Chef/Owner Fattah does a remarkable job with the menus.. Four of us and we had one veal and three groupers. Fresh sautéed veggies w carrots and wonderful zucchini.. Veal and fish cooked to perfection. A good time to give it a try, while the crowds are down.. Creme buhle and tiramisu were 10's!!! joe j ft Myers read more

Worst restaurant that I've been to in the area. Food was tasteless and the seafood was over cooked. To top it off the chef, who is also the owner, is obnoxious and unprofessional. Spend your money elsewhere. Stay away!! read more

Well, this review is so disappointing to write. I have taken several guests to Farfalla over the past few years and have actually had Christmas dinner at this restaurant for four years in a row. However, tonight will be the last dinner I have at this establishment!! Our wait staff was absolutely fantastic, but the food was unexpectedly subpar. The worst part was the behavior of the chef!! Out favorite stater, the calamari, was over-breaded, overcooked, and tough - the marinara dipping sauce with lovely chucks of garlic was still as delicious as always and we could have eaten a couple of bowls of it. When it came to our two entrees, the shrimp capellini was excellent, but the seafood fettuccini was just unpleasant. The lobster was watery and the pasta was gummy. When asked how we enjoyed our meal, we explained that the we were surprised to have overcooked calamari and gummy pasta. The server was a gem - she immediately apologized and said she would pass our comments onto the chef. The kitchen at Farfalla is open to the dining area, and I happen to be seated with a direct view of the kitchen. I could observe the server talking with the chef, and I would see the chef become agitated and using aggressive hand gestures while talking to our server. I was shocked and when the server returned to the table, I stated that I was very upset by what I had observed. Both the server and buser, who were at the table at the same time, stated that the chef's agitation was not directed at me. The server actually comp'ed my friend's desert because of the whole unpleasant situation. When we were leaving, I went to the hostess and let her know how upset I was with the chef's attitude and behavior. She turned out to be his wife, but was very gracious. What she told us, though, was even more upsetting - the chef had not been complaining about me, but had been berated the server - asserting that she had not brought him specific information about our complaints. We were pretty specific and the server had the information he needed!! As we were talking to the wife at the front of the restaurant, the chef actually yelled at us across the whole restaurant - during a full seating on Christmas evening - to not come back into "his" restaurant. So, I guess I won't and I hope nobody else does either. Tonight was the most bizarre dining experience I have ever had - I felt like I was in a TV sitcom (no soup for you!!). read more

What was supposed to be a wonderful valentine experience was absolutely terrible. Food was cold and poorly prepared. It was evident that they were just trying push people in and out as quickly as possible. When a dish was prepared incorrectly they still served it and STILL CHARGED US ON THE BILL. If food is not prepared to a customers liking, they should not pay for it. I would not recommend this place to anyone which is sad because this place held wonderful memories for our family and unfortunately we will NOT be back. read more

Great dinner at Farfalla. Service (Mike, I think) was terrific as was dinner. Tuna appetizer, lobster bisque, Caesar salad and veal picata. As good as it gets. Lobster bisque was made with a lobster stock. It was different than the heavy creamy lobster bisque I'm accustomed. This soup at Farfalla is a real find, but if I recall, it was a special. read more

Couldn't get past 3 hostesses. Recently attempted to return to what we had thought was a great place to eat. Made 6 PM reservation for 2 on Valentine's Day. Got there 5 minutes early knowing there was no indoor gathering area or bar to wait if crowded. Noted people standing outside in 50 degree weather in normally warmer Florida late afternoon.(few prepared with coats or even sweaters). Indoors few waiters serving large number of guests, but 3 hostesses standing in front, taking names and saying sorry, but not really helping with busing tables, serving or in some other way expediting. No real attempt to improve comfort or inform waiting customers of how much longer wait would be. Having seen some periodically miserable reviews, understand now that management places a good food product out there, but they are unable to manage their diners experience in a repeatable and reliable fashion. Very unlikely that we will ever return. Too many great alternatives. read more

Authentic Italian food. Owner/chief. Takes all the necessary steps to cook dishes from the heart. Absolutely great Italian food. I Had the seafood fraDiavlo Last night with fresh pasta. Was Ausome. Find this place you'll be impressed. ITS NOT a Meatball and spaghetti place . Can't wait to go back and try the veal dishes. I Know Italian food New York City born and raised read more

Was totally blown away by the whole package Service was top notch Atmosphere was great Food was outstanding! Will definitely become a regular here! !!!!! read more

We walked in the restaurant and the hostess asked if we had a reservation, we told her we did not and asked if that would be a problem and she said it Might be ok, the funny thing was nobody was in the restaurant! We ordered the bruschetta as an appetizer and it was awful, nothing but tomatoes on a tiny piece of bread. I ordered pasta with vodka sauce and that was awful you can get a better tasting sauce from publics, the sauce was white and had no flavor at all! My husband had a steak that was ok but the scalloped potatoes were horrible no taste at all. The bill was 90.00 and it was not worth it, we will never go back and would tell everyone not to waste your money. read more

I took my husband here for his birthday because they had one of his favourite appetizers on the menu which was spiedini. It was not hot and the sauce was limited as it was in all of our dishes. He ordered the pasta seafood special, the seafood was cooked perfectly but the sauce and pasta were inedible because of the sand which was not cleaned from the seafood. We explained this to our server as well as the bus girl who both told us that they told the chef / owner about the situation. At the end of our meal he came over to our table as he did all of the tables that were still seated. He asked us if we would like a limoncello or Sambuca which we declined. He never addressed the situation of the sand in the food. We once again mentioned it to our server who again told us that she told him but he chose not to address it. Most of the food needed additional seasoning and therefore we would never return here. Extremely disappointed. read more

Nice ambience, friendly, knowledgable waitstaff. The ingredients are fresh and the portions are generous. The owner is very gregarious and, if time allows, will come to your table. The carpaccio is delicious. read more

We have driven past this place 100 times since we live about 2 miles from the restaurant and every time we have tried to go, the restaurant was closed. We were hoping this time, the experience would be special. I knew we were in trouble when we first walked in, only a few tables were filled, and the waiter/host said "you don't have a reservation?". When we were seated, it felt as if we were a burden to be there. We ordered a glass of Chardonnay, the only selection by the glass, and when we received it, it literally tasted terrible...like vinegar. When we asked the waiter about the wine, he said "well you ordered the cheapest one" as if to say "you're cheap". We explained that we ordered the wine by the glass as far as we knew. Shouldn't any wine they serve be acceptable to drink even if it's not the most expensive? The food was "mediocre". The pasta fagioli soup was underdone and under-flavored. The meal was not worth $123 considering my wife had badly done soup and a salad for dinner. The $9.00 Tiramisu was the size of two dominoes stacked together. The chef's 17 years of experience that has bragging rights in this place definitely exudes through the decor and screams "stuck in the 80's" and he and his staff should come off their high horses and be real people instead of something they're not. We won't be back and won't recommend this to our colleagues and friends. Nino's just down the road offers great family style food, wonderful servers who know you by name, and treat you with dignity and respect and a big smile, and that's worth everything! read more

I give this place 2 stars, but my fiancé said to give it 3..and I did like the atmosphere of the place. However, they were lacking in almost every other regard. We came here for a nice, romantic Valentine's Day dinner, but unfortunately Farfalla left much to be desired. The service was awful to start. We were incredibly rushed through the entire meal. I understand it's a holiday and there are a lot of reservations, but we had a reservation too..and they tried to have us out of the restaurant in under an hour. When I'm paying well over $100 for a meal, I'd like to be given the time to enjoy it! They literally tried to put my main course plate down on top of my appetizer plate that I was still eating, as well as taking away the bread that we weren't done with! They brought the check before we were finished, and then took it and never acknowledged us again even though we weren't done yet! Very unprofessional. On to the most important part..the food. As it was valentines day it was a fixed menu, which left not many options unless you were there for seafood. I typically go to an Italian place for pasta, not seafood..but maybe that's just me. Anyway, we started with mozzarella caprese which is a favorite of mine. And I have to say, this is the only time in my life that I haven't enjoyed it! It was just...bland. For my main course I ordered some type of pasta dish that I'm not even sure what it was because the waitress couldn't explain it upon me asking, but it was one of the only non-seafood options. It ended up being egg noodles with peas, prosciutto and a light cream sauce. Very small portions and not much flavor. It really wasn't terrible, but it's not something I would order again..and I had to pick out all the prosciutto since it was too hard to even chew. My fiancé had the rack of veal, which he said was ok but nothing special and not worth the $36 they charged for it. The potatoes that came with his meal were delicious though! The complimentary dessert was one chocolate covered strawberry and biscotti the size of my pinky finger...I have no comment. Overall, the food wasn't terrible, but it was nothing special either, service was poor, and prices are absolutely ridiculous for what you get. Maybe it was just because we went on a holiday, I don't know. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. We may try it again when they have the regular menu. But all I can say from our experience today is I was really looking forward to going to this place, but unfortunately it left me much more disappointed than impressed. read more

After imbibing a goodly portion of pinot grigio, I'm feeling pretty magnanimous toward Farfalla, hence the 5 stars. Pasta special was crab-stuffed ravioli which they were kind enough to make into an appetizer portion for me. My first choice would've been a small portion of the truffle risotto, but, since it's made to order, would've taken 30+ minutes. Good to know it's the real thing. Salad was the lone weak link -- a generic greens/vinaigrette concoction. But the cioppino was awesome. Again, without the aforementioned pinot grigio, I may have been less lusty in cracking the crab claws and making a big mess, but, hey, I was mellow. Huge piece of swordfish, several shrimp and clams in the shell completed this dish with a delicious sauce served with mashed potatoes and fresh vegetables which were pretty much an afterthought after I'd demolished the huge crab portion. And the tiramisu was absolutely sublime, like a cloud on the tongue (uh,oh, pinot grigio talking here again). Spouse had some veal dish which he said was excellent and the special black forest cake for dessert. I don't recall details of his meal. Pinot grigio, remember? read more

We tried this restaurant two times now. Food was good but Valentines Day was not the best. I like to dine on this holiday and have a special dessert and coffee. NOT possible here tonight unless you want s takeout. It bummed me out. I saw the table next to me get drink dessert but I guess we weren't important. Our money is as good as the anyone's. We're done read more

Our Valentines Day was ruined by the rude behavior at this restaurant, not to mention waiting outside on a chilly night as there was no alternative. We were asked to give up out table as "it was Valentine's Day" and they needed it for others. This was as soon as we put our forks down and didn't even receive our check. To add insult to injury, the person that asked us to leave was the owner's wife! I advised her we would NEVER return and were repeat customers in the past. Her reply was "I really don't care". Additionally, it was quite pricey with small portions. Certainly not worth $125 to be treated in such a manner. read more

after 2 good meals there this month we entertained guests last night and were embarrassed by the service, mainly our waiter, the busboy saved total disaster, as he tried to cover for the incompetent waiter. we were served food for another table, which was then transfered to them after w e pointed out the error, our food was then 15 minutes later, and obviously had been sitting in the back waiting to be served as it was cold and tasteless (veal piccata) this is a shame as we live in pelican sound which is just 2 minutes away, we will not be back the farfalla again. sunny syrett read more

A fabulous find and the early bird menu is excellent! Don't let the location let you think its not a terrific Italian restaurant. The chef is extraordinary. read more

Look no further. The best Italian restautant by far. Extraordinary, delicious entrees and deserts. Of course it is not cheap. But who wants a cheap food and service. I recommend this restaurant for serious foodies and their companies. Enjoy!. read more

Good food, but overpriced with very small portions. My husband & I don't like spending close to $150.00 and still feel hungry when we leave. $25.00 for a bowl of pasta with 4 shrimp is ridicules! We will not return. read more

As a Positive Life Health Coach in SWFL, I would recommend this as a special occasion dining experience. This owner/chef takes great pride in serving as farm to table fresh food as he possibly can everyday in his beautifully created dishes, which taste as good as they look. Wonderful wine selections too. read more

The food was good. The service good as well. However there were about five or six too many tables jammed into the dining area. Tables and chairs were so close to others that the waiters kept banging into people trying to serve them. Not a good environment. read more

The staff and service was friendly, attentive and enjoyable. The special starter of ahi tuna carpaccio was excellent. Fair wine prices. The Sperc valopecella ripasso was nice. The Veal Michaelangelo was good, veal could have been more tender. My spouse had the crabmeat ravioli. She said it was tasty, but pasta slightly overcooked. I would rate it a 3.5, but will round up to a 4 because I see the potential. read more

Love this place... great food~ The owner is wonderful also very friendly, service very good. One of my favorite Restaurants in SW FL for sure. Well worth every $ read more

Okay, we here celebrating our 18th anniversary of marriage through out Sanibel and almost all the places we went to, the food taste was sub par. Then we found this place. Now I must admit, the setting feels like your in a 1980's restaurant due to the furniture style which made us a little nervous but the host was dynamite. She ensured us we would love the food as she showed us to our table. As we made our way there, sitting in a corner table was this lady smiling and she made us feel welcomed. She added, you look so lovely, you are going to enjoy the food. That of course put a smile on our face. We ordered a bottle of wine that for life of me I can not remember the name but it was Italian and not a Chianti! None the less it was very good. We had some calamari that was pretty good and then the main course came, a Lobster Ravioli in a Pink Sauce! The raviolis are made in house not from the frozen section in a supermarket. It was real lobster in these medallion raviolis in fresh pink sauce, delicious. The host passed by and recommended we try the creme brûlée and it was amazing! Michael the Chef passed by to check on us and told us his wife married him for this dish. 23 years of marriage and we told him we were celebrating our 18 years, he poured us 2 glasses of Sambuca to celebrate. Then that lady that was sitting at the table on the corner came by and congratulated us. We chatted for quite a bit and it felt like we were with family! That feels amazing! Chef Michael and the staff were what you want when you want great food and service. Thank you to Mrs. & Mr. D' Angelou for coming over to congratulate us and a special thanks to Mrs. D' Angelou and the host for their smiles and great energy! read more

Although the location is interesting the quality of the food was outstanding. The waiter was attentive and there was a reasonable wine selection. The chef came to the table after our dinner to ask if we enjoyed the meal. A real find! read more

My spaghetti dish was completely lackluster in preparation and was served cold. Stiff pasta is not very appetizing. My food contained a small piece of clam shell because I ordered to Fruiti de Mare. When I mentioned it to the maitre de, he could not get away from us quick enough. My dining companion's pasta was hot but again lacked good ingredients and was overwhelmed by pasta, instead of shrimp and other ingredients. The white sauce was less than mediocre. Our waiter was not very good. He did not go over the specials with us as he did for the table near us, perhaps because we did not order an expensive bottle of wine. He "joked" about not taking the owner's check folio nor his cheap plastic pen as we were paying. Overall one of our worst dining experiences. We will not return there. read more

We are snowbirds staying nearby and had a wonderful evening at Farfalla with our daughter who was visiting from DC. We all agreed it was far and away the best Italian restaurant we've experienced (outside of NYC) in the States. Ignore that it's located in a shopping plaza, we were greeted with a "Bona Sera" and served by sharp professional all male waiters in the Italian style where waiting table is a proud profession. Food was superb. Wine list extensive. Portions perfect. If you live in the Fort Myers area you surely need to come out to Estero for this little gem. The restaurant was only about half full on a Friday night! An evening spent here is like a short trip to Florence. read more

Went there for a holiday party last month and we were very disappointed in the quality of the food. Most everyone complained that their meals were underseasoned and lacked flavor. I had the veal marsala and the meat was a couple wafer thin slices, overcooked and dry, covered with a thin tasteless sauce and a couple small slices of mushroom. The sides were a spoonful or two of a potato, maybe scalloped? and a few julienne sliced vegetables. The veggies were actually the most flavored part of the dish. I chose the crème brulee for dessert and it too was a bit of a disappointment, no caramelization to the sugar topping. Since I didn't see the regular menu, I don't know the prices, but I can imagine it was pricey. Nice looking place, but the décor does not make up for a poor meal. read more

I visited this restaurant on January 4, 2016 to have a nice dinner with my son. We ordered a bottle of cabernet wine to start off which was decent. We ordered a calamari to start off which was delicious. For main course my son ordered Penne alla Vodka with griiled chicken, which he really enjoyed and I ordered the Chef's special which was black and white linguine or fettucine pasta in a white wine garlic sauce with clams, shrimp, scallops and lobster which cost us $38.00. My som and I both tasted the lobster and it was either old and/or frozen NOT fresh and/or overcooked as it was mushy and had a bad taste to it. I complained to my server Doug about this and he just shrugged it off. Additionally, my son asked our server Doug what happens to the texture and/or taste of lobster when you overcook it or if it is old and/or frozen. His response to us was that he doesn't know as he is not the chef. Never once did Doug pour our wine for us and the bread was not brought out until we received our appetizer. He was extremely unattentive, had a very bad attitude, seemed like he had a broken leg, and appeared to not like his job or if we were a bother. We spent $100.00 on a dinner which was not worth it. The owner/chef Salah Abdelfattah who likes to be called an alias of Michael Fattah because he does not want his customers to look up his criminal and civil records in Lee County Clerk of Courts. If I went back I would just order anything other than seafood such as lobster. The owner/chef did not even offer to buy us dessert and coffee or take the lobster meal off the check. Fyi, a server by the name of Ruth told me not to order the regular or decaf american coffee because itvis NOT fresh as they use the same coffee for two or three days, meaning if there is leftover coffee one night, they save it and they just reheat it the next day and serve the guests that old reheated coffee the next day which is disgusting and a health code violation. I believe that I will be reporting them to the appropriate authorities. read more

We were excited to go there, my husband made reservations through the chef/owner. This was the worst dining experience we have had in a long time. Started off with calamari that was way under cooked and rubbery, we didn't complain. My friend ordered fish that was prepared in a parchment paper, she asked for them to hold garlic & onions-she had a medical condition and can't eat spicy food. She started eating the fish it had so much pepper on it she almost choked. When she called the waiter over and said it was too peppery or something he was not very happy and commented that they held the garlic & onions so why should she complain. He finally offered her another entree. She then asked for some pasta with a little butter. The pasta came and it wasn't cooked enough. My pasta w/ bolonese was pasta & meat, no sauce. (I didn't complain) the waiter at this point was very mad. He brought our leftovers- my husbands and mine, and a third one which we thought was the under cooked pasta---but he had brought back out her fish that she couldn't eat in the first place. We asked to talk to the chef/owner but he wouldn't come out. The waiter then said a Nasty "Good Night" and we left. Never got a sincere apology about anything. They even tried to charge us for the fish that she couldn't eat. We had to ask for it to be taken off the bill. Left no tip, which we NEVER do-but the waiter was so nasty and rude. We will never be back. Would give it NO stars! read more