Sardinia Restaurant — Restaurant in Siesta Key

This intimate authentic Italian restaurant has just 11 white tablecloth draped tables in the main dining room. A few more in the bar area and outside, but we only make reservations for the main dining room which is decorated with authentic Sardinian decor. The waitstaff has remained the same for years and we are always remembered and greeted as though we are seeing old friends. The chef/owner Dino Carta bakes traditional Sardinian bread daily as well as all pastas /dishes are homemade. There are several traditional Sardinian meal selections on the menu as well as local fresh fish options, pasta, and some amazing mushroom dishes. I often order “Fettuccine ai funghi selvatici e pecorino fresco” / Fettuccine with wild mushrooms and fresh pecorino as it is one of my favorites , but I selected the Halibut, one of that evening fares which isn’t usually on the menu. (It was amazing. The fish was delicate and flaky and the flavors subtle.) I added a side of pasta because I can’t pass up homemade pasta! Carlos had the “Paella di fregola con pesce misto e bottarga,” / Sardinian Paella with fregola, mixed seafood and bottarga which he said he won’t order again as he thought it was too rich as a main dish and was wishing he ordered one of his two standards the Lasagne or the Chicken Milanese. We shared a bottle of Vermentino a Sicilian white wine somewhere between a Pino Gregorio and a Chardonnay. It perfectly complemented our meal and a nice diversion from our usual Sauvignon Blanc. We skipped dessert as we were celebrating his birthday and went home to eat cake...

We went as a party of seven last night and we’re severely disappointed. We were told by our hotel this was the best Italian in the area. We were disappointed with the menu options and felt it was very selective and didn’t offer the usual Italian affair. This restaurant is NOT kid friendly. They did not have a high chair, kids menu, crayons, child friendly eating utensils or cups. They couldn’t even offer pasta and meatballs for the kids. They did not have juice. Bottom line, do not bring your children. We were told many times they don’t usually have children there and that’s is why they don’t have the options. I feel like we should have been told when booking about this. Instead we were sat in a conference room and when the kids started to get antsy and “loud”, God forbid, the waitress just came by and shut the door and gave me the eye. Which then caused me to rush through the rest of my meal, carry my then screaming child out of the restaurant and sit in the car until the rest of the party was done. We will not be back and we have told the Ritz Carlton to no longer suggest families to...

Very average food Over priced trust us, this place is highly over rated Service good but food lacks intrigue/personality, and taste There were only 4 tables seated....yet required a reservation Tight seating not for romance Desert was unedible, based on other experiences, it seemed the ricotta in tart was over cooked then thawed then reheated partially and served both with hots spots and cold spots in fact this Ricotta Tart was worst we had ever eaten. Charged $ 8.50 for this.

Veal raviolli seemed just ok nothing special at all- drowned in butter and last minute walnuts were thrown in.... thus tasteless. Positively not worth $18.95 Server and menu emphasizes brick oven cooking and their pre dinner bread??? Not good. Preview of what was to come...?

Definitely go somewhere else for a date. Views of car park unimpressive with concrete and busy 41. Overall not a pleasant experience. Service just okay. Nothing we would...