Gabriella's Modern Italian — Restaurant in Delray Beach

I am from NJ and have eaten at this restaurant previously. It was very good. I live in Naples and decided to eat in Delray. Lovely hostess Gianna had my table ready and I saw open seats at the bar and decided to dine at the bar. All the bartenders were pleasant but it was a bit chaotic. I just wanted to order the chicken parm and to my dismay there wasn’t a small side of pasta with the entree. No problem. It was a $15 charge. I asked the young dark haired bartender twice “please” no grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the pasta or the chicken dish. I told her twice. (I know it’s weird, people love it shoveled on, I don’t) So anyway my oysters Oreganata came out and they were outstanding as an app. Then the 50/50 odds of my dish coming out properly were proudly presented to me. Piled with grated cheese on both my side of pasta and chicken dish. At this point I was quickly met by a short bald gentleman who appeared to be the manager. Very charming at first but a walking timebomb. It’s obvious he likes things right and I think cares but he was a swing and miss. He asked me what was wrong. I simply said I love mozzarella cheese and that I wanted everything cooked the way they cooked it and that I just didn’t want grated Parmesan cheese all over my food. They scraped everything off my dish and brought me out a scraped off chicken cutlet with nothing on it but a thin layer of tomato sauce and a side of either soft mozzarella/burrata cheese on the side. The chef and the increasingly irritating bald manager was in tow when the woman chef served my cutlet and cheese in a ladle on the side. I said i want my parm cooked like parm with the cheese cooked on the chicken. The food was at this point angrily removed and returned within about 20 seconds. I’m confident the angry manager dumped the side of cold cheese directly on the cutlet and served it to me in an overwhelming annoyed fashion. Said nothing. No I’m sorry, we apologize. Nothing. Looking at my dish i can see that the cheese was dumped on the cutlet which by now was cold and his finger indentations were in the cheese and the dish became unbelievably unappealing. When he silently slid this overpriced cold dish in front of me I was annoyed and remarked that I could have dumped the cheese on my cutlet and he ignored me and walked away. My temper was increasing but I refrained as I’m in the business and let it go. Then I realized that while apprehensively eating this handled cold food that there was no prosciutto on the chicken!!!! There was an incredible assistant manager or bartender who was locked in on the entire situation and he endlessly apologized and promised some type of compensation. That man kept me together as I was inches from paying for my club soda and oysters and walking out. I told him after two bites of my cold meal that there was no prosciutto on my dish. Then out of nowhere the short manager within a minute dropped a ladle of chopped, crumbled prosciutto and said nothing to me. He did it so fast I couldn’t see him walk away and he did not say a word. I continued to assemble my meal and the very aware bartender was continuing to apologize and he would do anything to make it right compensation wise. I insisted on nothing but gratitude for his attempts. I was eager for dessert but after the dinner I wanted out. Side note: my $14 side of pasta was so small and maybe a dozen small pieces. I had never seen such a charge for such a small portion. It was embarrassing. Then they validated my parking and still charged me $15 to park not including tip. The short, bald manager was appalling and isn’t a good leader. He’s too emotional. And doesn’t listen well and take any measures to apologize and rectify the issue. The restaurant felt a bit disjointed. I would not return. The taller bartender with the goatee chaperoned my meal and he deserves kudos. Make him the GM. Maybe they...

I must begin this review with an apology for not writing it sooner after my first visit since I was completely blown away! I went with a larger group during a vacation, and from the very first dish to the last, everything was simply spectacular. Our waiters were not only knowledgeable but also incredibly warm and attentive, leaving everyone at the table vowing to return.

Fast forward two months, I'm back in South Florida for a family event in Boca Raton, and with just one free night for dinner, there was no question where I was going. I made my reservation a week in advance, and once again, everything from the moment I arrived was flawless.

The ambiance is something truly special. It feels like you're stepping into a stylish, vibrant hotspot, yet you're treated with the warmth and care of a family-run trattoria. The music set the perfect mood, and the cocktails were out of this world. I started with an espresso martini, followed by some bubbles, and then a rum-pineapple creation that was both fun and sophisticated.

To start, we shared the octopus and the Firecracker shrimp (a standout from my first visit) both were delicious, generously portioned, and perfect for sharing. Then came the pastas: I’m a bolognese lover, so I couldn’t pass up the Tagliatelle, and at our server’s recommendation, we also tried the Garganelli with truffle. Both were absolute perfection. We even had room to share the branzino beautifully presented, incredibly fresh, and full of flavor.

And yes, we did save room for dessert! A perfect sweet ending to a flawless meal.

As someone who lives in the NJ/NY area and is accustomed to excellent restaurants and fine dining experiences, I can confidently say this place stands out not just locally but by any standard. It’s rare to find a restaurant that nails every detail not just once, but consistently and this place does. I can’t say enough about how fantastic both visits have been, and I’ll be returning every time I’m in the area.

I want o sincerely give a shout out to our waiters and manager! Definitely very attentive, friendly, and genuinely passionate about creating an unforgettable experience. Hospitality like that is something you...

I recently dined here and had an amazing experience. I made reservations ahead of time on a Sunday evening. I wasn't sure of the parking situation but I found a parking garage connected downstairs. It was very easy to walk upstairs and be right there at the restaurant.

I walked in and noticed that the restaurant was very busy. They were turning walk-ins away. The bar was also full. The hosts upfront were not very friendly upon checking in but perhaps they were busy. Our party of 2 were seated fairly quickly. We looked the menu over as our server took a long time to come over to us. We didn't get water for about 15 minutes after being seated. When he did come over, he offered friendly chatter and answered questions that we had.

I picked out the Nori cone appetizer for myself and was told it was sold out. I ordered the tartare instead and my friend ordered the caesar salad. I loved the tartare. I would come back immediately for that appetizer! The caesar salad is not a traditional salad. It was 4 pieces of lettuce topped with dressing, cheese, and bacon. I thought the presentation was beautiful but not as light as I was thinking. For our main entrees, we ordered the garganelli and the campanele. Both delicious but the garganelli pasta was a bit better. These pastas are very light. It reminded me of pasta from Italy. The large plates came out and I thought we definitely would have leftovers. Nope! Very light and delicious. We were able to eat our entire entree. That was the biggest pro and I would definitely recommend this restaurant.

We tried the tableside tiramisu and it was a great experience watching the employee making it for us! It wasn't for us though. It wasn't a traditional tiramisu. Not cold. And more soggy / ice cream like.

We had a hard time finding our server at the end of the night. The dinner definitely seemed dragged out longer than it should have been. We were waiting for the check for another...