Gusto Italiano

This is probably one of the best Italians restaurants I’ve ever been to, I ordered chicken Marsala and my husband lasagna both were extremely tasty and fresh

Andrew Garber

My husband and I ordered the Tuscan Chicken and Chicken Marsala. They came with large sized salads and a basket of HOMEMADE FOCACCIA with HOMEMADE BUTTER! When I complimented the owner, she told us she makes the bread, butter and PASTA from scratch! The prices were so reasonable and modest especially since the quality of food was superior. This is a hidden gem and so worth it!!

Yuliia Yemelianenko

SO SO TASTY! We took Balkan Grill all in one and it was a great choice 😍 Pasta with eggplant will be a go even for those who don't eat eggplant, cause it's just so well made and all covered in some good quality cheese 💥 Tiramisu for dessert is a must. It's a family place, we met the chef and the whole crew, they're amazing! Definitely recommend.

Chris Craig

So nice to have great Italian food nearby. Homemade focaccia bread was awesome and the Chicken Marsala was delicious. Also homemade tiramisu. We will be back for more, definitely recommend to check it out.

Kerri Garcia

Great family restaurant. Warm and inviting. Great date night or bring the family. The food was amazing! I had the Tuscan chicken with linguine and a Caesar salad. Highly recommend!

Kristina Gjeka

Such a great new spot! I love coming here with my family and enjoying the great authentic Italian food. This will definitely be my go to spot. If I could give more than 5 stars I would. The customer service is amazing as well!

Priscila Andrade

This is probably one of the best Italians restaurants I’ve ever been to, I ordered chicken Marsala and my husband lasagna both were extremely tasty and fresh

Delma Vazquez

Feb 2025 update: food, service and atmosphere is just as good and will continue to come back. So happy to have a family restaurant so close by. No need to go downtown for some authentic and delicious food. Cozy corner restaurant with home style yet fine dining flavors. Family owned and operated. It was very nice to interact with the chefs and servers sharing their love for food and service. Definitely feel and taste this with each bite. Soups, salads, apps, main entrees were all well seasoned, freshly made and delicious. Wine selection was considerate along with a few beer choices. Fresh, warm and complimentary focaccia bread was served but we still couldn’t resist ordering the soup pasta fagioli, appetizer was the prosciutto burrata crostini, entrees were lobster ravioli, veal piccata then ended with a scrumptious tiramisu! A wonderful dining experience! Will recommend and return.

Skies

Gorgeous gem of a restaurant a friend recommended to us! The food is authentic Italian and SO delicious, huge portions. Everything at the table was just stunning. Our server was extremely friendly and attentive and willing to make plenty of recommendations. We felt so welcome and left with very full bellies! From what we understand, the restaurant is very new and it was sadly empty on a Friday night. If you want to try a new local place, please give them a chance! Good authentic Italian is so rare in Tampa area and it's definitely worth it.

Ricky Renaud

Unveiling a hidden gem in our neighborhood, Gusto Italiano is a culinary treasure trove we stumbled upon for a perfect date night. It's a true family-owned jewel that deserves the spotlight it's destined for. From the moment we arrived, we were treated like treasured guests. Ervis, the server and owner, personified hospitality and attentiveness, elevating our dining experience. My husband's ecstatic praise for the rack of lamb echoed through the evening; he proclaimed it as the pinnacle of lamb perfection. As for my New York Strip, each bite felt like a culinary masterpiece, perfectly seasoned and cooked to savory perfection. Although our stomachs couldn't accommodate the desserts (a testament to the generous portions!), we're eagerly anticipating our next visit to indulge in those tantalizing treats based on their resounding acclaim. The menu, a fusion of Italian, Mediterranean, and classic seafood options, promises a delectable journey for every palate. Our appetizers, the bruschetta and the octopus, were nothing short of exceptional—each bite a flavorful symphony. What captivated us beyond the remarkable cuisine was the ambiance. It struck a perfect balance, inviting patrons to revel in casual gatherings with friends or add a touch of elegance for a romantic night out. Here's to hoping that each return finds Gusto Italiano bustling with patrons discovering the flavors and warmth this place exudes. We can't wait to spread the word, as this culinary haven deserves to be on everyone's must-visit list. Kudos to the entire team at Gusto Italiano for an enchanting dining experience!

Sara Durkin

We are locals and came here for dinner for our anniversary. What a wonderful treat this restaurant was in every way! We had reservations as the space is small and intimate. Service was fantastic, exquisite attention to detail. Graciously offered us tasting of some of their wine selection. We selected a Cab which was from Verona Italy and perfect. The bread to start was soooo good. We had the bruschetta appetizer which we highly recommend. And the veal picatta more than passed the test! All around great local upscale without being pretentious and very family oriented authentic Italian restaurant. Well be back for sure, and very soon!

Julian Ysquierdo

Food was amazing, wish I had two stomachs because that’s how good it was and wanted to keep eating more but portions sizes were large and took a piece of tiramisu home which was a great idea because it was very tasty and delightful. Ordered calamari for appetizer, huge portion and great taste. Wife ordered the chicken masala and I had the lasagna, couldn’t decide which one was better because both dishes were delicious. Overall great experience and will definitely be back, glad to support a local family restaurant :)

I had an incredible experience at Gusto Italiano! The servers provided exceptional service and created a warm, welcoming family atmosphere. Elmira, the owner, went above and beyond by personally greeting guests and treating everyone to a complimentary Christmas dessert—it was absolutely divine. I can’t wait to return with my friends to share this amazing place. P.S. The Tuscan chicken and lasagna are my absolute favorites—they’re must-tries!

Our first time here. We’ll be coming back on a regular basis. The food and service was exceptional. We dined on linguine and clams, veal piccata and lasagna. Dessert was very good too. Small but affordable wine list. The restaurant has a large bar with high top tables and a separate dining room with tables for 4 and more. The rooms are sleek and modern. Great music too.

An absolute gem in St. Pete! This is hands-down the best Italian restaurant in the area. The owner and chef is from Italy, and you can feel the authenticity and passion in every dish. The food is incredibly fresh and bursting with flavor. I had the chicken Milanese pasta and it was like nothing I've ever tasted before—cooked to perfection with just the right balance of textures and flavors. But what really sets this place apart is the warmth and hospitality of the owner. She is so sweet and makes you feel like part of the family. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, and you can tell that everyone here takes pride in what they do. I can't recommend this place enough. If you're looking for amazing Italian food in St. Pete, this is the spot!

We had a wonderful dining experience without having to trek downtown and deal with crowds or parking issues. This is a small, family-owned restaurant with the most delicious food and attentive service. We ordered bruschetta, eggplant parm, and Caesar salad - all so delicious and perfectly seasoned. The portions are large and the house-made focaccia is fabulous. Our server Orlando was outstanding. We will be back!

Found this place by accident while looking for a place to eat in North St Pete and boy am I glad we did. It was some of the best Italian food I've ever had. It is owned by an Italian family and when I heard Italian being spoken in the kitchen, (we sat at the bar) I had a feeling it was going to be good and I was right. You get soup or salad with an entrée and the salads were good and fresh. The bread was warm and sliced lengthwise which I liked. The wife had the chicken milanese and it looked amazing (confirmed by the Mrs) with a big piece of chicken and lots of cheese on top (and pasta of course). I usually go with linguini and white clam sauce when I'm not sure what I want and the server asked me if I wanted it spicy or regular. I've had linguine and clam sauce over 100 times prob but I've never heard anybody say it can be made spicy. So I got it that way and it was delicious. The owners daughter explained it was a special sauce her mother made and she had others. Never owned a restaurant before, mom just loves to cook. I wish I had taken pictures before we started scarfing it down because the food looked great and the portions are very large. Highly recommend you check this place out.

Vincent Martino

Our first time here. We’ll be coming back on a regular basis. The food and service was exceptional. We dined on linguine and clams, veal piccata and lasagna. Dessert was very good too. Small but affordable wine list. The restaurant has a large bar with high top tables and a separate dining room with tables for 4 and more. The rooms are sleek and modern. Great music too.

David Moldauer

Found this place by accident while looking for a place to eat in North St Pete and boy am I glad we did. It was some of the best Italian food I've ever had. It is owned by an Italian family and when I heard Italian being spoken in the kitchen, (we sat at the bar) I had a feeling it was going to be good and I was right. You get soup or salad with an entrée and the salads were good and fresh. The bread was warm and sliced lengthwise which I liked. The wife had the chicken milanese and it looked amazing (confirmed by the Mrs) with a big piece of chicken and lots of cheese on top (and pasta of course). I usually go with linguini and white clam sauce when I'm not sure what I want and the server asked me if I wanted it spicy or regular. I've had linguine and clam sauce over 100 times prob but I've never heard anybody say it can be made spicy. So I got it that way and it was delicious. The owners daughter explained it was a special sauce her mother made and she had others. Never owned a restaurant before, mom just loves to cook. I wish I had taken pictures before we started scarfing it down because the food looked great and the portions are very large. Highly recommend you check this place out.

Diane Lajoie

We had a wonderful dining experience without having to trek downtown and deal with crowds or parking issues. This is a small, family-owned restaurant with the most delicious food and attentive service. We ordered bruschetta, eggplant parm, and Caesar salad - all so delicious and perfectly seasoned. The portions are large and the house-made focaccia is fabulous. Our server Orlando was outstanding. We will be back!

Nicolette Frankowski

I had an incredible experience at Gusto Italiano! The servers provided exceptional service and created a warm, welcoming family atmosphere. Elmira, the owner, went above and beyond by personally greeting guests and treating everyone to a complimentary Christmas dessert—it was absolutely divine. I can’t wait to return with my friends to share this amazing place. P.S. The Tuscan chicken and lasagna are my absolute favorites—they’re must-tries!

Deborah Banta Dustman

Gusto Italiano is EXCELLENT! This family restaurant is new and everyone needs to know about them. The Mama makes the Lasagna, and it is to die for. Every element is perfecto! We also had a scrumptious risotto di mare which came with soup or salad. I chose the homemade soup made with beans, noodles and olive oil. It was so good, I had to save some for lunch the next day. Portions are large and the chefs’ daughters provide wonderful, friendly service. I enjoyed an Italian wine —Due—which they recommended. We will return and bring friends.

Josh Click

An absolute gem in St. Pete! This is hands-down the best Italian restaurant in the area. The owner and chef is from Italy, and you can feel the authenticity and passion in every dish. The food is incredibly fresh and bursting with flavor. I had the chicken Milanese pasta and it was like nothing I've ever tasted before—cooked to perfection with just the right balance of textures and flavors. But what really sets this place apart is the warmth and hospitality of the owner. She is so sweet and makes you feel like part of the family. The atmosphere is cozy and welcoming, and you can tell that everyone here takes pride in what they do. I can't recommend this place enough. If you're looking for amazing Italian food in St. Pete, this is the spot!

Service is amazing, very friendly staff. Defi gives a warm family owned restaurant vibe. Will def come back with my girl friends.

Service was great. Pasta was good but nothing spectacular. The octopus WAS amazing though! That was the best meal of the night. Weirdly, the house salad was not accompanied with any dressing. You were to use the oil , salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar from the table. It was a fresh salad but I , personally would have preferred an already made dressing. They do not offer a house red wine either. Sadly, the NY STRIP ($29) was the biggest disappointment. They did mentioned they were busy over the weekend, so idk if they used cheap cuts. It had a lot of gristle and no flavor. I requested A1 sauce. We had to pay extra for a side of veggies < asparagus > bc it only came with mashed potatoes. We requested med rare, and it was tough, chewy , and over cooked. Clam linguine and the penne vodka were closely similar. Alfredo was more cream than parmesan. I honestly wouldn't come back, but service was nice. Food wasn't up to my par in Italian and pricing. But it's worth supporting the locals.

J. #

Service was great. Pasta was good but nothing spectacular. The octopus WAS amazing though! That was the best meal of the night. Weirdly, the house salad was not accompanied with any dressing. You were to use the oil , salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar from the table. It was a fresh salad but I , personally would have preferred an already made dressing. They do not offer a house red wine either. Sadly, the NY STRIP ($29) was the biggest disappointment. They did mentioned they were busy over the weekend, so idk if they used cheap cuts. It had a lot of gristle and no flavor. I requested A1 sauce. We had to pay extra for a side of veggies < asparagus > bc it only came with mashed potatoes. We requested med rare, and it was tough, chewy , and over cooked. Clam linguine and the penne vodka were closely similar. Alfredo was more cream than parmesan. I honestly wouldn't come back, but service was nice. Food wasn't up to my par in Italian and pricing. But it's worth supporting the locals.

It's nicely decorated and the staff are very nice. We were excited to find a new Italian place in town, but we were disappointed by the food. We ordered the chicken piccata which was really bland and the chicken was dry. My partner had the chicken marsala and both of these two dishes tasted very similar in flavor and not only was the chicken dry there was a noticeable lack of sauce. We don't expect it to be drowned in sauce, but the dishes were so dry.

Umairu Chan

It's nicely decorated and the staff are very nice. We were excited to find a new Italian place in town, but we were disappointed by the food. We ordered the chicken piccata which was really bland and the chicken was dry. My partner had the chicken marsala and both of these two dishes tasted very similar in flavor and not only was the chicken dry there was a noticeable lack of sauce. We don't expect it to be drowned in sauce, but the dishes were so dry.

I ordered the chicken Milanese and received a completely raw chicken which I had bitten into but thankfully did not ingest. Please see the attached photo. When I informed our waitress, she took the plate away and we were not addressed by management for a while. When one of the owners finally stopped by the table she greeted us with a cheerful “How’s everyone liking the meal?” Completely ignoring the elephant in the room. After an awkwardly silent and lackluster response from our group, she then acknowledged my dish by stating that she likes to make sure the chicken cutlet isn’t too over cooked on the outside and that’s why it wasn’t cooked fully on the inside. I clarified to her that the chicken was not merely undercooked, but was completely raw and glistening on the inside. She seemed more interested in covering up this severe oversight and asked if she could get me anything else, which I declined. From this response, I can only assume that the owners do not take salmonella or food poisoning very seriously; avoiding that would be going the extra mile in their opinion. It seems that the restaurant’s management and kitchen staff could benefit from the use of a food thermometer to ensure that chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. One can simply be enlightened of this revelation with a mere google search or one cooking class. This experience felt a bit surreal, like I was in a Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares episode. I left the Gusto Italiano feeling invalidated, disgusted, and sick to my stomach. I did not feel that management did even the bare minimum to make things right other than obviously taking the chicken Milanese off the check. I really hope that the owners take this to heart and make sure to follow standard safety and food cleanliness procedures. I’m sure that outside of this experience they are lovely people and I truly wish them well and hope they can turn things around.

Alissa Walter

I ordered the chicken Milanese and received a completely raw chicken which I had bitten into but thankfully did not ingest. Please see the attached photo. When I informed our waitress, she took the plate away and we were not addressed by management for a while. When one of the owners finally stopped by the table she greeted us with a cheerful “How’s everyone liking the meal?” Completely ignoring the elephant in the room. After an awkwardly silent and lackluster response from our group, she then acknowledged my dish by stating that she likes to make sure the chicken cutlet isn’t too over cooked on the outside and that’s why it wasn’t cooked fully on the inside. I clarified to her that the chicken was not merely undercooked, but was completely raw and glistening on the inside. She seemed more interested in covering up this severe oversight and asked if she could get me anything else, which I declined. From this response, I can only assume that the owners do not take salmonella or food poisoning very seriously; avoiding that would be going the extra mile in their opinion. It seems that the restaurant’s management and kitchen staff could benefit from the use of a food thermometer to ensure that chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F. One can simply be enlightened of this revelation with a mere google search or one cooking class. This experience felt a bit surreal, like I was in a Gordon Ramsay Kitchen Nightmares episode. I left the Gusto Italiano feeling invalidated, disgusted, and sick to my stomach. I did not feel that management did even the bare minimum to make things right other than obviously taking the chicken Milanese off the check. I really hope that the owners take this to heart and make sure to follow standard safety and food cleanliness procedures. I’m sure that outside of this experience they are lovely people and I truly wish them well and hope they can turn things around.