Riccardo's Restaurant — Restaurant in Tallahassee

For many years, the draw to Riccardo's was consistently good baked dishes, broadly popular bread and nicely presented southern Italian classics. The pizza also draws 'em in.

Uncannily, there's often a full house in the traditionally slow weekdays - so anticipate a worthwhile wait on a Thursday (German night), Friday or Saturday dinner.

Familiar servers from the original location continue the grind at the new digs (formerly Anthony's and most recently the short-lived Curry Pot).

My great friend Paul B. came last night and so copycat me followed suit with a seven-top this evening. Everyone happy with their plates.

I went off-script and asked for a white clam pie (always chasing after the world's best pizza - always forgetting that it's truly only available at Pepe's on Wooster, in New Haven CT. Nonetheless, this white clam pie didn't disappoint. Of course they weren't shucked to order - but the kitchen triumphantly created an impromptu order because of some petulant patron (me) that just HAD to have something different.

(Note to owner: the white clam pizza is the stuff of legend. Someone in town needs to perfect it. Why not you!?!)

In any case - I like the lighting hardware although we felt seated under those interrogation lamps seen in 1950s Red Scare film reels. Not sure how to remedy that.

Also - we were seated at the immediate right table and had a good view of the room and the service area. Our wall was adorned with a good number of personalized frames but it looks like the westerly wall could benefit from a few things to break up that starkly white wall.

A word about German night. In Tallahassee, it's as close as you'll get to a german restaurant. In my previous review (yet to be found but I'll dig around for it) i mention that the owner told me the story about it being an homage to the original (German) owner. I think it's OK. I suspect enthusiasts are vets who'd been stationed in Germany back in the day - but I also suspect they aren't being transported back to their favorite gasthauses with the three options offered. Unfortunately, I don't think TLH can support a standalone Deutsche Hofbräuhaus replete with the volks-fare so here we are.

Riccardo's has throngs of enthusiasts who will keep it bustling. Trash-talking Riccardo's isn't taken lightly around these parts. Don't come for the innovative "Grande Cucina" of Italy, but do come for American-Italian comfort food that no one else in TLH...

Riccardo's is a hot local Italian restaurant serving up a variety of traditional and modern dishes. Home of the famous "secret bread," we weren't sure what to expect. Located in Midtown, Riccardo's had diners spilling out of the doors waiting to get a table. After a short 15 minute wait, we were seated by friendly staff in a nice booth. The ambiance was odd, we were not sure what the aesthetic of the restaurant was supposed to be.

To start, we had bruschetta and the garlic bread. The bruschetta was plated in a way that the bread was placed and then the toppings were placed on afterwards, resulting in an uneven application of toppings. The garlic bread was lackluster, nothing more than toasted bread with little to no garlic flavor.

For main dishes, we had penne with meatballs, a pepperoni pizza, and a pesto pasta with sundried tomatoes, goat cheese, and grilled chicken. The pastas came with the famous "secret bread" which was far superior to the garlic bread we ordered as an appetizer. Filled with an assortment of herbs, the bread was cooked nicely, had a distinctive yeasty flavor, and had a satisfying crunch. The garlic butter it was served with was the star of the plate! Providing a great addition to the depth of flavor to the bread. The Penne with Meatballs was average. The sauce was sweet and the pasta broke apart easily, which left us with mixed feelings. The meatballs were good. They were very moist and tasted like a typical Italian meatball, well seasoned and tender. The pepperoni pizza was made with the "Secret dough" which paired nicely with the more traditional pizza ingredients. It was the perfect ratio of crust, sauce, and cheese. I was warned by the waiter that the pesto pasta, while it was among the most popular dishes, was served at room temperature. Despite the warning, the dish was pretty warm. The pesto was not too overpowering and had the perfect amount of herb flavor. The sun-dried tomatoes added a nice texture. The goat cheese however, was overpowering at times at next time I will ask for it on the side. The chicken was cooked well and cut nicely.

The prices and the quality were both better than those of comparable Italian restaurants. While the "secret bread" was more of a gimmick to get customers to come in, it was not necessary because the welcoming experience and good food will keep customers coming back...

Updated review May 2022:

Finally decided to give this place another shot after a bad take out ordering experience long ago. Most of our food was decent at best. Our server was very nice and attentive. We came in an hour and a half before closing and left 30 minutes before close and halfway through our meal they started sweeping the dining room with quite a few people still eating. I personally find this gross and just not okay. I understand if you must clean up under a table with one of those vacuum sweeper things but sweeping with a broom well before closing next to customers dining is not okay to me.

I had the pesto pasta with sausage and it was pretty dry and if I didn’t add the sausage it wouldn’t be worth eating. My partner had the linguini with clams and it was unimpressive, the clams overwhelmed the dish (did not come in the shell and seemed possibly canned/not fresh), would not order that again. The bruschetta appetizer was great and the fresh bread and delicious butter were the highlights for sure. They were out of a lot of draft beers and the menu was not updated so the waitress had to show up a picture of what was available. I opted for a red wine which was decent.

I really love supporting local businesses and maybe I still have a bad taste in my mouth due to my last experience and that tainted my opinion this time but I just don’t see myself coming back at least anytime soon.

Original post 2 years ago (1 star):

Honestly, the food is good. But there is one guy who is the worst. He makes the whole experience not even worth it. We have ordered from here during this pandemic multiple times and tonight was the last time we attempt. I know it’s busy and we are all stressed but if you don’t have time for your customers, we don’t have time for you. After trying to call in for 20 minutes we finally got through and had our order ready. The guy on the line (pretty sure it’s the same bald guy that’s always rude but we usually overlook it because the food is good) would not give us the time of day to try to get our order correct and constantly over talked us to the point where I told my spouse to just hang up. This was the last time your rude customer service outweighs your food. Just remember, without your customers you...