Cafe Amici Downtown

One of our favorite places. Food is always great. The waitstaff is fabulous.

Layout/atmosphere *Intimate Italian restaurant; bar area in back with TV; separate room with tables off main dining room; extensive wine collection; tables on sidewalk Service *Attentive Food/drink *Complimentary bread & oil - good; hot out of the oven *Prosciutto di Parma with Burrata (appetizer special) - Good; burrata was creamy *Braciole & Orecchiette (Beef rollatini stuffed with garlic, parmigiano, parsley and served with homemade pasta) - Good; sauce & pasta were delicious; tender meat, definitely got distinct garlic flavor

For the price of their food, the plates AND the service should be on point. It wasn't. We sat patiently at our table for 15 minutes before our server came by to take a drink order. The tap water smelled like reclaim, prompting us to buy a bottle of Panna. Calamari is disappointing as it is only rings. Caeser salad tasted like Restaurant Depot dressing. The Ossobuco came out cold, on a cold plate, and our server didn't even bother to check on us until long after my wife was finished with her meal.

Place is overpriced and not that good Parking: parking sucks in the whole city

Celebrating a birthday and Massimo the owner could not have been more welcoming! As a local he greatly appreciated our patronage and was sincere in asking about our travels. Highly recommend the braised short ribs and any antipasto. Enjoy!

Had a wonderful experience in Amici today. We popped in late afternoon and even though we were 30 minutes before opening they still accommodated us. Alex looked after us and was wonderful from start to finish. We were a party of 3 and he explained all the specials and answered any questions we had. Throughout the meal he kept our drinks topped up and was never far away and so attentive. The food was truly wonderful we have been coming to Florida for 24 years and this was one of our favorite meals and actually the best Italian food we have had. If in the area give it a try! Parking: Found it easy to park Kid-friendliness: Alex was great with my son, sometimes you go places and servers only talk to the adults but he was given the same attentive service as us.

Very good food but you pay more for the fresh food

After reading the many reviews about the rude waitstaff and service, I guess our experience was not so unique after all. The food was just OK - in a town full of good Italian restaurants, certainly nothing special - but the attitude of the servers and management was snarly to say the least, although they couldn't do enough to suck up to the large, obviously wealthy party of patrons at the next table. There was some spice in the soup that gave me a huge coughing fit so I couldn't eat it. Of course they refused to take it off the bill. The place is overpriced, unpleasant, with so-so food. And an arrogant management that could care less. Sarasota deserves so much better than this.