Salvatore D

I don’t know why it only gets 4 starts. Since I do not believe in perfection I will give it 4.5. But seriously our Italian food experience was wonderful.
Often when trying a new place we like to order traditional dishes we can compare to other places.
The Osso Bucco was scrumptious with a wonderful caramelized wine reduction. The Vongole, tender baby clams in a home made tomato sauce was perfect with the al dente pasta.
Go, and have a little Grappa with your desert. Wonderful.

I first went to this restaurant 2 years ago, The food was good but very pricey for a strip mall next to a subway and the dry cleaner .The owner a short older man and is borderline rude not one time has he ever asked us how our dinner was I have been there 8 times !! Its a small place 15 tables he’s more concerned about the A/​C THERMOSTAT unfriendly walks around with an attitude !! They charged me $ 48 for Ossobuco the prices have increased 30% over two years .
Ana Capri in Pinecrest is much better food and prices are better.

Very good restaurant !!! Highly recommend! Excellent service, unexpected ambiance! Owner Sal & Maria are very involved — reservations a must on Friday and Saturday evening! Will definitely return! Oh, save room for the Tiramisu!

I have Been around alot of Italian establishments, worked in a couple as well. This is a Italian spot with nice décor and service, but the pricing for the food is okay to mediocre, the prices are really high for a meal that didn’t suprise me nor did it make me want to try more. Good service, okay food.

3 ½ stars would be my exact rating. At first glance the place looks like it is closed, but when you walk in the location is quaint, dimly lit, and romantic setting. The food was good. I would not say amazing. I shared two appetizers beef carpaccio and a burrata. Beef carpaccio was fresh and had a light olive oil with arugula and Parmesan shreds. The burrata had arugula and prosciutto with a side of eggplant, but burrata was missing some spices like oregano or even a balsamic glaze to give it a wonderful taste.; Although I would say the burrata was fresh as well. I ate a fettuccine with ham, sweet green peas, mushrooms, and it had a white Alfredo sauce. The pasta was good, and my only complaint was the amount of sweet peas which was overwhelming the plate. The service was good. Overall, this place is decent with their food, but they are pricey.
On a side note: there was a patron upset because although it’s super bowl Sunday he didn’t expect them to have the game on. I felt bad for the waiter as the patron went in on him. I am glad the waiter kept calm because frankly I don’t understand where people get off telling the restaurant what they should do in their own establishment. 1.) my boyfriend and I were watching the game, 2.) the game was not loud and the restaurants music was still playing louder than the tv, and 3.) this isn’t your home sir, and if you do not want to watch something on a tv at a restaurant stay in the comfort of your home and watch or don’t watch tv.

Finally an authentic Italian restaurant. The spaghetti sauce reminds me of my visit to Italy and my 12 year old daughter, Nikki, who barely eats, finished the lasagna in its entirety.

I heard so many great comments about this restaurant. As someone who is in their mid 60’s and has dined in many fine restaurants I was extremely disappointed. The food was fair at best and extremely expensive. One of our party of 4 was served the wrong dish and the waiter was insistent she was wrong. For those who live in the Dadeland/​Kendall/​Pinecrest area, Romanzas is TWICE as good for half the price.

I came here with my mother and she decided to order a soup. It was HORRIBLE, in our opinion so she didn’t eat it. So then we order two pastas which I have to say we’re delicious ! And as well as the dessert. On the other hand, when the check came in we saw that the soup was charged even though she only took one spoon of it since she didn’t like it. They said that once u taste our food, no matter if u like it or not it will be charged even if u didn’t eat it cause u didn’t like it. That was ridiculous, how are we supposed to know if something is good or not if we don’t taste it. Horrible service too everything came late. Never coming back.

Lovely restaurant fabulous atmosphere. We had veal marsala, salmon, sea bass, and eggplant. All delicious
Had the burrata as a starter. Tiramisu for dessert. Excellent service. We made a reservation. Place was packed on a Wednesday night.

Usually can’t get a table here but Tuesday night we walked right in and were served right away. The restaurant got busy quickly. Before we knew there was not an open table. Service was very good. Super nice waiter & staff tonight. Food was excellent! I had my favorite, spaghetti & meatballs. The best in Miami!

HOLE IN THE WALL strip mall terror. Salvatore sir maybe it’s time to retire. Times have changed, and so has the Miami scene. You are too pretentious to be in a strip mall next to a Winn dixie buddy. The menu is way overpriced for again a strip mall. Coral gables you are not. Usually when you have a bad experience its with a rude employee not with the owner. Our first and last time here since Salvatore in a very rude fashion verbally attacked us after seeing we had moved from the bar to a booth near it. We had to explain we had asked for a booth and were waiting at bar to be seated. Communication and treating both all customers (new ones included) and employees who are certainly more gracious than you is key to maintain your so called success. Remember the customers made you and your strip mall restaurant.

Overpriced joint with rude owner in it! Stay away. First of all there are not any seats for couples just bigger parties. My girlfriend and I made reservations and so when we arrived we were escorted to the bar area where we were asked to wait for a booth. When a booth became available we politely asked if we could diversify and sit at the booth. We were sat at the booth by the hostess which was very nice and polite. To our surprise the owner of the restaurant comes and screams at my girlfriend we know what we’re doing here in broken English. You can’t just sit anywhere you please. My girlfriend very politely responded oh no we had reservations. He then with a disgusted look in his face sighed and walked away. I now ask you would you have stayed? So we left! But before I left I approached him his name is Salvatore and shared with him there’s a certain way men direct themselves to ladies and his way was not acceptable because he was rude and made us feel horrible when we were willing to try his overpriced menu to be in a Kendall shopping center for crying out loud! I told him I would place a review of my unpleasant experience online and he responded that I can you whatever I want. So I did just that. Do yourself a favor try one of the other delicious places like Osteria near by. He is not grateful of his patrons and ultimately is your patrons that make you.

The food is great but way too expensive for a strip mall. Also where do they get off charging a fee to share, my wife barely eats we always share a dish and this again is a hole in the wall in a strip mall. I don’t think I’ll be spending my hard earned money to line this guy’s pockets on over priced food in a cheap venue. When you pay these prices you expect to be in a restaurant in Dadeland or stand alone shop in the Gables.

I recently moved to the Kendall area and this is my absolute favorite restaurant. My husband and I have been several times and every time is yummy and wonderful. They have a full bar where you can wait for your table or sit in the loungey area in front. The tables are covered with white tablecloths and the setting is intimate but not crowded. The waiters all wear tuxedos with bow ties and every one of them memorized the specials. They have a very extensive menu and always have a ton of specials to choose from.
Some of my favorite dishes are the octopus appetizer (served carpaccio or grilled… Delish!), the pappardelle pasta, the Caesar salad, the zuppa de Nonna and the polenta with sausage sauce. My hubby loves the veal Parmesan and the capellini with Pomodoro.
They start every meal with the hottest and most delicious French bread that they get shipped in from NY. It is crusty and flavorful and seriously piping hot every time.
Another favorite aspect of the restaurant is that Sal and Maria (owners) are ALWAYS there. They are so welcoming and kind and sweet every time. It’s so lovely to find a fantastic restaurant that has such a welcoming neighborhood feel about it.
P. S. Don’t the the location dissuade you from going… its positively lovely inside!

Delicious Italian cuisine! The croquettes appetizer is the best and the lasagna entrée is delicious. The Italian wedding soup is amazing too!

Went to dinner tonight at Salvador D for the 1^st time and can honestly say had some of the best food that I have eaten in a long time. The restaurant is in a strip mall so I was surprised when we walked in.
The restaurant is beautiful and they have a full bar.
The service was outstanding and the food was top notch. While the prices are expensive the quality of the food warrants the prices.
If this restaurant was in Coral Gables or South Beach the prices would be more.
I highly recommend this place. The owners are there and served us at the bar and came to our table later to see if we were happy with the dinner.
I am looking forward to going again.
This place is a gem in SW Miami.

Upscale gem in plain old strip shopping center. Don’t judge a book by its cover or a restaurant by the mall company it keeps. You can drive 10 – 20 miles for the same or lesser food in a nicer neighborhood… but why bother? Once in this restaurant you have escaped the Kendall asphalt ghetto and entered a beautiful, upscale, professionally run restaurant. The owner is typically present and involved. The wait staff is attentive and generally well trained… though hit and miss on wine knowledge. This place runs like a fine, well maintained, classic Swiss timepiece. Excellent veal Marsala. Very good pasta with tomato sauce. Average mozzarella marinara. Prices are fair for most high end entrees though a bit steep for pasta dishes. Overall, an excellent experience within a vast restaurant wasteland.
UPDATE: Not sure if it was just a rare «off night» or a new trend, but they served some really tough veal to me the last time I was in. They didn’t seem to care and actually preferred to argue about it and tell me how good it was early in the night. The veal you served me was nasty & you should’ve offered to replace it or some kind of offset; maybe a dessert and an apology I’m adjusting my rating down from 4 to 3 stars.

Wow hidden little place on 87^th and sunset. When you walk in, it’s not what you expect by the exterior. Service was great. I had the fiocchi with pear and broccoli creamy sauce. That was a great combination of sweet and savory. My hubby had the spaghetti and meatballs which was also amazing. Everything was amazing.

I was really excited to try this place due to the great reviews and its proximity to my house. I was not disappointed!
I was surprised at how lovely this place is despite it being in a shopping center. Nice lighting and pretty big but still intimate. The bread was served very warm and it was great. I had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken and it was fantastic! Very creamy and tasty, and the chicken was grilled just right. I loved it. Everyone else seemed to love their plates, too.
One star off because of the service. Although it was good service, everyone working here was very, very, VERY dry. The moment we walked in, we weren’t greeted, just seated in silence. No one ever smiled, not once. I think the service being friendly and warm would have made the experience perfect, so that surely through me off.
Anyways, though expensive, I plan on coming back. Yum!

Just finished having a fabulous evening with close friends at Salvatore D restaurant. What experience the meals were delicious and well prepared. The desserts amazing. Thank you Julio & Yauska for a well spent evening.

Ok restaurant.
I got food poisoning there last night when I had their sea bass special with spinach on the side. I was sick all night long.
My friend is less sick then Iam but similar symptoms.
I called the Resturant and informed them the next morning. I received a phone call from Salvatore himself being very defensive. Comments like «I do know where or what you ate but I just checked my fish and it wasn’t my fish» «
In which I informed Mr. Salvatore that one can’t tell fish is bad from looking at it. I told him I wasn’t calling for sympathy or money back it was simply to inform him so that future customers wouldn’t have the same experience.
I was not pleased with his approach or the way he was talking to me. A Customer is always right after all. Especially a customer with good intentions.
Environmental is family, traditional quietly and older crowd.
It’s In strip mall.
Service was good
Food was ok … And then your sick all night long.
Definitely won’t go back »

Brilliant!!! Delicious!!! Awesome!!! This is an amazing Italian restaurant that transports you to Italy while being in Miami, Florida. The entire staff serves with excellent timing, in which the crowd can find the almost perfect amount of patience and experience at this restaurant. You have to admire Salvatore, the owner. He’s there most of the time, as he joyfully keeps the flow at the right pace. Here, you’ll find your typical Italian dishes, wines, desserts combined with more expertise with other excellent new dishes you can try. The timing, lighting, and ambience take you to a timeless period, in which you can experience a lot of culture. The parking is excellent. The location is practically right at the center of our beautiful city.

Wow! What a great classic Italian restaurant. The service is amazing and the food was spectacular. This place is cozy and romantic. It is impressively clean.
Been to a few popular expensive places in the last few months and was very disappointed. Bumped into this place by mistake and will be back. The prices are reasonable. You will be taken back the ingredients, taste, and service.
The lasagna is a must try, the chicken parmigiana is delicious, warm bread, fresh grated parm, and the tiramisu is the best I ever had.
What a great find!!!

Salvatore D is located in a strip mall. Pretty small and cozy inside and the food was delicious.
However, the prices are outrageous! First of, the location of a place is crucial when adjusting prices. With the prices they have at Salvatore, they should deff move to the beach or downtown. Who knows even Wynwood! And I still think you can find delicious food for lesser price than this place. For a fettucinni Alfredo with chicken half portion for my child I paid $ 16.95! You could already imagine the rest of adult size plates prices. Don’t be fooled by this place. There are many other affordable places!
And for the owner, consider your clientele when submitting prices and the LOCATION! even if your food is great, your prices won’t keep the customers. And if you’re looking for high end please move somewhere else. Look at your surroundings! I’m sorry but I won’t be going back.

A coworker recommended Salvatore’s so my wife & I decided to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived. Yes it is in a strip mall but that didn’t bother me. As we pulled in we parked right in front of the restaurant. They had set up a few bar high tables with candles right in front of the restaurant, very nice touch. The real treat is when you enter. Salvatore’s is very nicely decorated; there are many subtle touches such the wine displayed along the walls in nice wooden display shelves, Italian decorative items on the wall with darken furniture and muted lighting giving it a nice classy and cozy touch.
Enough of the décor.
We actually arrived with two small children and had no issues unlike a previous Unilocaler mentioned. Actually Salvatore’s wife brought my son a coloring book and crayons.
Bread and water were brought to the table in a timely fashion.
Our order consisted of
1 bottle of Pelligrino (Large)
Appetizers
2 Cesare salads, very good although they went a little light on the dressing, which is fine with me, cause you can always add more. The do charge you $ 2.00 extra for anchovies and the only brought me 3. So I had to order extra for my wife.
Only problem with the salad was the way they served it. It was room temp and the so was the plate.
Polpette Inflizate, which are basically 3 meatballs with marinara sauce — deliciously seasoned and very tasty.
Entrée
I ordered the Veal Ossobuco, it was seasoned well, rich, not too fatty but a little tougher than I would have expected especially when it’s slow cooked for 4 – 5 hours. The Veal comes on a bed of risotto, which was delicious.
My wife ordered the special, which happen to be Corvina. She said it light, flaky but needed a little more seasoning.
Dessert
We ordered both the Chocolate Soufflé and the Chocolate Truffle Mouse, both very good.
Overall food impression was very good. The food was nicely presented and the service was excellent. I did bring up the room temp salad issue when the owners wife came by. She was really receptive and agreed that’s how a Césare salad should be served.
As for the price, this is a pricey restaurant. My bill came out to $ 353.90 with out tip. I did order the ½ bottle of 799 Opus One which costs $ 195.00. If you deduct that from my total bill you’re looking at $ 158.90 tab.
For those of you interested they charge $ 25.00 corkage fee, again on the pricey side, Salvatore’s is no Prime Italian.
I will try this restaurant again but different entrees just to try a better feel of the menu. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it’s the best restaurant in the South Miami, Coral Gables area.

The food here is amazing. The service is great. Very classy and cozy atmosphere. Everything I try is great! You have to come here.

It makes a world of difference when you see a restaurant owner actually PRESENT, on site, on EVERY occasion, and willing to help out the staff. I watched as Mr. Salvatore helped put clean tablecloths and flowers on tables that had been cleared up. How often do you see owners in a restaurant, and much less, willing to actually roll up their sleeves and get to work? The fact that they’re present instills confidence in knowing that they’re aware of what is going on in their establishment, and are willing to do their best to make things run smoothly, no matter what it takes. He also always takes the time to ask every diner if things were to their satisfaction. Good job!

Wow. Wowee. Hidden in a little plaza, it was a real surprise walking through the door into a piece of Italy. Visiting my friends in the area, they have dined here before and highly recommended it. Thank goodness they did!
I shared the Caesar Salad which was de-lish…a touch too salty for me but so good! I followed that with the chicken francese… absolutely de-​lish! One friend had an osso bucco that made him hum, it was so wonderful. And my other friend had the fish that was on special that evening… suffice it to say, we were all humming that night!
The service was excellent, the atmosphere sublime. If you don’t visit Salavatore D. you don’t know what you’ll be missing!