Raisa S.

Limoncello arrives burdened by its own mythology. On social media, it is framed as a transportive experience--sun-washed Amalfi charm, polished plates, and a kind of effortless Italian sophistication that feels curated for the camera. In person, the illusion thins quickly. A reservation had been secured for an indoor table, yet the initial interaction was marked by a persistent attempt to redirect us outside. The suggestion, repeated with quiet insistence, set an early tone: service that felt less like guidance and more like gentle negotiation. We obliged briefly, until rain forced the obvious correction. Even then, the transition indoors felt less than seamless, as though accommodating a basic request required recalibration. Inside, the dining room resists the fantasy it advertises. Where one expects cohesion--light, texture, a sense of place--there is instead a disjointed atmosphere. The décor leans rustic, but without the intimacy or intentionality that makes rusticity appealing. More striking, however, was an intrusive, chemical-leaning odor--sharp enough to register immediately, ambiguous enough to unsettle. Whether the result of cleaning agents or something less benign, it lingered in a way no restaurant can afford. The evening took a more concerning turn at a neighboring table, where multiple diners sent back a lobster dish, citing an unmistakably off smell. A replacement was issued, only to be met with the same complaint. The table, visibly unsettled, opted to abandon the dish altogether. It is difficult to overstate how much an incident like this reverberates across a room; appetite, once compromised, rarely recovers.Against that backdrop, the meal unfolded with diminishing optimism. The pear salad arrived composed but underdeveloped--its sweetness untempered, its balance unresolved. It gestured toward refinement without achieving it. The margherita pizza, often a reliable barometer of a kitchen's discipline, fell short: a slack crust, muted tomato, and mozzarella that failed to assert freshness or depth. The fettuccine with mushrooms leaned heavily on richness without complexity, the sauce coating rather than integrating, the mushrooms contributing little beyond texture. There is, at Limoncello, an evident ambition--to align itself with a certain tier of dining, to meet the expectations of a clientele drawn as much by reputation as by cuisine. But ambition, here, outpaces execution. The disconnect between image and experience is not subtle; it defines the visit. Perhaps this was an off night. Restaurants, like all institutions, have them. But consistency is the currency of credibility, and on this occasion, Limoncello spent freely without replenishment. For a place so buoyed by curated perception, the reality feels notably, and unfortunately, less convincing.

Ricardo A.

Excellent service and ambience. Food is simple but well done. They could improve on the presentation and the down note goes to their tiramisu.

Lindsey J.

Found the cutest Italian place on Miami Beach this past week, and also the best meal of the week! Right on Washington Avenue, you get the sense of Italy when sitting on the sidewalk for dinner and be surrounded by cute lemon decor. Even though it was a tad warm this night, the fan provided plenty of air to allow us to enjoy ourselves. We started out with some delicious Limoncello Drop martinis. The perfect sweetness with a garnish was a great round with our appetizers of burrata and calamari. The burrata was cold and creamy and paired well with the prosciutto. The calamari was hot and crispy. For mains, my friends had wine while I went for the Limoncello Mojito, I mean I was in Miami only seemed right! Our pasta dishes and seafood dish were served with a great portion and were hot. I loved how mine was served in a pan! Servers and hostess were friendly and drinks and food served quickly. My only complaint would be is on my reservation I asked for a table inside but we were seated outside. Not sure the miscommunication there but it ended up being ok. Highly recommend this cute gem for a nice Miami Beach meal.

Lee Ann P.

This is a tough review to write as the food here is TRULY top notch. However, everything else needs a lot of help. We had a reservation and even though it was raining, they tried to seat us outside because come to find out, there is not nearly enough space inside this spot. We sat down and were immediately cramped, as servers were trying to walk behind us the entire time with roughly a foot of space to do so. Additionally, with the rain and humidity they seemed to be having a ceiling issues, where all their vents were dripping including on customers and their food. We started with a bottle of wine, calamari, meatballs and a pizza (which again, were all incredible). We were feeling like the server wanted to rush us even though we were a big party and continually ordering food and drinks. Then, while waiting for our meals one of the servers tripped in one of the many puddles of water from the leaking ceiling and fell and dropped all the food she was carrying. In this process my mom and dad were covered in red sauce. We asked the waitress if she was okay and she said yes, but no one came to check on my family who was now uncomfortably sitting in food. In the chaos, it felt like our server then wanted nothing to do with us, as I think he didn't know how to handle the fiasco. Our food finally arrives, and sadly was extremely tasty but at this point we all just want to leave as the vibes have been completely ruined. When we finally ask for our check the server doesn't offer anything for the inconvenience. My dad asked to speak with a manager, who wasn't even aware of the disaster. My dad explained if someone would have just come up to us and asked if we were okay and if there was anything they could do we would have felt much better about the situation as it was an accident. The manager then offered us a discount on the bill and apologized which was a bit of a consolation. If you are looking for Italian food in the area though, I have to believe there are better options.

Raeann V.

This place is so cute! They do offer amble inside seating as well as outdoor seating. The free bread? Out of this world. The pasta plates? Honestly, some of the best we've had--perfectly cooked and bursting with flavor. The drinks hit the spot and paired beautifully with the meal. On top of all that, the staff was friendly, upbeat, and genuinely fun to interact with. Their energy made our dining experience even better. Of all the places we visited during our trip, Limoncello easily earned a spot in our top 3. We'll be thinking about those pasta plates for a long time.

Melanie L.

Great Italian spot! The pastas were delicious. The seafood pasta was very good and so was the cacio e pepe with the steak dish! They have indoor and outdoor seating available; service was good. They have nice wines to choose from and good menu with pizza and such. I would come back again and order the same thing from how delicious it was. If you plan to sit outside, make sure it's closer to evening time, it can get hot!

Jack D.

This is a relatively premier Italian restaurant with a brilliant vibe and jam packed into the late night. This is a place to go when you're tired of spring-breaky sorority food on plastic menus. The tattooed sprightly waiter from Naples was authentic good, though couldn't talk me into the $150 bottle of red. The staff here were terribly busy but total pros and made sure everyone everywhere, sitting or waiting, was getting what they needed. It's great fun with a lemon scent and a relief to be not on main drag.

Mindy T.

I was really looking forward to try Limoncello, but was so disappointed when the food did not match the high ratings. All the dishes were mediocre. Be careful with the scan payment, there is an extra charge. The decor is very cute and cozy, the service is friendly.

Vy B.

Just stopped here cause the decor was so cute and full of lemons, who wouldn't be enticed? Our pastas were perfectly cooked, el dente, flavor well balanced and not heavy like most Italian restaurants. The wood over fired pizza was delicious with thin crust and fresh tasting ingredients. Calamari was crunchy outside, soft inside, and light despite being fried. Service was quick and friendly, probably helped that we were one of 3 other party on prime week day lunch hours. Would definitely come back again if I'm in the area!

Keri B.

Staying in Miami Beach for a long weekend and love Limoncello the drink so that factored into our decision to have dinner here. Starting out, Salvatore our waiter, was AMAZING (in capital letters for a reason). We started with limoncello shots and some sautéed mussels. Had cocktails and the four of us had, spaghetti alle vongole, rigatoni carbonara, lobster ravioli and cacio e pepe. Each was amazing and so tasty. For dessert we had the cannoli and their special lemon and almond cake. Personally I preferred the lemon cake but I love all things lemon. We enjoyed the experience so much that we went back for lunch the next day for more limoncello and a Margherita pizza. Definitely recommend.

Debbie S.

When I say authentic, I mean, authentic, they even have fresh off the boat young Italian men & women standing out waiting to greet you and are they handsome and beautiful! For that alone, you gotta go visit Limoncello while in Miami Beach Florida!

Kim V.

We (group of 4) had reservations at 6pm on a Monday night but had no trouble getting seated earlier. We decided to sit outside and when it was cooler they brought out the heat lamps. We shared two appetizers - Polpette meatballs: absolutely delicious! The meatballs were very well flavored and the sauce was a great accompaniment that we used the focaccia to take the last bit - Sautéed mussels: though well cooked, these were a bit bland. I wouldn't get these again On to the entrees - pappardelle funghi e tartufo: after adding parmigian cheese to increase the saltiness, this was amazing. The mushroom flavor and the cream was very well balanced. - chicken parmigiana and spaghetti: very well done. The chicken was crispy but tender and the spaghetti sauce was delicious - linguine al frutti di mare (senza pomodoro): my SIL is a bit picky about tomatoes and requested to removed them from the dish. It resulted in a bland sauce. The seafood was well cooked and had good texture though it lacked flavor -cacio e Pepe with shaved truffle: this lived up to what my brother and cousin saw on Instagram, which is why we came here. They didn't prepare it in front of him, which makes sense as it was a windy evening and we were told they generally don't do that anymore. He loved it. We all got a bite and agree it was very good. For dessert, we shared the Nutella cheesecake. It was a light cheesecake that had Nutella drizzled over it with some pistachios. A "light" dessert was a great ending to the meal. This isn't New York style but after all the carbs and cream, we were all ok with that! The hostesses were very nice. Our waiter, Ryan was funny and fun. It was a great experience overall. Hope to get back there at some point!

Ada S.

Limoncello is a very good and authentic Italian restaurant with servers who are friendly and efficient. Overall, I would recommend this place to people. I enjoyed my food, my drinks and the atmosphere. They sang happy birthday, chit chatted with customers and the energy was good! But I did want to raise some concerns I had that did not seem appropriate. To start, we had a reservation for 6 people at 7 pm. We had this reservation made for a while and were very excited for it. The day of, we get an email saying they moved it to 8. I thought this was weird, considering we didn't get a phone call or reasoning. No matter, we don't mind! We arrive and they start setting a table up for us and all is good! This is a very crowded and intimate restaurant. There is not a lot of room to move around and the servers or other patrons will bump into you a lot. The most disappointing part of this restaurant was there was a dripping vent that was dripping on my arm the whole dinner, and I raised it to the owner, Guido, who did not seem to care. Nothing was addressed and this happened all night. This was a very gross aspect considering my arm is sticky throughout the duration of the meal. Moving on from this, everything was delicious and they include bread at the beginning which was a nice touch.