Sanford Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Sanford

La Famiglia Italiana

My girlfriend and I went to la Famiglia Italiana on a Friday night. Got there about 5:30 and there were only 3 other tables occupied. We asked to be seated at one of the tables over near the front window. (The table for two at the window was already taken)

Our server was Maddi, and she was fantastic all night. We also chatted with another server who was extremely nice as well.

We got a bottle of pinot grigio and ogled the menu for a few minutes. I’d heard someone else say that the mozzarella was house made, so I REALLY wanted to try the caprese...but the GF wasn’t in the mood to eat a big appetizer AND an eggplant parmigiana.

Maddi dropped off a little plate of roasted garlic infused olive oil with some olives...and bread. OMG, the oil was terrific! (Also made in-house).

So I ordered the penne alla vodka and GF got that eggplant parm. Even though the restaurant was beginning to fill up by now, the wait for our food wasn’t long at all. And boy was it hot, and delicious.

The GF (who, based on the number of times she’s eaten eggplant at restaurants) is an expert on the stuff, and she declared this the best eggplant parmesan ever. She described it as having a crispiness that was awesome, and the sauce was outstanding. It also came with a nice little serving of spaghetti with marinara and mozzarella. I’d have to say that the penne I had was also terrific.

We finished the evening with the 3 cannoli plate, and it was fantastic. Had enough leftover pasta to take home two containers for the next day!

I really liked the atmosphere of the place was, which was homey. Small enough to be a cozy neighborhood gem, but big enough to have a fun vibe. The staff seemed to be really enjoying themselves too.

The chef/owner(?) came out to chat with us and some other customers for a bit, which was another nice touch.

All in all, after one visit, this has become our favorite local restaurant! We’ve decreed that we’ll be back for a...

Why go to Historic Downtown Sanford when the BEST Restaurant is located at 1220 Sanford Ave. LA FAMIGLIA ITALIANA has Amazing Food!!

Friends of ours from New York suggested La Famiglia Italiana after they happened to stop by while looking for something "new" in the area. They were completely surprised and told us it was The Best Authentic Italian they have ever tasted!! Coming from an Italian New Yorker, who travels the world a lot, I knew my husband and I had to try it. So...

Last night we decided to spend "date night" at La Famiglia Italiana and it was AWESOME!! We ordered the Trip to Italy as an appetizer and had 2 bowls Pasta Fagioli Soup. Then I had their Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana and my husband ordered Frutto Del Mare with Fradiavolo. (You can choose from a variety of homemade sauces.) AMAZING TASTES!!! Everything was fresh and every dish had individual flavors. And we didn't stop there! We tried ALL of their desserts. I have never liked Tiramisu because every place I have ordered it soaks the ladyfingers in liqueur; soggy with an alcohol burn... nasty. HOWEVER, Not the Case with Their Desserts!!! Their Tiramisu is my favorite!!! The way it is made is rich, flavorful and no liqueur; not soggy, no burn. The Toasted Almond (Tiramisu) is the Best!! We also had the 3 mini Cannolis and the homemade cheesecake with cherries. WOW! Just WOW!!!

Before you think we exploded from eating all that great food, we did bring most of it home. Why? Because their portions are ample and I know it's going to make a great leftover lunch tomorrow!

We can't wait to return with friends who aren't in the "know" yet. It's going to be a...

Cute atmosphere, small and cozy, but not too crowded feeling. They were very busy, which is always a good sign, however the service was pretty slow because of this. Dinner starts with bread and oil with garlic and olives. Bread had good flavor, but oil needed some pepper or seasoning actually in it. Not just a whole clove of garlic that seemed to have been cooked separately then added to the oil.

Soup was flavorful with a rich broth. Salad one of our table members had was fresh and looked good. Attentive waiter, kept the drink refills coming. The garlic bread we ordered as an app, was nothing to write home about.

Table had Trip to Italy (stuffed shell, stuffed manicotti, and a eggplant rollatini), and stuffed manicotti with Alfredo sauce. All was delicious. The table preferred the white sauces to the red. Food has a home cooked feel to it and so felt a little pricey for what you got. The portions were large, and the taste was there. Best part of the meal.

The desserts. Honestly no one at the table was impressed with the desserts. The cheesecake was chunky (the cream cheese was not blended well enough into the batter), the tiramisu was meh (one of us liked it, the other two were unimpressed), the cannolis were the best out of what we ordered. Maybe it was just a bad night, but I’d skip the desserts. However, I would recommend overall.

PSA: they had a promotion for free dessert with a 5 star google review. So I would read the reviews with a critical eye. That’s why I went so in-depth to add some counterpoints to the...