Dined here numerous times, made sure we had reservations for both nights in town for the holiday weekend. Each night overdelivered with attentive, friendly service, superb meals for our entire party, and bread we couldn't wait to sink our teeth into (multiple baskets consumed quickly, perfect for dipping in our vodka and marina sauces). The chicken parm was its usual tasty dish and I thoroughly enjoyed the rigatoni a la vodka. Side salads were a perfect compliment and who can't resist cannolis for dessert?!?? Can't wait to return when we are back in town! read more

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Sooo Caragiulo's Italian American was on my list for our Sarasota visit and I'm glad we went. I love some good Italian food, and they did not disappoint. The restaurant had that classic Italian vibe, but the real star was the food. Everything was flavorful without feeling too heavy, and we left happy and full. If you're in the area, definitely add this spot to your list. What was ordered: Lasagna Al Forno = light yet filling read more

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We loved the house bread. It was the best!! Especially with chilli oil that's on the table. I'm so glad it's vegan. Also appreciate the vegan options, we got the mushroom pizza. The leeks were a great addition to it. Unfortunately the cauliflower was meh. We left it as is & the server was nice enough to take it off our check. We thought it'd be in a batter at least but it was just plain roasted half burnt cauliflower. Also kind of interesting how none of the workers knew the parking situation, our server was helpful though. The parking lot behind the restaurant lets you park for 3 hours just make sure to not pay when you leave the car & walk to the restaurant because there's no validating as falsely stated at the meter. read more

Caragiulos - WILD MUSHROOM & FONTINA pizza. Vegan. ROASTED CAULIFLOWER - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

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Ya know sometimes you get sucked in by a name. Food was kinda average Wife liked her clam dish ..... oh yeah me too... wink wink..... but could have had more garlic Chick piccata needed more lemon.... And the red sauce average..... eggplant app.... Just a little over done. So can't give this my recommendation read more

June 15, 2024 : 2 for dinner before FST show - first time in. Very good service and a very nice surprise on a fantastic dining experience!! Service and Gulie (sp?) was exceptional and great guidance and suggestions.....spot on. Took a while to initially get serviced (maybe bad hostess/server communications) and we had a few times we were looking for somebody to bring napkins or fill the water, or we had a sauce spill and needed some assistance........ suggest a better zone defense coverage by the other waitstaff of bus folks?? They never came by or never made eye contacts or looked our way to help Gulie out. When she saw us or came by or through-out she was A+. After we had ordered our calamari eventually somebody showed up and dropped off a basket of pizza tomato bread. We were not a fan, pretty doughy and damp, would have preferred a toasted/crunchy garlic bread. 2/10 The calamari came with two sauces. It was very lightly battered and lightly fried in pretty fresh oil. This was a good rendition and very tasty and seasoned. Nice. 9/10 My wife got the Roasted Beet & Avocado Salad (~ $15) and added the sliced black angus for another ~ $15 as here entree. This was an awesome salad we will BOTH probably get next time we come here. The beets were nicely cooked and seasoned with a few varieties, Greens were fresh and crisp and the whole salad (and especially the aged balsamic dressing) was top notch!! 10/10 the slice black angus met was a total dud and my wife picked it off. sinewy, fatty, an absolute discard off of somebody else's meal, asked for medium rare and it was not only cold but brown on the outside but rare 95% of the pieces (you can easily see this in the picture)? Sal Manilli must have been in the kitchen. 0/10 I ordered the Vegetariano roasted vegetables as my entree. This arrived as a significant board of multiple veggies and I was surprised and happy. Nicely seasoned, ample quantity, fresh and tasty!!! Again he aged balsamic was a super premium dressing and my favorite!!! I got the goat cheese on the side but it looked super nice and creamy and my wife loved it on her "tasting" of my plate. 10/10 We had some 'free dessert" thing or $25 off coupon, as it turned out it was 1 free dessert - of just a few choices. So we got the cannoli instead of the tiramisu. This was not the freshest cannoli I had ever had: the scorza/crust was a bit 'dusty' and dry/crumbly. Well actually TWO of the three. and on those two the ricotta was also a bit "gritty". 4/10 Oddly I was not even going to eat the third one, but bit into it waiting for the bill..... and it was actually DIFFERENET/FRESHER and much better, still not super product but good!!!! 7/10 My wife kept me company with the spumoni sundae : 3 gelato (pistachio, vanilla, and bing cherry?) which was a sliced block of gelato (2 slices) on a big brownie. The gelato (think Neapolitan or Harlequin 3 flavor ice cream) was a bit odd at first, but it was very nice product and great flavors. Not bad. 8/10 the brownie was a fairly large almost 2 inch thick affair. It was very soft and box brownie and white flour almost dry - not moist. We each had one bite and felt not worth the calories to taste any more.... not a good brownie or cake. 3/10 Overall great interior, clean, lots of room for intimate dining. clean glassware, utensils, water was clean and clear and glass and plateware were order less. We will be back for sure. Nice location to the FST and parking there. Couple of EAILY addressable or avoidable things. Enjoy! read more

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Great food and service. Excellent Bar area. I am excited to see the new location. Good luck

It's our first "go-to pizza restaurant" when we travel from West Virginia to Sarasota every year at Halloween time! Waiter was super friendly & had family from WV which was a bonus! Pizza crust is thin, but soft - very delish, many topping options, & all food reasonably priced! Good array of beers to choose from the bar including my hubby's Chardonnay! Alast, we dined the last night they were open at their original location - they're moving to a new location down the street! See ya next year... read more

Fun and classy evening. Beautiful setting , across street from art galleries. So took a much needed stroll after a wonderful variety of foods. Roasted beet and avocado salad starter. Shared a brick oven pizza and finished with chicken piccata....EXCELLENT. Very nice martini and a signature' maple black walnut Manhattan. Unfortunately no room for dessert. Lovely evening, attentive waitress and great company. My other half. Must stop in when in the area. read more

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The artichoke appetizer is delectable, the Caesar salad is satisfactory, the pasta is delicious, the meatballs are tasty, and the cheese pizzas are all good. The marinara is bland. read more

Top notch. Immediately seated. Got the best waiter (Dai). Absolutely lovely experience. I got their seafood special and my hubby got the chicken parm. Food came out fast and hot. We finished with the affogato... Excellent presentation. It was absolutely perfect for a date night out. Would totally do it again. Thank you for a delicious meal and fabulous staff. Dai is a keeper read more

Huge disappointment. Went to Caraguilo's about a year ago and everything was amazing: food, service, atmosphere, etc. Been wanting to go back but just hadn't gotten around to it until last night. Don't know if they've changed management since we were there last but it has definitely gone downhill in both the quality and the quantity of the food. I'll start with my dish: I ordered the Lamache alla Vodka. It was supposed to be pasta with vodka sauce but it was more like a barely-warm soup. The sauce was very thin and there was barely any pasta in it. I had to order another basket of bread and use it to sop up the sauce so I didn't leave hungry. For my wife, she ordered the lasagna and it was the worst lasagna either of us had ever had. It was WAY overcooked to the point that the cheese on top was burnt and very tough, the noodles were dry and tough and there was no sauce in it or on it. You can get better lasagna from a Swanson TV dinner. And our server, although nice, was never around. She never came back after bringing our food out to ask how everything was and we would have to flag her down for anything we needed, such as drink refills. Had to flag down one of the other servers to give us some fresh-grated parmesan cheese on our dishes. Our server seemed to spend most of her time hanging out in the back somewhere because we rarely saw her. Now, to be fair, I will say that the reason I gave 2 stars instead of just one is that our 20 year old son, who was with is, said the salmon dish he ordered was pretty decent but based on our overall experience last night it's doubtful we'll be back, even though we live right here in Sarasota. There are plenty of Italian restaurants in town that are way better and less expensive. read more

We had a very nice women as our server at our table , she was very friendly & knowledgeable with answering our questions when we ordered . Food was very good . All 3 couples were happy with our beet salad & entrees ! Nice portions read more

Food was truly outstanding some of the best Italian we've had the sauces made the meal, but the quality of the meat also shown through. Dishes were beautifully plated and service was just short of perfect. Wasn't the waitresses fault. She was great but appeared to be a bit short staffed and she just couldn't make the rounds as timely as I believe she would've normally read more

Our bartender was great. The bar was quiet which I love. Tiramisu was fluffy and so good. I'll be back when they reopen.

Rigatoni - OH my GOOD LORD!!!!! THIS IS EASILY THE BEST SHORT RIB RIGATONI DISH I HAVE EVER, EVER HAD!!!! I've been all over Italy, Europe, New York, etc and had countless versions but within two bites I just knew. Note this isn't the best RIGATONI I've ever had just the short rib version...but the short rib falls off the fork and it is an absolute nuclear explosion of flavor!! I'm rarely speechless but I am in this instance. (And, no, I don't know the owner). Eggplant parmesian - The noodles and sauce were quite quite good (al dento prep and flavorful red sauce) but sadly the eggplant was severely lacking any flavor. I think if it were breaded it would have made a better landing. Chianti - Meh. Not much flavor and I wished it was drier like a good chianti should be. Sundae - Hmm this is a hard one to review. The description made it seem like a sure fire winner but I was so shocked with both the presentation and delivery. It didn't have much flavor, was hard to maneuver with how to cut into it, and sadly the best part about the dish was the cherry. Sorry, but not worth ordering IMHO. Overall staff was friendly but preoccupied. I'll come back to try the pizza! read more

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We had not been here in a while and I am happy to say nothing has changed. This place is outstanding from start to finish. Our server, Julie, greeted us almost as soon as we sat down. She took our drink order and was back in no time with the drinks and fresh bread. We started with the calamari, which was very good. My wife got the spaghetti and meat balls and I got the chicken parma, which comes with a side of pasta. The sauce is light and full of flavor. The spaghetti and chicken were cooked just right. It was not very busy but there were people eating both inside and out. Caragiulos continues to be a very good choice for terrific Italian food in Sarasota. read more

Always a pleasure to visit. I hadn't been here in a few years, but the food and the service were still very good. I had the ravioli, which was great. It was served with spinach on top and the portion size was just right. There was some bread served with it as well. If I wasn't dieting, I'd have gone for the cannolis! Definitely recommended!! read more

Caragiulos - Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I ordered take home and was sorely disappointed when we sat down to enjoy our order. The beef tortellini came as 6 small pastas. It looked lost in the sauce. I called the restaurant thinking someone missed this as an entry and was told no! We were left very hungry and disappointed. We won't be going back and certainly not ordering from this establishment. At $23.00 we can do much better. I don't think I have given a two star but this place is a pass in my thinking. read more

Caragiulos - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

We had an excellent dinner with very good service here with my cousins. They chose the restaurant as they've been here many times. Parking nearby is a bit challenging, but worth the effort. There's only street parking -- no valet. And it's a popular place so it can get a bit loud. We started by sharing their beet and avocado salad. First off the presentation was lovely to look at... as was the combination of flavors. It had purple and yellow beets, and orange pieces. On top of the arugula were sunflower seeds and several avocado slices. On the greens was a sweet shallot vinaigrette dressing; on either side of the plate were two small "puddles" of a goat cheese crema and an orange sauce (not sure). Very very good and so different from the usual offerings. Our cousins shared a nicely sized house salad that had calamata olives that they enjoyed. For entrees -- there was a spaghetti with meatballs and sausage; lasagna; and a very creative take on eggplant which was a half eggplant filled with burrata cheese with a side of pasta. Everyone said their meals were wonderful. They took half home. I had their chicken Marsala over polenta. The chicken was tender; the Marsala sauce finger licking delicious; there were different mushrooms in the sauce (portobellos?); the polenta was creamy and perfect with both. And I ate every single bit! For dessert, they shared their mini chocolate chip cannoli -- which they said was very good and worth all the calories. I happily enjoyed my after dinner cappuccino while my husband had a "dessert" snifter of dark sambucca with a few coffee beans. I'd come back here in a heartbeat. Lots of other items on the menu I'd love to try -- especially if it's anything like the dishes we had there. read more

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So I've been coming past this place for a while and we've been wanting to try. First of all, I have to admit when we entered, the hostess was "not the hostess with the mostest" and I decided to not name her by name. In fact, she honestly was a bit arrogant. Maybe they felt because I had a hat on shorts that I did not fit a certain profile and she was frankly just arrogantly rude. While I called it out to her directly and I think she did recognize her rudeness, outside of that the food was absolutely spectacular. We highly recommend the chicken, Parmesan, the meat, lovers, pizza, and the tortellini. All of them were absolutely amazing. Great flavors, not heavy, and the side salad is a perfect salad to share for three or more people if it's a large. The pasta was hot and perfectly al dente along with the pizza. I would give it five stars had we just not been rudely approached by the hostess this would be 5 star. I will adjust my review in the future if we experience anything different but you just can't be the representation of a great restaurant for one of the best experiences you will have in downtown Sarasota for the money and quality. Thanks to Kendall going above and beyond as our server she saved the review and the total experience. Well done Kendall for recognizing and adapting. Pleasure engaging with you. Look forward to an updated review. read more

Caragiulos - Great ambiance - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Great for a family event! We got plates to share and everything was wonderful. We'll be back for sure!

We had a great time at Caragiulos. I made a reservation over the phone a few weeks out for 7 people and it was no problem. It is so warm and inviting on the inside. I ordered the chicken piccata and it was wonderful. They also have specials on a chalkboard by the kitchen. Our server was great, we will definitely add to our list to come back to! read more

Caragiulos - CHICKEN PICATTA - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

This place is great. If you are gluten free and looking for pizza, this is the place. The crust is so close to real pizza, you have to ask if it's actually gluten free. It's that good. Give it a try. read more

Dined outside with a light breeze with the most amazing food! Our waitress I think her name is Joan, was efficient, sweet, friendly, and most accommodating! We had spaghetti with meat balls, slight sweetness to the sauce that you could tell came from perfect tomatoes! Bucatini with capers, chicken, and artichokes was amazing, and pasta ola zasa which is not on the menu. It's made with roasted veggies, capers and a light sauce. They also make glutton free pasta. Everything g is made to order and delicious. read more

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The meals taste so awful because of too high salty . The service is fine for us . Ambiance looks good at all. read more

Caragiulos - Fried chicken with salad and vegetables - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Atmosphere was great. Service was most excellent however my Chicken Parmigiana was not 100%. I've had better at Olive Garden. The chicken was over cooked and dry and the sauce was very dry as well. My wife got the Pork Tenderloin Marsala which was very good. We'll go back to try something else but won't get the chicken parm again. PS. Is definitely recommend the Brussel Sprouts. The tiramisu isn't bad either. A little dry but not bad. read more

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My wonderful daughter brought me here for my birthday and what a nice dinner we had. I ordered lasagna which was a nice size serving and delicious, she had the chicken parm and it was wonderful. The pasta had a delicious vodka sauce and the bread was unreal. Second helping of that. Amazing service and excellent food. read more

Lasagna and Pacerri Pasolini chicken dish. This is a standard go to place for Italian in Sarasota. Service was a little slow and non attentive but they were busy. What else could you expect during tourist season in Fl. read more

Caragiulos - Lasagna pacerri pasolinni - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Food, service, and ambiance all 5 star! My favorite Italian spot in Sarasota . The outdoor courtyard is so quaint! I love everything on the menu. read more

We came in and sat at the bar when they opened, so it was not too busy. Then after a drink we ordered dinner. People beside us were given water and the dinner specials that were not offered to us. Their food came out before ours which startled them as well. My pasta had hardly any sauce so it was just sticky, my husbands pasta and meatballs hardly had any sauce too. Service and food was lacking. read more

I was going to go with the eggplant but went with the Local Grouper instead....Glad I did the waitress explained the eggplant was not breaded and it had more of a mushy texture....The Grouper was out of this world....One of the best meals I've ever had...Absolutely delicous....Highly recommend...Came with some bread which I thought was kind if average...I got a house salad with their vinaigrette but really thought that was average...Best part of that were the olives...I grow the best organic tomatoes so they didn't impress me all that much...Atmosphere is casual as I went in with jeans and a sweatshirt. read more

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Had dinner before a Comedy Show on a Wednesday evening. Parking was great - and the restaurant is charming! Unfortunately our meals were a bit hit-or-miss. My Eggplant Parmesan al Forno was pretty much a mushy mess, certainly nothing to write home about. My husband's dinner special - the salmon - was delicious. We enjoyed 2 bottles of a nice wine (shared with another couple). Service was OK, but not as responsive as I'd have wished (but of course I was done-done and ready to go and laugh). Probably not a repeat - but we usually do try places at least twice. For sure won't have the eggplant - but will consider the evening's specials. read more

What a disappointing end to a fabulous dinner when we were asked to leave because "they needed the table!" Our server was fabulous taking care of our large 8 person party celebrating our moving. She was efficient and remembered all our drink orders! We ordered appetizers which came promptly. We then ordered dinner which again came at the right time after salads. One person ordered dessert but no one ordered coffee so we did not linger. We had literally just received our check when a manager or host came over and asked if we could give up the table as he needed it for another party. WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? SO EMBARRASSING! We must have dropped about $700 for our collective dinners and this is how you treat us? I've been a huge fan of this restaurant for 20 years but will no longer return or recommend. Too bad as I love their food... read more

Yes, yes, yes! If you are staying on any of the islands, make the effort to drive downtown because this restaurant is worth the drive, the parking, and the wait. I had Chianti because you have to when you're visiting an Italian restaurant! The salad was just OK but my entrée was unbelievably fantastic. I had a pasta rigatoni with Gorgonzola and chicken. My friend ordered clams and linguine it was fantastic. TRUST ME... go. If you can't get a table go to the bar it doesn't matter the food is just that damn good. read more

Caragiulos - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Service on drinks was poor. Three drinks were ordered, the third did not come despite asking several times, A member of the party finally went up to ask if it was being made, which it had not been. When the bartender brought it over, it was half the size of a similar cocktail and she also said, in an angry voice, that the waiter just entered it. The blame game amongst the staff should not be tolerated and what happened to "the customer is always right," and does not come out to dinner to listen to bickering. The dinners were good, nothing I would travel 25 minutes again to get, but I ordered a special. I was told it could come with chicken or shrimp, I ordered shrimp and got chicken. I was told it was spicy and it was bland. I rarely, if ever, return food so I just ate it but wanted a seafood dish and also did not want more fighting about who made the mistake. I ate there for lunch several times before and it was great. This was 3 star at most. I would not say this was a relaxing experience on a Sunday evening read more

We had a terrific dinner. Our food was definitely a 10. Made an enjoyable wine selection. Service was good but not as great as it is with Julie. Her experience and knowledge is always greatly appreciated. We missed her. We will def be back! Is next week too soon? Always comfortable and relaxing. read more

Nice place, food delicious and the ambient atmosphere is great. I recommend it to anyone who is coming to Sarasota. read more

Caragiulos - Vanilla gelato - Italian Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Let's start with the drink menu, there was a dead fly on it. We over looked this due to the good reviews rather than leaving. We got a side salad that was little on the sad side. Barely any lettuce but the flavor wasn't bad. My wife had the penne vodka which was blend and lacked some flavor. I got the chicken Parm over spaghetti which wasn't bad. The chicken was good and had good flavor but the spaghetti lacked flavor. I don't see what the hype on tiktok was or why the reviews are rated on the high sided but I wouldn't pick this place as a place for Italian food. read more

The service here is terrible. It took about 25 minutes to get a water to the table and another 15 for our wine to come and to order. We started with a Caesar salad that was just okay. I got the mushroom pizza and it was missing the truffle oil. My friends pizza came out wrong two times. The service was just so bad and they did nothing to improve it. read more

Pretty unique Italian food. I would most definitely go back. My favorite was the Rigatoni Pasolini. Best dish on the whole menu! read more

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