So I am so glad I ignored all the negative reviews. I went there tonight for the first time. Was greeted by Jeff. What a sweetheart. Upon learning it was my first visit , he gave me a little history on this place. It's been in business for 24,years in the same location, and the owner is the chef and he works every day the restaurant is open preparing meals. So now we sit down and get Michael who was awesome at informing us on specials, food preparation and just made sure we had what we needed. Also despite what others complained about, pasta is homemade on the premises which means entrees take longer to come out but you can taste the difference unless you prefer boxed pasta.Then we had Ron who made sure we had bread, filled waters, fresh pepper and grated Parmesan for our entrees. The level of service we received was unparalleled and the food was dynamite too. Homemade lobster ravioli, spinach salad with fresh strawberries. My husband had fettuccine bolognese with a Ceasar salad all fabulous.The staff is totally focused on customer service and the chef prides himself in creating authentic Italian cuisine. So it's not the Americanized Italian food , it's the real deal. I looked around the room and people were genuinely enjoying themselves. It really is a lovely place to eat. The owners wife actually thanked my husband and I for coming. Since the kitchen is open , and you can watch meals being prepared, I walked over and told the owner how much I enjoyed my meal. He was very gracious and Asked that we come back soon. Based on my experience, I would definitely recommend dining here. read more

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Wow! The food here is so bad. The bread service tasted like freezer burn. I got served a plate of pasta (bolognese) with rotten meat. It smelled so bad. No one at our table could stand the smell. I don't know how they could serve it. Stay away from this place. Decor is from the 1980's. It looks clean but very dated. read more

I had my first experience at Farfalla Ristorante about a year ago and it was mediocre. When my Uncle suggested it for dinner tonight, I was skeptical, but thought "maybe last time was just an off-night". Well...I was wrong. I tried my go-to dish at every Italian restaurant - Pasta Bolognese - not only was the plate placed in front of me one of the least appetizing LOOKING dishes I have ever seen, but like another reviewer said...it was simply ground beef on top of pasta. No flavor. I make my grandmother's bolognese all the time...it isn't difficult...this is unacceptable. Also telling...we had a reservation at 6:30 pm for 6 people on a Wednesday night. We were the ONLY people in the entire restaurant. And we were there for over 2 hours and NOT ONE OTHER PERSON entered the restaurant. So, the service was great because we were the only people there! I don't care that it isn't "season"...DeRomo's, San Matteo/Unico Ristorante, Caffe Michele, Molino's, and Nino's are all bustling even in June. If Farfalle doesn't shutter it's doors soon, I will be shocked. We have plenty of quality Italian restaurants in the area...I would love to see a really good GREEK restaurant take over this space! read more

Delicious food, homemade pasta, great service. Daily specials are Different and so good. They feature A special ravioli every night . Tonight's special, butternut squash! Delicious. read more

Linguine bolognese just tasted like hamburger over pasta. For $29 I expect something really special; this was unacceptable.

A lot of pomp, snooty. If you're a "regular" they're all over you, if you're just a few out for a nice meal...go elsewhere

Had a wonderful meal! Eight people and everyone agreed. Service was spot on. Only reason not giving 5 stars is bar limited to wine and beer. Food was 5 stars. read more

My wife and I have dined at Farfalla since 2008 and we continue to be impressed. It is obvious that Chef Michael is one if the finest in SW Florida if one is looking for exquisite cuisine without busting your budget. The food is superb and the service is equally good and friendly. I don't see how such wonderful meals are so reasonably priced. After enjoying his made from scratch Lobster Ravioli, the best ever, he told me how he first made it to impress his girl friend years ago and it was so good he has been making it the same way ever since. For 17 years we have never been disappointed at Farfalla and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for fine dining at a reasonable price. read more

Food quality was absolutely terrible. This place has gone downhill and prices have gone up. Will not return.

Outstanding service and great food in a relaxed setting! Highly recommend Ristorante Farfalla for dinner you won't be disappointed!!

I live right down the street from this horrible place. Thought we'd try it. There were only 3 tables of patrons, and it still took 30 minutes to get bread and water. The waiter was cordial until we didn't order alcohol and then was rude it took 90 minutes to get our food. The shrimp was tiny, hard and overcooked. The pasta was awful with tasteless sauce the bill for 4 was $200 without drinks or dessert. I'm amazed that they have been in business this long. Too many good Italian restaurants in the area to waste your time and money on this place. Try Ninos down the street. 1000 X better at 25 percent of the price read more

FANTASTIC! I never clean my plate but I did tonight! Veal Picata with roasted vegys and escalloped potato's was deeelicious! Lovely restaurant and servers, chefs, hostess!! Thank you!! read more

The food was truly excellent. Unfortunately, the service was poor. My observation was that the other servers were doing a good job, but our server needs more training. We waited nearly 30 minutes after finishing our soup before our entrées were presented. Even then, we had a track down the waiter who seemed to be ignoring our table and ask him where our meals were since we had waited so long. Never stopped back to see if we had enjoyed our meals or if we needed more beverages. Given the excellent food and ambience, this type of service shouldn't be tolerated and the server should receive more training and put on probation. You spend that kind of money you expect excellent service. read more

Took myself for my birthday 12/2022. Pretty inside, but freezing. Was told owner likes it that way Had never been before; recommended by a client Service was efficient, food was good- lots of leftovers- expensive for 1! Would never go back because- a baby cockroach scurried along the pink tablecloth- yuck! Not the birthday companion l was hoping for. read more

Absolutely terrible! Ended up at McDonalds after sending back one entree and not finishing the other two, no to go boxes! Extremely bland food and seafood tasted frozen. Call Chef Ramsey please read more

If you're looking for a peaceful yet engaging dining experience with freshness coming through in the taste of the food, look no further than this fine dining establishment. You could taste the freshest every bite. The server was highly attentive but in no way intrusive. Lovely experience all around. read more

Nice atmosphere, located at end of a Publix strip mall off Corkscrew Road. Too many tables in the space, sone should be removed. Menu was not to our liking, no meals seemed to be served with red sauce, also if you order a soda they charge for refills. We both had the same chicken dish which came with potatoes and veggies, it was ok. We like to try a couple of new restaurants every month to see if we strike gold. This wasn't one for us. read more

Overpriced and BAD! The penne alla vodka was just... penne. They seemed to forget the "alla vodka" part. There was absolutely no flavor to the dish and my party had to ask for extra sauce. That seemed to offend the staff and we received dirty looks from the chef. The server also did not inform us that adding shrimp would be an additional $16 charge. The table was packed with dishes and the server disappeared for 15+ minutes at a time. After we struggled to finish our flavorless meals (even with the sauce), we had to wait for our server to bring the check almost 20 minutes later. The bill was not a proper receipt, it was a written total with no line by line items. We had to clarify with the server why our totals were so high than what the menu had stated. At the end of our visit, our server made the snarky comment, "Just so know, you are in the best fine dining restaurant in Estero" as if we where hillbillies who have never been fine dining before. For the price and quality, skip this place and go to Coconut Point Mall or Naples. read more

Excellent Food! Salmon was cooked perfectly w accompanying vegetables! Excellent service and ambiance! Wish this was in my hometown! Do not miss this restaurant! Reasonably priced as well! read more

This is the worst Italian experience I have had in south west Florida. From every perspective it was horrible. Do not waste you money or time on this horrible restaurant. There were seven of us in our party for a 7pm reservation and the restaurant was half full. The entire dining room staff consisted of the reception and waiter. 2 people 20 tables. No wonder dinner took over 2 hours and we only had mains. Food was catastrophically bland. The three of us had soup pasta Fagiole. Literally zero taste. I added salt pepper and cheese to it and it was tasteless. Others had salad and the salad was tasteless as well. The table had pasta dishes chicken valdostanna. Another veal marsalla. Every dish except the pasta had some bad scalloped potatos and over cooked steamed vegetables. None of it had flavor. The brown sauce on the veal and the chicken tasted identically bland and flavorless. The food was terrible. No one finished their dinner This place is celebrating their 25th year and the restaurant hasn't been updated since they opened it seems. Again horrible place. Stay away. read more

Had the special last night, the Porcini Ravioli. It was so delicious and so perfectly done. Little ravioli pillows. Yum! My three companions all had the bolognese which they said was very tasty. The service was very good, also. read more

Went for Christmas dinner. Waited a hour and a half for our appetizer. Waited another hour for our dinner to come out. Food was good but very small portion. When we received our check the waitress charged 12 dollars more than each entree price. 0ur wine was also more than what was listed on menu. Very disappointing. Will not go back read more

The Osso Bucco was to die for, and the Crème Brûlée was one of my favorite ones ever. Service was impeccable. Can't wait to go back!

Ristorante Farfalla opened 20 years ago. They must be doing something (or several things) right. Chef Michael Fattah is from Egypt. Does his background matter in running an Italian restaurant? Consider that Lidia Bastianich was born in Communist Yugoslavia (Croatia), came to the US as a child, opened a restaurant in Queens in 1971 (with her husband), and then learned to cook Italian food from the Italian-American chef (after age 25). But there is something phony or pretentious when this place has an Italian title, menu items have Italian names, you are greeted with "Bono Sera", etc. when chef, servers, and hostess are not Italian. Perhaps that adds to the dining experience and can make the prices more palatable (to some who like this fantasy). Actually the ambiance is pleasant. Farfalla means "butterfly" and/or the butterfly-shaped ("bow tie") pasta. Diners can check out the framed butterflies on the walls. The art in restaurants is usually comparable to the food in museums (you have gone to the restaurant or museum primarily for something else). This evening we had good meals and the service by Jonathan was also quite good. We started with an appetizer of Spedini: $13 for a little bread with cheese? Are you kidding? For entrees we both had specials. Waiters do not tell prices of specials, so you should ask in advance or be prepared for a shock when you get the bill (as these tend to be substantially higher than regular menu items). We had New Zealand lamb chops (only 4 and rather small) and Black Grouper. These specials were $38 each. They were good, but overpriced. We had not dined here for a couple of years. The whole experience was 4 stars, like a grade of B, certainly not 5 stars or A grade. It failed to WOW us with such delicious meals that we will hurry back. read more

Ristorante Farfalla - 38 specials: lamb chops + grouper - Italian Near Me - Estero, Florida

I went there last night and the host was so nice but the server we had named Michael (000019) was just rude and very disinterested in us as customers. I guess because we did not order wine and dessert and have a $250 bill we were not important. I gave him a very low tip and as we were getting into our car he came outside and made some jesters and acted mad. Well I would always give a restaurant another try but not now. I would have fired him for being so disrespectful to a customer. Very unprofessional. My husband left a review and he laughed at it. read more

Absolutely terrible!!! The food was tasteless, stale and probably the worst Italian I've ever had. The sauce was watery and awful, even the bread was terrible. Do NOT recommend. Insanely expensive and completely awful. The chef was glaring at us and extremely unprofessional. Taco Bell or McDonalds is a better use of your money. The servers are great, kind, and literally the only good thing about the evening. The decor is nice. The servers are great. However the food is so bad that it ruined the entire experience. I've had easy mac that's better. Don't waste $150 on 2 people for this. read more

I wish I had read he reviews before I went there. We were a party of three and made reservations a week before. When we arrived, we were escorted to a small table along the wall. I asked if we could sit at one of the eight tables in the center of the room that were set for four people. The hostess said they were reserved. We were there for two hours and only one of those tables were used. We waited an hour for our dinners and while they were edible they were tasteless. The Fettuccine Alla Bolognese was like Hamburger Helper on egg noodles. The Linguine with Clams was full of sand. We will not be returning...my first indication should have been the empty parking lot. This place is not what it used to be. read more

I have no idea if the food is good because after 2 hours we still had not gotten our food. The waiter was very confused about the menu and never checked on us or poured our wine. About 1 hour and 45 minutes into our wait the water came to ask one of us what we ordered. At this point we told the waiter that we were leaving and asked for the bill. when the waiter told the chef/ owner we were leaving, he screamed at us across the entire restaurant and told us to leave and never come back. The most bizarre and horrible dining experience ever. I will never return. read more

This place was perfect! We were looking for a nice atmosphere, good food and wine and we were not disappointed. Our waiter Mike was great, pleasant and efficient. The food was delicious with perfect portions. The wine and dessert excellent and the atmosphere was just what we were looking for. We will be back. read more

The staff was very nice or I'd have given it one star. For a place that pitches itself as a upscale Italian restaurant the most important part fell short for me. The food. I ordered a cheese and spinach ravioli with red sauce which is a fairly easy dish and my better half ordered a seafood pasta with a white wine sauce. Her dish was bland, watery and had very little seafood and mine was okay at best. For these prices I expected better. Maybe I caught them on an off night but unfortunately I won't likely try them again. read more

Ristorante Farfalla - Italian Near Me - Estero, Florida

I know there are mixed reviews at this place, and you know me, I've read them all, so I was prepared. I prepared for good food, but terribly slow service and rude wait staff. We made sure to get a reservation. When we arrived, we were seated immediately. This place is cute and quaint and nicely decorated. -and romantic :) Our server was nothing but kind and gracious. He let us know the specials and asked if we needed any information. I asked for a glass of moscato, and he looked at me like he was confused... I thought they would have it since it is a very popular wine now, and it is only made in Italy- and this is an authentic restaurant. He said he never heard of it and instead offered me a glass of Chardonnay. I was sad, but agreed to that- not nearly as tasty as Moscato. Please Ristorante Farfalla, get some Moscato!!!!!!!!!!! :) I ordered the Chicken breasts pounded thin and cooked in herbs. It came with amazing potatoes and a veggie medley. Oh. So. Delicious!!!! I was actually excited knowing I was going to take home some for lunch the next day! They do not give you a heaping plate of food, but enough to feel full. I honestly don't like it when restaurants nowadays give you so much food- not only does it not help the growing obesity in the US, but I think it's trying to compensate for sub par food. This was excellent and cooked to perfection!!!! My husband ordered a veal dish which he said was perfect. Our friends said their meals were also delightful. Our server was very attentive throughout the dinner and made sure our glasses were full and that we were happy with our food. We ordered the creme brûlée for dessert- creamy perfection! The bill for me and my husband was just under $100- worth every penny. I know people say they had long waits, and I can't really say how it would be on a normal weekend, as we were here on a weeknight close to closing, so there was only a few other people here, but even if we had to wait an hour or more for our dinner, it would have been worth it.! Thank you for a wonderful dinner! read more

What a find! Our time in the Naples/Bonita Springs/Ft. Myers area was coming to an end, and we had yet to find the amazing Italian dishes we were craving. On the way to the airport we found Farfalla in a slightly out of the way strip mall off of Tamiami. Sometimes the stars align. This place serves some of the best Italian dishes we've tasted. The tortellini chicken soup is nothing short of amazing; flavorful and delicious. The fettuccine was fresh and particularly yummy, as were the cannoli and coconut sorbet. The wine list is extensive. Bread is served with lunch and dinner. There's plenty of ample, free parking. Service was spot on. It was an excellent value for the money. We will be back. read more

Ristorante Farfalla - Italian Near Me - Estero, Florida

Took an hour and a half to get our food delivered even though we were the second table in the restaurant. The food was served Luke warm. Strongly recommend you avoid this place. read more

Tasteless over priced food. One of the worst treatment from a server, I guess since we didn't order bottles of wine and have a 200-$300 tab like the retirees so I guess we didn't matter. Took forever to get 2 plates of food. Food is more like cafeteria food. Only good thing was host was very nice. read more

Excellent fine Italian dining. We are gluten free and they were very accommodating. The vegetarian split pea soup was the best I have had- thick and flavorful. Enjoyed the fresh spinach salad and mussels. The chicken prosciutto entree was amazing For dessert the creme brûlée and cannoli minus the shells read more

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The dinner and service was excellent. The 20th year for a restaurant that everyone is there to make your evening special. The grouper and sea bass are the best we have eaten this season. It appears to be crowded, the tables are quite close; however the wait staff works together quite well. The chef/owner serves an excellent variety of dishes. This is not a macaroni house. Reservations recommended. Osso Buco on Friday nights. Call for reservations and note you would like the Osso Buco read more

This restaurant was amazing. The owner was very sweet and the food was authentic, delicious, and fabulous presentations. We were so excited about the food that we forgot to take too many pictures. We will be back :) read more

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Dining here for over 17 years, and never had a bad meal. Food is always excellent, as well as the service. Michael, the owner is an excellent chef, and very personable. Highly recommended. Jim D. read more

After being politely greeted and seated by Jeff, the entire experience went downhill. We had reservation for 6:45 p.m.; our entrees were served at 9:00 pm. We were just about ready to get up and leave when our entrees were served by a surly waiter who offered no explanation, no apology. read more

Excellent service, delicious food. Friendly chef and waitstaff. Will definitely go back when we return in the winter.