Bar Italia Lakewood Ranch, Florida

Bar Italia Lakewood Ranch, Florida reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Review summary

1. C

   Cristine

   Greater Boston1 review

   1.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   I want to preface this by stating that this is the first time that I've written a restaurant review. Last night (3/14) I took five guests to Bar Italia in Lakewood Ranch. My husband and I had been there twice before when it first opened, and the food and service was excellent. Last night's dining experience was poor to say the least. First, our waiter (who was very nice and pleasant) was not familiar with many of the wines that we were inquiring about, so he couldn't make any recommendations (you would expect the wait staff to be familiar with the wine list). We then ordered our entrees. My guest and I ordered chicken parm. We both originally wanted to order the Veal Marsala but the waiter advised us not too as he said it "wasn't very good." The chicken parm cutlets were extremely dry and the tomato sauce was overly sweet. The side dish of ziti was drowned in tomato sauce and as a result was very soggy. My other guest ordered Chicken Limone and she said it was very oily. The fourth guest ordered halibut and risotto which she said was bland. The fifth guest ordered gnocchi in a vodka sauce with a bean and escarole side dish. She told our waiter that the bean dish tasted like "fish." The waiter told her that he had heard that same complaint from another guest and so he took it off the bill. At the end of the meal, I ordered a decaf black coffee. I took one sip and couldn't believe how bitter and "old" the coffee tasted (like it had been sitting there all night). The waiter took the coffee off the bill. All in all, it was a disappointing experience. I'm not sure if the restaurant is under new management and thus the lack of consistency in the food quality, but this was not the same caliber of food we had when the restaurant first opened. It certainly wasn't worth the money we paid. The staff was very friendly and welcoming as I previously stated, and our waiter was very pleasant, but that just doesn't make up for the awful food.
   

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2. R

   Robert VIP

   Greater Boston6 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   This was our first visit, definitely won’t be our last. Beautiful decor and the spacing of the tables allows private conversations. Amanda our wait person was excellent. She spaced the service perfectly, from drinks all the way through to dinner. Food was excellent! We both brought enough home for another meal. This is definitely on our dining list going forward.
   

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3. B

   Ben

   Tampa1 review

   3.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 3
   2. Food 2
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 3

   Kind of bland Italian food, grilled Italian bread was just burnt bread not good. Ok not worth the money.
   

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4. T

   Tom VIP

   Indiana16 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Absolutely enjoyed our server Chandler once again !! Very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu!
   

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5. C

   Cheryl VIP

   Key West42 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 1 day ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   We sat outside for lunch on their beautiful patio. The Italian wedding soup was one of the best I ever had! Highly recommend and will be back!!
   

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6. T

   Terry

   Tampa3 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   Great atmosphere and the food is fabulous! Thursday is 1/2 wine bottle so it’s a good place to try new wines. We have been here over 6 times! Everything is delicious!
   

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7. A

   Amy

   Louisville3 reviews

   1.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 1
   2. Food 1
   3. Service 1
   4. Ambience 5

   So disappointing. Service and food was subpar. Bread was burnt, Spaghetti was drowning in bland sauce, lasagna was burnt and rubbery, ice tea wasn’t refilled for over 30 minutes after asking more than once and waiter said they were out of glasses so brought in a to-go styrofoam cup making it feel like I was eating at fast a fast food chain kids meal. Server was not attentive to minor details like refills and just really didn’t seem like a good fit for the environment. The ambiance and building was beautiful so just a shame that nothing else could measure up.
   

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8. D

   Diane VIP

   Columbus1 review

   5.0

   Dined 2 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 5
   4. Ambience 5

   everything on the menu is great and well priced. And the servers are always very friendly!
   

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9. D

   Debra VIP

   Tampa16 reviews

   5.0

   Dined 3 days ago

   1. Overall 5
   2. Food 5
   3. Service 4
   4. Ambience 5

   Dylan provided great service. Loves the food and the ambiance!
   

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10. L

    Lauren VIP

    Southwest Florida22 reviews

    5.0

    Dined 3 days ago

    1. Overall 5
    2. Food 5
    3. Service 5
    4. Ambience 5

    Great service, friendly staff, and excellent food. The Snapper and their Pizzas are fantastic! Everyone at our table loved their meals and had only good things to say about the experience at Bar Italia.
    

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