Villagio — Restaurant in Sunrise

Went last night for a team dinner. The food was phenomenal however as you can see from some of the photos, this is sadly the type of place that you can get food poisoning from.

The place is gorgeous upon arrival. Our team opted to sit outside on the patio and enjoy the fresh air. Immediately upon sitting down, I noticed that a couple of our bread plates were dirty and requested new ones. The new ones brought back were still not 100% clean. I tried to let it go but once we moved past the bread and onto real apps it was the SAME situation with the plates they brought out for the apps. I again requested a new plate and again tried to let it go especially with how delicious the apps were. The calamari in particular was fantastic - large pieces and cooked to tender perfection. While we awaited our entrees, the staff came by to clear the table and wipe up the debris. One of the staff literally wiped bread crumbs directly into my colleagues lap. We both looked at each other in disgust but yet again trudged forward to enjoy our time with our team. Dinner came, our meals fantastic, and AGAIN with my entree (scallopini portobello) there were fingerprints and other strange smear marks around the rim. While the service up to this point was polite (despite the callouts above), they were also quick yet when it came time for the check, took nearly 20 minutes to closeout. The cherry on top for wrap up? Another party was being guided out to the patio for their dinner. One of the group let out a huge sneeze (without covering their mouth) directly next to a server bringing out a pitcher of water and halfway over my poor colleague (who had the crumbs brushed in their lap). I again want to stress that the food here is absolutely fantastic. They clearly hired some good people in the kitchen but from an operational perspective, they have a LOT to improve upon with the...

There is a saying that 3 times is a charm...well this does not apply to this restaurant at all. We have had 2 previous bad experiences at this place but we figured we give it one more chance....BAD IDEA. Service was mediocre but the food was not up to par with their pricing. I ordered Veal Scaloppini and wife Linguine with mushrooms. The veal (sauce) was tasty but just the veal was not even remotely tender (like it should be) and it was slightly overcooked and a bit chewy. The potatoes that came with the plate had that taste of potatoes that were cooked earlier in the day and not fresh...the broccoli was actually good. Now the other plate (linguine) was dry and lackluster. I hate giving bad reviews but I also like to be honest about my experiences. The place is nice...meaning ambiance inside and outside...we sat outside. Regardless we will not be coming here again...3 strikes and you are out. One other annoyance...I was immediately engaged in non English language.. too many assumptions made by server and other servers...speak to me in English please! Finally 2 additional positives. The Pellegrino water was nice and cold and the server Luis was very much in tune with keeping the glasses filled...the highlight of the afternoon. It is a shame indeed that we leave this place with a bad taste...wish that was not the case. Ah yes...one more observation...the columns outside of the restaurant were filthy...it was an eyesore to say the least. Bottom line...no more...

I rarely leave negative reviews, but our recent visit to Villagio at Sawgrass Mills was extremely disappointing. While the food itself was quite good, the constant presence of flies throughout our entire meal completely ruined the experience. This wasn’t a minor issue — there were huge flies everywhere, nonstop, and it felt extremely unsanitary for a restaurant environment.

We complained multiple times, and unfortunately, no one did anything about it. We asked for a manager several times, and when he finally came over after an unreasonable wait, he was dismissive, unbothered, and offered no real solution. The only compensation offered was dessert, which did nothing to solve the core issue of hygiene and comfort.

They claimed the flies were due to the doors being open and said they would close them — but they never did. We continued to sit in discomfort with flies constantly landing on our table, drinks, and food.

We had ordered a full meal, hoping for a nice dining experience, but it was impossible to enjoy it. It’s frustrating and disappointing to spend time and money at a restaurant that seems to lack basic standards of cleanliness and customer care.

Unfortunately, we cannot recommend Villagio. No matter how good the food may be, a restaurant experience is about more than just taste. Cleanliness, attentiveness, and respect for the customer matter — and sadly, those were all...