My family and I have been coming to Nabruzzi since they first opened. I even worked there briefly when the restaurant originally opened, so this place has always meant something to us. Back in October, I made a reservation for 20 people for a January dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday. I had heard the week before that Max sold the restaurant, but at that point it was too late to find another place that could accommodate such a large group. Our reservation was at 4:00 pm. When I walked in at 4:03 with my son, there was a man standing by the pizza oven on his cell phone. I initially thought he was a customer waiting for food since there was no acknowledgment at all. After a few minutes, a couple of cooks walked out, looked at us, and said nothing. The man continued texting and then, very coldly, asked, "How can I help you?" I told him I was there for the party of 20, and he responded, "They're in the back," with no warmth or professionalism. As someone who worked in the restaurant industry for over a decade, I was honestly shocked by the greeting. Once seated, I informed our server that both my brother and I have celiac disease and that eating gluten-free is a serious medical necessity. Normally, servers acknowledge this and reassure guests that they'll speak with the kitchen. Instead, she said nothing and walked away while I was still speaking. The appetizers were fine, but the main courses were extremely disappointing. I ordered the gluten-free veal marsala, a dish I've had countless times at Nabruzzi over the years. This was easily one of the worst versions I've ever had...completely bland, with large chunks of garlic instead of properly minced, and so unappetizing I couldn't finish it. My husband ordered the pollo florentine and described it as something our four-year-old could have made. The presentation was equally poor; the food looked like it had simply been thrown onto the plates. The server never once checked on us after the food was delivered, which should happen within the first few bites. I also brought a birthday cake for my dad, and it was served before all the dinner plates were cleared. As we were leaving, the owner simply said, "Have a good one." It's clear that the new owner has little to no experience in the restaurant or service industry, which is incredibly disappointing. Nabruzzi was once a warm, friendly Italian restaurant and a hidden gem in Lutz...a place our family truly loved and visited often because it felt welcoming and close to home. Sadly, after this experience, we will not be returning. read more

I have been to this restaurant several times and had great experiences typically. Unfortunately this time had a few issues. I will start with the good. The food quality and flavor is excellent. I love the bread with olive oil served before the meal. I ordered veal and it was also excellent and the pasta is delicious too. We ordered the Romano pizza as an appetizer and it was ok. Unfortunately our food took a loooooong time to come out. The pizza probably took 30 minutes. We asked for the salads to come out at the same time but again had to wait. My salad had no dressing on it so I had to ask for it which they did send out. The meals again took quite awhile to come out. I will say our server was friendly, but the kitchen just took forever with everything. I will definitely come back because the food is so good. Hopefully this was just an off night. read more

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Since new ownership this once great establishment is going downhill. new owners do not mingle with guests, lighting is super bright, previous loyal servers for the most part departed. read more

Service is excellent and their wine selection is decent. They are limited in pastas, so I opted for the bucatini (it's one of my favorite). It was a more dense than I'm used to and this pasta had an odd taste. The salad was delish, as is the bread, which is accompanied by an olive oil and tapenade. read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - Bucatini Amatriciana - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

The service is awesome and is a good ambiance. The food wasn't that great. Good buy not great. It lacks flavor. The pasta dried too quick because didn't have enough sauce. The Pork Osobucco was bland. But my mayor disappointment was the fried lobster ravioli. It's an interesting change from the regular lobster ravioli but I never tasted like lobster. I tasted the breadcrumbs inside the lobster. I even cutter one to inspect the insides and i was full of breadcrumbs. If you are a fan of lobster, like I am, this dish is not for you. If I go again I will try the pizza. That might be a better choice . read more

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Very cute little spot with a romantic feel and it's in Lutz!! We need more good places that aren't chains up this way. Server was very nice and food came out timely especially for a scratch kitchen. My only issue with service was having an empty water glass throughout dinner. Food was very good with lots of flavor. We had a pizza, 2 Caesar salads, lobster ravioli and the special risotto. The pizza is more like a flatbread and not like pizza. Very good but didn't scratch the pizzas itch. The dough is super thin and seems more like a tortilla and not pizza dough. The risotto was cooked perfectly which isn't easy to do. It had a Cajun vibe to it with the taste. The sauce on the lobster rav was fantastic but we both felt it would have been better not being a fried ravioli and allowed the pasta flavor to come through. Expresso crème brûlée, limoncello cake and two glasses of wine for $134 before tip. Nice touch having a young lady singing for entertainment. We will be back. read more

Great place with a great team and exceptional food and pricing! Planned an early New Year's Eve dinner with six of the guest having never been to Nabruzzi. All newcomers left with a great impression of the food, service and overall experience.. many great items on the menu but what is amazing is they're willing to make other basic Italian dishes that don't show up on the menu for guests. I chose to have veal parm and they made it for me. Definitely a well run family business, and on this day even the granddaughter was present at the front counter greeting guests as they came in .. read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - New Year's Eve party - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Came here the other night because I was craving Italian and this place looked great! The inside is cute and quiet. Great wine list to choose from. Could not believe they didn't have lasagna here as typically you can find it at most Italian spots. I didn't see any Alfredo either. Loved that they serve bread with oil in the beginning because I was hungry as soon as we sat down. I ordered the Tagliatelle Alla Vodka, with added shrimp. I only ordered two shrimp because I was told that they were $4 a piece, which is pretty ridiculous and over priced in my opinion... the pasta was great. I loved how creamy the sauce was. However, I think if I were to order it again, I'd ask for the sauce without the prosciutto and bacon as they took over the flavor of the vodka sauce. For desert, we ordered the tiramisu. Omg it was super good, I ate almost the whole thing to myself ( which I never do) All in all everything here was great, minus the price on that shrimp. read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

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It has been a minute since I've been here. They have expanded, and now have much more seating so it's not quite as tight. Always a good vibe, always busy. Weight staff, as always has been very knowledgeable. They make some of their own pastas and everything is scratch made. Very unique pizza combinations. In fact, we generally always get one as an appetizer, because we don't want to skip getting a pizza there lol. My dad was very impressed with the shrimp and feta pasta, the veal was very good, and the stuffed chicken was good as well. I'm not much of a deep-fried person, I did not realize that it was fried when I ordered, and that is on me. But still, I believe it was pan fried and not thrown in a deep fryer like a lot of places. All and all a very good experience. read more

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We celebrated our 32nd anniversary. We began with a glass of wine and beer. Our appetizer was their caprese salad. The fresh basil really stood out. Next our salads were served. My Caesar was definitely Italian, more lemon and anchovy with no creaminess. The waitress was nice to give me a warning before I ordered it. Next was our meals. The pasta is definitely made in house and served al dente. Our waitress surprised us with a happy anniversary cannoli plate. I had my heart set on their tiramisu though. It was light and creamy and also had some coffee nibs inside. The restaurant was very busy and is not very large. However there is a back party room. Most people were casually dressed but this place is more of a high-end Italian restaurant. read more

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Amazing Italian restaurant with everything made fresh in house. We have never been disappointed with the service or food- a local gem for Lutz! And I got a 1/2 tray of lasagna for Thanksgiving from their catering and it was fantastic! read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - Lasagna YUMMY! - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

A convenient location half way between Spring Hill and St. Pete to meet friends for a delicious and authentic Italian dinner or really great pizza. read more

Came here for a date night with the husband. Love trying places that we have not been to. Came in and we were greeted at the counter by a nicely dressed gentleman who was very pleasant. We later found that this was the owner. Love even more that this is a small restaurant not a big chain. When we sat we were greeted by our server Morgan who had an extremely pleasant and upbeat personality. She was so knowledgeable about the menu and was so happy. The food was also excellent. Although it was not cheap, it was not expensive for the fact that it is all made from scratch, including the pasta. They also have 2 beautiful rooms for parties. We will be back. read more

Cute small location. The food is excellent, and the people are friendly. The Owner is able to do off menu if you ask. I love their Veal Parmesan which isn't on the menu. Their menu is full of great and tasty food read more

We got the recommendation for this place from a Tampa foodie group. It's did not disappoint. The food was very very good. The service was top notch. The waitress was very helpful. She knew the menu inside and out. I got the Aragosta Ravioli and my wife had the Tagliatelle Alla Vodko. Both dishes were incredible. Her dish was so good we shared it at the end. She said it was to good to not finish. We had a dessert that was a ball of gelato covered in a chocolate shell. Again amazing. Highly recommend this place. read more

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The food was good. I tasted my table mate app and it was light and delish. The tomato cream soup was some of the best I have had. I ordered the linguine with clam sauce special. The sauce was nice and the clams were tasty and tender. The pasta however was heavy and sticky. When I got the bill my dinner was 40 dollars. 40 dollars for a special pasta dish I would have expected something more special. Also we had 10 people but we sat at the table for three hours from start to finish. I saw several parties come in , eat and leave while we sat there. I would like to go back and try another dish other than a special but not anytime soon. read more

What a fabulous dining experience...food, service, ambiance! One of the best meals from start to finish! read more

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Visiting Lutz and found this amazing Italian restaurant. The portions are huge. We split Fried calamari light flavorful breading. Easily shareable for 2 (or 4 with lighter appetites). The peppers and jalapeno on top were a little too spicy for me, but him a spice wuss and they were pretty easy to push to the side. Pollo Toscano with the Cesar salad upgrade the menu says egg battered but I didn't see, taste that. But it was so flavorful! I was so full but still wanted to lick the plate. Again the portion was huge and easily splittable. Even with the battered chicken, bacon, and mozzarella on top it was not a heavy dish. Coppa catalana dolce - we were stuffed and had purposely split an entree to be able to try the desserts that looked amazing. By the end of our meal we were about to throw in the towel. But we saw this beautiful dessert delivered to the table next to us and had to try it. If you like berries and you are looking for a lighter dessert GET THIS. The layers were perfectly balanced. Not too sweet or too tart. The perfect end to an amazing meal. Eduardo, our server was attentive and helpful. The restaurant itself was cozy yet large. Dim/romantic lighting but you could still see and read the menu (getting old sucks) So why not 5 stars? The cheese on the Cesar salad tasted like plastic and really ruined the dish. And I had come in looking for a salad so... read more

I ordered a specific menu for my grandson's 16 party with family visiting from texas and up north... I ordered, had my husband go to restaurant to confirm with my written order... after we picked up and paid over $350... two trays were not what we ordered... when I called and was put on hold twice... I finally spoke to a pompas sarcastic manager who proceeded to tell me He took the order and that is what I ordered.... REALLY!! why would I order what we did not want.... plus we had to leave party to go back and pick up a tray they forgot... never will recommend this rude service :.. food was med read more

If you drive by this place you have to stop and try at least the pizza!!! Love the pizza, sangria, and ossobuco amazing!!! read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - It was my bday!!! What a surprise! - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

Service was great. The atmosphere is nice. They are as of now beer and wine and are working on getting their liquor license. The tomato cream soup was incredible, everything else was just OK. read more

It's was our first time to this cute restaurant in Lutz. The ambiance is nice with a stone pizza oven as its center piece at the bar. The service was outstanding and fast. Our waitress was very informative in describing the menu and suggestions. We ordered the fried lobster ravioli, pork osso bucco, seafood pasta, caprise salad, and the fried calamari. The presentation was very nice. All was good but could use more flavor in the seasoning We spoke about returning to try their pizza which is made in a wood fired oven. I recommend this local establishment. read more

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All around great atmosphere and food real Italian. You could sit in the front or you could sit in the back which we always go. It's more private a bottle of wine a good meal and it just turns out to be a great night. read more

Below is the Facebook post I posted for my friends. My wife and I went to the restaurant called Nabruzzi Trattoria on Van Dyke Road. The hostess proceed to walk us through an empty restaurant through double doors into what looked like a cave and instructed us to sit in the corner, against the wall, like an abandoned stepchild. I asked to sit in a table that wasn't against the wall and she said no this is your table. We walked out the front door and went to Esposito's down the street and had a good dinner. read more

Local hidden gem. Amazing and fresh Italian food with daily specials. Pastas are tasty and all the proteins are always cooked to perfection. Pizza is wonderful and always consistent. Desserts are also delicious- must get limoncello cake slice. read more

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Service was fast and friendly today. Didn't get too sophisticated in our order today. Pizza for the group with one ordering the mushroom risotto with lightly breaded chicken. Let's just say that he did not leave any leftovers on his plate so I interpreted that as a 2 thumbs up (5 star). Pizza was a traditional pizza, nothing fancy. It was not very busy so it was rather quiet in the back room. Overall it was a great experience today. I do recommend that you call in advance just to make sure that they can seat you without a wait. read more

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Five years ago, we had come to this restaurant and tonight we returned, as we have become regulars in the past year! It is nothing like what it was five years ago. The atmosphere first is amazing! You wouldn't think in a strip plaza that such a quaint, family style Italian restaurant could flourish! But Nabruzzi Trattoria crushes it. from the minute you walk in, your service begins. The owner, Max, greets everyone as you come in the door. He assigns your table., as your hostess seats you and water and fresh baked bread are delivered to your table with an olive oil based dip , seasoned with pimentos and slices of parmesan cheese, promptly. After giving you a few minutes to look over the menu, your server comes to your table and explains the nightly specials, which are all prepared per order. The pasta is all homemade and is obviously made from scratch. The specials are different every night, and apparently the chef takes immense pride in his cooking! The soups are different every day, and obviously made with passion, my favorite is the tomato soup, and a close second to it is the chicken vegetable. The dinner portions are huge and we have split meals on several occasion still having enough to take home! My favorite special has been the risotto covered with sliced filet mignon! Dessert is just as good. Our server this evening, Brielle, takes great pride in making sure you're every need is taken care of. For us, the change between five years ago and now is like two different restaurants. If you have the time and are in the area of Van Dyke Road and Gunn Highway, in Lutz, make a reservation for dinner at Nabruzzi Trattoria. You'll probably become a regular! read more

Four of us went to dinner on Saturday night. We arrived promptly at 7 o'clock and were seated. The restaurant is definitely busy, but we barely waited for our table. Unfortunately, that's where the good experience ended. The wait service was subpar. The restaurant ran out of bread, several salads, and several entrées ... 7 o'clock? Ok we rolled with that... Next, we tried variety of different things. The calamari app was v small, and the presentation was poor. We had the chicken Parm, veal nabruzzi, and veal Arrabbiata. All of the entrées were overpriced, bland, and felt pre-prepared. Overall, the dining experience was definitely not worth the price. read more

The pizza bar is very comfortable. Enjoy a nice glass of vino while watching your pizza cook in the beautiful pizza oven!!

Food was great! Service was lacking. There were 4 of us for dinner. We had to ask twice for bread. My dinner came before everyone else's and I was more than halfway done when 2 more dinners arrived. We heard to server day to the trainee "we'll have to go find this one". The server only came by the table one time to ask if we needed anything. We will give this place another try to see if the service is better, if not we won't be back. read more

Ok at best. Ambiance was good. Portions are not what you would expect, especially for the price. Server not very attentive, young girl that still has a lot to learn about serving. We had heard great things, but the experience did not live up to the expectations. Too bad. We were really hoping to love it. We may try again but, we would definitely not do any of the specials, way over priced in our opinion. read more

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Food is delish! Need I say more. Best Italian food around. The service is excellent! Very professional. The restaurant, is very clean . Will I return, absolutely!! I say check it out , you won't be disappointed. Oh, ask for Brielle - great waitress. Oh and the limoncello cake , is the best anywhere!!! read more

Nice looking place. Horrible experience with server Brielle E. We won't be back. So... Last night. From bringing food that was incorrect. Server then suggested something else only to receive the item bare in a little side dish. Charging for the untouched incorrect entree. Server Rebutting multiple times before asking the manager to remove it. Paying cash only to be told way after the change was blended into my wallet that I think I gave you the wrong change stating that she's bad at math. Standing there waiting for her $10. I don't understand why the Manager never came over. So strange. Why does an Italian restaurant cut up their spaghetti? Sincerely perplexed. (Asked and told about GF allergy. Was assured what we ordered was fine. Brought breaded chicken and charged) read more

This place earned every star with stellar service and equally delicious and authentic Italian fare. Just yum. It feels like the kind of place where mafia business deals go down in private rooms...because the mafia isn't going to eat just any Italian food, right? The waitstaff can refer you to dishes that will light your fire--and desserts that will make you wish you lived closer to the restaurant. We will be back! read more

We've been wanting to try this place for awhile now. The atmosphere was okay. So was the service. Just "okay". The food? Well, that depends who you ask. I had the Chicken Florentine, and while the homemade pasta was very good, the chicken & white wine sauce was basically tasteless. The chicken was cooked perfectly, just lacking flavor. My husband ordered the chicken. Parmesan which was delicious. So I guess we were a 50/50 split? Maybe I was expecting more & got less? We'll give it another shot at a later date just to make sure they weren't having an off day. read more

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Tried Nabruzzi's for the first time last month. I've had a few people mention it being good and decided to give it a try for a birthday. The location is actually in a small strip plaza which caught us off guard. There is extremely limited parking but some extra space around back. Inside had a warm and cozy atmosphere with a lot of space for larger parties. I was very happy they accepted my reservation just a few days ahead when every other restaurant turned us away because they were all booked. The night we went, a Friday, there was live music. Personally I am not a fan unless the space is set up for that, it gets too loud and makes it difficult to enjoy conversations with my group. The menu has a lot of great choices and I got to sample a few different meals and desserts. The food was very good. I started with Italian wedding soup which was probably the best I'd ever had. For dinner I got the oso buco, it was nice and tender with a delicious sauce. Our table also ordered just about all the desserts, they were all so good, hard to choose but I'd put the crème brûlée, limoncello cake, and chocolate pyramid at the top of the list. Our server was fantastic and gave his input on the menu options. They offer beer and wine (no liquor) so we asked for a nice sweet red and he came back with the perfect glass of wine. Overall we had a great time, the food was excellent, and service was spot on. Would definitely recommend and go back (just wish it wasn't in the strip plaza lol). read more

Nabruzzi Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Lutz, Florida

New Year's Eve we had a reservation. Table not ready. Our party of 10 was seated 1/2 hour after our reservation. Once seated, we waited another 1/2 hour to meet our waitress. Got our drinks 15 minutes later! After drinks came waitress got lost again. Long story short, our wait staff was bad. Hostess and manager did absolutely nothing to assist the waitress. Or meal was 2 1/2 hours and to be honest, nothing was served that was anything I would pay for again. These people will either wake up or it will be another restaurant losing sight of their edge. read more

Authentic & Delicious! Service was fantastic. We dropped by on a Sunday night & dipped our toes in for some Italian cuisine not to be missed. The oil that comes with the bread basket was so good, my husband asked for 3 of them & the staff was happy to oblige. There is some diced green olives & Parmesan featured there, similar to a tapenade. Great way to start!! Everything is FRESH. Caprese was superb. Our entrees were fantastic. Please note if you don't see it on the menu and the dish your looking for is standard italian, then they make it. This is how I ended up with the eggplant, which was delightfully crispy. I ate everything on my plate, which is unheard of. I like leftovers too much and try to ration. I had no self control. read more

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First time there. Absolutely authentic Italian food. Had Carpaccio as an appetizer. Excellently prepared and presented. I had the Bucatini Amatriciano, one of the best pasta dishes I have had in quite awhile. Tasty meatballs in an amazingly spiced tomato sauce My wife had Veal Manuela. Cooked perfectly but the sauce could have been a bit more tastier. A little bland but still a good dish. All the deserts were scrumptious especially the lemon cake. Wine list was extensive and very well priced. Definitely a return trip in the near future. read more

We went for my sister's birthday and it was amazing. The service is impeccable, the wine list is fantastic and everything is made from scratch. The birthday girl and I had the day's special pasta: lobster ravioli classic. The baby sister has chicken parm, mum had veal, and my husband had something Genovese - sausage and pasta. Very tasty! Everything was amazing really. read more

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