Rico’s Pizzeria & Subs

Visiting from out of town. Was hesitant because of mixed reviews but did so because they could deliver to my hotel. Very good and not greasy as other reviews stated. Would definitely order again.

Get the white pizza, ask for the balsamic drizzle
Eat, smile, drink, repeat!!! If you don’t love this pizza, then there might be something wrong with you and you should see the dr. And the fam vibe is nice as well, good ol Italian fam joint, no frills, just good!!!

Pizza was delicious, thin ny style just the way I like it. The Stromboli was also amazing!!! Although my husband did not care for it because he did not like the peppers, I thought the way they made it was perfect. Garlic knots taste just like any great authentic pizza place will make them.
I can totally see why some people have complained about the service on here … There was one waitress but only a few tables and she was definitely a bit inattentive. She was still very nice though I think I would attribute it to lack of experience rather than rudeness. This place has good food, what else is there to know.

Been in town 2 weeks, our second time here tonight. Pizza by the slice and a salad good combo. Greek salad tonight excellent. Great service. They make us feel welcome. This will be a regular dining out place for us, recently relocated from Honolulu to Sarasota. Thank you, Rico’s!

In our family, Friday night is pizza night. Rico’s is right down the street from our house so it makes it the perfect choice.
It’s located in a strip mall and it doesn’t look like much, but the staff is welcoming, the beer is cold, and the food is good.
We usually order a pizza and it’s always hot and cheesy. Our son orders Stromboli every time and he’s never disappointed. Our daughters alternate between pizza and pasta. The pasta is always hot and fresh although sometimes it’s a little too saucy.
This is our go to pizza place.

Rico’s is hiring servers. I can tell because I sat here and made direct eye contact with their waitresses seven times and it still took more than 10 minutes to be greeted (with only 5 customers in the whole joint).

I’ve always avoided writing negative reviews.
A) I love writing about great food and giving good reviews to the businesses that deserve them.
B) It never seems to be worth it to relive bad memories and it’s much harder to find the motivation (see A.)
However, in the interest of fairness, I consider it just as much of a duty and service to inform customers of the places they should avoid.
AVOID — Rico’s Pizzeria & Subs on Tamiami Trail!
I live in the neighborhood and did everything in my power to make Rico’s a favorite local spot. Heck, they’re right across the street, walking distance; and they couldn’t even meet me and my family half-​way (figuratively, of course).
We have visited nearly a dozen times. The first few times we went for dinner were fairly positive; the food was decent and the service was o.k. After all, pizza & beer isn’t a tall order.
Perhaps the novelty had worn off. Maybe they changed ownership. But this place went from average to «WTF,» in my opinion (WTF = worse).
Words of advice based on our very last visits to Rico’s;
Don’t order anything but the greasy pizza (and even that is AT YOUR OWN RISK). Other menu items aren’t even so-​so imitations of much better versions and are inconsistent at best. At worst? Order a hamburger. the abomination that arrived at our table wasn’t fit for a prison chow-​line.
Don’t look around the restaurant. You’ll start asking yourself questions that are probably best left unanswered. And for heaven’s sake, don’t lock eyes with the staff or the staff’s relations. (I got the impression this place was family-​run). Perhaps it was the apparent disinterest our waitress had in our table. Perhaps it was the teenage hoodlum, lounging on a pool table, that gave me this distinct impression. That, added to the fact that he was mad-​dogging me through my entire dinner.
Don’t waste your time. There are so many other local businesses that work hard for your money and provide quality service and or products. Rico’s does neither. Sarasota is a flourishing destination for amazing food. Rico’s on Tamiami is a blight. It prompted me to write my first 1-​star review. For that, there is no forgiveness. I will never return.

Good place to go for a slice of pie and a quick drink. Close to the airport and about 10 mins north of Downtown Sarasota, it’s out of the way and usually quiet. You can get pizza by the slice or a whole pie, and there are plenty of other standard Italian options, like calzone, stromboli, spaghetti, grinders/​subs, and salads.

Holy delicious mussels Batman! Antipasto spot on! My friend had the grilled chicken salad and it was amazing also. I’ve eaten here for the past 2 years and have tried everything from pizza to wings and have never been disappointed. Rico’s gets a solid two thumbs up!

This guy couldn’t be anymore of a jerk! I ordered a 22 dollar special pizza and the topping were so skimpy it was sick!!! This guy thinks he’s funny or cool treating the customers like s@%& but he’s just a jerk who’s farther used to beat him! I watched 3 customers walk in and leave! The help were looking at each other making faces because this guy was such a jerk, with all the food choices why would anybody ever go here! the place is a pigsty, look around, you can see the filth everywhere! If this place were on a do over food show they would tear him a new one! My only question I have left is why hasn’t the Board of Health close this place down yet! I have been coming to Sarasota for over 14 years and got a pizza back then, this was the first time going back and it still sucks!!! If you like being treated like dirt and enjoy food out of a can which they proudly display, that taste like crap, then go here!!!@!!!

We are locals, and were becoming regulars at this place. Then, my son found an insect in his lemon wedges, and when he went to discretely point it out to the owner, he was physically threatened. Don’t give your money to this thug, and don’t waste your time in his decrepit restaurant.

Upon initial entry I was gonna turn around. It looked worn out and smelly. The layout is not inviting and the bathroom should be «emergency use only»
On the positive the 2 people working were friendly and I didn’t get a stomach ache after eating a personal pie.
There was a tv with MNF on but nothing too exciting.
Good candidate for restaurant make over.

OK, while the pizza themselves were very good, I would never return here. We ordered 2 large pizzas, one was just cheese with extra cheese, and the other was a margherita pizza, we also had two draft beers while we waited. The total was $ 48 which even though they tasted good, I find this to be way overpriced for these extremely thin pies. The large boxes with the pies in them were VERY light.

I am a transplanted NYer so I longed for some decent pizza (which by the way is hard to find down here). Well after taking the recommend from one of my co-​workers, I indulged. And it was good, I came for dinner, it was very good. Nice casual place once again. Just to catch a bit, and sit and chat a while with friends. Calamari is my favorite, nice garlic finish.

Great pizza! We know where to grab a few slices next time we are in town!

You can’t beat .99 cent beer on a Thursday night! The Greek salad and Stromboli were great. If you’re looking for good italian this is the place for you. Nothing fancy, so it makes it even better!

I am giving them 4 stars because the first few years I lived in FL I could not get a decent slice of Pizza. Then I had Rico’s. It was the closest thing to NY pizza I found. Plus I really love their White Pizza. (I am a NY pizza snob but if it means anything I have been to Italy and I still prefer some NY pizza even over theirs). Chicago of course has great Pizza as well. Anyway they were always nice to us and they have a refillable Coke Fountain and the perfect Red or clear Coke Cups that all Pizza Joints should have. Like the ones at Pizza Hut. I have never had a negative at Rico’s. (They are from NJ but NY, NJ same thing in Pizza world)

We enjoyed our pizza here and the service was good. Our first time here our order got lost. The second time we got fast service. It’s worth a try.

If it was based on the pizza it would get 2 stars, but due to the dead Greek salad I got, with some awful dressing (that wasn’t Greek), you get 1 star!!!
Honestly Im still pissed about the salad, I cant believe you would sell that to someone…

I have always been a fan of Rico’s at this location, mostly because I think that the staff here is a blast. The cute bald guy definitely is in a NY state of mind, and I love to watch him interact with the customers.
We were here for a pizza on a Thursday night and there as some Karaōke going on that was very entertaining. I love their NY Style pizza– the cheese used is high quality and the grease drip factor reminds me of NY. The crust is thin and light as air, mostly because we order a whole pie instead of ordering a re-​heated slice.
I have not ordered any of their pastas, Stromboli, or calzones yet– but based on my pizza experiences here I would definitely give it a try.