Pomodoro Cafe — Restaurant in Florida

One word ~ MAGNIFICO! I was in the area taking my mother to Shand’s. My brother picked this place for our holiday gathering. Mumsie and I walked in around 5pm and told the hostess there would be 7 in the party. She said “ok” and walked off. Moments later a magical, blue eyed, chef walked up to the hostess station. He asked if we had been helped and I responded yes. When he asked how many in our party and I stated 7 he asked “Do you have a reservation?” 😵‍💫 Since I do not live in the area I had no clue it was a UF graduation day and they would be slammed. I grabbed my phone to let my brother know who was en route. The chef returned and said “follow me” in his authentic Italian accent. I was worried when he took us to the patio since I was already freezing and my mother is up in age. However, this wonderful chef sat us and then gathered heaters for the area without us even saying a word. By the time my family arrived the patio was warm enough for me to take my sweater off. We had a wonderful and caring waitress, Hannah, I believe her name was. She was remarkable. Some people were just born to serve others with a caring spirit and she does just that with every customer. I told her I was interested in ordering a couple of pizza’s to-go since I live so far away and wanted to try them. She said she would bring me a special menu (see pics) wherein I could order BOGO on everything in case I wanted to try other dishes as well. Wait, did she say BOGO? So glad she shared that info. Everyone at my table ordered something completely different and we were all blown away. Perfection from the coffee to the homemade vinaigrette and everything in between. One of the BOGO’s I ordered to go was a cheese and eggplant. This was truly my favorite from crust to tip. As you can see I could go on and on about this caffè. I will be stopping in every time I am in the Alachua area with Mumsie. I have shared this place with anyone who travels to the Gainesville area (Go Gators)!! I recommend calling and making a reservation just in case you wish to sit inside. When we left that evening there was a line of people happily waiting in the cold for their table. When you have a genuine heart to serve others you will be...

This used to be the place I would recommend to my friends. What a shame...

Hot tip: Make sure they have your order, before letting them charge you. They might not ever make it.

Nice system in place: They call over the next one in line for takeout, and when I step up she starts taking care of a person from dine-in... He was at least 90, so no worries... It would be her place to let him know people are waiting in line. She didn't.

No system in place: Ordering online at 17:24... it is now 18:43 and they forgot to make my pizzas, for a second time...When I paid at 18:06 they told me they hadn't started half my order. I understand but don't want to bring my kids cold dinner. The "my first job ever" waitress looked befuddled when I asked her to remake the half of the order that would be cold, when the rest was finally ready. She said she could put on the heat lamp. I thought that was funny... no microwave? Lol.

After asking her to just refund me instead, started looking under the counter and generally appeared confused like she was looking for her car keys. I should have just let them have the money... 2nd chances: I sat down defeated and when McManager arrived I told him I would just wait for the pizza. But, the joke was on me... They didn't make the pizza again... Almost an hour and a half later... they pass off this sad slimy pie... and a white pizza with all the toppings piled in one spot.

The best joke of my visit. You cannot make this kind of stuff up: Manager guy wanted to make it right by taking off 5 bucks... Rofl... I didn't ask for this although I would really rather not buy any Pizza with a big "Fv

Good Ambiance, Attentive Staff, Quick Service. Underwhelming Food.

Was in the area and decided to give this place a try. I love Italian food and often crave a good marinara. I was starving and used it as an excuse to overindulge… it was my first time!

There was good energy walking in, the place felt busy but not chaotic. I was seated quickly by a welcoming hostess and the server, Laura, was attentive - even as I waited for a friend to show. She got me going with a beverage and bread (the bread was honestly the best part of the meal).

I ordered two appetizers - crab cakes and fried calamari/shrimp/zucchini. The 3 crab cakes were pretty small and there was a lot going on with the sauce and almond shavings. I ordered them based off a picture on the menu which I later learned is a stock photo - a little odd and entirely misleading. The fried trio was fried perfectly and I had no complaints about the accompanying marinara. However, the batter was heavy on salt which really became noticeable after the first few bites.

On to the entrée… chicken parmigiana with broccolini, I opted for the minestrone soup which was good. The sauce on the parmigiana tasted as though it had simmered too long, I’ve made this mistake before so it was immediately apparent. My company agreed and although we didn’t want it remade, the staff did well attempting to resolve. I was offered “fresh” sauce but it was obviously and understandably from the same batch. The chicken itself was great and the broccolini maybe could’ve used a little less time sautéing, it was hunter green and more wilted than vibrant and crisp.

Not the best first impression but I would certainly give it another shot. The prices were good and I didn’t leave feeling I lost anything, the food just didn’t really compliment the ambiance and service. If I were dining with a group I’d come back for those two reasons, but if I wanted authentic Italian I’d stick with my current...