Pia’s Trattoria

This is an update to my first review.
We went there last night and had the salad off the specials list. El Cap had the lamb shank and I had veal marsala. I want to focus on the salad, because it is rare that I want to review a restaurant based on their greens. This is an exceptional exception.
Arugula, strawberries, raspberries, almonds, and a honey/​shallot vinaigrette. It was all organic (and presumably dolphin safe.) If I could keep a salad chained to a wall in my basement, I would do that with this salad so I could enjoy it whenever I wanted.
Don’t bother looking for it there, because it was on the specials menu Pia changes every two weeks and today is a new menu. The point of the review is that Pia has an excellent regular menu, but if you don’t order off her specials menu, you’re missing the best part of this place.
Also, kudos on the decision they made to not provide free bread. I asked and they said an increase in the food prices led them to make that decision. You can still get bread but there’s a slight charge, and this way they’ve cut costs without raising their prices. Brilliant, especially for someone who has no self control around bread-​related things.
If I had one complaint it would be that the tiramisu and cannoli are never as excellent as the other deserts, and I made the mistake of going with the tiramisu, which was not at all a hardship to finish but I regretted not getting another dessert almost instantly because everything else only comes around when the mood strikes these guys (she makes this buttercream cake that I would gladly chain to a wall next to that salad). Also, last night the pasta portion of my picatta was larger than usual. Pia’s people, please take note: One of the things I love about your restaurant is realistic portions. Please don’t start overdosing us on too much food!
If you go, here’s what you look for on the specials menu: duck, lamb chops, filet, risotto, any vegetable dish. Anything she does with onions. Salads. And those nonalcoholic, non soda drinks she makes. Oh, sweet baby jesus, get one of those.

This is an amazing restaurant. All our choices were served hot, made with fresh ingredients. The service was amazing. We will definitely be back

What a fabulous place! Like others have mentioned the food was outstanding when we stopped for lunch the other day. The tomato bisque and shrimp soup was out of this world and the panninis were to die for. Judy had the bruschetta and loved every minute of it. As great as the food was the setting is unique and inviting as well. I could hardly believe I was in Florida as the atmosphere transported us back to a bistro in Italy. My only regret is that we don’t live closer so we could go there more often. Bravo Pia’s!!!

Lovely! Outdoor seating is romantic, food is fantastic. Waiters are knowledgeable and helpful, friendly and attentive without being overbearing. We had two pasta dishes without meat, wine, bread, and dessert. Of course, the dessert was my fave, a fig torte and cannoli (not too sweet, just right). Also, noted a couple private family dining rooms that would be such a wonderful place for a group dinner

I just wanted to chine in again about this restaurant. I’ve been several times since my last review. This really is one of my favorite restaurants all time. From the atmosphere with candles all over the place covered in melted wax, to the beautiful stringed bulb lighting outside, to the great service, this place is amazing. I proposed to my fiancé and came here that night… they gave us the works! The best part of all of course is the food! All homemade sauces and homemade pasta too! Their specials are usually top notch too! This place really is a gem!

Trying again… thanks, Unilocal.I’m a Unilocal user and not a reviewer. Pia’s is the exception. I don’t live in Florida so a meal at Pia’s is a rare-​ish treat. But treat it always is! We just got back from another amazing dinner (a highlight of my 40^th birthday trip!) and, in my swooning, I wanted to recount my review of Pia’s from November (the last time we we were in town). I was frustrated to see that my review had been relegated to the «not recommended» bin because of «the algorithm.» I understand the need to weed out nut jobs and fan bots; but I was disappointed that my well-​intended, well-​considered, first-​time review didn’t pass muster with «the algorithm.» So I’m just reposting it here:
Joshua F.
Knoxville, TN
0 friends
1 review
5.0 star rating
11/​30/​2015
Without hyperbole… some of the best food I’ve ever put in my mouth has been served to me on an outdoor table under a thatch roof at Pia’s Trattoria. From the first meal I had at Pia’s 7 years ago (lasagna served in a cast iron skillet) to the one I had this evening (glazed salmon on a bed of the creamiest risotto I’ve ever tasted), Pia’s has remained my favorite place to eat. The weathered wood, window boxes and chalkboard signs give Pia’s the patina of a treasured antique. The atmosphere is always casual with sun-​dappled, mismatched table cloths at lunch and then dinner under warm candlelight. It’s an inviting experience just to wander in.
The service staff is unfailingly friendly and accommodating with some that I’ll stop in to visit even when we’re just strolling down Beach Blvd (thank you, Jolynn, Libby and now Will).
Then there’s the food… I always go for the specials, the main menu is better food than I find most places, but you may not get another shot at the specials. They’re inspired. I’ve had surprising and intoxicating blends of flavors that I would have been hesitant to try anywhere else. But at Pia’s… unbelievable. A few years ago there was a savory cheesecake that no one at our table was excited to try (maybe it was a lobster or crab cheesecake?), but the server was insistent that it was great so we agreed to 2 servings for the table. I’ve never seen a dish go from questionable to swoon-​worthy so quickly. We all spent the next 4 minutes with our eyes closed, lips pressed together making greedy humming noises. Since then, I just trust that I’m going to be amazed, and I am.
We don’t live here, it’s a 600+ mile drive, so we may only make it to Pia’s once or maybe twice a year but we don’t miss it.
This visit we saw that the thatch roof over the patio has been replaced by an impressive wooden roof which covers more of the patio. The patio remains as open and inviting as ever and longevity is our greatest hope for Pia’s so bye-​bye thatch and welcome to the beautiful new roof.

Our first time at Pia’s and what a magical and romantic place! It reminded us of being in Europe. We started with the bruschetta appetizer which was amazing! Then ordered a bottle of wine and a loaf of warm baked bread. Our main dish was the Chicken Marsala so delicious! The pasta perfectly cooked! What a better way to complete the meal then to order dessert! There is nothing better then a good Tiramisu and a cup of coffee! This is were Pia’s fell short! At the end of a fabulous meal you don’t want to be disappointed but sadly we were! Our coffee tasted watered down and the Tiramisu was a sad and tasteless little thing! It was not soaked in coffee and seemed as if they just didn’t do all the steps. We will go back again but will pass on dessert!

I’m in town from LA. I’m Italian and I love traditional REAL Italian food. And if you do to you know that it is really hard to find. The lasagna was the best I have EVER had in my life. Spaghetti balongaisne was the greatest ever too. And finally the tiramisu changed my desert life forever. This place is a no BS ¹⁰⁄₁₀. I will be eating here all week. LOVED IT !

Amazing food and atmosphere! Great wine selection. Had a great time!
I had the veal Marsala, I never tasted something this good.
The décor is picturesque, I loved the candles and tablecloth.
We are outside and we were very comfortable.
I recommend Pia’s strongly.

This place is out of this world delicious! Always so fresh and the service and atmosphere A+++
The calamari and the caprese salad is incredible and two of my favorites. The lasagna is delicious and the wine selection I just love. I haven’t been this impressed with a restaurant in a very long time. It’s my new addiction!

Love the environment and food!

If I go anywhere in Gulfport to eat, it’s pias. Great food. The veal parm is the best and the kids love the spaghetti and meat sauce (which I get to nibble on too). I would like to see more liquor selection on gin and vodka.

So I work at a very popular Italian restaurant and I have been on a carb free diet (true torture!), but when downtown was just too teeming to indulge my pasta craving, my husband suggested Pia’s. We trekked out to Gulfport, a dining destination we often eschew for closer options, and we’re pleased to see the Pia’s was lively, but not crowded. We got a table right away in the bar and settled in. Our waiter was simply great. As a hospitality professional, I have a high standard and a low tolerance but this gentleman was knowledgable about the menu, helpful with suggestions & genuinely engaged with us. Kudos. I had a lovely glass of Masi Campiofiorin, a steal at $ 9! The appetizers were lovely especially the salmon with fresh focaccia. I assuaged my pasta craving with a nicely spiced arribiatta capellini. My husband had the tenderloin tips over pappardelle. We both were genuinely pleased with our dishes. No desserts were had. (Unfortunately the diet cuts out sugars too– saved those for the wine!)
We had a fantastic time. We will definitely be back.

We had the calamari and bruschetta to start with, then for the entrees we ordered the chicken Marsala, chicken Piccata and the pasta primavera with shrimp. Everyone loved their entrees!!! «molto delizioso» So Fresh! I highly recommend if you want Italian food, come here! We will definitely come here again when we visit Clearwater, Florida!

Even if you happen to be a local to St Pete you might not have heard of Pia’s. If this is the case, you are missing out on a very pleasant and consistently good dining experience over in Gulfport, a hidden gem of an area all on its own.
The Mrs and I love Pia’s in part for it’s dimly-​lit, romantic, and laid back atmosphere; it is perfect for a date or to share an intimate meal with a close group of friends or family. We continue to come back to because the food can be quite good, at times some of the better food we’ve had in St Pete, served at a reasonable price and unpretentiously.
The best tip I can offer for you to get the best out of Pia’s is to always order the specials. The items on the ‘regular’ menu are passably good, but the best cooking is always with whatever is on special that week. There is usually always an app, fish, and meat special, maybe more. It is really as if Pia’s would prefer to always just serve specials, but they have this traditional menu that I’ve sort of started to look at like, well, a kiddie menu of sorts. This is partly why I give Pia’s 4 stars instead of 5. The offerings on the regular menu are solid and inoffensive, but they simply aren’t ever as good as the specials.
The inside dining at Pia’s is nice, with a couple intimate 8-​person party rooms, the main ‘wine room’ and the small bar area. Each have their merits and the atmosphere is always comfortable, although the wine room can get a bit loud if the restaurant is crowded. Outside, they have a large and pleasant covered courtyard with a lot of tables, dim lighting, and an nice garden feel. My only complaint, and the reason why we rarely sit outside, is that the outdoor tables are mostly picnic-​style tables with bench seating with no backs. This is a pretty nice restaurant, romantic, with good food, where you will linger, and I really feel that there is a bit of an oversight here on the part of the restaurateur in connecting guest comfort with the quality of the overall experience. Who wants to have a romantic dinner at a picnic table? If you do, then cool, you are all set, but for me I don’t want to sit at a picnic table for two hours. But I also dislike camping, so there you go.
I would like to give Pia’s 5 stars, and have had some 5-​star experiences there. The waitstaff is awesome, the restaurant is romantic, the food is often great, but the regular menu items are sometimes just ok and the picnic tables outside force me to deduct one star.

This was the best meal I had on my trip. Absolutely amazing. We came in for lunch, were greeted and told to sit wherever we’d like. We sat outside in the garden. Adorable atmosphere and would be perfect for a date.
We had a house Cab and bloody Mary (both delicious). The bread and olive oil was delicious and we ordered Caprese, which also did not disappoint. I ordered the lobster fettuccini which was one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever had.
All in all, I give it 5 stars for the good, service, and atmosphere.

Eating at Pia’s is like drinking from the fountain of knowledge, or at least it seemed that way when our waiter arrived. He comfortably, casually, and quickly dropped so much knowledge. I am far to wordy, so it’s a good think I don’t have his job. To sum it up, organic, local, and with so much love. Pia’s really takes pride in the art of locally sourced cooking. The waiter knew so much about the food and where it came from and how it was prepared. Thanks to all of our waiter’s knowledge, it was a spectacularly intimate eating experience.
I’d been to Pia’s a few times before, but never for a solid meal. The ambiance is wonderful. Set in an old library with lots of library antiques incorporated into the décor. Very fitting considering the knowledgable waiter. The patio is also lovely, but I really like the indoor seating better. The chairs needed some cushions and there were mosquitos this night (yes I know it is Florida). This being my first sold meal at Pia’s (and not just drinks and snacks), I went with the Chicken Parm. WOW it was so filling and very delicious. An Italian Restaurant staple done solid. Nothing extraordinarily special about the Chicken Parm, it seemed to do everything right without being over cooked or under cooked. Juicy chicken, slightly browned cheese and noodles at the perfect consistency.
While the Chicken Parm was really good, what really has me excited to go back is the specials. Now, and not just because I know how solid an Italian staple like the Chicken Parm is, but mainly because of hearing all the locally sourced knowledge come out of the waiters head, I want to try all of their specials. They are only available until the local ingredients run out, then they get new specials. I am reluctant to even tease you all with the ones I considered because they are surely gone now. Seriously, just come check out Pia’s if you haven’t already.

The set up at this place is adorable. It’s worth the trip just to sit there. I had an espresso martini first, then I had another. So good! My boyfriend had a tequila coffee martini that the bartender said was his concoction, that was also great. We ordered the calamari, which is sautéed and it was interesting. It tasted ok, the sauce it was in was really good. We also had the gnocchi special with shallots and that was awesome. Most of their specials looks really good.
I ordered the primavera with penne pasta as the main dish. The sauce was good but it could have had more veggies in it. It was a good portion tho and I would order it again. The boyfriend ordered one of the spicy pasta dishes (can’t remember the name), he said it was good but it tasted like it needed to be a meat sauce. I agreed with that.
For our two drinks, two apps, and two main courses it was about $ 100. I thought it was an ok price but I wish I would have been wowed a little more by the flavors. I would definitely go back tho.

Had an unexpectedly amazing salad. Salate pia, but switched to Gorgonzola dressing and added blackened chicken. I added some hot peppers and oil on top. Best salad in my memory.
My girls had homemade pasta primavera and marinara– looked wonderful and they raved.
Great service as well.

I’m almost afraid to say how much we really love Pia’s for fear that our special little place will become overrun with people. The plain truth is that Pia’s is wonderful on every level. The wine, the menu, the service, the atmosphere. We’ve gone to Pia’s for date night, a night with friends, and business dinners and it never fails to delight and impress! Whatever mood you’re in, it will be elevated by a trip to Pias. Gulfport is such a cute town, we like to park far away and enjoy the walk. After dinner, we’re happy to walk off some of the amazing calories we just injested. Our faves: Antipasti, chicken parmesan with homemade noodles, nut-​crusted grouper (the best special ever!), every type of risotto they’ve ever made, and simply, but perfectly… the bread. Best beer: Franzikaner; Best wine: any of the chiantis.
So go ahead and go to Pias, but please don’t linger because now we’ll be eagerly waiting for our table :)

Very nice romantic candle all over the room and the food is spectacular! I love everything I have ever gotten on the menu and they have specials every night that are very good as well. The first 4 times I went there I got the specials which I still remember because thats how good it was! It was Red Snapper over Couscous. It was so good I went back within the next 2 days and they still had it so I had to get it again. They don’t have that all the time though since that was a nightly special. Their Calamari was very good to, Its not fried but its more seared but the flavor is amazing. I haven’t had anything I have regretted yet.