No cross-country trip to Florence is complete without a trip to Valentino's! This time came with two surprises-- the BEST calamari I have ever had in my life, and I've had a lot of calamari in my 70 years. (How Florence, Arizona has better calamari than anything I ever tasted in Spain is beyond me, but they do!) My other surprise was when our waitress Cheryl remembered me by NAME, even though it had been a year since I had visited. Valentino's has five star food and service, and I can't recommend it enough! read more

First, the clams and shrimp appetizer in the garlic butter broth was delicious. The free bread was disappointing. It wasn't fresh baked like most Italian restaurants, it was a a couple slices from out of a bag. Our entrees, spaghetti with meatballs and the baked lasagne were very good as was the salad-all very fresh. Our service was ok, but our waitress couldn't get the bartender to make our drinks. We had to ask for them 3 times and the bartender was either not even behind the bar or was just chatting with people sitting at the bar...in other words, the bartender just wasn't working. When we did get them, my husband's drink was terrible. He ordered a dirty gin martini and it looked like the bartender had poured a half a jar of olive juice in his glass. And these were not cheap cocktails. $15 for a martini and $12 for my tall Tito's with club soda...they charged me an extra $1 for my tall glass. We didn't try the pizzas but they looked good coming out of the kitchen. We will go back to try them at some point, but we won't order any of their overpriced cocktails next time. read more

Drive an hour to eat here for our anniversary. We get offered an appetizer by our server...Waiting for it to come to our table and then get told sorry we don't have it. Surely was upsetting because we don't like the same of any of the other appetizers so we're not ordering one!! What's really bad is the owner/manager never came out to apologize or offer anything to us for this. Oh and the super tiny cannoli lol seriously...it tasted awful like vegetable oil no filling and just whipped cream....nice anniversary treat, thanks..how cheap! Then we ordered cheese cake and it never came..so needless to say our service sucked!! What the hell expected a much different experience with all the 5star reviews. I will say our entrees were good, but no foods good enough to deal with that rude mess. I wish we would have went somewhere else...wasn't worth the trip and won't be back. Ruined our 23 wedding anniversary dinner expected better service was totally ridiculous! read more

Service was extremely slowwwww, all the drinks were terrible, and cheap vodka was used . nobody really enjoyed their food. i wasn't planning on yelping because i thought i reviewed here already, so i didn't take photos. my eggplant parm was literally paper thin, pounded out eggplant; and an inch thick of breading. meatballs tasted like the filling of Chef Boyardi ravioli filling. Wednesday 6 pm reservation with 3 tables occupied and we were out of water more than half our stay, never asked how anything was, and plates were never cleared, we had to move our used plates to another table for more room..... plus there was a hair in the pizza. What a disappointment!!!!! used to be a great place. read more

Valentino's Eatery - all breading, NO eggplant - Italian Near Me - Florence, Arizona

Portions are generous and extremely tasty. Will keep coming back!! Entries are big enough to share or have the best leftovers the following day. read more

This place has gone downhill! My family and I have been coming here for the last 5 years. We definitely won't be back. I watched the cook coming in the front entrance with bags of pasta from Safeway and other things. Also drinks from bottles of soda all of it was FLAT! The food was tasteless. Nothing seems fresh the pizza dough was disgusting. Fettuccine Alfredo tasted fishy. The only thing that was actually ok was the complimentary bread with sauce. Really disappointed and for what we paid over $130 not including tip. I'm sorry but this place needs to be inspected I've worked in the food industry for many years and never seen things like this. I wish we took the longer drive to Olive Garden. DISGUSTING and DISAPPOINTED! read more

Food was good. The first time around second time around it wasn't as good. It seemed like they microwave. The food won't be going back again. read more

Food prices have gone up everywhere including low quality fast food so I won't complain about having to pay a little more for excellent food here. The atmosphere is cozy and Service is always good. This is quality Italian food and we always enjoy it whether dining in or taking out. read more

It is the best Italian I have since San Francisco. It all made in house and you can tell the difference. I had the Veal piccata it was outstanding and calamari it was fresh squid. Then had an espresso and coconut cream pie it was so good . This is my new favorite in Florence . The price was reasonable for the quality of food . I will be back probably on Friday start eating the rest of the menu ! Chris is the best waiter too . read more

Insane prices for less than mediocre food. Read all of the comments before you bother to go there based on the prices that they charge you would expect it to be high and cuisine. It's bad. read more

Long drive for us to this restaurant. The food is fantastic! The service is even better. For a sleepy town this place is very busy. Homemade desserts too. read more

Came in for mom's birthday celebration, and Valentino's Eatery did not miss! From the service to the ambiance, this place is a gem in the town of Florence. The food is absolutely delicious, and I LOVE that it's a family owned business and has been for years. They make their salad dressing from scratch, and you can taste the quality in each dish. Not only are the portions plentiful, but they really do pack a flavorful punch! We we ordered: Caesar Salad Crab Cakes Valentino's Garlic Bread Chicken Piccata Veal Piccata Linguine & Clams Strawberry Lemon Drop Martini As you can see, everything was fire, right down to the martini! At the end of our meal, our server (omg, I forgot her name! **ugh!**) brought out mom's choice of dessert, the Dark Chocolate Torta. It was so rich and creamy. A yummy way to end dinner for sure! I highly suggest Valentino's if you are in the area. Parking isn't an issue, and they also offer outdoor dining in the cooler months. Pricing is reasonable for the quality of food. There aren't a lot of eateries in this area right now, so bookmark this place and go buck wild! Support this local small business. You'll be glad you did! read more

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Im a long time customer of Valentinos but last 2 visits have not been good. Went n the day after Valentine's Day wanting some pasta. But, they had a V. Day menu AND NO PASTA ON THE MENU. Other than a side that was part of the entree. Wife wanted mussels and a salad. No salads on the menu but one comes with entrees. For +$2 it could be made an entre and get a salad with it. We did that but they still charged me $4.75 for a "side salad". They argued but did change it. The big problem was how long it took to get served. 40 minutes just to get salads. After 1 hour and 10 minutes, and server nowhere in sight. I talked to bartender and they brought it right out. We had a $200 gift card with $12 left on it and presented that with C. C. to bartender. When she came back, the computer said we had $200 and our meal was taken off leaving a balance of $130. I told her $12 was correct but she insisted we just keep it at $130 for all our troubles. A very generous compromise. Thank you. read more

Valentino's Eatery - Underwhelming pork chop. - Italian Near Me - Florence, Arizona

The interior is very nice, cozy and romantic. I'd love to give a higher rating but the food in my opinion was only so-so. The bread was good, comes with butter and a (very) spicy tomato sauce/oil. The bar was extremely slow on getting drinks for some of the group (my hubby ordered a drink when we first got seated and last to get a drink which was after some got their food!). The traditional margarita was only so-so, the blood orange margarita was pretty good and the Milano margarita was only okay. The bar staff seemed a bit novice, but the service was nice/pleasant, just not on top of it. Our food did come out all correct and again our server was extremely pleasant. I ordered a chicken cacciatore, which I thought was only so-so. It just lacked flavor (despite having mushrooms, onions and peppers). The house salad was fine, the balsamic dressing was disappointing (just tasted like oil). Others got Chicken Parm (I didn't try but my sister likes), Stuffed Shells (okay), and Baked Fish (pretty good). I would not recommend upgrading to the Caesar salad (I tried it and it was flavorless, does it need more cheese???). I think this is an okay option for the area but I'm not necessarily in any hurry to return soon. read more

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The food here is great. We love supporting local businesses. The wait staff is very pleasant and helpful. The only downside, is there is usually only one bartender working, so drinks can take awhile, especially if you are ordering cocktails. You just have to be patient, the food is worth the wait of your drink! read more

We ate there last night. Service was excellent but the food is subpar. Steak and Pasta has no flavor at all. You think for a $36 steak and shrimp it would taste restaurant quality. Medicare at best not worth the $100 paid for two people! I will not be back. It was not worth the drive from San Tan Valley! read more

Our food was ok at best. We were charged extra to substitute pasta or potatoes for veggies. Chicken piccata was $25.99, plus 4.75. My husband got pork chop with meatball and sausage for extra 6.99 plus 4.75. We were then told they didn't have Coppola wine from Ca and instead gave us a state of Washington wine. Most of their wines if not all on menu, they did not carry. Disappointing. Server was nice but the food was nothing fancy unfortunately. Chicken piccata was swimming in grease. read more

First visit. Everything was good! The owner came out to check on the tables and was a very nice guy. Our server was fantastic. Our son loved the minestrone soup! Spaghetti and meatballs were amazing. Excellent ravioli. The bread was so good, we asked for more! Love seeing local places like this doing such a great job. We will be back. read more

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This used to be our very favorite restaurant to visit when we came to AZ. We frequently recommend this to people and have even bought gift Certificates as gifts. However the quality, portions and "homemade" tastes are no longer present. Sadly the last time we were there it took 45 minutes for us to get a salad. We were the second people in and had reservations. The bread was always a favorite, but it isn't very good anymore read more

Excellent food and drink.....very good experience.....not inexpensive.....but you get what you pay for....

Great food, service and atmosphere! Enjoyed it for years! Plus wonderful wine list. Adorable prices.

We made reservations days in advance and when we arrived, our names were not on the list. Staff were not very friendly and blamed the mishap on us, saying that we should have asked for the employee's name. After waiting for 15 minutes, staff suggested that we sit outside at their patio seating. Shortly afterwards, we learned the menu was limited and decided to leave the establishment. Serving staff was very kind however, It will definitely be awhile before I think of dining here again. read more

Thank you for making Bobby's Birthday phenomenal! Sheryl was just exceptional! The food was Devine! Our first visit. Definitely not our last. read more

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Good food and eat in service. Ordered to take out once, Not ready at specified time. Had a long wait with company at my house waiting for dinner. I don't think I'll do that again. read more

They have the best fettuccine Alfredo I have had since I moved here from California. I ordered it on DoorDash and it came piping hot. It also comes with a side salad of your choice and bread with butter and marinara sauce. read more

WOW! The best part is, this is a great restaurant in Florence. I'm from Philadelphia and this is every bit as good (if not better) as a good Italian restaurant there. And I have eaten at many Italian restaurants in Italy, this is right up there. My grandson suggested going here for his birthday on Wednesday for lunch. I was very happy about that choice. He got a meat pizza and I have never seen so much meat on a pizza like this. I got my favorite, chicken parmigiana. The sauce was excellent! There was so much and it was really good. The salad was top notch and even had a yellow carrot. The salad dressing (creamy Italian) was the best and they make their own! And the bread was so good and fresh. Now I wonder if they make that too. The dining room is perfection. Black tablecloths with nice goblets etc. Definitely upscale. read more

We went on Sunday, there were open tables, the place is small and there was no music. The crab cakes, you get 2 and they're small for $17. Their speciality pizza was delicious. The fettuccine Alfredo was too oniony in my opinion, there were large chunks of onion. read more

this place is always good and plus side is it's basically the only good italian restaurant around here. only downside is their takeout takes forever but the food is always good and we eat here all the time read more

My review is regarding their pizza which we like to order occasionally and pick up. Very inconsistent! One time was great, the next was one of the worst pizza's I've ever had, and our last one was just OK - very skimpy toppings. read more

Arrived at 4:30 when they first opened. One couple before us was sat at a table then moved to another table as the hostess appeared to be totally confused. We were only offered a table by the entrance and were told the other tables were for reservations. When we left an hour later 1/2 of the restaurant was empty. Dawn was our server and was great. Attentive and fast with our orders. Food was delicious. Thank you Dawn for making this a positive experience. read more

Valentino's was authentic professional, and great. The service was excellent, very attentive and truly a pleasure.

I try to maintain a bucket list of out-of-the-way Arizona eateries that are worth a road trip. Florence might seem far, but Valentino's is worth it. We first went for my mother-in-law's birthday. It's a tight space but elegant without being posh (it's rural AZ). They have a very nice wine selection, not expansive or over the top, but well selected for an Italian eatery. Service is fast and friendly. We ordered a variety of dishes including a seafood stew that my father-in-law devoured, bolognese that my mother-in-law didn't complain about (that's high praise), chicken in their marinara with a side of meatballs, and I had the spicy shrimp (sorry, I can't remember all the exact names of the dishes). I found the shrimp very spicy and could have toned it down a bit, but still delicious! For desert we had the chocolate tort (very rich and delicious), ice cream with baileys, and I had the coconut cream pie which was good but too sweet for me... and I ate all of it regardless. We've already made reservations for my upcoming birthday and look forward to trying more dishes! read more

Food is fantastic and the servers attentive. Definitely recommend but if you don't make a reservation go early because they get busy. Their secret is out read more

It was the most TASTELESS food we have ever had. It took FOREVER to get our meal even though there was only one other table of people there. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! You need to add a zero to your rating scale because they don't even deserve a ONE! read more

Finally visited this little gem, hidden in a strip mall. The place has a very homey and classy ambiance, giving you a feeling at being at a more expensive restaurant, but still with the ability to be casually dressed. Service was great, servers were well versed in the menu and provided us with a great experience. Now the most important thing for any restaurant, the food. Food was excellent. Great taste and quality. Excellent restaurant and highly recommended. read more

Excellent food and service My second time here for lunch Not busy but I understand that dinner time it is And they recommend making reservations read more

Service was awful. All the staff walked by as if our table was a ghost. Our waitress never checked in with us. I had to ask other staff members to refill my water. On top of that the food took an hour to arrive. The place wasn't even packed: 6-8 tables present. When the check arrived, it took 20 minutes for us to be rung up. The waitress also charged us for a different table and didn't notify us about her mistake. We asked for the owner but he was never called until we asked the bartender to fetch him for us. On top of not fixing or even apologizing for the mistake and bad service, the owner called one of my friends an asshole. Never have I experienced or see bad service like this. I will never be returning. I do not recommend this place. read more

Valentino's Eatery has never disappointed...excellent customer service, the food and the adult drinks never disappoints...as Italian as it gets in a nice strip mall location...I cannot say enough at Valentino's Eatery....an ice place to bring family and friends read more

Hubby and I are still only dining at establishments that have outdoor seating. As we are traveling this week, I found this spot on Yelp and we decided to give their patio a try. The tables were spread out, and the server and staff were wearing masks, but quite a few customers walked into the restaurant with no masks in and nothing was said. The toasted raviolis were fantastic, the bread and tomato dip was also fantastic. I ordered chicken piccata and received chicken Cacciatore - bummer, but was too hungry to have it switched. Hubby had chicken Marsala. They were 'ok' but needed a lot of seasoning. The best part of my dish was the mushrooms. Portions are huge, next time, we will just split an entree. Service was good but the poor lady was taking care of just about all tables inside and out. They finally assigned a couple helpers to fill water and clear tables. They were doing a pretty brisk business during the pandemic. Good for them and the community that is supporting them. read more

Valentino's Eatery - Chicken cacciatore - Italian Near Me - Florence, Arizona

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Great place for real Italian food, pleasant staff. Best Italian food just like Moms on Sunday read more