Circosta’s

Great Family Italian restaurant. Owners are very welcoming and always make you feel like you’re at home.

This place has amazing Italian food. The early dine menu has great pricing. The linguini in red clam sauce was my favorite! Everyone is super nice, and the dessert menu is drool worthy. Will be back.

Just stopped in for a quick dessert after finding this spot on Unilocal.We are from Polk County, passing through from 417. However, after seeing the selection, we decided that trying the pizza was a must. The Circosta’s pizza with 5 toppings was excellent, homemade and fresh. We then selected a few desserts for everyone to taste; carrot cake, Rum cake, and an éclair with Cappuccino’s served quickly after receiving the enormous portioned treats. Melissa was our waitress with Rita assisting. They were very kind and on time with meeting every need. Sweet smiles! It was worth the stop off the beaten path of 417. Thank you Circosta’s!

Chicken Florentine was absolutely amazing. Chicken Parmesan good, but sauce a little too sweet for my taste. I know… traditional Italian. Atmosphere very nice and proprietors very friendly. Give it a try!

Awesome food! Small, quaint, family owned Italian restaurant. We go here all the time and love the environment. We have also ordered take out. Service is always wonderful. Highly recommend checking this out!

One of the best Italian restaurants in central Florida. Family owned with great food and deserts. Some of the best pizza I have had down here in Florida.
The only criticism would be that there’s not much seating at all. Other than that, this place is a hidden gem for sure. They are very kind and welcoming. I was told for years that this place is amazing by friends. Why I didn’t go sooner, I don’t know.

We had our first Circosta’s experience tonight and it was wonderful! I was a little underwhelmed when we first walked in, but was soon over that! The place is tiny. I am assuming that it seats around 50 max.
We were immediately greeted by a very nice young lady and her twin sister. I believe they were the owner’s daughters. We were there early so we ordered the early bird specials. Our waitress brought out the bread and prepared the dipping sauce at the table. The bread is TO DIE FOR! We had a second loaf. We also ordered the calamari which was very good. Not a huge portion but the marinara was wonderful. I’m not generally a red sauce fan but could have eaten it with a spoon. Our salads were simple but fresh. The green olives were a nice touch.
Our entrees came out quickly. Everything was very tasty. My husband had the chicken parm and I had the chicken florentine. If I had to find one thing «wrong» it would be that the Alfredo was lacking in the salt department. I’m not a huge salt fan but after adding a bit it was great.
We decided to upgrade our desserts. We have a slice of chocolate cake and cream puff cake waiting for space to open up in our stomachs.
We will definitely be back.

My family’s usual choice for Italian recently closed, so for my aunt’s birthday we were on a quest for a good place to take her. Based on the Unilocal reviews we decided to visit Circosta’s.
We went for an early dinner on a Sunday. The restaurant is located at the end of a strip mall, and is pretty small. The inside is decorated in typical Italian pizza place style, but it’s clean and nice. Our server was very attentive and answered all of our questions.
To start we ordered calamari (our staple appetizer) and garlic bread with tomatoes and mozzarella. The calamari was a smaller portion than most places, and we all agreed that for the price we wouldn’t order it again. It was fine, but not the best. The garlic bread was better, my only complaint was the cheese. I’m sure it was the same cheese they use on the pizza, but it just tasted a bit too much like packaged cheese. I wasn’t crazy about it.
On to the entrees. They offer a early bird special that is a smaller portion, but includes a dessert (cannoli or spumoni, but they were out of spumoni the day we went). My daughter and I chose early bird portions, but my husband ordered a full portion of his dish, and others ordered off the regular menu (no early bird options). When our food came out our server had put in the early bird for my husband. He wasn’t too happy about having his portion cut and he was planning on a dessert other than a cannoli. He was able to pay the difference to upgrade to a different dessert, but he was stuck with the small dinner. I don’t think the server should have done that without making sure it was OK, and those of us that wanted the early bird were clear about it when ordering.
But back to the food. I ordered the eggplant parmigiana, which is my usual order. I liked it a lot, but it was coated with that same pizza-​quality mozzarella, which I just really didn’t care for. My husband had the fettuccine, and he liked it, he just wished there had been more. My son loved his chicken marsala.
The best entrée overall was my aunt’s Seafood Posillipo. It was full of seafood and she was really pleased with it. She reported that there was seafood in every bite, and she had enough left over to take a box to go. She did ask for more sauce to add to it, but otherwise, she was very happy.
The desserts we ordered were great. The servers told us that they get them from a bakery and everything they had looked fantastic. In addition to the cannolis we ordered a chocolate earthquake dessert and the cream puff cake. Both were delicious, but serious sugar overload.
For me the highlights of Circosta’s were the desserts and the Seafood Posillipo. I think my family was mixed in opinion enough about the food that I’m not sure we would go back. It was OK, and I’m glad we gave it a try.

Excellent Italian food and super service. Great value for the price.

I haven’t had the pizza here, but the entrée I had when dining in was good. The food is very tasty, and affordable. The bread given at the beginning is awesome, and we asked for seconds because it was so good.
I had the Chicken Francese, and I don’t recommend it only because it had a really strong lemon flavor. If you enjoy that though then you may like the dish. Everything else though we tried was delicious which included Chicken Parmesan and the Lasagna.
This is a cozy little family-​owned business, and I think they’re well worth supporting.

The yardstick of casual Italian is the meatball sub. Through it, you test their sauce with all the ingredients that need to work with a sauce: bread, meat, and cheese. The sauce, or gravy where I’m from, defines the restaurant. Next, the meatball needs to be something other than a round hamburger like so many places serve. A blend of meats ⁷⁰⁄₃₀ to bread crumbs, egg, parmesan, garlic, oregano and a few tricks. It should crush, not slice.
Thousands of hole in the wall places have given Blodgett a bad name. It’s amazing how bad a meatball sub can be. When we try a new place, usually my wife orders a meatball sub before she’ll come back and order anything else.
Circosta’s meatball sub is what I associate with fully as stunningly good Italian. I’m not Italian, I didn’t grow up on Italian, but I cooked in a family run Italian restaurant for six years in a 70% Italian town in Rhode Island. Our meatball sub was meh, honestly, and I knew what it needed but I couldn’t touch the family recipes.
I’ve ventured a little beyond the meatball from time to time, but every time I walk in the door it calls out to me. If you haven’t been to Circosta’s, it’s calling out to you.

Fairly good pizza at a decent price. Delicious looking desserts and a cute italian restaurant overall. The pizza (large cheese and pepperoni) was $ 13. It was super extra cheesy– wasn’t expecting that completely. Thought it could have used just a little less. But I am a dairy lover. The pepperoni was from an actually italian pepperoni hunk! The real deal! I would definitely give this place another try. And this time I will be getting a dessert!

Growing up with Italian grandparents on either side of my family, I am a lover of homestyle Italian eats. Everything I’ve had here has brought me back to my grandmother’s table. I often get the Taste of Italy Delight (Chicken parmigiana, eggplant rollatini, stuffed shells, and baked ziti) for a variety. Their salad is delicious – I’m a huge fan of olives and their house dressing is awesome (the balsamic is also quite good). The bread is always warm and fluffy with just the right crisp to the crust. The gnocchi was fabulously creamy and delicious. I haven’t tried their pizza yet, but the broccoli roll is the perfect blend of cheese, veggies, and garlic. We’ve done the early bird special, which is a nice deal, but you’re more likely to have leftovers if you order a standard entrée.
The staff is always very friendly and helpful. Reservations are recommended for date nights.
Bonus points: the calamari is awesome and I’ve enjoyed every dessert I’ve gotten including the cannoli, dark chocolate earthquake, and chocolate seduction cake.

Had pizza here it was great! Real fresh ingredients, pizza was super cheesy and full of flavor. The Chocolate Sensation Cake– OMG so good! Best place for a fine Italian meal. For my next special occasion I’m looking forward to trying one of their baked pasta dishes.

BF and I decided to come here after a mega spaghetti and meatballs craving hit me, and this was nearby, so we decided to give it a try.
Being a Friday night at dinner time, it was busy and it’s a very small place, but they offered us a two top by the kitchen, which at the time seemed reasonable — it looked like it’d be a good amount of waiting time before we sat anywhere else, and I was starving, so good enough for me!
I think that might have been a mistake — not only were we shoved in right by the kitchen where there was constant hustling and bustling, but we also got to have some free dinner entertainment between the kitchen and wait staff arguing with each other throughout our meal. This is kind of a pet peeve of mine, I get that it can be stressful, but check your drama at the door — you should be focusing on making sure your customers are happy throughout their meals, not arguing with each other!
He ordered the penne ala vodka with chicken, and I had the spaghetti and meatballs — neither were particularly awe inspiring, but I have pretty high standards for spaghetti and meatballs (the best I’ve ever had were from Trattoria Reggiano in Vegas… filet mignon meatballs are tough to beat). The bread and salad were both good, but again, nothing out of this world. I think we’ll give this place another try for the pizza, but maybe do takeout next time…

Let me start by saying we fully intend to go back for pizza next time. Now, that doesn’t mean the rest of the food is bad. I’m giving it a 3; the BF would give it a 4 and it all comes down to the entrée. (We’re looking for a new pizza place so it seems like a reasonable choice)
The service was outstanding. Truly 5 stars and more if I could. We arrived with 2 other couples already eating. As the meal wore on there were about 5 – 6 take outs and all tables were full. Never once were we neglected or ignored. There were 2 waitresses and they both helped each other out. It was refreshing.
Both our entrees came with the standard dinner salad except — with a little twist: green olives. HOORAY! It truly was nice to see something different in those lettuce, tomato, cucumber salads. We got table bread, which came with a dried herb blend & olive oil. The bread was very fresh; crisp crust (but not hard) and soft inside.
The menu is a little large; not overwhelming but plenty of options. I ended up ordering the baked ziti and the BF got the pasta la bella. I also ordered the meatballs after seeing what some Unilocalers had to say about them.
Now, normally I’M the one with the best dish and he sits there with a severe case of entrée envy but not tonight. I don’t know if I just expected something better or just something with a little flavor but I didn’t get that. It wasn’t bad — truly. It just lacked any real flavor. The sauce was a little watery. I assume the pasta wasn’t drained fully. However, the meatballs were delicious and moist. I actually prefer my meatballs the way they make them — all ingredients are fully incorporated into a smooth consistency and then shaped. I’m no meatball connoisseur but they did make my meal a lot better.
The BF’s pasta la bella was made with house made sausage and roasted red peppers in a pink sauce; served over linguine. From start to finish this dish was a hit. The sausage had a nice fennel flavor and the pink sauce was savory and thick. The linguine was cooked perfectly and held up really well against the sausage & sauce.
We ordered dessert simply because we had a contact sugar high from sitting next to the display case. We analyzed each one as if we were going to explain them later to a complete and total stranger. Nevertheless, I opted for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake and the BF got the Cream Puff Cake.
I wish, I wish I would have had the foresight to not order these desserts. I was so disappointed. They were beautiful sitting under the lights of their glass house and even lovelier in person. But one bite and I knew I made a poor choice. The cake was dry, so dry and the layer of peanut butter and chocolate was pure artificial sweetness. It was like they mixed a container of dark chocolate (canned) cake frosting and peanut butter and spread it a half inch thick between the cake. I really do prefer my desserts like my food and made in house and this just reiterated that. The Cream Puff Cake wasn’t much better but the cake was a little more moist.
Being the suckers that we are we took a (HUGE) éclair home for my daughter — seriously this thing is at least 8″ long. The BF got himself a cannoli (as punishment, I’m sure) for later.
I sliced the smallest piece off of the éclair for my girl and she really couldn’t speak due to her pure joy. I hear the cannoli was also very good (it should be noted that the cannoli cream IS house made).
All in all, it wasn’t a bad night. It just didn’t knock my socks off. We’ll try pizza. I have a good feeling about that anyway.

Delicious ad always! They have the best chicken florentine in town ad my boyfriends Bianca pizza was excellent too. Friendly staff. This place is a hidden gem!

I would call this more of an Italian-​American restaurant. Overall, the experience was good.
The restaurant is sort of small, but well maintained, clean and nice ambiance. You can tell the front is well maintained.
The service was quick and fairly attentive. Waitress came over quickly after we sat down. The salads came out also quickly after the order was placed. And the main course, also within a reasonable time. The only negative, the waitress didn’t really check up on us during lunch.
As for the food, it was good. I ordered the chicken parm, and it was good. My dilemma is that I don’t think I have ever tasted an amazing out of this world chicken parm. You make chicken parm, you make it good, and you’ve got yourself a meal. So I am not sure what a spectacular chicken parm tastes like … but an awful one you know. Anyway, this was not an awful one, and it was a good one! Would I get it again, yes!
The cannoli was pretty damn good! The shell is the shell, standard, but the filling was very good! If they have good coffee, it would be a good choice to just go and grab dessert.

Circosta’s is an Italian restaurant located on SR426/​Aloma a few miles west of the 417. Look for the Shell gas station and you’ll see the small shopping center with the Beef O’brady’s adjacent. My hubby had been before with coworkers, this past weekend was my first visit. We arrived at dinner time to several tables in the small dining room filled and the phone ringing regularly with take out orders. Throughout our dinner the dining room filled up and there was a steady stream of take out orders called in and picked up. We were greeted warmly and quickly seated.
We ordered different Italian dishes from our standard orders when we head out for an Italian fix and were very happy with everything we tried. Next time we’ll order our regular faves to compare to area restaurants. Hubby decided on the Chicken florentine (pic), a large chicken breast smothered in a rich alfredo sauce with spinach and served over fettuccini. The sauce was very tasty, you could taste the fresh heavy cream and after adding some parmesan it was practically perfect. The chicken was a nice portion for a hungry diner and was cooked very nicely. I ordered Eggplant parm (pic), which was served in a baking dish, with a side of spaghetti. The pasta was cooked well, I received a nice portion properly appointed with their flavorful marinara. The eggplant parm was zesty, not too cheesy and the eggplant was cooked well and not soggy. Very nice dish, of which hubby sampled quite a bit of and loved. Each of our entrees was served with a house salad and fresh baked bread, which was crusty and tasty nice when dipped into their oil and herb mixture. Service was great, we felt like we were regulars by the time the salads arrived. The dessert case was filled with many items from a local bakery that they bring in and tempted us throughout dinner. Alas, we were stuffed and had enjoyed sweet treats earlier in the day. Next trip, we’ll try to save room for dessert or take some to go.

If you see a Shell gas station, then you are in the right plaza.
If you can, just order take out from here. The restaurant is small so seating can get limited during busy hours. The specialty pizzas are super delicious with quality ingredients. The full entrees are tasty too. I noticed for entrees that the ratio of meat to noodle is 2:1. For portion control, eat your single serving of pasta and half the meat. You can eat the rest for another time. Yes, the dessert display looks amazing, but the items only taste delicious when you get them on the right day. If not on the right day, then you will be eating stale sweets. They started doing an early bird special over the summer. While the prices are reasonable, I feel the taste isn’t on par with what I expect from them previously. My bf ordered a Veal Parmesan and he had to drain liquid off his plate. He also didn’t like how his veal was tough. Anyway, I really feel that this place is all about preferences. Take a chance on this place, it’s better than OG.