Caffe Paradiso

Best/​most authentic Italian restaurant in Tampa!
Ordered: insalata tricolore,
Bruchette miste (tomatoes only), pasta-​bolognese/​carbonara, chicken piccata

first time here… Food was excellent… Chicken Parmesan was prepared a little bit different than what I’m used to and it was not breaded like i prefer yet it was still quite delicious… My fiancé is a tough critic of eggplant but she also enjoyed her dinner very much… We definitely plan to return, excited to try their other menu items

We ended up here by accident. Our usual restaurant was closed due to a power failure. This experience ranked about as low on the scale as it is possible to go. We each ordered steak medium well (slightly pink in the middle). After about 45 minutes our food arrived, rare. Asked for it to be cooked more and it arrived acceptably done but of course the potatoes and vegetables were now completely cold. Absolute disaster, never go there again. Just should add that the manager was not available.

Yum!!! The best bolognese with angel hair pasta. Ask for the crab meat with pink sauce. Never had a bad meal here. Great neighborhood place to see family and friends. Love to sit at the bar for dinner.

Like a lovely diamond amongst Mardi Gras beads, Café Paradiso needs no brash hype or overwrought hysteria. Paolo and his crewe consistently deliver an exquisite and authentic Italian experience with a thoughtfully crafted menu and on-​point wine list delivered by an an attentive, charming, and debonair waitstaff who pronounce the daily specials like they are describing the attributes of Sophia Loren. The food – ah! The bolognese! The osso bucco! The veal Milanese! I swoon. Thank goodness there’s cappuccino to revive me.

What a pleasant experience! The wait staff is «on it» and even the hospitable owner makes the rounds to make sure guests are satisfied. My lamb chops were flavorful, tender, just PERFECT… though the mashed potato and vegetable sides, while also good, just weren’t very special or creative.
It’s nice to see that classic restaurants still exist. The setting is intimate and the focus is on the traditional food items and service. It’s the type of restaurant you can go on a romantic date, or to have nice conversation with friends without loud music drowning you out.
I’m excited to return for a pasta dish soon!

So cute and inviting! Amazing ricotta cheesecake. Owner is so gracious and talks to every table. Can’t wait to come back!

Food was good. Service was lousy. Won’t be back. They moved our waiter to take care of a large party and we were waited on piecemeal by the rest of the staff. Mostly they just ignored us.

Dine here on a regular basis. If I lived closer it would be much more regular. The food is always so fresh, everything made in house from scratch. The kitchen is very acommidating to all my dietary needs and the owner, well the owner is off the charts! He’s just flat out awesome. Highly recommend putting this little Italian gem on your to do list.

I was early to an event next door and assumed this was a coffee shop but boy was I wrong. This is a small authentic italian restaurant. The manager/​server was a true italian along with the owner. I haven‘t been to a restaurant where I heard pure italian being spoken in a very long time. Unfortunately I was attending an event next door and didn‘t get to try the food but the coffee was strong and rich just the way it should be. They had a great wine selection and I look forward to trying this place out one day.
I got to meet the owner of the restaurant and only ordering coffee they were so friendly and nice about it. Some restaurants would be upset for getting one thing on the menu. They made me feel comfortable while I waited for my friends, I can‘t wait to take my friends there for a great italian meal.

pleasantly blown away by the rustic, authentic approach to Italian.
appropriate in every sense. flavor, origins, portion, price, service, fresh, handmade, etc, etc.
The Caesar salad was a real Caesar, anchovies and all
Pasta Fagioli = empty bowl
Much better than they need to be with the fried calamari
Bow tie pasta and Tortellini were stars on our table
Meiomi Pinot Noir!
Gracious service!
This is a gem of a place the locals have here and worth a trip for a night out with friends.

Great little place. The menu is small but good. The red sauce is awesome. The bread could be better but the service and unsweetened tea more than make up for it.

After finding out my fav Italian restaurant had recently closed I was persuaded to come here for dinner instead.
It had it’s ups and downs. It was very cute and quaint and crowded. Our waiter acted over whelmed right from the beginning even though he only had a couple tables.
They do have some decent italian wines here and the appetizer of sausage and polenta was absolutely deliciious. Really a nice combination of flavors and textures.
Service rapidly declined from poor to invisible. Thankfully the manager/​owner pitched in and saved us from sitting there without wine or food .
Being on a no meat kick I ordered the quattro formaggio gnocchi. It was very good, rich, but good. The blue cheese was a little overwhelming of the other cheeses so they could have used alighter hand on that but all in all it was a good dish.
Cant remember exactly what dinner companion had but I think it was a tagliattale in a red sauce and it was very good.
I would return here again as the atmosphere was quaint yet lively and you could tell the owner/​manager really cared.
Hopefully next time I can leave a better review.

Went here for valentines day (well actually ²⁄₁₃) and I was very pleasantly surprised. Doesn’t look like it is very special on outside (in strip mall off mcdill) but very authentic northern Italian cuisine! Everyone who works there speaks Italian and the food is out of this world. Strongly recommend the osso bucco with risotto. The server said they cook it for 24 hrs and it tasted like they did! Not to mention the sauce which was very simple but perfect to compliment the rich veal. The polenta and sausage appetizer was very good too! Definitely will go back!

We stumbled onto this place as a result of our pick for the night being closed. It turned out to be a pleasant detour. The menu is small but the food was generally good — not heavy and greasy which tends to be the trend for most Italian restaurants. Their chilled red pepper, prosciutto, and mozzarella appetizer was excellent while the seafood ravioli and veal medallions were better than average. The panna cotta dessert was quite good though.
Was it the best Italian meal I ever had? No, not really. But the staff was great and I wouldn’t mind going back — but I’m not sure yet if I would go out of my way to eat there.

Best Italian in Tampa
Don’t find what you want on the menu? They will make any thing you want.
Grouper is awesome. Lasagna is better than your Italian grandmothers. Paulo is the owner and will take care of you

Looking for a quiet, authentic, delicious Italian restaurant without having to brave the chains? This hidden gem should definitely be put on your rotation. Before our almost 2 year old was born, we went to this place probably about once a month. We just went back this past weekend for the first time in a few years, and I am kicking myself that I didn’t go back sooner!
This place has only gotten better. They have added a few things, like some windows for light and a private room for larger parties to offer privacy, but they have maintained their standard of excellence in the service and menu offering department.
After we were graciously welcomed into the restaurant by the owner, we were sat in a perfect corner seat. They always rattle off several specials ranging from appetizers to main entrees and we have never been disappointed when ordering a special. We opted for the seafood carpaccio to start which was divine. We each got a salad — I was, and still am, infatuated with the dressing. I think it was just their house salad with a balsamic creamy dressing. DELISH. I got the Veal Piccata and I ate the whole entire thing. My husband got what he normally gets, crab meat and angel hair with red sauce — not on the menu, but they make it for him every time.
When you come here, from start to finish, no detail is left undone at this restaurant and you are left thinking about when you can return, and what you are going to order next time!

Bar none the BEST Italian restaurant oin the Tampa Bay area!!! Nothing but excellent food, great service, supurb wines & a the owner is a real, Italy-​born gentleman.

Great service, very personable staff who give you lots of attention. The food is also delicious.

We came here for our anniversary. We had been to a bunch of fancy restaurants lately, and we wanted something a little simpler. This place was the perfect choice.
It’s a quiet, local restaurant in south Tampa. The waitstaff all seem to be either family or friends. They were attentive and jovial.
The wine list was reasonable. I wish they listed the vintage year, though.
We had the prosciutto with melon to start. The chef sent out some bruschetta as a sort of amuse bouche. Then I had the osso buco, and my husband had the veal saltimbucco. Both were wonderful, tender meat prepared well.
I wish I had had room for dessert!