Villa Castrioti - Lakeland

Very glad I stopped in here tonight. I said at the bar and Addie was my server/bartender. She had great recommendations and I loved her energy. I will definitely be coming back to see her. Also, the food was amazing! I was so so happy to find that the lobster was fresh buttery and delicious!

This is our new go to spot for authentic Italian food! The bar staff is amazing, we love Pedan, she makes the best martinis! If they are serving the fried green tomatoes, definitely get them. They don’t disappoint and aren’t the average boring ones you get at. A southern home cooked place, yet taste 100 x better. I also highly recommend the lasagna, the portions are generous and delicious. Bread is almost equally as amazing and a nice added touch. Can’t wait to go back, will update my review with food pics next time!

This place is beautiful!!! The ambiance is romantic. My parents came once before about a month ago and the service was not the greatest. The manager did her due diligence and rectified it with a gift card and asked my parents to give them a second chance. They most graciously invited me along. I beat them there and the waiter, Jhey, was AMAZING!!! He was so nice and was able to tell me the history of the restaurant, how he started working there, and gave me good menu preferences. The Italian old fashion I had was strong, but good! Not pictured, but ordered were the calamari ( hot and fresh and crispy), shrimp scampi (them shrimps were huge!), chicken parmigiana (such a large portion), and the castriotti caneolli (I maybe spelled it wrong lol). Everything was hot and fresh! All staff were manner-able and waited on you with upmost respect. For dessert I got the crème brûlée and it was decadent! Jhey took me on a tour of the establishment (booth 13 is the most intimate for date nights) and showed me their live music line up. They do brunch the last Sunday of every month and it sounds like a good time. I will definitely be back!!!

My husband and I have done take-out Villa several times since their opening in the Lake District, but we had not dined in. So, for our Monday date night, we decided support our Lakeland community and check-out the Villa dine-in experience. We were not disappointed. The atmosphere was great for a date night and the food was awesome. I had the Castrioti Seafood Platter. It was delicious and very filling. The staff is very attentive and friendly. It will definitely be a repeat.

Love, love, LOVE Villa Castrioti! I've been going to the original location in Cordova for the better part of 25 years. I think it's the best Italian restaurant in Memphis. But the secret here... THE STEAK!!! One of the best steaks you'll ever have. Great food, fantastic bar and reasonably priced.

Everything about villa is exceptional. Perfect place for a date, business lunch, or a go-alone, meal. The environment and staff are inviting and the menu options will have you recommending you’re new favorite spot to all your friends and family. While you’re there enjoying the high quality house made, fresh cuisine, be sure to ask for one of the award winning Wilma cocktails, crafted by Villa’s own AGM, Stephanie wheeler. She personally presented the Wilma for me today and It was such a fun and creative burst of sweet and slightly sour flavors, that I am confident it will be seeing more awards in the future. Patio decor was very quaint and comfortable. The waiter Jay, was extremely personable and knowledgeable about the menu. Villa Castrioti is a top notch stop, right off I-40 that you will want to stop at again and again, whether you’re just traveling through town or live in the Memphis Metro area. 10/10 recommend.

Meal was fantastic! Had Veal Parmigiana, wife had Chicken Alfredo and our friend had something that I can't remember the name, but was amazing, so much flavor it was like a bomb in my mouth! Can't wait to come back!

We love going to this Villa, its close to home and has the best ambiance. Bre the manager here is fantastic always. The quality of food is great, everything is freshly prepared. Their Tiramisu and Creme Brulé are to die for. Seafood lovers please go check this amazing place. Definitely try their seafood risotto its delicious! Their smoked salmon and shrimp cocktail are yummy. You cannot go wrong with anything off their menu. I have been for lunch and dinner and absolutely love the food and the service their attention to detail is great.

Stayed opened during the ice storm Great service and delicious food. So glad they stayed open to serve us Nashville January 2026

My wife and I came here for our anniversary dinner a couple of weeks ago. The service was amazing and the food was perfect all around. Our server, Craig I think his name was, was very attentive and took good care of us. Also, the mixed drinks were all very good as well. Overall a fantastic experience.

Wish I had taken of pics of the food at our table. Seafood comb, pizza, Manicotti, Veal parmagia, gnocchi, mozzarella bread and steak soup & an Expresso Martini for me!

The food was great & Kayla was an excellent server. I loved her & her bubbly personality. She was prompt and went above and beyond on 11/22. Thank you! ❤️

Atmosphere is FAB! I’ve had amazing date nights here with the hubby and fabulous girls nights too! The drinks and food are delish!! Highly recommend!!!

My wife and I went here a couple weeks ago for a date night. We were seated quickly, although it took a minute for our server to come take our drink order. Manager said the server was new and missed that we were her table. Nothing to complain about, but they did comp an appetizer. Drinks were good and dinner was amazing. We went when they first opened this location, you could tell they were still working out some kinks. We will definitely go back

Largecl birthday party for my brother. Lasagna, another pasta, salad, bread buffet style. Lasagna was fantastic. My brother ordered a stromboli for his birthday, very good. Would go back to try other dishes.

We love Villa. Our go to menu item is the New York strip. It’s typically enough for us to share. The service is always great. It’s always refreshing to see Pedan, she just ask if we want the usual.

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary here and had such a good experience. Our waitress Taylor was amazing and so helpful! The food and drinks were delicious. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had a good bartender that actually handcrafted some cocktails (not many bartenders are that skilled) and the chef seemed to really care about the food they were serving. I highly recommend this place. Although a bit pricey I found it was worth it for the experience.

Excellent experience from start to finish. The food was full of flavor, well prepared, and beautifully presented. Everything tasted fresh and authentic, and the portions were just right. The service was attentive and welcoming without being overbearing, which made the meal even more enjoyable. The atmosphere was warm, inviting, and perfect for either a casual meal or a special night out. You can tell they take pride in both the kitchen and the customer experience. Overall, a standout spot with great food, great service, and a great vibe. I’ll definitely be back and would highly recommend it.

Great atmosphere and good food. Service was fantastic from Sky, she made sure that all our needs were taken care of before we had to ask. My wife and I went on a very busy weekend, Valentine's, but we enjoyed it very much. The manger came by and apologized for the wait, but we totally understood! It was busy! We have no complaints about our visit, and look forward to dining here again. Hopefully we get Sky as our waitress, she is a blessing!

Great place. Great service. Wonderful atmosphere. Live music was great also. Our server MaKayla was very friendly and professional. She took good care of me and my wife. I highly recommend this place for a special occasion or just a nice romantic evening.

The food was delicious! I had the salmon and spaghetti noodles! Great drinks! Reiley was the best waitress ever! Very attentive and on point with the recommendations! Great music and atmosphere!

Service was incredible, Sean was very attentive and didn't miss a beat! Food was spectacular, we had tons of apps and entrees and all of them were on point! Live music made for great atmosphere for our ladies night out! Definitely recommend for date night or just a social gathering!

This was my first time going here and I went with my mom for lunch. We got the cannelloni castrioti with a side of sautéed spinach and the fettuccine Alfredo with Italian sausage as well as the mozzarella bread. Everything was delicious and came out hot enough that even with talking we could still enjoy it warm. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. He knew the menu well and was happy to answer questions about ingredients and make suggestions. We will definitely be returning.

EVERYTHING is delicious!!! VC is my husband and two son’s new favorite place. Carter has served us the last two visits, and he makes me giggle when he calls my husband boss. Great server!🤣 I love their salads, and I always add the grilled chicken. The pastas and pizzas are also wonderful. And don’t pass on dessert! Oh… live music in the bar - great atmosphere!

Hubby and I had dinner here as first-timers on a Sunday around 5:30pm, with a reservation made online. We were seated quickly at the tables along the wall: a long continuous bench on one side with chairs on the other. This seating is close to others and your conversation won't be private. Also the bench seating sits a bit higher than the chairs. Lighting is dimmed but not too dark. Our server was very friendly and efficient, we never had to ask for refills. Hubby had the seafood platter with risotto and said it was very delicious, just not as much food for the price, and it comes in a bowl. I had the spinach salad which was tasty, but had way too many diced red onions. The margherita pizza was very good; I think they could've extended the toppings out to the crust more.

This was our first time here, and it was okay. It's a very unusual setup where half of the place is a bar with live music, and perhaps more casual food, and the other half, behind a thick curtain is a very quiet, more upscale restaurant. We made a reservation ahead of time, and we were seated right away. Our server was great. He was super friendly and attentive. We started with the Caprese salad, which was excellent. I highly recommend it. The cheese is fresh and with tomatoes in season, the balsamic worked perfectly. It was a little surprising to have a pesto instead of just fresh badil, but i thought it worked. Unfortunately, we had higher expectations for the main course. The veal marsala was not marsala. We almost thought it was a mistake. The sauce was wrong, but it had a pretty good flavor, but unfortunately, it wasn't what we expected. The rosted potatoes, however were exceptional. Cooked perfectly and such a simple side, but hard to execute well. My spinach side dish had way too much vinegar. I didn't even get through two bites. However, my shrimp was very good, and the portion was very generous. I don't eat bread, but I wished it would have come with a piece to soak up what was left on my plate; that's how good it was. Overall, we had some hits and misses. I'm glad we tried this place, and maybe it'll take a second time to try other options. I would recommend coming here to try it for yourself-even if it's just ordering a pizza on the casual side. (Which we saw a lot of people do)

Wonderful restaurant with a true Italian vibe, in the new Lake District. Food was really good, service was above average. We will most definitely be back!

Birthday dinner was very intimate and nice. 2 for 1 cocktails weren't bad either! I'm definitely adding to my list of places to return.

My husband and I sat at the bar and the service was great for a busy Saturday evening. I ordered the chicken parmigiana with Alfredo as a side and while chicken was crispy and well cooked, the Alfredo was a little bland for my liking and it was delivered to me barely lukewarm. I also had the orange creamsicle drink which was quite refreshing and the atmosphere was nice.

The food was good, but overpriced. A lot of things are à la carte (you need to order your pasta separate for items like shrimp scampi, the manicotti didn’t come with a side which was $8…) and we had bread plates on the table upon arrival, but you must order bread. It tasted good, but there are plenty of other Italian restaurants that are just as good, if not better, where you don’t have to pay extra for every single item.

11/22/25 Saturday Return visit , Guys , what happened to the service and food quality. I had to ask what the specials were and my wife chose the halibut that was honestly , not worth any amount and it was a special . Frozen fish is the norm in this region but this had sat too long judging by the slight ammonia smell . I opted for the risotto beef, the risotto was the star , not the beef , quality of beef was not the same , still a 42.00 dish . Never even received the dessert options nor was asked about them and if you follow along we ordered dessert last time .. And to follow up on my previous review , shit can the live music until after 9pm , a reversal to this being a normal loud Italian standard in the city . It’s BS and your servers and hostess staff are distracted because of it. The prices you request for your specials deserve better . If you want it to be a bar then be a bar .. Our reservation was at 6:15 pm 11/16/2024 Saturday I’ll start this off by standing up for this place from all the other reviewers . It’s an Italian Restaurant, there will be conversations that are louder than others , this has always been the vibe here and other long time places in and around Memphis . Yes there is a large bar area .. We went early to avoid the louder crowd . The service and food was amazing . We had apps of Fried Green tomatoes and Calamari Dinner was Shrimp Scampi Oregenata , Sorrentino Scampi , and 2 orders of the Rissoto Beef Castrioti for the 4 of us . Desert was followed by Crème Brûlée and Triple Fudge Chocolate Cheesecake..

Our first visit for Father's Day. My husband and son loved the chicken on their chicken fettuccine alfredo. My eggplant parmigiana and sauteed spinach were disappointing. The service was great. The manager and server knew I was not satisfied with my dish so they did everything they could to make it right by offering many options including giving me a free drink and comping my dish. I tried the fettuccine alfredo that was left on my husband's plate. It was okay. Nothing better than I can make at home for under $5, sadly. We will definitely give this place another try in the future only because I've had friends and people I trust tell me that they've had excellent food there; and because the service recovery was on point in trying to make my experience better. Maybe they were just having an off day? 🤷‍♀️

NOTE: This location is new and has yet to receive their liquor license. No wine or cocktails are being served yet, just beer. I would advise calling to check so you won’t be surprised like us and many other guests who dined here the night we visited (they did not let anyone know before seating; not even those who called and made reservations). They do allow you to bring your own bottles with no corkage fee. The meal overall was okay for me. The Toasted Ravioli was under filled with bland meat. Not at all the Italian flavor I was anticipating. It left me reluctant about my entree, however to my surprise the entree I ordered far exceeded my lackluster appetizer. I had the Veal Sorrentino and it was full of flavor and the veal was tender. My dinner companion had the Cannelloni Castriotti and it was bland like the appetizer. I will try other items on the menu to see if my experience improves over this visit.

I got a single to-go lasagna with a side salad and mozzarella bread... $40. The lasagna was mediocre. The salad was small as expected, being its a side. But the bread was just basic loaf style bread, cut open with some shredded cheese on it. Nothing really stood out.. especially not for 40 bucks.

Beautiful restaurant with average food and service. Looks like a four-star restaurant with cloth table linens, a mixture of seating options, and beautiful decor. Live music on the bar (a singing guitarist). Too bad the food wasn’t as fabulous as the atmosphere. Prices aren’t ba, though.

Pretty good food, good server, but couldn’t recover many stars after seating us at the worst table in the house. Despite having made reservations and arriving on time, with many other tables available, we were banished to the table directly adjacent to the server station/kitchen entrance. This assured a steady stream of servers, bussers, assistants and other employees throughout the meal. Having bins of used dishes 2 feet away was an added delight. Bad form by the hosting staff.

The restaurant looks nice. The online menu looks delicious. The in person menu is limited especially for a vegetarian. Most of our food was inedible. The atmosphere would have been nice except the live music was so loud you couldn’t hold a conversation. I don’t recommend!

The food was mediocre, just okay. Jojo’s pizza was a bit burnt, while John’s pizza was better. The table wobbled a lot, which made it uncomfortable to eat. Even though we had a reservation, they couldn’t change our table. We spent the whole night eating at an unstable table, and water kept spilling. I wouldn’t come back—there are many better places. The tables were very close together, so everyone could hear the conversation at the next table. They had two different seating areas, but the one we were in was definitely not comfortable.

I just went to pick up an order and was told Rudely I can turn around and go to the Togo side with an attitude by a female worker there and was ignored while coworkers talked to each other standing around while i just stood there and waited for someone to greet me. I don’t recommend coming here if you’re a black individual picking up or placing an order. If you don’t look like you quote on quote “don’t belong” STAY AWAY because that’s the exact looks I received.

The first time I was here it was great! Not this night though. They kept skipping us over for food orders. Never brought our appetizers and when we asked for the check, she said perfect I'll have it for you in a sec. 30 minutes and 3 requests later we finally got it with the amount for appetizers we never received still on the check. They did up removing them. But really 45 min and we still ate nothing.