New owners and all I can say is wow! Absolutely incredible dining experience! From the moment you walk in, you can tell this place takes pride in authentic Italian cuisine. The homemade pasta is next-level -- perfectly cooked, rich, and full of flavor in every bite. You can truly taste the difference when pasta is made fresh. The bruschetta is a must-try -- fresh, vibrant, and beautifully balanced with just the right crunch. And the lasagna? Hands down one of the best I've ever had. Layers of perfectly seasoned meat, creamy ricotta, and robust sauce that tastes like it's been simmering all day. If you're looking for real, authentic Italian food made with care and quality ingredients, this is the place. We will be back!! read more

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We had high hopes since we loved the prior owner and Caffe Italia, so we decided to give it a shot. What a let down. Unfortunately the service was average, the food had no flavor and you don't even get pasta as part of the meal. Who doesn't include pasta, that they apparently make from scratch, with the meal? Maybe we caught them on a bad night but if they don't reevaluate things, they will fail for sure. I'm not sure why on earth they wouldn't leave the menu alone because Caffe Italia was the best Italian I've ever had and I'm sure many others would agree with me If it's not broke, don't fix it. read more

Wanted to try here for a while. Service was good. No ambiance to speak of. Ac not on or whatever. Kinda warm inside. Food was eh. Very pricey. Ordered chicken parm and that's what I got. Just chicken. Baked. With some sliced cheese melted on top in a plate of sauce. No side of pasta which was strange. Oh, did get a salad and packet of dressing. Wife had linguini with clams that she said was good. Rice ball was tasty. We won't be back. read more

Atmosphere - Needs Improvement. First, it is important to note that Rick Meta Italia is located in the building that was home to a very popular Italian restaurant called Cafe Italia. There are many reviews listed on this page that that relate to the former restaurant. The renovations that were made to the interior included walling off the kitchen. The now has a much needed cleaning and has a feeling of newness. However, it is quite stark and bright. There is virtually no decoration on the walls. Service - Excellent. The chef and the server are the husband and wife team that are the owners of the restaurant. They go out of their way to make their customers feel welcomed and appreciated. In all regards to service, they hit top marks. Food - Good. I would consider this restaurant to be one that the entree selection will greatly determine your dining experience. For example, I ordered the Chicken Piccata and a side of pasta. The chicken tenderize and pounded and lightly breaded. The lemon sauce was ample and flavorful. All pasta is freshly made and if excellent. The protein portion was reasonable. The pasta sauce good, but could use a bit more seasoning for my taste. I will note that I was dining with 3 other people and they all agreed that the sauce would benefit from attention. Overall - This is a restaurant that has many things going for it (location, great service and freshly made pasta, clean feel). Some challenges faced are the things like limited space, a stark atmosphere and limited parking. In my humble opinion, the restaurant could become very successful if it were to position itself as an authentic, trattoria. The owners moved to the United States and they are learning English through assimilation, lending authenticity to a trattoria. Simple, inexpensive decorations and changes to the menu that mirror the experience of dining in a Tuscan hill top town would make the restaurant experience more authentic. read more

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We love the fresh made in house pasta, and the dishes are authentic Italian, not Chef Boyardee's 'American interpretation'. The owners are lovely people and go out of their way to respond to every request. That said, they don't quite grasp the 'American' expectations when it comes to a nice dining experience. Nothing served at the table should come in a disposable container. The ambiance they have created is representative of a fast food provider, but the pricing and the actual meal is finer dining level. The lights are very bright much like a breakfast stop, and it needs a sense of relaxation and charm. We will continue to go for the food, and hope they are able to incorporate some changes to bring the dining experience up to the level of the cuisine. Welcome to America Ricky and Mela! read more

Always like to see a new business succeed which is especially hard for restaurants. Husband and wife team with authentic fresh Italian pasta. The food was good, there could be some improvement as far as making sure there is enough of an ingredient in the dish ordered. Service was good and the place pays a nice collection of Italian songs. read more

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Lacking flavor but good quality ingredients and pasta is cooked to perfection. Prices are definitely a bit steep and when I went the AC was not doing what it was supposed to do. read more

Excellent local Italian eatery, owners are straight from Italy! The food is fresh and made to order weekly specials. Service is top notch very attentive and BYOB without an uncorking fee. Dining room is quaint and intimate, great for a date locally. read more

Ok. So I've been here three times since the new owners took over. I just had not been impressed the first few times but was trying to be forgiving since they were new. I have tried their Chicken Milano, Ravioli, Spaghetti and meatballs, Caesar Salad, and the Pasta Fagioli Soup. The Soup and Caesar Salad with chicken were the best on the menu. The portions were small on the entrees for their price. I was completely disappointed with the spaghetti. It was hard. It didn't seem cooked and the sauce was bitter. They offered a complimentary side dish of a vegetable medley with carrots and cauliflower but it tasted bland, like from a can. They offer plain slices of bread, cold, no butter. I have tried the pizza I did not like it at all. The crust was doughy and the sauce bitter. I asked for an unsweet tea and I received a soda and green tea concoction. Not sure what that was all about but when I told Mela I ordered unsweetened tea she brought me out a fresh glass of the same thing. It's not ok. I opted for plain water instead. Yet Sweet and Unsweet tea is listed on the menu. One plus is the place is freshly cleaned and painted for a much better atmosphere! Ricky and Mela are the sweetest, nicest couple. I was hoping for better. Unfortunately I will have to pass on this restaurant. I wish them all the best. read more

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The owners were really nice. Very social and welcoming. The food; however, was not authentic Italian. We ordered mussels to start. The broth had no flavor at all and the mussels tasted bad, maybe sitting in broth for a while. I had the spaghetti with meatballs and it was OK. My husband had the pasta with bolanasi sauce. The seasoning left a lot to be desired and the noodles were very unexpected. We wish them good luck and hope they can turn around their offerings to be successful. read more

Great food. Authentic italian. Mela served our table and was soo sweet. Everything was delicious, home made bread, fresh made bread. Myself and my son had chicken parmigiana amazing. We had Pan Gelato . Gelato and Panettone directly from Italy. We we will definitely be back . Great customer service and food. Even better she came from Naples and spoke in Italian to my husband. Auguri Ricky e Mela read more

Staff were immensely kind and attentive throughout the meal. They clearly take pride in their job, their service, their food, and their establishment. Fresh bread and a bottle of sparkling red were a great start. Homemade pastas were delicious. Servings were modest but quality. Desserts were well balanced - LOVED the affogato and the cannoli! Will go back! read more

What a hidden gem! The eggplant parmesan was light, fresh, and incredibly flavorful and comforting without feeling heavy. My son had the mussels and homemade pasta, and we shared the arancini to start. Every dish was beautifully prepared and full of flavor. You can tell they take pride in what they serve. Can't wait to come back! read more

Good food in ample but not overwhelming portions. I had the chicken parm, which was tasty and served piping hot. My husband had pesto pasta and enjoyed it as well. The chicken would have been nice with a small side of pasta, but that's not a complaint, just an observation. Service was welcoming and efficient. We will definitely be back, and hope more people will visit and support this locally owned, non chain, restaurant. read more

Original Italian delights. Pizza, carbonara, great service and best gelato ever!! The portions look small but we were happily stuffed; this hidden gem it's worth trying, Totally recommended read more

We were excited to visit New Caffe Italia this afternoon for lunch, so, I will share our thoughts (note: all is meant to be positive, but of course everyone has different tastes). The new owners are from Italy, and the cuisine is authentic Italian. The space is small, very clean and sparsely decorated, the cleanliness is a great improvement from prior establishment. The menu is simple, yet offers a good variety, providing ample choices. Our meal; we started with the Bruschette, this dish does not necessarily mirror what other local establishments offer by this name. Here, you are presented a board with 3 varieties: fresh sliced tomato, artichoke spread & sundried tomato. The base/bread is a very light, flat, bread, lightly warmed and what I'd describe as almost tortilla-like (it is not the typical 'bread' slices we are often served). The tomatoes were fresh, lightly seasoned, delish, the artichoke spread mild, vibrant and tasty and the sundried tomatoes had a lovely earthy flavor. Our mains: the first, Gnocchi Tris; 3 plates of homemade pasta with 3 different sauces. The gnocchi were delightful, light with a not too chewy bite, yum! The sauces were each fresh and flavorful, light and delicate in comparison to many other local offerings - I'd describe them as more 'brothy' than creamy, not at all heavy, and they were definitely freshly prepared. The tomato was vibrant and lightly seasoned allowing the tartness of the fruit to shine, the pesto provided a simple herbaceous oil based topping, and the alfredo was more of a light, fresh, milk/cream forward offering with just a touch of cheese (unlike some of the heavier, very rich, 'thicker' creamy sauces found locally). The second main, Chicken Parmigiana arrived looking as one would expect, the breast itself ample, cooked perfectly a bit scantilly clad with tomato sauce and a sprinkle of melted cheeses (mozzerella & parmesan), this entree included a small side of fresh cavatelli (who doesnt love a dish of homemade pasta!?) topped with a light tomato sauce (note: the option to have Alfredo sauce was offered for this dish also). Both entrees had fresh grated, delicious, cheese over top as well. Overall, we felt this was a satisfying meal, not quite what we might have expected, but by all means a welcome new addition to the areas' Italian choices. One addition we'd have enjoyed: if a bread basket, and a small salad had been included with the entree/meal we'd have welcomed it and the dining experience overall would have felt more complete (this is just our opinion). Note: the liquor license is currently in the works, so, alcolhol is not yet available. There is however a line item printed on the menu that gives a BYOB option (with a $25 corkage fee). Bon Apetit and we are wishing Ricky & Mela much success! Welcome to the neighborhood! Also of note: a paper check was not presented, so good to know a 4% up charge was added for credit. This is not unusual, but if cash is used it appears to offer a savings from credit; I did not realize this however until after paying and presented the printed receipt (that is on me) and just sharing. read more

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It seems that the restaurant is closed at the moment as it was sold. This is a good thing, the old owner had run this restaurant to the ground, it used to be good, but it turned into a hot mess and he was extremely rude. Hope the new owners, Ricky & Mela restore this place to its former glory. Looking forward to visiting. read more

Food was awesome. Prices were reasonable. I felt like they stacked too many tables into too small a space, and then seated 4 people at a table appropriate for 2. Then, add to that entree plates that were just huge. We were trying to find space to breathe. Servers kept bumping against diners as they worked the room. Looking at the photos, the plating was not that appealing. And, sides - veg & pasta was served family style on the side. We had no idea we were getting the sides. read more

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Awesome! You cannot miss here. From the bread, to the meatballs, and all the entrees. And do not forget the Gelato!

Not what I expected nothing like the previous owners, portion of eggplant....tiny chunks maybe a total of 4 definitely not what I thought it was going to be. (To Go Order) New Owners very nice but when I tried calling the restaurant no one answered. Yes No Maybe for a second chance. read more

Everything, bread was from Walmart. My fettuccine was watery. Had no taste. My husband dish was missing one of the main ingredients. Appetizer came after we finished our meal. read more

We came here for lunch last Thursday at 12:00 noon. Sign says closed. We went next door to MiCasa. We texted the business while waiting for our order and they replied they were open but forgot to turn the sign. Today we thought we'd try again and now they are having a meeting and won't open till 12:30. This is strike 2. Still waiting outside. It's 12:15. What restaurant opens for lunch at 12:30 so they can have a meeting? read more

I was hoping that this restaurant would continue the same flavors of the original owners, but it was disappointing. I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana & Chicken Parmigiana with the Alfredo Fettuccine. The eggplant was cooked perfectly the cheese was ok but the sauce was a total miss. The Chicken Parmigiana looked amazing, but it was bland no flavor whatsoever. I mean use salt and pepper at the very least. The Fettuccine Alfredo was LIQUID, if there was Parmesan Cheese in it I couldn't taste it. For crying out loud if you use some of the pasta water in the sauce the sauce will thicken up not be all watery. I really hope they improve or I don't think they will last. Restauranteurs have one of the hardest markets to crack, but once they crack it they should be good. I hope the best for your restaurant and family, wish you all the luck. Also they should let you know they charge you a Credit Card Fee if you use your card! read more

This place was very good you drive pass it and think it's nothing but please stop and walk in as I did you will be very surprised. The service was very good and the food came out hot and tasty. Every dish was prepared with love it seemed. I will be back and bring my other 2 girlfriends to try this place. I was super happy read more

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This place needs a lot of work. The prices don't support the amount of generous portion. My son loves Italian, but this wasn't it. Sorry I'm being honest, we tried to support a new local business. The service was good but we were just not feeling it. Maybe I don't know what good Italian food is, who knows. read more

Ricky & Mela - Chicken scallopini. This is literally the whole dish. - Italian Near Me - Riverview, Florida

Absolutely loving what the NEW OWNERS have done. They remodeled and it looks very bright and clean. They made their own menu, which offers authentic Italian options. Nothing is your typical Americanized Italian food, which we loved because we want authentic. The new owners are from Italy, they are so sweet, and take a lot of pride in their food and service. Give them a try and let them know Real Brandon sent you :) read more

This place was the worst experience I've ever had. I called Tuesday to reserve a large party of 30 for Thursday after a funeral. They told me it would be family style for my party, and we can choose from 10 prefixed dishes. It was explained to me that way over the phone. Once we were there the chef came out and told us NO SPLITTING PLATES and said there would be a larger fee per person instead of the family style we agreed upon. It would've been about 15-20 dishes from the TEN THEY AGREED UPON but the chef very rudely came out & started a huge fuss. I was ok with the switch up, but the way he delivered it was extremely rude. One of the servers also cursed at us. We paid for what we had and left off principle after that. On top of that, the floors were dirty, the AC is broken, the soda was flat, and the food that did make it to the tables weren't good. I wanted to come here because my grandma loves Italian food, and that's the life we were celebrating. They made this experience so horrible, all because of a misunderstanding. I will never stop talking about how horrible it is here and how they treated us. read more

Best Italian food in Southshore'! Great food huge portions ( we get four meals out of one entree) and you can bring your own wine! Always super crush and yummy with pasta and veggies. Not the fanciest place but a good. read more

Ricky & Mela - This is 1/2 of a Chicken Yolanda. - Italian Near Me - Riverview, Florida

Totally new owners. No longer BYOB and a new menu. I would 100% recommend if you want an authentic Italian meal, this is a must!! It has a totally new look with a clean atmosphere. read more

Ricky & Mela - Gluten free lasagna!! - Italian Near Me - Riverview, Florida

Food is excellent prepared well owners are great from Italy bring a neat experience to our community.

Service was good. Very friendly and kindly given by owner. Ambiance was not $22.00 spaghetti and meatballs with no included salad decor. Bread service was unique and delicious. Homemade noodles were good. Chicken scaloppini was very disappointing, had absolutely no flavor at all. Red pasta sauce was tasteless also. Very nice hard working couple owns this restaurant, I hope they iron out their problems and become very successful. read more

This place was absolutely horrific. After making A reservation for 30+ people to have dinner after a funeral, the chef and front of house workers were extremely rude and disrespectful. There was a misunderstanding with the way the party was supposed to be served and instead of a discussion to resolve the issue, the large party had to walk out because of the chef yelling and the employees cursing. read more

This place sounded promising and we were pretty excited to dine here with our family until the owner treated us so bad our entire party left even though we made reservations. It was already a heavy time in our family's lives and we went here hoping to get our minds off the stress and have a good time bonding with the family but this place gave us the exact opposite. Would give zero stars if I could! read more

We go here from time to time. Usually good. We have our favorites. But on the last trip in the staff (2) yelled at us about reservations when we walked in. No, we did not make a reservation. They snapped about a couple tables to choose from. Neither was prepared for guests and cramped in between other tables. It was just a rude negative vibe from the start. My impulse was to get up and leave but we stayed and ordered. The lasagna was bland and the pasta sheets were so over cooked it was like goo. the other dish has so much dijon in the sauce it was not good. disappointing especially for the price. Will try again another day....every place has an off day. read more

The food was so fresh and authentic! Absolutely the best Italian in the area. I will definitely be back.

Food was excellent. Service was very good. Staff were very friendly. Have been here 2 times. Definitely will go back again.

Love this place, small, personable, fresh made Italian food. The sauces are absolutely delicious. If you remember the laughing cat restaurant in Ybor city the food is the same. Same owner with and dedication to perfection. read more

Ricky & Mela - Italian Near Me - Riverview, Florida

We walked in and it smelled like a sewer. Not a good 1st impression. Gave us the worst table in the place for 2 almost in the kitchen. Still gave it time because some of the best dives have great food but this was not the case. Lasagne tasted like Stouffers and on the bread service came out with a scoop of butter like they took it out of the 25lb ci to set. So weird. Lasagne was beyond basic. piccata was average and best thing about the place was being able to bring in wine but they charge $5/glass read more

Will return - steaming hot food! Homey and casual, they get pretty busy on a Monday night with one serving staff by the time we left. The large chairs make the space looks jammed. Hot bread and yummy butter. They substitute mussels with claims, which I prefer anyway. The chicken masala tastes the best among the dishes we ordered. Eggplants parmigiana is plain. The portion is on the large side. They serve a huge bowl of pasta and hot mixed veggies on the house. The freebies are surprise but more surprise is their cooked veggie - LOVE it. They don't have liquor license. No fee for BYOB with your own glasses. read more

Caffe Italia offers up huge portions of Italian food in a small environment but the experience was sub-par. My wife and I had plans down on Big Bend and figured we would get dinner in the area. A day ahead, I made reservations for 7:45pm. Their website suggests making a reservation for Friday and the weekend days. We arrived a few minutes prior and walked in. This place is super small. Inside the doors, were standing in-between two tables. People were sitting right by the door. We awkwardly stood there for nearly 5 minutes waiting for someone to seat us. With the crowd of diners staring at us and no hostess stand, we didn't know what to do. Eventually, the server that was running around came by and asked if we had a reservation, we did, and a minute or so later were seated over in the corner. This place was busy! We sat for a while before the server came around to bring us menus and take our drink order. We just got waters. This place is BYOB so you can bring your own wine and glasses. If you have to borrow glasses, they charge a fee. Our server came back with our waters and some warm bread for the table. We put in an order of the bruschetta for an appetizer and shortly after we made our dinner order. We sat and waited and waited and waited some more. We were brought a 2nd basket of bread. The bread was really good. Warm, fresh and went well with some butter on it. We continued to wait. We were even offered a third basket of bread but that never arrived. As we sat and waited, we tried to rationalize how long it was taking. We were informed they were short a server so a girl from the kitchen was also running tables. All we knew was that the food reviews here were decent and we hoped it was worth the wait. It was nearly 9pm. The server came back around and asked if we ever got our appetizer, more than an hour after we were seated. That still took another 10 minutes or so. We had the appetizer and it was good. Our food came out closer to 9:30pm. We waited nearly 2-hours for dinner and they close at 10pm. I will say, the food is tasty but we didn't enjoy it. Were were past the point of wanting to eat dinner. We'd been sitting at that table picking at bread and drinking water for so long, were ready to go home. The food servings are huge. I ordered the Chicken Yolanda. This was two large chicken breasts, lightly breaded, stuffed with Italian sausage. It had provolone, red peppers and a sherry wine sauce. My wife's pollo parmigiana was traditional. Red sauce, chicken breasts and cheese. It was a huge portion too. We also got sides of pasta and green beans to share. Both of those were ok. Nothing blew our mind. After waiting over an hour for even an appetizer, that was just toasted bread with cheese and diced tomatoes on it, we had lost our appetites. By the time our food came out around 9:30pm, we were done. We each ate about a third of our meals and asked for to-go boxes. The feeling we had getting up and walking out the door was freeing and we felt relieved. We went to dinner at 7:45pm and got home at 10:15pm! My wife and I don't go down to Big Bend often unless we have to. It's too busy and the drivers are horrible. This review is true to the experience we had for this particular night. They were short staffed and while I took that in to account, the food just didn't stand out as amazing, just good. We wanted it to to make up for the wait time but it didn't. I'm sure you can check out Caffe Italia out for yourself any other night of the week and hopefully have a better experience. As for the question of if we will be back? I'd say no. read more

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