Took my parents for their anniversary and we were very excited based on the reviews. Cute place, but it got very loud. Needs some acoustic tiles or something on the ceiling. Parking is terrible. The food was decent overall, but I will say the Fried Calamari and Zucchini app was excellent, as was the Tiramisu. The bread was lacking, which is a huge disappointment for an Italian restaurant to me, and I had to ask for it, and they literally gave 5 thin slices for 5 people. Did not ask if we wanted more bread. For the price, I'd like a bit more food, even if just pasta. Average price per person was $45, if you don't count the kids meal (which was $15), for one bowl of pasta fagioli, a fried calamari and zucchini app, a veal Parm, chicken Parm, chicken piccata (which had like 4 capers total), and linguine with white clam sauce (they did give a good amount of clams at least), plus 1 tiramisu to go and a coke. No alcohol or other drinks. I don't mind paying a premium for great food, but I was literally hungry by the time I got home again (and I ate most of my son's meal!). The kids meal was a small bit of breaded chicken, and he got veggies. No sauce was included, or offered. It was okay, but it needed something else. Service was a bit disjointed, like one person didn't know what the other was doing. And while I understand they have a very small kitchen, the plates coming out staggered was a bit annoying. My wife's plate was on the table probably 10 minutes before the last plate was down, and she politely waited to eat because that's what you do. We were offered Parmesan cheese when there were only two plates down, and then they never came back with it. Based on the previous reviews and how long they've been open (I remember when it first opened!) we were so excited to finally get to try it, and I don't think we'd go back. I am not angry we went, as the food tasted decent enough, but I am very disappointed because we had such high hopes. If I'm paying a premium, I'd rather go to Caffe Italia in Riverview (the former chef/owner of The Laughing Cat in Ybor), because while up there in price, they give a tremendous meal in both portion size and taste. Or Piccola on MLK, which has amazing food too!
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"The BEST pizza in Tampa! Went into the restaurant late night after an NFL game and the service was quick and friendly. We ended up going with the MVP (perfect balance of sweet and salty, pepperonis were perfectly cooked), Buffalo Chicken (most pizzas don't have enough buffalo on it but this one was perfectly balanced, the sesame seeds added such a nice touch as well), and the Cheesy Bread (it was what you'd expect from cheese bread!)We ended up sitting outside which offered a great view of the city and helped us appreciate a rare cooler evening in Florida!"
"Great vibe and scents of garlic, olive oil when you walk in this place! Immediate like-great upbeat bustling; amazing good shuttling by! We did pizza and loved the sauce; perfect crust and fresh toppings n plenty of them! Looking forward to exploring the menu. Our new pizza place close by! Enjoy!! Your neighbors already are."
