Ciao Trattoria Italiana — Restaurant in Jacksonville

I ended up here just by chance. I was looking for something quick to eat and saw the sign outside that said pizza by the slice so I thought I could just walk in, order a slice of pizza and a drink and be on my way. But when I walked in I found out that it was a sit-down restaurant and was escorted to a booth. There was one person at the bar and there was another couple of people at the booth beside me. I was given the lunch menu and asked if I wanted something to drink at which point I ordered a diet Pepsi and after a few minutes I received that. For some reason the drink tasted like bad breath. I thought maybe it was just me I had had some gum earlier maybe that was what was making it taste weird so I waited for my food before I tried it again. I ordered one slice of cheese pizza. That's all I had wanted. That's what I came in for. The menu said giant slice of pizza $4. She seemed kind of miffed that that is all that I ordered but she took the menu put the order in and then I waited and waited and waited and waited. The other people who were in the restaurant were all cashed out and left. She multiple times came and cleaned booths and swept floors. I honestly don't know if she washed her hands in between. At one point I considered getting up and leaving because that was ridiculous to be waiting at 2:00 in the afternoon for almost 30 minutes for one slice of pizza but I thought well maybe it's really excellent pizza. I finally received my pizza and was shocked at how tiny it was. It was just a slice of pizza. It wasn't giant by any standards. Thin crust just a couple of dollops of cheese on the top. But I thought oh it's only four dollars. I guess you get what you pay for. I however was not even given a napkin. I could understand not being given silverware considering I only ordered a pizza but I wasn't even given a napkin. I took one bite of the pizza and that was all I took. It was thin crust which was fine but it was flimsy. Like I said there was just a couple of dollops of cheese. I mean if I'm going to buy a cheese pizza I want some cheese on it. And the sauce was revolting. It literally tasted like it came out of a can. Like some kind of off-brand out of date overly sweet but oddly tangy in a metallic sort of way pizza sauce I thought well at least let me try my Pepsi again now that I have the taste of something else in my mouth but no it still tasted like bad breath. I'm not sure how a soda tastes like bad breath but it did. I pushed the plate away and a few minutes later I was asked if everything was all right and I asked if I could get a box to take it to go at which point she asked me could she box it for me and I said yes. Completely forgetting that she had been doing all this cleaning in between and I had no idea if she had washed her hands or not. I paid $10 for two sips of a bad soda and one bite of a bad pizza. $10 with the tip. I gave the pizza to somebody who is reminiscent of Mikey who eats almost anything and while he did eat it even he didn't like it. I wasn't expecting Pizza Hut or Domino's. But I was expecting at least the crust to be covered, the sauce to not taste like it had turned and a beverage that didn't taste like it had already been in somebody's mouth. There wasn't anything about the experience that would make me even...

such an unexpected little place! just happened to google pasta and this place popped up. we placed a to-go order as we just wanted grab and go. we placed our order and told 20 mins, but we got there sooner. i was surprised when i walked in to see such a cute place that looked like it was new. there was a cute little case with some items for purchase at the hostess stand which was a nice touch. we ordered the chicken cacciatore and the ciao salad with chicken added. when we got back to our place i was extremely happy with my sight! 2 nice and juicy slightly breaded chicken breasts for my salad, extra dressing, a nice soft warm bread with a great salted butter and the chicken cacciatore. the cacciatore was so good! very flavorful and extremely filling. the salad was incredible alone and once i added the chicken it made it so filling i couldn’t finish it. the chicken was so good i could have just eaten it by itself!!! they made sure to provide all the items we needed (parm, napkins, cutlery, ect) and were quicker than the 20 mins promised (maybe just because we were there they gave an extra push?) they do have desserts; all italian based and sounded amazing themselves. there is a room that closes off that seems like it could host private parties. while waiting i overheard another ask for pizza by the slice, which it seems they do that if available. there is outdoor seating, but it just overlooks the parking lot which is fine in the cooler months, but i wouldn’t sit there during summer. i highly recommend this place and will definitely be going back for the pizza and cannoli. they as well...

Ciao Trattoria Italiana

On Monday. December 16, 2024 my wife and I had the pleasure to dine at Ciao Trattoria Italiana at 4076 Belfort Rd., Jacksonville, FL 32216. A nice clean restaurant. Our server was Fernando and he was excellent. The star of this place is the chef. His name is Agostino. You can taste the passion in his dishes. Finally, we had a true Carbonara in Jacksonville! Made with Guanciale (salt-cured pig jowl), it is velvety and has a slightly sweet flavor. It cannot be confused with bacon or pancetta. This was not the typical white cream sauce with carrots, peas, bacon and “who knows what” that is common down here. We also ordered the Grouper Francese. It was the best Francese I ever had. Fresh, bright and tasty. A nice sized piece of fresh Grouper with delicious mushrooms and large artichoke hearts served over a bed of spinach. It came with a side of pasta which was cooked al dente (still firm when bitten). It was so tasty. My wife had a Ceasar salad and she said it was the best she ever had. Properly dressed with the chef’s own dressing with large tasty anchovies. For dessert we shared a piece of Pistachio cake and it was great. Plenty of pistachio flavor and tasty cream in a light cake with a cherry on top. Ciao uses authentic ingredients and with Chef Agostino the results are fabulous dishes. We are looking forward to our next visit and trying different items...