Milano Italian Grille — Restaurant in Ocala

Milano Italian Grille is truly the textbook definition of a classic Italian restaurant. From the moment you walk in, friendly staff greet you warmly, seating you amidst hand-painted art that offers a delightful "crash course in Italy"—a perfect icebreaker for families. If a piece truly captures your eye, you can even purchase it! Our family of seven had the pleasure of being served by Cameron, who was not only incredibly helpful with menu selections but also wonderfully accommodating to our three little ones—a solid 10/10. What truly stood out was Cameron's down-to-earth demeanor; it felt less like a scripted service and more like dining with family, which was a genuinely nice touch. Before we even delved into our main courses, we were presented with fresh, handmade bread and olive oil. This bread, with its incredibly soft inside and perfect crispy crust, was so good I devoured it before remembering to take a picture! I had to order more just to capture its glory (don't worry, none went to waste!). I always order calamari with a drink at Italian restaurants—it almost feels like a crime not to! This calamari, however, is easily in my top two of all time. The squid rings were surprisingly thick-cut, a delightful and much-appreciated change, and the batter was perfectly light and crispy. The dish was so stunning that as soon as I snapped a picture, forks from across the table were poised to dive in. The accompanying sangria was also quite refreshing; while not my absolute favorite, it's definitely one I'd order again, especially given its generous size. While I won't detail every dish, I must highlight two standouts. We were told the pork was going to "fall off the bone," and let me tell you, they were not joking—it was perfectly tender and rich. Amen! I had the pleasure of ordering the Rigatoni alla Grappa with sundried tomatoes (a game-changer!) and sausage. It's similar to a vodka sauce but possesses a distinct, deeply savory flavor that truly embodies authentic Italian cooking. Be warned: the portions are HUGE! Even I, in all my "big back glory," couldn't finish my plate, but I was thrilled to have such a delicious meal to savor again later. I definitely recommend dining in for a date night, with family, or even solo (nothing wrong with that!). You'll be treated like family and leave with a good mood and even better food. I will...

Incredibly disappointing. My hubby and I were excited to come an "authentic" italian restaurant after reading reviews for a date night but this place is definitely Americanized. Never have I ever seen fish and chips on an Italian menu 😂. I ordered the caprese salad, a usual favorite of mine, the mozzarella tasted very firm and bland, making me belive it was not fresh, and the tomatoes were watery and bland, it was topped off with balsamic splashed on it, which had an off putting flavor. After not being able to eat more than a bite, I asked the server to take away. The owner then brought the plate back to me questioning why I did not like it, that the caprese had never before been returned. After politely expressing my concern, they still questioned me, pointing the plate in my face. I should have taken that as a sign to leave but we had also ordered a pizza that we were waiting a pretty long time on. We finally asked if we can just get it to go and asked for the check. We received the GREASIEST pizza I have ever seen, when picking up a slice, everything slipped right off because of the amount of butter on the already thin crust pizza. We were still charged for the caprese - not the biggest deal, I understand, but to have been treated that way after politely asking for it to be taken back is enough for me to never go back. Our server was great, the atmosphere could have been better without a man singing Christmas music at the top of his lungs in November. The food is sub par, expensive, Americanized Italian, but worst of all the owners attitude towards customers ultimately sucks and tells me how they run their business. Won't be going back and wouldn't recommend to anyone else.

*updated 12/7/22 Managers response below does not reassure me on coming back in, as a customer it doesn't make me feel heard. It shouldn't matter how often a meal goes back, if a customer has the courage to complain about a dish, listen to them. Don't bring the plate back to the table and argue with your customer about "how good" it is. Still stand by my review: Terrible...

It has been a while since I was able to rate a restaurant as well as I have the Milano Italian Grille. My wife discovered them when passing buy on our bi-monthly grocery shopping and decided to stop back by and see if they were any good. When we arrived, the hostess was very friendly. We informed her it was our first time, she sat us in a private booth with a curtain, which was great due to being a more romantic atmosphere and less noisy-not to say the place was noisy. Our server, Adrian, greeted us very quickly and I have to say is one of the best servers we have ever had! So much so that we gave him a nearly 50% tip. He stopped by at the exact times, not to pester us, except to find out if we needed anything or regarding the food and even brought the to-go box by without even asking. The place is excellent with an ambiance that makes you feel as if you are in Italy and even has artwork on the walls you can purchase. Their place is very clean, including the bathrooms and to top it off does not charge an arm and a leg to eat. The side salads and bread were included with the meal, the drink was only $3 and they did not charge a service fee for using a credit card. If we had ordered this at another restaurant, it would have cost more than $70. I had the Lasagna and my wife had the stuffed chicken. I know I am very bad at posting pictures when I go out, but I can tell you I finished every bite. I highly recommend this place at...