Ciao Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Fernandina Beach

The short review: The food here is very good and the service was excellent.

The TL;DR: First time trying Caio. We visit the area each New Year and wanted a nice Italian dinner. Caio was recommended by the hotel's front desk person.

First impression, they are trying to be modern and minimalist from the look and feel. The decor looks upscale and items like the ceiling fans have a modern, almost sci-fi feel to them. The tables are nice, but the chairs are uncomfortable, cheap plastic that looks suitable for patio dining in your back yard gazebo. The seating is forgiveable though because the food and drink were superb.

We were met with the server, Davian, who was personable, professional and knowledgeable. We ordered wine to start and I ordered the Polpette Di Carne (spaghetti with meatballs and tomato sauce) and my dining companion ordered a side of meatballs with their goat-cheese and beet salad (she's a light eater). Davian offered to bring out bread, but we declined.

The food came out within about 15 minutes and the spaghetti was top-notch. I wouldn't call it the best I've ever had, but it did rank in my top 5. The sauce was rich, thick and flavorful and the meatballs (3) were fairly large and very tasty. The were clearly house made and not some reheated version of bagged meatballs from Sysco like some places use.

My companion received 3 meatballs as well with what appeared to be the same sauce as my spaghetti and the salad was said to be very flavorful with a subtle note of olive oil.

Davian and one other female server who never provided her name, were attentive without be intrusive, the wine, a sparkling Moscato was sweet and tasty, as expected. My only reason for giving the food a 4-star rating rather than 5 is that the sauce and meatballs while delicious and well seasoned were a little too salt-forward in their flavor profile. I tend to be very sensitive to salty foods because I don't use salt in my daily life, so I tend to notice it quite a bit more than most. I think the average person would be okay with it, but it is MY review, so MY opinion, LOL.

Overall, dinner satisfied and we would eat there again. Dinner for two without tip was about $80 and...

I have eaten at this restaurant since they were located in Yulee. I have always had a wonderful dining experience. The host/owner was always very welcoming and friendly, the food was always delicious and bountiful. We went there last night to celebrate my birthday. We were greeted at the hostess station, again by the owner, but he only asked how many in the party and showed us to our table. He seemed very abrupt and uninterested in conversation. This in itself isn't terrible but just not what I was expecting judging from my past experience and did detract from the experience. The menu is al acart and rather pricey. They do serve a warm, wonderful bread with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dipping selection. Loved it. I ordered the special for that day which happened to be seafood lasagna. I found a few scallops and a shrimp but I was disappointed in the amount of seafood. The dish itself was tasty. The red sauce here is delicious. We were a party of 5 and three of them ordered the chicken Parmesan. They all were totally satisfied with their dinner. Everything was beautifully prepared and plated, served with a side of spaghetti. The salads prior to the meals were crisp and fresh. Dressings were perfection. The fifth person in our party ordered the short ribs over polenta. He got one short rib and a spoonful of polenta. The rib was tender and delicious and the gravy enhanced all the flavors. The best thing about my dinner was the dessert, which is actually what I was most excited about when I made our reservations. The lemoncello cake was light and delicious. It was different from the lemoncello cake that was served at the previous location and wasn't as good but was still a pleasure. While my dining experience was a little less than previously, everyone has an off day. So I will certainly revisit the beautiful restaurant. I won't reorder the seafood lasagna. I do highly recommend this upscale establishment though. They have an extensive wine selection and a full bar. The dining room is well lit and clean. Enjoy a stroll through...

I don’t even know where to begin. First, I went to Ciao five years ago at their old location and man the food was delicious with homemade pasta, service was impeccable and the atmosphere was just what we were looking for , so romantic. The new location is not intimate at all, loud and I can tell the staff had its favorites in customers. The girl bussing tables was miserable to say the least. I had to ask for bread, 2 times when the table next to us got bread twice and seated after us. We did not get fresh pepper on our salads and come on with the salads, seriously $7 for literally cut romaine a shred of carrot and cucumbers? So I was happy the waiter accommodated my husbands request to make the shrimp and scallop diavlo as a scampi, but to up charge us $28 I was like NO way they adjusted it slightly, told us scallops are very expensive but still $39 for that plate was a JOKE. Desert wasn’t bad, but I’ve had better. My diavlo sauce was watery and lacked a rich flavor. I make my own sauce and now I know I won’t be eating pasta out anymore, so beyond let down as I was so excited to go back here, never again. I don’t recommend the male server, can’t recall his name, but like other reviews very quick, no conversation and he def had his favorites. Sad I’m so...