My parents live in Rotunda West and this has become our favorite Italian spot in the area! We all went for the first time in March 2023, my parents have been back multiple times, and I came again in March 2024. Reservations are required as it is a small restaurant and kitchen. I am giving this place 5 stars for the consistent delicious food and service. This is definitely more of an American Italian restaurant than authentic, but I love me a good American Italian restaurant. We always start off with Prosecco for my mom and I which is a standard brand and they give you the full mini bottle. My step dad typically gets a red wine. I am in love with the bread and dipping oil! I could drink the dipping oil as it is full of fresh roasted garlic. YUM! They are great in keeping up with our bread and oil re-orders. Both times I have come here I have ordered the Linguine Alfredo with chicken and broccoli. The servings are huge and I had and enjoyed my leftovers both times. My parents have ordered the Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, Ribeye, and seafood pasta in the Fra Diavala sauce. My step-dad is a huge fan of the Chicken Parm. We also always order the Tiramisu for dinner which is always delicious. I look forward to coming back next spring when I'm back in town! read more

Isabella's Bistro - Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and Broccoli - Italian Near Me - Englewood, Florida

See all

Crab stuffed mushrooms were fishy & greasy, we only got 2 pieces of bread w dinner, salad was lame & wilted, veal was bland, spinach resembled a frozen box of chopped from supermarket, very disappointing! We won't be back! Quality has declined significantly. read more

We arrived in Florida a day ago for the season and had to go to one of our favorite restaurants, Isabella's Bistro in Englewood. Our group had lasagna, chicken piccata, pasta carbonara and one of their specials, flounder Franceses. Be sure to ask for shrimp a la Bob, an outstanding off the menu you appetizer! All the food was outstanding as was the friendly service. I highly recommend Isabella's Bistro. Be sure to make a reservation as the restaurant is reservations only. read more

See all

Being Italian from New York, I am very critical of "out-of-town" Italian restaurants. I offer my criticism to point out the inconsistent quality of the food, rather than as a rebuke of management's good intentions. (First of all, the word Bistro refers to French style cooking not Italian.) The reviews we read indicated that Isabella's would be worth trying. It isn't. If you are from the mid-West and think Pizza Hut serves excellent pizza, this restaurant is for you because you have never experienced genuine Italian cuisine. It takes a long time to get your food. It should not take 40 minutes to get your salad. It was warm and wilted. Isabella's must have a tiny kitchen or a very sparse kitchen staff. My pasta dish was smothered in mozzarella. As was my wife's Sampler dish of rollatini, manicotti, and lasagna. Manicotti should be light and savory covered only in a delicious sauce, not buried under a heavy layer of mozzarella. By the way, the sauce is too salty. The Chicken Francese dish was too soggy to enjoy. You can pick up the bread at any supermarket. I thought the dipping oil was excellent, nothing else. The preparation of the food is at best only mediocre. The ladies on the staff were very nice and they work very hard. Isabella's could be better. The chef needs to spend a month travelling around Italy, especially Sicily, to update Isabella's recipes. The restaurant is always packed, so there must be many non-Italians who think this is good Italian food. read more

I dined here spring of 2024. The interior is just ok nothing special which o wouldn't have cared about if the food was awesome but sadly it wasn't. Bread basket beyond average and not made in house. Salad same. I had the chicken. Francese and it was just ok. Chicken was good but their egg wash for the francese was more of a batter. My husband had the chicken piccata and said he's had better. Overall not great not bad but for the price I'd rather go to Apulia. read more

FANTASTIC. Make a reservation! Seafood Special ( shrimp, clams, scallops over pasta)this week was fantastic as was the veal suten bucco. The lemonchello cake was great!!! Service and staff were amazing. read more

This is one of the best restaurants in the Englewood area. The food is outstanding and the service you receive is wonderful. A small restaurant and reservations are necessary. You will enjoy this place. It's our go to place for dining. read more

Great little place,a little 70's on the decore excellent service an the food is on the money.been in SW. FLA. JUST OVER A YEAR.Im a chef and owned two restaurants in NY.The food here is worth the visit. read more

What an unexpected gem! Our party of four highly recommends this place. You must have reservations in order to dine. We will return often.

Amazing food amazing customer service amazing place to eat Jim's bathroom grab bars 9416264296

After hearing all the hype about this place we decided to spend our anniversary there with a nice dinner. I ordered the seafood over linguine special. It was good, but a little bland. It came with soup or salad and we had the wedding soup, which was very good. It also came with 1 piece of bread that was cut in half and served with butter or dipping oil. My husband ordered the cavatelli with meat balls and marinara. He said it was quite bland and the meatballs were tough. (Like there wasn't anything in them but meat.)Our waitress was attentive. We just were a little disappointed as we heard it was the best around! We didn't feel that way. read more

WONDERFUL COOKING: Hi, we dined here at Isabellas on 3/1/2025. I had Veal Piccata and am happy to post here, that its was THE BEST VEAL PICCATA that I have ever had. The cooking here is terrific, so I suggest that you: Make a Rez, review the menu in advance and enjoy a night out at Isabellas. The cooking is the thing so be brave try everything, the apps, order the sides, the asparagus looked massive and they were a bright spring green. The kitchens strength here is in the Veal and Italian dishes. The desserts are well talked of, all excellent. I would return. read more

We moved to this area a couple years ago and have always talked about trying Isabella's Bistro. Yesterday we finally got the chance. 6 of us went after playing a fun day of golf. You notice the very clean establishment as you walk in and are greeted by a pleasant hostess. One had the eggplant parmigiana which she really enjoyed while another had the veal parmigiana which he liked also. One had the bolognese which looked amazing and he obviously liked it because there was nothing left. One had the shrimp and chicken special of the day which he said was very good. Two of us had the chicken piccata and it also did not disappoint. I can say this.. We will be back! read more

See all

Ducked-In for dinner not knowing that Isabella's requires reservations. The manager was very accommodating and let us be seated for a late-night meal. The ambiance was just what we like: cozy and dimly lit ... very romantic! Our waitress was excellent and knew the entrees so well that she could tell us which were extra high in sodium, which my husband has to watch. I had the best lasagna that I've ever had! We will definitely be returning, after remembering to make reservations. read more

We were really expecting more after reading all the reviews. Our appitizer of baked stuffed clams were pretty uninspiring to say the least. We were a little nervous about our entrees after having the baked clams. Both of our entrées were the same. We both ordered the seafood combo with a spicy red sauce. To our surprise both of our entrees were served piping hot. Shrimp and scallops were cooked to perfection and the sauce was very good. Pretty spicy I would say, but to both of our liking. I would return for that dish, it was that good. Service was good and I would give it a three out of five for the ambiance. read more

I'd say this is a 4.5, but felt the need to go up to a 5 rather than down to a 4. You must have reservations in order to be seated. We were seated at 6:45 (the time for which we made our reservation), but didn't receive our meals until about 8. HOWEVER, it was totally worth the wait. We both ordered Zuppa di Pesce (one fra diavolo and one scampi). Both came with a generous portion of pasta and seafood (shrimp, calamari, mussels, clams, & scallops). The flavor of the fra diavolo was delicious. I ate every last drop. The scampi had a really good buttery garlic flavor. The bf got an Italian wedding soup to start and said it was delicious. He wished the bread was toasted, but it was served cold instead. I had a salad with my meal, which was just okay. It didn't consist of more than a few bites. For dessert, he had the limoncello cake, which he REALLY liked. It was light and fluffy with a good light lemon flavor. Overall, seafood was fresh, service was friendly and good, we walked out very full, and we will go back again next time we visit! PS. They have GF options. read more

This was a get together with another couple we had not seen in a year. We were hurried into making a dinner selection from our waitress. Food was wonderful but again every step of the way we all felt hurried towards the door. My husband was still eating the bread and the waitress whisked it away while he was still chewing. The waitress couldn't wait to be done and give us our check. My husband made a quick decision on his order before he actually read through the menu because the waitress was pressing for us to place our order. The restaurant was not packed. We all felt rushed out of the place. If I saw all the tables full and people waiting I would have understood but that wasn't the case. Because we were rushed out and because you require a reservation or you won't allow walk ins it will probably be quite some time before we visit again. read more

Reservations are required! Hoping to try the place soon. We went over and we unaware of the reservation requirements and we unable to dine. Looks nice read more

I've eaten here 50 times. Always good, except for one fish dish. Nobody's perfect. Love this place, try the Calamari Diablo, culinary genius on display with that pairing. Amore!!! read more

The food was fabulous. The owner treated us like we were special guests. The atmosphere was delightful. We plan to be back often!

A good first time at this new place. Nice Italian menu. My daughter had the chicken picatta, she loved it, my wife had the Marsala, it was ok, I had the crab stuffed sole, it was fantastic, loved it! Service was very nice! We will be back!! read more

What a diamond in the rough, and they're open all year (the locals thank you!). Let's start with the food... holy cow! Hats off to the cook. We've had several dishes including fettuccine Alfredo, chicken marsala, grilled salmon, zuppa di pesce, and even fried mozzarella appetizer, 5 starts across the board! The pasta and all meat was perfectly cooked and man, the flavors! Speaking of flavor, the garlic oil they provide to dip table bread is liquid gold! We had Gracie as our server and she was fabulous. Personable, friendly, attentive and really knowledgeable about the menu. The kids and I have decided this will be one of our new "go to" spots. It's a 30 minute drive from us but so worth it! read more

Tucked away in a corner best Italian culinary In our small town nice staff prices are fair read more

I have eaten coast to coast at all the best restaurants...I have never been timed before..good for you that you're that busy...dinner of Cavalli with sauce was bland..and thanks for the whole slice of bread cut into 2 pieces for the table...happy that your busy with the quality of food you serve. read more

Excellent service and the meals we all had were better than expected! We will definitely come back.

Great Italian food. Small business so I recommend reservations. Never had a bad meal and always have leftovers.

We have been here three times over three years. They have consistently served the selected menu item to someone incorrectly. The first time my wife ordered the special of chicken and gnocchi. It was served with no chicken. When we challenged the mistake, the waitress tried to say the chicken was in the gnocchi. When we did get the chicken breast it was just dropped off at the table on a plate , no sauce , nothing. Last year one of my guests ordered shrimp and scallops pasta. We were informed they ran out of scallops and he would get extra shrimp instead. When served there was no extra shrimp. This year, a week ago, they were not busy , not rushed, still the same problem. Three of us ordered the sea scallops with choice of pasta ($32.00). All three were served shrimp and scallops ($28.00). When the order was questioned, we were told that is the way it comes. The menu says scallops, no check ticket said scallops. Plus one of the orders came with linguine instead of angel hair pasta. When the check came all three people were charged the $32.00 for scallops. Unfortunately, I am afraid that three strikes you are out applies here. They have a problem in their kitchen or wait staff. read more

Very homey , old school Italian. I miss the garlic knots. It must be a nice place to work, the severs have been there forever.

Stopped in last minute on a Monday night What a delight ! Attentive staff , nice ambience , delicious sauce both red and voldka - fresh dinner salad and bread , food fresh and hot !!! Nice appetizer off fried fresh mozzarella - I will be back with guests! Thanks Isabella read more

Great food Great service Very friendly service and a nice cozy atmosphere. Try the gelato flute. read more

It's very nice . Food is good Service is like in Italy . Makes your dinner special. It's also better if your company is happy

The location is very nice, outside seating has shade from the afternoon sun. Food was outstanding in portion size and flavor. We had Lobster Ravioli, Shrimps in a creole sauce. New Zealand mussels with the spicy sauce and Angel hair pasta. Salmon and mash potatoes and Lasagna. read more

Excellent food, exceptional service. Highly recommend. Owners were gracious and welcoming . Dtr was our server and was perfect. Ten stars********** read more

Service good, no ambience. Food very disappointing except for Lentil soup Appetizer.

Wonderful evening at Isabella's Bistro! It's hard to believe they've been open a year, and we're only just getting around to trying out this Englewood Sun Readers' Choice Best New Restaurant. Tom and Sandy Catalano, and daughter Grace, who served us with style, are such warm, welcoming people that we felt like family by the time we left, with full bellies and smiles on our faces. read more

See all

Similar to the previous review, it does not state anywhere on the website that they ONLY ACCEPT RESERVATIONS until you go to the door and see a paper sign that says this. The funny thing is the reviewer from a few days ago mentions stopping by so we didn't think twice before stopping by... The reception we received from the lady we spoke to was very rude - even at 4:30 pm, when they are completely empty, they did not take us for a quick dinner - but would accept takeouts. Weird practice, which would be acceptable if they weren't so rude!! Makes me wonder... did we not meet their standard of an ideal customer??? Based on your response, it appears you have a standard response for your rudeness and your comments validate my review!!! A suggestion: if you want potential future customers to call you to talk about their complaints, you have to be open to feedback. We didn't speak to a man - we spoke to a woman. So, apparently someone else had your rudeness too. Please stop being defensive and be more hospitable in the future whether in person or online. read more

Stale bread and a miserable looking salad along with a long wait for entree left me wondering about the quality of entree however I was never to receive because the manager kicked me out after I complained and later accused me of being drunk on social media. I graduated from the Culinary institute of America..and have been in the restaurant business over 40 years...never have I received such treatment!..She told me the bread was fresh daily from New York ?.. Really how is that possible?....I know u buy it frozen and heat it ..the manager was the one who said it was delivered daily..fyi.. read more

Ambiance was nice & food was delicious. Reservation only so you need to plan ahead . Great way to celebrate my birthday. The desserts were yummy too, even though there was no room, but had to try. read more

If your looking for really good Italian food them this is the place to go its is amazing food and hreat service everyone is so friendly. One of my fav spots and very nice ambiance read more

We found this place while driving by. It is quaint. The sign on the door read reservation only. As we were walking back to our car, the hostess came out and said that they had a table available. The service was excellent, the food was delicious. We will definitely be going back to try different dishes from the menu. read more