Ciao Italia Casual Italian in Longboat Key

2020-02 Good paved well lit free parking. In a small shopping center that backs up to a bayside canal. Safe area. Well established Italian restaurant that is not a "tavern" even though it has a small bar. It seems they cater to established repeat customers and therefore expect reservations. As an early bird we were reluctantly granted permission to eat. Wait staff and servers were all friendly. Food was good and portions not large but prices fair. We didn't get wine or drinks but it is available. Plenty of seating in a faux country villa decor. Some outdoor seating but I don't think it was being used. They refused to seat 2 couples that showed up as we left. Note there are very few places to eat on the island. And last but not least the restroom was a bit funkier than it should be considering what they were aspiring to be.

Good food and service. Need to make reservations.

The pizza was great. Pleasant restaurant to enjoy. Bar area is a little small.

Chicken Penne Alfredo was watery with bland, boiled chicken. Terrible. We ordered salads to start along with our entrees, assuming we would be given the small/starter salad sizes. Once we got the check, we saw we were charged for the full size. We had no dedicated waiter and had to wait forever for even a water refill. We were charged extra for bread. Don't waste your time.

Nice happy hour dinner specials. They also had happy hour drink specials. Portions of the chicken parmesan that I had were quite generous. Garlic bread was particularly good. The marinara sauce wasn't my very favorite is it was a very fresh type of sauce versus the sauce that it's simmered all day. All in all the dish was quite good.

Awesome old school experience really good Italian

Nice place! Great pizza! Great service! I am definitely going back there again!

Best Italian restaurant in the Sarasota area.Their pizza is great! Great service as well.

Not good service food so so be prepared if you want more bread you get a extra charge.

Genuine Italian food in a warm friendly setting. Reasonable prices.

Delicious pizza, pasta, and salads! Definitely recommended! Not your average taste or place. Absolutely go for the early bird specials!

Very good food and awesome service!

Great food good employees and great service. The owners is a gem. Definitely reservations would be in your best interest. Drinks too

Good was good, but service was slow

Excellent service and food. A surprise Italian gem given the name. Beautiful bar and dining areas. We will be back for sure.

Had a great experience in here with my friend. The food comes quickly and the service is just excellent. Prices are affordable.

They need to improve outside.Looks very trashy!!!!!! Take pride in your place.A new sign /some plants that aren't half dead Etc would be nice.! Doesn't take a ton of $$$$.You should be getting only positive reviews!!

Great Iralian Food

Authentic fresh food, friendly efficient staff

Bartender not very friendly and rude! A coworker and I were there with a client and the bartender did not want us sitting at the bar because we were not going to order anything. The waiter and Manager were very nice and accommodating.

We are local and live 20 miles away but this place is worth of driving. Great authentic Italian food and friendly place. Owner is pleasant and service was fast. The BEST fresh Italian food around.

I love this restaurant very much. It has a very nice ambiance. The kitcen is wonderful. the service is efficient and the personel is very professional. The pay is fair. extremely recommend.

A relaxed atmosphere , with great service. Excellent late night Italian dinner.

Food good. Service terrible. Do not go here unless you are starving. Food was very good, but can go to Valentinos in Sarasota for same or better and get friendly service.

Meals were Incredible !! Very good service!! Excellent prices!! Don't let the outside of the place fool you, it's like stepping into a different world when you get inside the restaurant . Decent size portions too !!

Great food !! Great service !! The best. Owners Are great just one of the best places anywhere !!

Even my Italian friend loved the food. Service is excellent! Only problem is they are packed during season. Even so it's worth the wait. THANKS ANGELO!!!

Classic Italian restaurant with a terrific bartender. Food was excellent and it is obvious the owner and team care. Way-to-go!

One of our favorite places to eat in all of Sarasota. A hidden gem! Don’t let the name fool you... it’s fantastic Italian cuisine. Amazing food with outstanding service. The staff is very welcoming and there is not a single thing on the menu we have tried that we wouldn’t order again. We have been dining at the Bayou Tavern for over a decade now... And have eaten there 3 times in the past 2 weeks:). We love it so much we have told countless people about this hidden gem. Highly recommend.

Almost one and done. Would not recommend.

We have been coming to Anna Maria Island for many many years. Bayou Tavern is the first place we eat when we arrive as a tradition. We ate there last night and the food was fabulous , service was excellent and Dominico was his smiling self as always. We will eat there many more times while we spend our winter here at the beach here in FloridaJack

Used to be good, but on our last visit, the bottom of the pizza was so burnt, it was inedible. The owner/manager came out and told us that was the way they made it, and still charged us full price. Didn't even offer to make a new one.

Owner and server were friendly and helpful for our gluten free requests and the food was amazing. We will be back many times!

Fabulous Southern Italian cuisine. Traditional Bolognese style, fresh and flavorful. Owner and staff will make you feel like family. Eat in the bar, eat at the bar or in the dining room. "Wherever you are happy, I am happy" is the owners motto. Reasonably priced, I would definitely recommend the Bayou to any who visit the Key, even if you are staying on Anna Maria, you should make the time to visit.

Had meatballs and linguine, excellent; waitresses very friendly and infomative.

Goox food and friendly services

Excellent excellent food

Great , Friendly service, awesome authentic italian food with great prices! You cant ask for more. Had shrimp n scallop linguini and it was 10 stars! Best i have had probably ever!

I had the mussels snd arugala salsd. Both tasty. My dining companion had the eggplant parmigiana. Very good also.

Good food, good service

Nice people, the owner greets you and a friendly atmosphere. Clean and well kept. We eat here regularly and enjoy the bar, happy hour and the N.Y. style Italian food.

Love it ! My favourite place!!

Great salmon. Pasta sauce was yummy....service was good!

Appetizers were good, 1st basket of garlic bread (4 pieces) were fantastic, we requested a 2nd basket of garlic bread. I heard the manager tell the server to give us the loaf ends. We were served all ends of the loaf that were so hard they sounded like rocks when dropped on the plate. No one checked in on our meal nor did they offer drink refills during our entire dinner (we only drank water). When the manager finally come to clear our dishes, we told and showed him the rock hard garlic bread. He acknowledged it was overcooked (his words). He then brought the bill which included a charge for the 2nd basket of garlic bread. The cheapness of the manager on intentionally serving loaf ends, and then charging us for them, are the reasons for this poor review.

Great place. Hard to get to this time of year.

Great service and atmosphere. Big portions of really yummy food.

I had a great pizza and glass of wine here 2 nights ago!Pleasant laid back atmosphere, relaxing view of the bayou. We sat at the bar near the window.

Great authentic Italian!

Have eaten here multiple times over the past few years, food is always amazing. This place is a hidden gem! Dont be fooled by the outside. Staff is always very friendly and personal. Love it!

Having been a former restaurant server, bartender, manager and owner for the first 21 years of my working life, I understand good hospitality! This place has NO idea of how to make a customer feel welcome and comfortable! Two of us arrived shortly after opening, on a Monday, late afternoon. The perceived owner or manager told us very gruffly that seating outside was not possible because it was being "cleaned". We then were directed to seats at the bar and told to wait for the bartender (she was outside smoking) while he made himself a drink. Maybe 10 minutes later, the bartender finally showed up and offered us the happy hour menu which was severely limited. We declined and left