicious this sandwich is, as I have now had it 3 days in a row OuiOui. Every place we have ever lived there is always this one place we discover that becomes "our place" this is that place. It's that special OuiOui. They also make a sausage, a pepperoni & an eggplant calzone, with this same super top secret bread they make. We had both the sausage & the pepperoni, they were both delicious, but the winner for us was def the pepperoni WOZA! :)... We took the "grab & go" one out of the coolers, took it home, warmed it up in the oven, it was so freakin delicious OMG! The pepperoni is stuffed with quality moz cheese, the pull on that cheese was amazing! The best calzone we have ever had by a LONG SHOT :)..,, Unfreakinbelievable OuiOui. I know that the photos are not showing up on the feed as they should. My phone is under surveillance & is still being hacked constantly I'm changing my passwords several times a day so you will just have to go to my page to see my photos. I'm working on the counter surveillance measures now. In the meantime, I still have to eat daily, so I'm going to keep Yelping the yummiest foods possible, and who ever is hacking my phone daily, putting me under constant surveillance, must truly believe I'm so very close now to discovering the top secrets of the entire food world. I hope they're right. Because I know I just discovered one. And it's Colella's Italian Deli, their top secret bread & their Spicy Italian sub sandwich they make with their super unique top secret bread. One of the best things I have ever eaten in my life. Added to moi lists of Best Bakeries, Best Italian restaurants, fave restaurants in the Tampa area & in the St Petersburg area. If this place remains "Top Secret" it's totally fine by me. Secrets this great must be guarded.