Di Carlo Ristorante — Restaurant in Florida

Update, August 30, 2025: Going from five stars to three because they obviously have new owners and staff; there was no garlic or Parmesan in the Alfredo sauce; the veal was not tender in the veal piccata and the flavor was mainly capers; the tables were not cleaned well; the napkins felt gummy; the servers no longer dress elegantly in long white sleeved collared white shirts but instead wore blue or black faded polo shirts; and there was a musty odor in the lobby.

Portion sizes were good and they didn’t skimp on butter or olive oil.

Perhaps they could advertise as a great pizza place. But it currently has lost its charm as an elegant date spot.

Original review, 12/29/2023: Came here for our anniversary craving pizza and Di Carlo blew us away with perfection in all areas: the best romantic, fun atmosphere for our anniversary and the best pizza!!!

Yeah, we’re weird. You’d think we’d want steak and seafood for an anniversary but hey, after all the December celebrations and tons of family birthdays we were kinda tired of hoity toity. So I searched for “pizza fine dining restaurant” and there is NOWHERE ELSE you can have a cloth tablecloth with full wine menu and pizza except at Di Carlo in our area!

The garlic bread and pizza crust: a whole new category of divine. Never had this texture before! It looks deceptively copy-able but a magician in the kitchen did something to the crust that makes it light and crunchy on the outside and tender soft and yet still yeasty on the inside. But not too yeasty. It’s insanely good!!!

Plus all the other food items were great too! I had the Caesar salad and the lettuce was sliced just before being perfectly tossed with the dressing so the pieces weren’t too big. If you’re on a romantic date you don’t want huge pieces of lettuce and Di Carlo figured out this detail.

I ordered the Pasta Faggiol soup and my husband tried a small taste and immediately ordered himself a bowl, it was that good. The soup was full of good ingredients.

He had a sausage and olive pizza and it was crazy good with an obviously made in-house sauce. Again, even the crust you had to eat it all because it was so good.

Now, the live music. It was Thursday night so we weren’t expecting anything but this singer blew us away singing like Andrea Bocelli, hitting all the high notes perfectly on key. My husband sang opera and show tunes and said this guy hit the high notes without looking like he was straining at all. Great voice! His choice of songs were all perfect for a romantic, fun, special dinner out: “Time to Say Goodbye,” “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You,” “La Bamba,” and many more. From families with kids to couples to singles, everyone was enjoying themselves and the music.

Finally, the service. Excellent attention and warm welcome from all the servers. You could tell they knew many of the patrons and treated everyone like family. We asked our server to take our photo and he was so patient and nice to take several photos. Checked on us a lot. You could tell they loved their work and took pride in the food and their team.

I can’t recommend this place enough. We plan to come...

You can't judge a book by its cover. I would not call it a hole in the wall. The outside gives that impression. Based on the ratings of others, my wife picked this restaurant for her birthday dinner. I parked in the rear. As I walked towards the entrance. The aroma of the restaurant hit my nose and immediately I was taken back to Chicago, IL. I'm not saying The Godfather motif. You do have The Godfather vibe. I picked the bruschetta as an appetizer. It was one of the best in my life. The rare occasion the bruschetta can be too acidic. This was not the case. I was under the impression a taste of honey was added as it tasted sweet. The server stated this was not the case. As I'm sitting there soaking up the atmosphere. I notice customers leaving with take out bags. It became evident for this as we were served two 16" oven baked garlic rolls: delicious. The entrée arrived. I ordered the lasagna. A more accurate description, lasagna bolognese. This lasagna has a different taste; only my second time, becoming my favorite: delightful. I could have consumed there due to a miscue request for a fresh fork. My wife and daughter were ready to leave. I had two bites went to heaven and received our to go boxes out of there. The price: More than reasonable. I would say exceed expectations. One of my biggest complaints. The restaurants I ate in the past were priced reasonable; are now pushing the limits. Why a 4 for food? I love calamari. The calamari breaded crust was overcooked. I never had this experience before. A 4 for atmosphere. It's a little too bright....

MUST EAT HERE!!! I'm a diehard fan of Carrabba's but after coming back from Rome, I wanted to try something different and go to a local family Italian restaurant. It's crazy when you don't realize what's in your neighborhood. Please overlook the surrounding area and how it's connected to a run down hotel and just enjoy the inside atmosphere and the quality food. Why wasn't this place packed on a Friday night? Maybe because of the location but it's worth traveling and steering away from your normal chain of restaurants.

The fresh garlic loaf they brought out to the table that was soaked in olive oil and fresh herbs was spot on.

Appetizers: Bruschetta (bread had a wonderful crisp with fresh tomatoes and balsamic vinaigrette) and Fried Mozzarella Cheese (x2 nice size triangle shaped, but would've enjoyed x3 or x4 for the price).

Main Course: Gnocchi di Carlo (the wife actually said this was comparable but had many different flavors that jumped at you then Rome had), Veal Parmigiana w/Fettuccini Alfredo (huge portion size with awesome flavor and fried just right. Needed a little more sauce. Fettuccini tasted fresh and flavorful).

Dessert: Homemade Cannoli (you can tell this was not frozen or refrigerated but was actually homemade. Awesome)

As far as other comments that stated there prices increased or was outrageous, ignore that. There prices are adjusted as they should for the portion size and the fresh food you receive.

Thanks for an amazing dinner and we will...