I first discovered Dal Contadino years ago after hosting an Italian exchange student who wanted…read moreauthentic Italian food--and it impressed us then. Coming back years later, it still didn't disappoint! From the incredibly tender tripe to the pasta alla vodka, lemon chicken, and gnocchi with truffle sauce, everything was delicious. We went on a Tuesday and enjoyed it all with a half-price bottle of red wine, which made an already great dinner even better. Authentic, flavorful Italian food and a wonderful evening--this time with the approval of another Italian!

9/18/2026 - Its bothering me that I didn't give them 5 stars. It was the price that held me back…read morebecause it stops us from being regulars. That was it. So, 5 stars it is! It's worth going to - that's the bottom line. Especially if Adelina is your server. She kept order in taking our food/beverage requests and delivering the food. She made sure our glasses stayed full and actually asked everyone (we were 26 people) if everything was good/did we want anything. She had it together and made our experience golden. Before we went, I looked at the pics on Yelp and thought that the nosebleed prices for simple ingredients and the casual decor didn't seem to go together. And the menu is limited. I thought we were about to waste a lotta money on basic dishes - because we don't eat meat or chicken, our choices were even more limited. But we were part of a large group and we were looking forward to seeing our friends there. So we went and had a GREAT TIME! Look, I was wrong to suspect that this was a casual place with casual food. Its the best of both worlds because it is on the casual side but the food is formal as hell. The pinot noir that my husband ordered and the Don Julio 1942 tequila that I ordered over an ice ball were just right. The bread and pasta are made inhouse. I think the desserts are too. The sauces are the secret to the sparkle of each dish. Our friends ordered the zucchini flowers and went nuts dragging the bread in the gorgonzola sauce. I had the Pasta Siciliano, a fat, heavy, fresh ruffled pasta holding a sauce made of caramelized onions cut so thin they were like feathers, roasted and sauteed eggplant, black olives that were still hard, reduced tomato sauce and a dollop of ricotta. Clearly the person who put the cheese on top of the pasta knows I love fresh ricotta. My husband's grilled salmon, done exactly medium as requested, was a bullseye. I'd order that in a second. He said the spinach and roasted potatoes on the plate were 'delicious'. We split a tiramisu, which was a lightly flavored, fresh dessert. After dinner, we were serenaded and encouraged to join, which our table of 26 gladly did. It was a little post-dinner relaxation with dinner-mates. OR a bit loud and disorderly, as if the whole restaurant was a little drunk. I think it was that the food was great (seriously, we already plan to return), the service was freaken stellar and it was worth every penny, as shocking as it sounds. I am a believer now. It was that good.

Food and service excellent. Have been there many times. Home made pasta and menu created everyday…read more You won't regret it.

Three of us decided to try this small grocery store Italian restaurant a few days ago. Quite…read moreinteresting to say the least. It was noon not busy as expected this time of the day. First let me say it try's to be elegant in a very nightclub way. Table cloths. Napkins and settings expected only in fine dining. But its still a strip mall restaurant from out side nothing special at all big open sign for sure. Created after a few min and sat at a table that moved if you touched it not up and down but back and forth. Now the waiter pleasant and very nice. Black jeans and shirt nothing special for a restaurant of this pricing. There is a refrigerated counter with items I assumed you could take home and a wall of groceries which you sit between. The water asked what we would like to drink we said water reg water not special. We were brought a glass bottle of water I said just reg water he said thats all we have and the tall fancy bottle was already opened he and he pored 1/2 glass of water in 3 glasses not much to refill. We were charged for the bottle of water like it was from the gold mine. We ordered. The menue is expensive very expensive but we stayed 2 of us ordered lobster bisque $18.00 each and lobster ravioli $28.00 each and one ordered pasta fazool $12.00 and eggplant parmigiana, I asked if there were crackers he said no - asked for Bread yes $3.00 6 small pices of bread with maybe 5 drips of oil. I watched As the same waiter took a 4 inch x 4 inch slice of eggplant parmigiana from the glass counter and warmed it in one of the 2/3 microwaves. Along with the soups we ordered. The lobster ravioli was on a plate 4 ravioli with the same sauce that the lobster bisque was pored on top also in the microwave. The taste of the food was good not 5 star prices as this is the most expensive restaurant i have eaten in Florida to date based on the portions and quality of food and service. In Italy the waiter of this price would be in a tuxedo but this is not Italy and its noon ( no specials here ) we ordered a slice to share of pistachio cheese cake. Looked great in the case where it came from. But was hard and cold ( would have been better room temperature and soft not hard and cold could not taste the pistachio but it was green. Remember its lunch not a dinner date The bill for 3 with tax tip and fees was $234.00 For the quality i guess you have to be so sophisticated that the price determines if its good or bad. I was out for a lunch - in Italy or any fancy restaurant in Europe NYC or Miami LA this would not be 2 stars and i guess their prices try to make it more stars but price is not the issue its the total experience for this TRY TO BE restaurant I will say I was disappointed and snobby is not elegant its just a restaurant in a grocery store. Whole foods buy take home and light a candle and save $200.00

This Italian restaurant is Ft Lauderdale's best kept secret. The food here rivals the best Italian…read morerestaurants in town and I've been to them all. The carbonara is off the charts. Plus the seabass over shrimp risotto.... Puh-lease! DiValles never disappoints

Food is avarage....ambient very limited....no reason to go back …read more List of wine very poor and mo liqueur

This is a true Italian restaurant owned by Italians. When you are there you are in Italy! Great…read moreauthentic Italian dishes , all the pasta is homemade.. Dont expect chicken or shrimp parmesan, go to Olive garden for that. You dont see those dishes in Italy! Randy Fort Lauderdale.

Our favorite place in south Florida. The owner, Fabio, is so…read morepersonable and makes the. Dining experience extra special. Our favorite antipastos were the prosciutto with Burratta, truffle ravioli, and octopus. Our favorite pastas were the spaghetti with lamb ragu, the cacio e Pepe, and the ravioli either short rib. And the desserts were sublime - the tiramisu, lemon cake, and almaretto mousse

Yo Cuz!! This place is a must try. If you and the wife or girlfriend are looking for great food,…read moreservice and ambiance, this is the place. If you go earlier in the day it is a bit quieter however go past 8 the music is pumping the old school Italian movies playing on the screen and the food is coming out fresh like it's Nonna's kitchen. I have never had a bad experience here and will always continue to come back when I come to my home away from home.

It only took me 12 years of living here to finally try what the locals lovingly call "martorano's"…read more In a city that is overpopulated by Italian dining options, it was easy to see why this has been an Oakland Park staple. We went in on a Friday night around 645 and the place was packed. It wasn't even season. We were lucky enough to score 2 seats at the bar. We started off with dirty martinis (extra cold) and they were served perfectly. We also began with the Caesar salad and the prosciutto and Parmesan. Both were excellent. The highlight for me was the prosciutto and Parmesan. We even had leftovers to take home and eat on toasted bagels the next morning. We split the linguine and clams as a main and still had leftovers as the portion size was very healthy. The pasta is all cooked al dente. The sauce was light and refreshing on such a warm night, and it came with plenty of clams the vibe in the restaurant was perfect for a Friday night. It was loud, but not too loud. Lively. We saw the chef/owner working in the kitchen and all of the staff buzzing about was friendly. They had several nightly specials. I will make sure to call for a reservation next time because it was obvious we just got super lucky scoring two seats at the bar when we did. Parking out front and valet is also available ($).

We enjoyed the boat parade party at this restaurant last night. Even though it was served buffet…read morestyle every dish was a winner. The ceviche was outstanding as was the short ribs and shrimp pasta. If they can do a buffet well I know I will enjoy their meals. Also would recommend this location and party for boat parades. I know we will be back next year.

So this place is located in a small hotel, but doesn't mention that anywhere, which makes it a…read morelittle hard to find. The views are pretty great, as it is right on the intercostal. The menu is okay, nothing spectacular, but it seems like they're understaffed, so even basic things take longer than they should. The staff did great, considering there were three people cooking, bartending, serving, food running, and hosting. I hope they are able to straighten it out, because the location, food, and staff are great. Unfortunately, they can't handle more than maybe 10 customers at a time.

Nice Italian restaurant! Good food and drinks! The eggplant…read moreparmigiana was great! Our waitress was Jelena and she was great!'

**Vegetarian Friendly**…read more One of the few restaurants in the area with a large patio, and even larger interior. There were lots of locals. Pizza was light, fluffy, and had very little flop. Wasn't the best leftovers though. We did not enjoy the pasta - it was undercooked, and the sauce was subpar. I would skip the pasta altogether, and opt for pasta instead. The waiter said they're doing a menu refresh for Winter 2025 (sometime in Dec 2025), so we'll definitely be back!

Ruggero's now takes the place of what was Santa Lucia Ristorante at this location, a restaurant I…read morehad two star reviewed. Though the décor and ambiance remain the same, all of which is very good, there is a distinctive as well as exceptionally notable improvement in service and, most importantly, food quality. That's even to the point I can go now go four stars on the new Ruggero's. Ruggero's occupies a rather enviable corner location on the corner of East Oakland Park Blvd. and NE 27th Avenue being setback from the busy Oakland Park traffic with plenty of parking available. Fortunately Ruggero's retained the pleasant patio outdoor seating of the locations former occupant as well as its interior décor and bar area which has a classic comfortable style, feel and look about it. Ruggero's menu couldn't be better in that it is wide ranging in Italian offering with the bonus being that they usually have a good number of nightly specials as well. As an appetizer, went for their night special of what I was told was to be "Grilled Calamari." It arrived in a good eye appealing presentation with a generous serving of sliced cuts of calamari steak that were exceedingly tender and nicely seasoning enhanced. Though I don't think the preparation came anywhere near a grill and was void of a char or grill flavor, I think that was merely a mistake in communication, minor detail, for which I won't search out any fault. That however is mostly for the reason that if I do, I most often find the fault to be my own. LOL! Though Ruggero's had a good number of unique night specials, I ordered their veal as it's a dish I know; hence has some comparative values to me. As with the calamari again served in an eye appealing presentation with a side what turned out to be an excellent risotto. As for the Marsala, the veal was tender but clean to the bite, no mushiness, retaining a good texture. Though I thought it sort of failed in Marsala flavor, the sauce was dark, rich, had plenty of flavor with an exceptionally good flavor of mushroom throughout. Ruggero's could, however, spruce up on a few minor things. They serve a delicious bread, but mine came without butter or dipping oils. Nothing but bread, and the tables are void of any salt, pepper, sugar or sweeteners. Besides the food, which I enjoyed, the service was exceptional outstanding, professional, polite and thoroughly knowledge.

**** CLOSED DOWN **** BIG SIGN "RESTAURANT FOR SALE"…read moreDon't waste your time coming there. Recording on voice mail said they'll reopen end week of Jan 2017 but they never came back.

For a fast food Italian restaurant, this place is. Winner. Order was promptly taken. Clerk pointed…read moreout the special closely mirrored our order so he adjusted so we got the delicious garlic knots, too. We ordered pasta with meat sauce. The sauce was very meaty and not too tomatoy. Service was quick. Limited indoor seating- just 4 tables and 12 chairs. More tables outside tho.

I have lived in East Fort. Lauderdale for over 25 years. This maybe the worst pizza place I have…read moreever eaten from. I'm from New York trust me I know a good pie. My overall experience = 0/5 Customer service- Ok Ambiance- Strip mall setting Location- Oddly located outside of mall Food- Awful, disgusting, flavorless The pizza and chicken sandwich were not good. Needless to say I will not be returning.

It's been a little while since I had been here, but I'll make it a point to return regularly now!…read moreThe prosciutto panini was made to perfection- from using the freshest ingredients, to making sure everything looked just right...you could tell the owner truly cared about creating the perfect sandwich. On top of the great food, the owner couldn't have been more welcoming and thankful for my business. For these reasons, I will gladly return soon and I look forward to my next mouthwatering sandwich! Keep up the great work!

Beware of this shop. Owner is a scammer. Owes money to half of Ft. Lauderdale and possibly in…read moremiami. Pretends to be Italian while he's actually Venezuelan from Lebanon. I have given one star just because it doesn't allow me to put zero. Totally unprofessional and not authentic Italian. There are many valid options in the Lauderdale area. Stay away from it even if you're hungry