Catullo’s Italian — Restaurant in Jacksonville

Like many people, Catullo's was on my radar for some time. With my girlfriend's birthday approaching I decided this would be a great time to take her. Drop off our daughter, head there a little early to anticipate a wait. We got there at 5:30p (Wednesday) and were given the choice of waiting 30 to 45 for a table or immediately sitting at the bar. We of course sat at the bar. Aj and Steve for behind it, slinging drinks and jokes with customers and each other. Several wines to choose from and some beers, draft and bottle. We ordered the meatballs as an app and before getting it were mistakenly given a Burratta which in our excitement thought was something they just did. I didnt even see it in the appetizers so we began eating it to then be notified that the tickets got mixed up so they gave it to us for free. I mean considering we ate half of it...it makes sense ha. I easily would of ordered it. It was delightful. Fresh blob of mozzarella on a bed of greens, covered in olive oil, fresh ground black pepper and the real surprise; honey. It was GREAT. The meatballs came out and were great as well. The meatballs themselves werent something we were over the moon about but that sauce...hooshlaboosh my dudes. We reflected on people complaining about the bread which is a nice thick, sliced mountain-like bread which is perfect to soak up the AMAZING garlic butter sauce that was under the meatballs. Joy ordered the Lasagna special of the day and I HAD to get the Pear Fiocchi.

The first bite I took locked my jaw in a seductive slide of flavor and happiness. I couldn't help but giggle and smile like an idiot. Here was this dish ranted and raved over, review after review and it made sense. It made the MOST sense. Sweet, savory, layers of flavor. Everything played off of each other while still standing on it's own. Joy had steered away from it because of the goat cheese sauce but it didn't have the funk, kept the thickness slightly and was so fripping good. I used the bread in this sauce too. Joy's Lasagna, in the limited bite she allowed me, was solid as well. I ate slower than normal to savor and analyze, thinking I would demolish it. I came to a stop with the thought of having a nice portion for leftovers. Italian food only gets better as it sits and this was already at the top of Flavor Major Mountain.

Though where we sat was cool, my rum fused body liked it. Something to note if you are going to sit at the bar. Another thing that stuck out was when getting appetizers, we were told to just let them know when to put in our order. When we eventually told them we thought okay, we are going to wait like 15 plus minutes. 2 minutes later we had our meal. It was such a beautiful thing. No one seemed rush and they kept saying, take your time and enjoy. It was refreshing.

I'm already thinking about my next visit and how despite my want to share this with friends, I'd rather not and just sit at the bar with Joy as Aj serves us cold Raging Blonds while we swim in bliss via...

Friendly and attentive staff good atmosphere. I wasn't fond of the no hats policy but not a deal breaker. Kaitlin was awesome! Ask for recommendations she is an artist.

Spiced Meatballs with Garlic Sauce. . . 0ur take on a more "exotic" meatball using spices from around the world, served over a roasted garlic cream sauce 10.9

7/10 good texture and flavor of the meatball. The Garlic sauce didn't really stand out. Overall it was OK. Not a strong craveability factor.

Arancini. . . Our Calabrian chili and parmigiano risotto stuffed with tangy, fresh goat cheese, then hand rolled into " little oranges,"' breaded and fried, served over our marinara 11.9

5/10 it was OK the marinara sauce was pretty good. The balls itself were just meh. Could be crispier and they were kind of cold on the middle overall just a lukewarm dish. Suggestion: more seasoning crispier outside and hot melty inside.

Ravioli. beautifiul, fresh egg pasta sheets, stuffed with ricotta, mascarpone, parmesen, Plump, and mozzarella, then served with your picl of our delicious sauces Marinara 17.9, Rosato 18.9, Alfredo 18.9, Catullo 18.9, Sun Dried Tomato Pesto 18.9

8/10 Added sausage. Daughter liked her dish including the sausage and did not feel it was mealy like my wife's dish. Light pillows of pasta with a good spicy version of the catullos sauce.

Porcini Mushroom Tortelloni. .Porcini filled tortelloni with a beef broth & red wine reduction 20.9

7/10 Son on laws dish. I tasted it and it had a very beefy flavor with delicate tortelloni. To me this would have been a good appetizer in a smaller quantity rather than a full dish. I feel it was just an overall beef flavor with no acid to reset the palate from the richness.

Sausage and Peppers. . . Sliced Catullo's Italian sausage, made locally by The Swinerie, sauteed together with green bell peppers, onions and marinara, then beautifully married with fresh egg garganelli pasta. If you like heat, ask your server to " Fra" it out! 21.9

5/10 extra spicy. Wife liked the dish's potential with the peppers and sauce. She did not like the sausage. It tasted mealy. I tried it and agreed that it was off. Wife had food poisoning symptoms later so maybe she got a bad link.

Smoked Duck over Risotto Pan seared smoked duck breast over a creamy Calabrian chili risotto with roasted garlic, fresh tarragon and fontina creese folded in 35.9

9/10 superb dish. Smoky and cheesy risotto with a perfectly cooked duck breast with crispy skin. Must get special when it's available, but I heard it's only available twice a year.

Complimentary bread. No butter or oil and vinegar to help. Would have...

What an awesome experience we had. I’ll try to be as succinct as possible, but I just have praise for everything. When we went around 730 pm I expected to wait as I knew this was a popular place. Went to put my name in with the host and she stated there were 2 bar seats available...perfect, I’ll take them! The bartender said hi immediately while he was helping a to-go guest, which I can really appreciate because I understand he’s busy, but he knows I’m there. He got me a sangria while I waited for my bf to arrive. Let me tell you this bartender, AJ, was on top of things and he really knows how to run his bar. He knows when to chat, but also knows when you’re trying to have a personal convo. He is able to balance to go orders, his service well, his customers, and people waiting who just want a few drinks while they wait and he did it with ease. I was starving so we ordered two apps: the special app which was stuffed zucchini flowers and an order of burrata. Both of which were wonderful! They both brought me back to times when I lived overseas and I truly savored both. The zucchini flowers were truly a delight and the sauce paired really well. I love burrata, but now I really love burrata and honey! They pair theirs with Mikes hot honey and it was so good. The only thing I didn’t love was the crusty bread they served with it. Nothing wrong with it, I just personally don’t like harder bread. Now for entrees, I got their specialty again which was the braised pork lasagna. I have no words for how fantastic it was. Seriously just another level. My bf got the regular lasagna and he was very impressed by that as well, but I liked mine better. Too stuffed for dessert so I’ll obviously be back to give that a taste test. I just can’t say enough good things about this place, the staff took great care of us, the food was excellent, and the atmosphere was just warm and inviting and had a real sense of camaraderie as people were just trying to have a good time with their loved ones. chefs kiss to Catullos Italian.

Ps. If you’re not a person who typically likes to sit at the bar, I highly recommend it here. There are no TVs and it’s not a typical loud bar setting, plus you’d get AJ to take care of you and I think you’ll think he’s awesome! AJ truly was terrific and I hope his manager sees this and gives him the recognition he deserves. We will definitely be back to...