Caffé Paradiso

I'm traveling for business and this was a suggestion of a coworker to try. What a pleasant surprise. Authentic Italian food. Great atmosphere. Polite and friendly staff. Food is delicious. Presentation on point. The eggplant rolitini one of the best I've had. The fish was flaky and flavorful. Wine menu is not disappointing! I'm coming back !

We stopped at the bar for a drink before our 6:30 reservation. The bar is nice and the bartender was helpful. I opted for a lemon drop martini as it's my "go to" drink. The drink arrived looking great, but it was probably the worst lemon drop I have ever had. The drink tasted like vodka with a small hint of lemon. There was little or no simple syrup, so it was overly tart.The dining area is an open space with mostly tables as the "booths" aren't closed in, just have a bench seat. Although we were only one of 3 tables with guests, we waited 10 minutes for a server. There is a great wine list and the Sauvignon Blanc I ordered was a great pour. I settled on a Caesar salad and the veal saltimbocca. Again, we waited really long for salads to arrive. In the meantime, they did bring fresh bread. The Caesar was very good, full of flavor.Next we waited an extra really long time for our entrees. Yes, a few more tables were full, but it was still ridiculous how long we waited. If I was disappointed with the lemon drop, I was doubly disappointed in the veal dish. I love saltimbocca and this wasn't saltimbocca. No prosciutto, and no cheese, just a sauce on top. My friend also ordered the same dish and felt the same way I did. Super disappointing.

Always a great local spot. Best service, excellent food, amazing ambiance. The seafood salad was great! The bartenders will make anything you ask and their food is al dente from the first to last bite.

Caffe Paradiso is small, but mighty! I dined in on Friday night and was very grateful to have a reservation pre-booked because the dining area was packed tighter than a can of sardines and the line to be seated was out the door. The one negative remark of this review is that they have too many tables and not enough space, which made it difficult to maneuver around the restaurant and extra difficult to sustain conversations over all of the noise.Aside from that, I had a wonderful time. We started with the calamari to share. It was fried to perfection and came with a cup of marina sauce, which is the appropriate portion size in my opinion! I opted to have a soup and salad for my meal. I selected the pasta e fagioli; it was thick and very flavorful despite having minimal ingredients. For a salad I had the burrata; I believe this was an evening special. The burratta was served with tomato wedges and roasted beets for a fun twist on a staple dish. I had a bite of the chicken fettuccine Alfredo and can confirm it was the best in Tampa. We filled up on delicious food and left no room for dessert, but I look forward to returning and trying the dessert options soon!

This was my first time eating here. Our server was great and attentive. The menus was not a very large one which is fine, allows them to focus on the food quality. I had the pasta and lump crab meat platter. It was great and I finished every last bite. My wife had the lobster ravioli and mozzarella caprese and both were very good. We didn't order any salads but what I saw at other tables looked nice and fresh. Prices are on the higher end so keep that in mind. I gave it 4 stars because it was pretty loud there so table conversation was difficult. The tables were also a little too close where we sat which made it very difficult to navigate around the tables. We were all a little hungry so we didn't snap any photos of the food. What you see here on Yelp is pretty accurate though so no loss.

We went on a Friday night and the ambiance was romantic and service was very attentive. We were given complimentary bread which was hard and subpar. I ordered the Capelli D'angelo Al Granchio ($32.95) which was Angel hair pasta sauteed with lump crab, olive oil and garlic. It had a generous amount of crab meat, which was good, but the flavor profile was lackluster. My boyfriend got the Pappardelle Short Rib Special ($35? Cant remember the exact price) which I thought had better flavor but the meat didn't melt in your mouth like I thought it would. Overall, I thought the food was good just nothing to run home about. I would give the food a 3.5/5 and the service a 5/5. The dishes were expensive so I had higher expectations - If the prices were more reasonable for what I received, I would probably give it 4 stars.

After much talk from friends who are regulars, we ventured a try to looking for Paradiso. It's good but lacked an elevated culinary experience for the value. Service was attentive for a busy Friday night in the hustling, somewhat loud din of patrons feasting. Drinks from the full bar menu allowed for a good start to loosen up the conversations with friends. Food is where I felt it lost some pizzazz. I forget what my best half had, but my Branzino Tirreno had a nice piece of fish that seemed to be lost in the thick tomato capers sauce. Maybe the sauce is sitting too long or that's how they like serving it. But it masked the freshness of the fish and weighted down the otherwise lighter pasta flavor profile. Would I prefer a fresher tomato and caper combo...definitely!! Rounded out with a classic rich desert. Maybe I'm looking for a younger fresher taste that the regular crowd wants, but it was a good try and had a great time with friends. Just not my cup of sauce. Enjoy!

This place is a must. Service is wonderful. Atmosphere is great. My husband took me here for my birthday and I was more than impressed. The chef accommodated me with one of my favorite dishes that wasn't on the menu. It's was the best I've ever had and I'm from NY. They also had an Italian Merlot wine.

Went for a family birthday dinner. The server had 0 personality and was average at best. I ordered lobster ravioli and my husband had spaghetti with white clam sauce. No appetizers, salads or desserts and our bill was over $80.00 with tip. My dinner was ok and my husband's clam sauce was bland. The only good thing about the dinner was being with my family. Super overpriced for average food.

Food was bland and waiters were touching me and making me uncomfortable and nothing came out quick.