one of the best martinis i've had built in a while! food was great, service stellar. we sat in the bar which was just fine in the booth we were seated. great environment, too. we'll be back. read more

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Loved every moment. We sat in the bar at a table for 4 in the front window on the bar side. (Note: We had made reservations in advance ~ important!) Our waitress greeted us warmly and quickly. Our drinks were drinks! Perfectly concocted and beautifully displayed. Our appetizer - zucchini flowers - an absolute Italian Delicacy and made to perfection! All of our entrees were top notch. No leftovers here! Seafood Cioppino filled to the brim with fresh plump seafood in a beautiful broth. Spaghetti with clams ~ soaked up the sauce with bread - perfection. Chicken Scaloppine was so flavorful! And then, the Rigatoni with short ribs out of this world. To top it off we shared their Tiramisu - decadent! The musician was exceptional. Playing his guitar in the background. Then we were off to the Venice Performing Arts Center for the Venice Symphony Holiday Concert! A perfect night! read more

We live full-time in Venice now and have tried many restaurants. Last night we ate at San Marco and can definitely say that we will not be returning. My crab cake appetizer was just okay but not worth $25 for one crab cake. My wife and I attempted to share a main course which was a broiled seafood combination which was outrageously priced at $50. It was so bad that neither one of us could eat it. The shrimp, scallops, grouper, and lobster were swimming in a pool of what appeared to be butter and oil and everything tasted horrible and was too chewy. What really brought me to leaving a one star review is my drink. About the only thing I drink is a certain liqueur which makes me very familiar with the taste and consistency since it is straight out of the bottle. I ordered the same thing at San Marco and not only was the appearance lighter in color but the taste was not as strong as it should be. Since this was supposed to be straight out of the bottle I will leave you to your own conclusion as I certainly have my own suspicion. We will definitely not be returning. read more

So close to 5 stars! I just had hoped my dish would have been more special and unique, BUT it was still very good! It was the TAGLIATELLE AL SUGO Di CARNE. I was however happily surprised and impressed they had gluten free pasta available. Just a few doors down at Cassariano they do not have GF pasta. So big difference there! My husband had the lasagna and I couldn't resist trying a few bites. Now that was a memorable dish...the combo of cheeses was perfection and a little different than I've had before. I absolutely LOVED the unique feature of having only Italian red wines on the menu (not sure about whites). Just made it feel more like a genuine Italian experience and a great and easy way to try types of wine I've never heard of. The server was incredibly polite and helpful and the style of service was very formal and done well (I.e. always serving on the right or whatever the rule is!) Lovely spot in Venice and will come back, bring visitors, etc. You don't want to miss this one. (Also inside looks super cute, warm and welcoming!) read more

San Marco - Tagliatelle al Sugo di Carne with GF pasta - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

I'm a fan of great Italian food... and in a place called Venice, you've gotta be good to stick around! This place has an amazing Wednesday special with an app to share, 2 entrees, dessert and a bottle of wine-- $60 for my bf and I to dine! Everything was amazing-- I've never had a stuffed Shishido pepper but as soon as I did with that gorgonzola sauce I had to go home and make my own! The calamari was perfectly seasoned and not over-fried. As you can see, the portion size was plentiful and we had leftovers! Highly recommended if you're in the area! read more

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Went for the first time with friends to take advantage of the $60-for-Two meal special on Thursdays and Fridays. We sat in the room with the bar, there is also a main restaurant and a back room. The food was marvelous, service perfect. Would definitely go back, special or no special. Make reservations. read more

"Oh are you Italian ? No? Well I guess that's why you don't know any better" Is what the surly hostess told us. After being asked how we enjoyed our meal, we commented that while we really liked the spaghetti, the pappardelle had an overwhelming amount of peas . Her making comments like that after asking for feedback felt unnecessarily rude and ruined the experience for us which is too bad because we really enjoyed the home made focaccia bread and rest of the dishes. read more

This was a small spot on the Island where the tables were extremely close to one another. The menu had traditional Italian dishes for the most part and nothing else. The service was friendly and accommodating. For an appetizer, the peperoni arrostiti al Gorgonzola ($18?) was ordered, which was a special. These were roasted banana peppers stuffed with fontina cheese and salami covered with a Gorgonzola sauce. This was one of the best appetizers I ever had. The combination of the cheese and salami with the sauce was incredible. The peppers were cooked to perfection too. The ricotta bread that was provided soaked up the leftover sauce! I had the Pollo San Marco ($27). as an entree which consisted of chicken breast with mozzarella, spinach, and pancetta over roasted potatoes. This was decent. I hardly tasted any pancetta, which was the main complaint about the dish. The chicken was cooked ideally. The sauce was alright too. Will I go back? Yes. read more

San Marco - Peperoni Arrostiti Al Gorgonzola - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

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Excellent food, excellent service I've always liked W Venice Ave, all the restaurants and shops, the convenience of parking in Centennial Park, and the recent changes to the street landscaping and crosswalks. Once we called Ristorante San Marco and made a reservation, we headed south from Sarasota. Dinner last night was, in a word, excellent. We were greeted as soon as we reached the door and shown to our table. The restaurant is not large, a comfortable size, and we were mentally taken back to when we visited Italy last year. Our server, definitely Italian, was professional and polished, helpful with recommendations, yet more personable than what we had experienced in Europe, a nice American touch. I had decided on what I wanted to eat, but when our server told us about a couple of specials, I switched. I believe it was Manicotti pasta with a meat sauce, green peas, mushrooms, and cheese. It was nicely plated and absolutely delicious. The serving size was fine, perhaps a bit European. The timing of the food was also quite good. My wife opted for a Savor Sarasota meal, three courses for a fixed price, and our relaxing visit only ran about 1 ¼ hrs. Excellent from start to finish, fresh homemade pasta, flavorful sauce, attention to detail, and it's on W Venice Ave. read more

San Marco - Manicotti pasta with a meat sauce - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

Came to restaurant san Marco for my birthday dinner & it was absolutely delish! I have reviewed here before but I had to come back on again to compliment the staff and bartender Davina on such fantastic service! The restaurant is beautiful and the food is fantastic. I'll be back again for sure! read more

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The good part was, they didn't want to serve anything but appetizers because it was "Happy Hour." We insisted on their famous soup. They were reluctant at first but then they managed to find a small cup of the soup. The bad part of the story is they brought a dirty soup spoon. When we asked for a different spoon, they brought back the same dirty spoon only it was wiped with a tissue and still had signs of it being used before. Too bad for the management but the soup was good. read more

Kudos to this young energetic staff. We stopped for drinks and an appetizer and we were treated like royalty. And the calamari appetizer was great. If you're on Venice St. be sure to stop at San Marco. Service was supreme. read more

My wife had the salmon and I had the pappardelle with mushrooms and sausage. Overall, our dinners were really good. My wife really enjoyed her salmon that was cooked perfectly - she really liked it. The roasted potatoes were really tasty. Crusty exterior and soft interior - lovely. My pappardelle was cooked properly and the cream sauce with peas, mushrooms and sausage was really good. It was tasty and filling. Oh, I forgot about the loaf of bread they bring out in the beginning of the meal. Fresh, crusty crust and soft inside. Service was friendly and some might find it a little slow; but sitting outside in the beautiful weather, it was great. read more

Let me start with the positives, we were seated near our reservation time, and the lobster was properly prepared. Renovation/expansion is bright but I miss the intimacy of the old San Marco. Now for the negatives: Wait staff for the most part young and NOT trained for service in a finer establishment. Waiter let me taste wine, and as I approved poured the first glass to me and not my wife. That's a no no Some tables had white linens most did not, huh? Waiter literally did nothing but coldly take our order. I ordered the most expensive meal of filet and lobster tails. My steak was most definitely NOT a filet, but a sirloin. When the "manager" stopped by she took a plate from our table and bumped my wife who was sipping red wine (first glass I might add). She spilled the wine as a result of the bump by the manager. The manager said its time for someone to have a sippy cup, did not clean up the spill and walked away. Rude is an understatement Appetizer (peppers) were served cold. Personally i did not like the new atmosphere. I won't be back and reconsider visiting here. There are MUCH better options everywhere in this area. read more

I seriously do not get these great reviews...this was not our experience ! A few years ago we had a wonderful Italian meal here, although it was a different owner at the time. We both got the prime rib w two sides. We were hungry and looking forward to it. Both cooked to medium. Good portion size, that's about it. Both of our meats were very tough with a very odd consistency. The baked potato was not fresh it was hard and dry, the broccolini was also hard and dry. This entire meal was a complete waste of our time and money Perhaps other menu items are good, however the prime rib is NOT, they should not even offer this if they do not know how to cook it or if they're not buying a quality cut of beef. We obviously would not recommend this restaurant since both meals in their entirety (meat & sides) were unacceptable to serve. We did not complain & gave our server Hector a good tip read more

Prime rib first plate inedible. Sent it back and got a new plate. So tough I could barely cut it.

Stopped for wine which was a good quality and poor. Owner and staff very nice. Inside has an attractive bar. I'll be back to try the food.

Went to San Marcos last night . As always food was fantastic brought out in a timely and efficiently manner. iIt was nice to see young people with such good work ethics and so polite . You can always tell a good restaurant by the staff they were taught to work as a team and they out did themselves. For all the people in there it wasn't loud and noise like someplace. I would highly recommend them . read more

The food was fabulous and service was great . My issues are as follows, they were out of all wines that we choose from the menu and after spending $380 .. we told promptly that we needed to leave that there was another reservation waiting.. 90 minutes.. that's all you're allowed -I felt very rushed and dismissed.. we didn't even rest after putting our forks down... I also don't like the upselling.. that's a good chunk of change- it's not fast food. read more

Food was amazing...the service was great. Only slight negative is the limited wine selection and high price. Can't wait to go back to try more of the menu...! read more

Went up to Venice to have Italian, the place we chose was not open due to no power from Ian. We walked around looking at menu's and chose to eat here and we were very happy we did. started with the Calamari which was cooked correct and had a good taste with out a lot of chew. Our waitress was prompt and took good care of us. Her personality came out as she took care of us. We went with chicken parm and chicken scaloppine both served with spaghetti. Both meals were very good, a nice sauce and not over sauced. Do not forget about their fresh baked bread, it was great. read more

Exceptional. I wish we could come here every day! The food here is what food is supposed to taste like. It has delicate flavor, is prepared the "correct" way, and the presentation is really nice without being pretentious. For lunch we had the grilled Spanish octopus (the best since we had in Spain in 2024), which comes with delicately roasted peppers, and the blackened grouper sandwich (which comes with a variety of truly tasty sides; my wife opted for fries - maybe silly to praise fries, but these deserve it!). They start with a brioche style bread with olive oil and spices; this is the real thing! Service: the owner assisted us several times in a truly professional way (as opposed to the common cheesy: "how is your food" asked just you try to put some food in your mouth). Oh, did I mention the great position of the restaurant? It surely beats looking at a smelly parking lot! I fully recommend it! read more

Ventured to Venice today for Savor Sarasota & to try the lunch menu. The food was excellent, ambiance was very relaxing & enjoyable, and the service couldn't have been better. We will definitely be returning! It was a wonderful day date! read more

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Had great Chilean Seabass with Bok choy. - generous portion cooked perfectly and nicely sauced. Also had the side of veggie medley far surpassed expectations. My wife had a very fresh poached pear salad nicely dressed with raisins, cheese, nuts and blue cheese. She said it was delectable. Wine and bar menu vast with great new bar for those wishing to sit there. Mel our server was great and spot on. We always enjoy seeing Cathy the owner and Devina the bartender. Great quality music in background. Live guitar with electronic backup. Perfect! Prices fair relative to quality and portions. read more

I wanted to eat outside on a beautiful night in Venice, FL. The stuffed flounder might have been good if it had been hot. It was cold stuffing wrapped in room-temp flounder. I did not complain but the server (her idea) tried to negotiate getting it taken off the check because I only ate a bite or two. The manager refused any courtesy because he said "I should have told them earlier." (I would have if anyone had come near my table.) Perhaps this is why this restaurant is nearly empty at the height of the season. read more

So, last night, I along with a couple of friends of mine, went to this restaurant for dinner. First off the waitress knew minimal about the menu and could not pronounce any of the Italian food items on said menu. Her statement "Just too many syllables." OK, then! At the end of the evening, I presented the waitress with a gift certificate ($50) that I had received prior to the Pandemic and did not have a chance to use. She came back and told me that it had expired and that the owner would give me $20 off the bill. I have never ever heard of a gift certificate expiring. They are considered just like cash. When I questioned her, she left and supposedly the manager came out. He again stated that the gift certificate had expired and he would be willing to take $20 off the bill. Again, I questioned the validity of his statement. He stated that they had changed systems ????? And that the old certificates had expired and were not being honored. In order to not cause any further banter about this issue. I told him to take the $20 off the bill. That being said, I left there rather upset and kept asking myself, why should something like this have happened. And what can I do about it. The why... I received a $50 gift certificate from a person who laid out $50 dollars and now both they and I have been taken for $30 dollars. As stated before I never have heard of a gift certificate expiring. And the excuse that they had changed systems only meant one thing. The restaurant was making their problem, my problem. What can I do... I can and will never step into this restaurant again. I will tell all my friends and relatives of this incident. I will post this incident on Yelp. Some readers will heed the warning and some will not. That is their call. In closing, I have to say the the original owner (Niko) was an awesome gentleman who knew how to run a restaurant. Too bad he wanted to move on. read more

Food was amazing and service was great by Jake. He gave us great recommendations. Ended up taking home the Limoncello cake. read more

San Marco - Ziti w/ shortribs - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

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This is one of our favorite restaurants. Food was always excellent but now that they have a full bar the place is fabulous!

Love this little restaurant in the heart of Venice. I have tried various dishes here and have never been disappointed. The staff is always really friendly and you can't beat Prosecco for $6 a glass. read more

San Marco - Prosecco & fabulous bread - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

Food was great but the service was terrible. The hostess who met us at the door was rude and obviously irritated that she had to be there. She had a miserable look on her face and when we attempted to speak to her she intentionally turned her head as far in the other direction ad possible and walked past us. Our server was sweet but under trained and largely unavailable as well as unfamiliar with menu items. The only good service came from the food runners. With so many amazing choices in downtown Venice we won't be choosing this one again. It does explain why we were able to walk right in and get a table though. read more

Past by and have read the menu Always wanted to try it Tonight the 5 of us went and we all had an excellent meal with an attentive competent waiter The food came out hot and all the entrees were excellent A very enjoyable evening in a quaint atmosphere where you could converse without a lot of noise Highly recommended read more

1 st visit in... quite pleased all around . Lovely waitress Emily, friendly, professional & very knowledgeable concerning food as well as wine . Tomato sauce was light and sweet unlike others that are heavy and acidic. Vegetable s cooked to perfection. Fish flavorful without heavy sauce. Don't miss the tiarmasu, or mousse. Nice finish to our meal. Attentive as our meal progressed. Met the owner Jeff.. very cordial and welcoming. Warm decor and clean. Highly recommend & make a reservation so you have a guaranteed seat. Check out YELP, right now is offering a $5.00 coupon. read more

San Marco - tables and chairs in a restaurant - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

A lot of good reviews and maybe we picked an off night. Quality of food was "meh", overall experience was just ok and pricey compared to other choices in Venice. We will go back because we are full time native locals and believe we all deserve a bad day. read more

This was one of our worst dining experiences, and we've dined out hundreds of times. For starters, the 4 of us were seated next to the kitchen, which, as one might expect, was noisy. We asked for another table, which should have been no problem as there were lots of open tables. The hostess was put out and made her annoyance crystal clear. We were moved to a booth in the bar area, which was fine. Next issue was the bottle of wine we chose from their wine list wasn't what was listed on the drinks menu. We asked the young man who was our server about it. He said many of the wines on the list didn't match what they sold. The hostess came over after the waiter had no explanation. Her attitude hadn't changed. She was abrupt and offered an explanation that didn't clear up why the wine list had a different wine than the bottle we bought. Next: even though the waiter was pleasant, we had to ask him multiple times to bring us things, for example: a glass of ice and a bit more bread. Last: the side salads were priced on the menu for $5, but when the check came, we were charged $5.99. The waiter said he couldn't do anything about it. Then the hostess showed up and argued with us saying the price had changed but they hadn't gotten around to fixing the menu. After a rather unpleasant conversation, she finally adjusted our checks. The food was fine, but nothing special. The prices were reasonable. We've crossed this place off our list of restaurants to revisit. There are too many good places to put up with one like this. read more

Just not a good first (and probably now only) impression. We're local....walking distance, but it is one of the last italian restaurants on the island we've not tried. It was just a bad first impression. I know you pay for location, and they have a great one...but $20 for an app (Carpaccio Di Manzo) that's not much more than arugula, some shaved cheese and shaved (as it less than paper thin) steak? Atmosphere was pretty nice, but we had one drink, the app, and off we went elsewhere. Just much too pricey. Side note: the app seemed a bit bland and not enough to fill a child. I cannot see a reason to return with all the viable competition both on the island and off. read more

Literally just walked by and stopped in. WoW. What an absolute treat! The food! The sauces, oh my! The wine! The help all worked as a team. No spoon for your soup? No problem, the place is Very well managed!!! Do not go to a chain restaurant when this peach is soo good. I will be back. read more

Stopped in for dinner while traveling for work. The staff was friendly, the ambience cute, prices seemed reasonable. The entree size was a little small and the overall flavor was kind of bland but the appetizer and focaccia were both really good. read more

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My experiences where good the two times I visited. Nice place to enjoy a nice dinner. I was visiting from out of town and just liked the vibe of the place. Service was good, and so was the food. They had Taste of Sarasota promo, where you can try three courses for a preset price which is a great way to try out things. We have it in Orlando also. I really enjoyed the Cesar Salad (I like the creamy version, though not authentic, a later life like), the Eggplant Appetizer is delicious and Smoked Salmon Pasta with fresh pasta was a winner for me. This is a mix of what I had for both dinners. The Tiramisù apparently is made in house and this was great, I'd pass on the Cannoli, a little sweet for my taste, but sugar fiends will love it. Great place to stop by. And it was delighful to sit outside and enjoy people watching while I waited for my food. Wine prices reasonable and water service great! read more

We had a wonderful New Years dinner celebration! The food was outstanding, friendly professional staff, nice atmosphere. I will definitely come back for the home made linguini and Bolognese sauce. read more

San Marco - Tagliatelle Al Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Venice, Florida

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Love this place! Service, the food, The ambience... it's all great! Grateful to our friends who introduced us to San Marco. it's become a go to place for us. read more