La Terrazza Restaurant

This restaurant is SO good!!!

I really had high hopes for this restaurant. After reading so many good reviews & seeing the ratings. We made reservation for 7:30pm for a Friday evening. Arrived right about 7:30pm. Still ended up waiting for over 20 mins. Finally the table we got seemed was a gray area. All the servers just kept walking by. We had to wave to get someone’s attention. Food took about a good 45 mins to come. Didn’t mind waiting since I was expecting a tasty meal. But, the food was nothing more than just another average Italian restaurant. Not sure if it was just a bad day to go there or we were expecting too much from a 4.8 star restaurant to have a good service & food. We left disappointed!

Best restaurant, been a regular for many years. Love y'all!

Try the Bruschetta. Best ever

A Mixed Experience at La Terrazza – Ambiance Shines, Food Falls Short Upon entering this restaurant, I was struck by how cozy and charming this restaurant was. The maitre d was straight from Italy, and was very attentive to getting us seated right away so we could enjoy the evening with our friends and family. We were then greeted by Andrew, who was truly amazing as a waiter. He added the personality and energy that our group needed to get our dinner off to a great start. However, the key to any restaurant is the FOOD. - Starter - Bruschetta Rustica – We were off to a good start with this classic appetizer elevated to a higher level, delivering an amazing flavor profile and freshness beyond most restaurants. It was a perfect mix of Golden toasted bread, crisp on the outside and delightfully soft within, adorned with a mosaic of chopped tomatoes, fragrant basil leaves, and finely minced garlic, all delicately bathed in the luscious embrace of extra virgin olive oil. -- Next Dinner: What could go wrong? -- We were told that none of the pasta was made in-house except for a couple of the ravioli dishes, which made me quite skeptical. I have been to a number of Italian restaurants in Tampa that serve fresh, homemade pasta. However, I get it; it's a time-consuming process. -- Scaloppine alla Ortolana - First and foremost, the Veal Scaloppine arrived with an eggplant mozzarella garnish on top of an underwhelming portion of veal. I noticed with all the dishes that everything was SUPER thin. They pounded down all the chicken to make very thin slices. With the veal, they cut corners by having only small medalions. It was supposed to be a light tomato oregano sauce without any discernible flavor. The sauce fell flat, lacking depth and complexity. It seemed as though the oregano was an afterthought, and the soft tasted like a jar of Ragu. The accompanying vegetables and potatoes were also disappointingly bland, lacking freshness and flavor. It was evident that little attention was paid to seasoning or enhancing the natural taste of the produce. -- Chicken Parmesan - To start with, the chicken itself was a major letdown. It was super thin and pounded down; it was practically nonexistent, resembling more of a sad, flattened cutlet than a substantial piece of poultry. Not only was the chicken thin, but it was also devoid of any flavor or seasoning, leaving me wondering if it had been seasoned at all before hitting the pan. Given that it was flattened so much, it was not moist at all. Accompanying this sorry excuse for chicken was a bed of spaghetti that tasted like it had been plucked straight from a cheap, store-bought carton. And let's not forget the pasta sauce – or should I say, the insult masquerading as sauce. It tasted like a generic jar of Ragu straight off the grocery store shelf, devoid of any depth, richness, or homemade charm. It lacked the vibrant flavors of fresh tomatoes, herbs, and spices, leaving me wondering if any effort had been put into its preparation at all. -- The veal scaloppine was a mere shadow of what it should have been. Instead of the promised tender and succulent cut, what arrived at my table was a thin, overcooked piece of meat that resembled more a chicken cutlet than a veal. The thinness of the meat contributed to its dry and chewy texture, making it a struggle to enjoy even a single bite. Adding insult to injury was the Marsala sauce, which I can only describe as a soupy disaster. Instead of delicately coating the scaloppine and mushrooms, the sauce drowned the dish, turning it into a soggy mess. The Marsala sauce lacked the richness and depth of flavor that is characteristic of this traditional Italian sauce, tasting more like a diluted broth than a savory enhancement. -- Overall, the ambiance and service were amazing. However, while the start of the dinner was hopeful, it quickly slid to the depths of a restaurant that had lost its luster.

Everything we ordered here was delicious, the staff was all friendly, jolly, and kind, and the prices were reasonable. we particularly enjoyed the agnolotti.

- great good big portions!!! Andrew and Fahara were great!

Parking: Ybor City

This is a quaint cozy authentic Italian restaurant, NOT an American Italian restaurant. The dishes are less heavy, the ravioli is homemade, and their seafood options are some of the best in the restaurant. It has a very romantic atmosphere. You should make reservations if going on the weekend. This place is small and doesn't have a fan-fair out front like a lot of places on 7th in Ybor, but it is hands down the best Italian restaurant in Ybor. They also have daily specials not on the menu every day. Vegetarian options: The dishes are not marked vegetarian, but most of the serious pasta options are pescatarian or vegetarian *with the option to add meat. The second part of the menu is heavy meat dishes. In actual Italy they serve multiple an antipasto (usual meats, fruits and/or cheeses) a Primo Plato (usually meatless pasta) and then a secundo plato (generally hearty meat dish.) Then there is a dessert dish, and finally espresso and then a shot size serving of a sweet wine or grappa (grape liquor) a digestive aid. They have sweet wine here.