Prati Italia — Restaurant in Jacksonville

My review is solely based on the experience we had during the Valentine’s Day Prix Fixe Menu. The price was 85$ per person making it one of the most affordable prix fixe menus I’ve tried so food quality given the price I will accept. Unfortunately I do believe there was a huge logistic issue with the back of the house and wait staff.

My reservation was at 9:45pm and we arrived on time and were sat promptly around 10pm in a part of the restaurant where there were about 10 other couples in the area. My back was against the furthest wall so I had the perfect view of the entire room the whole night. Our server was Craig and he took our cocktail order (old fashioned and dirty martini) we waited about 35 minutes before I eventually got up to ask what was going on… the couple who were sat right next to us at the same time had received bread and the complimentary champagne while they were waiting. It took a total of 45 minutes for us to receive (anything other than water) just our cocktails after being sat… I asked for Craig to take our first course orders. He was very nice and apologetic but I noticed he had been working too hard and should’ve probably been switched out at some point in his shift because he was forgetful (more on that coming up).

We quickly noticed another couple who had been waiting a long time on their entree receive their meal and send it back because it was cold. For another 30 minutes they were waiting and finally told Craig that they’d like their check so they can leave instead. Another 15 mins later, Instead of their check, staff brought out their entrees on plates finally, sending this man over-the-edge. He immediately demanded they just bring the check. The staff seemed very confused which tells me there was a lack of communication.

Our appetizer and entree kept being taken to the wrong table and the couple there would have to tell them it’s for us. They’d bring our dish, apologize while seemingly annoyed saying “sorry I was told the wrong table” which we were very understanding of. When our entree finally arrived and we were in the middle of eating it, Craig dropped off a to-go container out of nowhere as he quickly walked away. I was shocked and asked my husband what it was. It was dessert and I thought that was incredibly rude to bring our last course in a to-go container after only our 3rd course had just arrived. When Craig returned I asked him “sorry, what is this?” He looked and disapprovingly said “sorry this is for the other table, they were supposed to give it to them” I just smiled and nodded even though in my mind I was thinking, “YOU brought this” lol.

I saw another couple who were ignored the entire night. They were sat between tables and because of this they never had the opportunity to get the attention of staff. The poor couple seemed ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE. I heard another couple complain that they’d been waiting an hour for their food. I can totally be missing context but the atmosphere of the room that night was full of frustration and unhappiness.

My food slowly but surely all did come out fairly well and there was nothing to rave about. The chilled shrimp was overcooked and rubbery, the ragout and braised beef ribs were bland and lacking depth in flavor (I don’t understand how something that is supposed to be cooked low and slow for flavor was so bland). The texture of the beef ribs were good, they were tender but again just lacking severely in flavor. I will say the dirty martini I had was one of the best. The dessert was so terrible we did not eat it and I ordered an espresso to end the night and it was unfortunately very burnt.

I would return to give this place another try if I was in the area. I’m sure Valentine’s Day was a very busy and stressful night for the whole restaurant staff I have much respect to them for their efforts and regardless of the service, Craig was very acknowledging to our experience and apologetic and made efforts to improve. I appreciated him a lot for that. I can tell he was doing his best and it was just very late and he...

My Rating: 3/5

Prati Italia is a wonderful meeting point, known for its quality Italian fare and dining experience. On this occasion, however, the visit left much to be desired. Overall I must state I like the place a lot.

The evening began with drinks at the bar area, where we ordered a Tanqueray Gin and Tonic and a Grand Margarita with a Grand Marnier floater encased with a sugar rim. Unfortunately, the cocktails were average, falling short of the exceptional service found in new restaurants in the San Marco area or any rooftop bar in Jacksonville. The mixologists and bar staff on this evening did not thrill and underperformed at providing what could have been an exceptional service preparing drinks. The quality of the ice and unsophisticated attempts used to make a G&T was average, and I’d propose attention to style and personalization can be made in the bar area. Enough said.

Moving to the meal experience, we started with an exceptional Caesar salad featuring sundried tomatoes, fresh, crisp lettuce, and white anchovies smothered with Grana Padano cheese—Congratulations!! a true highlight of the evening and compliments.

For the entrée, we ordered the petite 4-ounce filet mignon, one medium-rare and the other medium, served with spicy asparagus and mushroom whipped potatoes. Unfortunately, the order was mixed up, and a different server was asigned to deliver the meal, thereby unfamiliar who ordered what, resulting in each guest receiving the wrong filet mignon. The server did rectified this but took time providing one replacement. Two exceptional glasses of red wine by the glass were ordered and proved to be delicious, adding a positive note to their wine menu.

However, on this evening I would have enjoyed speaking to management about the meal, and no one inquired about our meal or addressed any concerns. Supplemental to this is that upon arrival, we noted that upon entering the restaurant, the host was not properly attired, for an evening service, wearing black shorts and a green camo-colored shirt. It seemed he arrived from a football practice and didn’t fit in. This oversight was surprising, given that the host represents the professional face of the fine restaurant. His assistant also seemed unsure and could not show us to our table until the initial host returned. Unfortunately, this did not create a professional impression for an upscale Italian restaurant, as observed by a few guests in the dining area.

Sitting close to the kitchen, was a great experience and added an element of mystique, with the aroma of freshly baked pizza and truffle fries permeating the lower half of the building—an undeniable culinary delight.

By 9 o'clock on a Friday night, the venue was already vacant, and we were the last to leave. While Prati Italiano has the potential to shine, on this evening, they did not fully deliver. The cocktails were underwhelming, the filet mignon entrées were marred by a mix-up, and the lack of managerial presence and host attire detracted from an otherwise promising dining experience.

Despite these shortcomings, I believe in the creative menu and the culinary talent of the executive chef and owners. I have been to Prati Italiano multiple times, and it remains one of my go-to places. I look forward to returning soon and hope to see improvements in service consistency and...

This restaurant was recommended by one of my very good friends! We have been planning this Friday the 13th evening for months. It was our first time since all 6 ladies have seen each other since COVID, so 4 years!!! We were so excited to see each other!! Our table was on the patio in the corner with a spectacular view!

Our waiter Sebastian resembled teenage Clark Kent & was very nice but as our evening progressed our service was slow (not his fault). It’s on the management for not appearing to staff appropriately. It appeared he was the only waiter on the patio. Some of us continued to follow up on requests for glasses of ice, for our cocktails. One of my friends secured her own silverware and condiments because of the slow service. Another friend has food allergies so she ordered a very simple gluten free pasta shrimp dish & her meal was a small dish of pasta with 6 shrimp and it was $30. We are accustomed to paying good money for good food but her meal was not worth $30.

As our evening continued with lovely conversation & lovely photos at approximately 9:10 one of our beautiful friends, suddenly became ill & collapsed. We immediately became frazzled, asked for help from the patrons & staff & called 911. The manager, Emily? introduced herself & said she didn’t want to be in the way rather than immediately offering her assistance. (I think Emily escorted me to our table & she was very nice but during this incident our perception is she seemed to be more concerned with securing our ill friend’s name versus offering her assistance. She basically stood in the background during the entire incident. She could’ve offered her business card and said our friend can contact her later).

Some staff & patrons came to help push tables out of the way for the EMTs. What’s also concerning is…later… rather than offering to box up our meals (not that we were thinking about food…but offer as a courtesy) we discovered our checks at the end of our table. What?? Sebastian had other tables to take care of so our situation was probably overwhelming, but that is when management should have stepped in. Couldn’t Emily? have approached one of us to give us our checks? There was no staff around. We could have easily left without paying but we are not those kind of people. We happily payed & we payed for our friend’s meal as well but couldn’t the manager have also comped our ill friend’s check.

Maybe our less than exceptional service is due to Friday the 13th & all the things. A big Thank you to the staff & patrons who helped our friend and us. Most importantly our friend is doing fine and at home...