Esposito's Italian Restaurant And Bar — Restaurant in Florida

Summary: A very popular Italian restaurant in Carrollwood with interesting takes on classic Italian dishes and very friendly staff.

I ordered take out on a Friday night and heard straight through the phone how busy it was! I figured this would make the dishes even more fresh because the kitchen won’t stop moving! They told me to come in 30 min, when everything would be ready! I ended up waiting an extra 20-30 minutes due to the mixups below.

Let me start off by saying how friendly and kind all the staff was! However, I think they were a little too busy because I got the wrong meal twice. Luckily I knew my order, so I was helping them out by letting them know on the spot. The manager ended up checking to see if everything was alright and saw I had the wrong item and let me keep it as an apology for all the mixup! I thought that was sweet and unnecessary, but so happy I kept it because it was the best dish we had that night! Below is each item’s review:

Salad (forgot to take a picture)- the salad that came with the meal was delicious and filling!! It had beets, chickpeas, tomatos and crisp iceberg lettuce with a nice and tangy Italian salad dressing! 5/5

Bread roll with garlic herb butter- the herb butter was delicious but the rolls weren’t that great...they weren’t warm and tasted like a cheap roll. 3/5

Arancini- it was super crisp and had a very soft yet thick texture inside. The risotto was nice and thick and the ground beef chunks added nice flavour and chew. I think it may have been too thick. If the inside was a little bit creamier, it would have made this perfect! The marinara sauce went nicely with it! 4/5

Chicken Rollatini- this was the free dish we received from the manager because we didn’t originally order it! On my own, I would never have ordered it! Free, however, was a great way for me to try it! I’m so happy I did because it was a nice crisp chicken that was lightly breaded and the mushroom marsala sauce was an awesome pairing! 5/5

Grandmas Sunday feast- I had ordered this dish because it sounded amazing! However, I was left unimpressed with it. I found the rigatoni was overcooked and tasting like Barilla pasta I boiled at home. The marinara sauce was too acidic and the sausage inside was tender but nothing great. The meatball and short rib were the highlights of that dish. The meatball tasted like it had truffle in it or it was pan fried in truffle oil. Whatever it was, that was delicious! The short rib was nice and tender and easily pulled apart with a fork. 2/5

Butternut Squash Ravioli- this tasted like fresh pasta! Worlds better than the rigatoni and grandma Sunday feast! The pasta was al dente and the the butternut squash filling was slightly sweet and paired beautifully with the cream and truffle oil. The zucchini in the center was nicely seasoned!

Foggetaboutit Pie- this pie has a lot going on in it! It’s a peanut butter cream pie with an Oreo base, and dried banana slices throughout with a bunch of different chocolate chunks blended in as well as chocolate toffee pieces dusted on top! Caramel and chocolate drizzle was on it with a dollop of whipped cream! It sounds like a recipe of amazingness but it was insanely sweet for our own good. You were left dehydrated by how sweet it was. And we had a small sliver of what we received! It was a gorgeous presentation though. 3/5

NY Cheesecake with Berry compote- the cheesecake was an awesome texture with just the right amount of tartness and an amazingly light and fluffy texture! It definitely tastes like it was slow cooked in a Bain Marie to get this kind of texture! The Berry compute was lovely and the graham cracker crust was nice and thin- just how I love a...

Esposito's Italian is proudly serving up top-notch italian food influenced by family recipes and with great attention to detail. I'm not big fan of italian cuisine but I can myself frequenting Esposito's because their dishes have truly authentic and diverse flare. The interior is softly lit with spacious seating throughout the restaurant. I was quickly seated upon arrival (I went for early dinner on a Saturday). Very soon after seating, I was greeted by a very courteous wait staff. In fact throughout my visit there were three wait staff ensuring I had everting I needed as well they (as a team) ensured my experience was top-notch. I don't know if this is usual but it was a very refreshing change to have such great attention (a rarity these days).

The house-made garlic rolls were warm, fluffy, with just the right amount of garlic and crumbles cheese sprinkled on top - you can't put these down once you start. They are addictive so proceed with caution =)

The house salad contains chick peas, beets, tomato, lettuce, and red onion. The salad comes pre-dressed and you toss upon serving. The texture and freshness made this salad crunchy and delicious. My only suggestion is to go light on the dressing or ask for the dressing on the side, to avoid overly pre-dressing.

My main entree was the Black Seafood Risotto - perfectly done risotto with squid's ink that enhances richness and flavor and served with mussels, clams, and octopus. If you are a seafood lover this dish is as beauty to look at as it is to the tastebuds. The octopus stake server atop risotto pairs perfectly with the creamy risotto while the mussels and clams add texture and balanced saltiness. The squid's ink adds the rich black glistening color to the risotto. This item is a true exploration of a popular traditional Italian dish from the Adriatic Coast.

I finished my meal with a perfectly portioned slice of Limoncello cheese cake with raspberry drizzle. This sweet concoction blended with limoncello's slight tartness made for a perfectly smooth finish, while the raspberry drizzle added a pop of visual intrigue to the presentation.

Everything about my first visit to Esposito's was top-rated starting from the attentive staff to the proudly prepped and served dishes with high flavor profile. Many kudos to Esposito's.

I will most certainly return during non-rush hours and explore their diverse menu and discover some other hidden...

Being a NJ transplant, we value not only good Italian food but also the kindness and service that comes with it. Too often these mom and pop shops that have a good legacy get ruined by the next owner. It’s just a shame that the next owner/manager is family in this place. Honestly it should have scared me away by the length of the menu or from the scattered brained staff but still it seemed authentic as far as a NJ place goes. From one local business to a review of another: RUN.

We ordered drinks at the bar, which honestly needs an updated menu and then grabbed a seat at one of the bar tables behind. Wait staff initially was responsive but as the night went on and the restaurant emptied out a bit, it got worse. People who came in later got served bread and salad before us with no explanation even though we put our order in immediately when we sat down. Bread good, salad basic, but put enough oil and garlic on bread people will eat it stale. 30 minutes pass and still no update on the food. 10 more minutes pass and then the waiter explains there was an issue with just our order and the computer system but they are going to rush it. So we ordered another drink to pass the time. 10 minutes pass, no drink or food. Finally after an hour the drink and food come out together but instead we ask to get the check and boxes to go. It was the wrong order and missing things too. A guy in a half suit comes by and complains that we have been the only problem the entire night in the entire restaurant when all we asked about was our order. Ironic, since when we arrived someone was being carried out by an ambulance. We explain and show the time we sat down and ordered and the time it was then, when our food arrived. He then made a fool of himself not knowing how to calculate an hour. Clearly the same time schedule the kitchen runs on. Arrogant as can be, he said I don’t need your money and took our plates and told us to leave. We were calm, cool, and collected the entirety of the interaction, while he created a scene in the front of the restaurant. Mom and dad should be...