Villa Castrioti - Lakeland — Restaurant in Lakeland

Came by on a whim. Great potential as a combo of Italian and cocktails in East Memphis metro, with a few minor negative surprises.

Bartender super nice and attentive, but didn't know Fernet-Branca/fernet(Italian digestif amaro).

Bar didn't have FB, so I didn't check their select of Italian amari. They might not want to deal with Southern Glazers. Didn't look hard enough to determine a distro pattern, but if they have Aperol... Though I don't actually remember seeing it or not. I didn't see Campari either, but again, I didn't look that hard.

Their American Italian-style sweet vermouth Vya is unique for a Memphis restaurant. It lands itself on the bitter end of the spectrum(angelica, cinchona/quinine, gentian). I don't think I've seen it in Memphis before, which is a double edged sword. Would make a more bitter Manhattan or negroni. But it does taste good.

I didn't see anything on either cocktail menu that jumped out to me to try; seemed like standard Memphis thoroughfare, even the side menu. You don't need smoke, flashing lights, or deconstructed manhattan with vermouth pearls to do it. Just lean into the Italian culture and well-executed 3-4 ingredient cocktails.

I should've asked if they had any grappa. Maybe next time.

Large selection of wines.

Quiet, with darker lighting. Decor is really nice, quite happy my bar stool had arms, and was very comfortable. Wraparound bar with bottle island great setup.

Overall I think of they give their bar an opportunity to lean into the Italian universe of Amari, spend some time on their bartenders' knowledge, and looked for some big Italian cocktails adding their own minor twist(s) they could become the best cocktail bar on the east side of the Cove. Memphis could use it.

I'll definitely drop by again.

Edit 8/8/25: Yeah unless theres some outside impetus I dont think Ill be back. I visited hopeful a second time but no amari. No Fernet Branca, Cynar, Averna, Dell Etna, Miletti, Nonino, Ramazzotti, Montenegro, Braulio, Lucano.. even their Campari ran out with no backstock bottle. They even had no Angostura bitters(?!).(not italian, but very...

My wife and I were very excited to try an Italian restaurant that was new to us. I'm usually pretty forgiving about restaurant food, believing if I find it less than great that maybe it fits someone else's taste, but not mine. I also believe that even a great chef can serve a bad meal every once in a while. Unfortunately with this restaurant, I can't make those excuses. The atmosphere was average and the staff was very nice and helpful. My wife and I tried an appetizer and 2 entrees. The appetizer was not bad, but sadly it was not good. My wife had eggplant, which she could not cut with her fork and she said that it tasted like it had been cooked in old, near rancid oil. I had the spaghetti with meatballs, which should be a very basic gauge of an Italian restaurant. The meatballs were quite bland tasting and the marinara sauce was a curdled, un-Italian, minimally spiced tomato sauce. The spaghetti plate seemed more like a previously frozen poor quality TV dinner. Needless to say, neither one of us could finish our plate. Oddly this is the first Italian restaurant that I have ever been to (and we've been to a lot) that didn't have any accompaniment - no bread, no rolls, no crackers, nothing. In addition, we had the Spumoni for dessert, but unfortunately it resembled an average store bought Neapolitan ice cream more than a true Spumoni. Sadly, the food was priced like it was "Fine Italian Food", just as the restaurant describes itself on the entry door. I do accept some blame for not following the restaurant "buyer beware" rule. We came during the lunch hour and there was only one other car in the parking lot with that single couple in the restaurant, which easily could have served several dozen couples. Interestingly, we were told that they opened an additional restaurant...

Our anniversary dinner at Villa was one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had, especially considering the restaurant wasn't busy. After being seated, we ordered drinks, which took so long that the server apologized for the delay.

We placed our entree orders and began the wait. The server returned with a concerning tone, asking if everything was okay. We watched as both tables next to us received their food before us, none of which looked appetizing. The smoked salmon appetizer appeared liquefied on lettuce leaves, and the baked potato looked overly crunchy.

After waiting an hour for our entrees and hearing other diners' negative reactions to their food, our server and the manager approached us. They explained there was a new system in place and apologized for the delay, offering to comp our meals and prepare them immediately. It felt like a rehearsed apology for a common issue.

When our food finally arrived, both entrees looked unappealing. My chicken cacciatore was overcooked despite being started late, and the beef tenderloin was well done instead of medium rare. The sides arrived so late that I had forgotten I ordered them.

We sent the food back, reassuring the empathetic server that it wasn't their fault. The entire hour at Villa was confusing, with empty water glasses, guests running out of drinks, and hostesses standing idle instead of assisting. The lack of management was glaringly obvious.

There was no audible music inside, and the atmosphere, despite the nice decorations, fell short of a fine dining experience. The karaoke and bingo outside made it feel more like an Applebee's serving Italian food. Villa has potential, but it has become more of a neighborhood hangout than a quality restaurant. 0/10 rating, we won't...