I have been to this restaurant 4 times now, I have faith that this place could represent Italy, (I know the owners are from Italy) and I want the food to represent that fact. Ok about the food, it is ok, however the only real complaint I had was every time except once out of the four the pizza was burnt. We are very familiar with real Italian pizza, for we've been eating it our whole life (The flavors are good, but for some reason it keeps coming out burnt), The eggplant dish is delicious, the pasta is ok. My gelato was very good, but the portion was very small. The service is ok for the most part, but a little flustered at times. I like the place and will try it a couple more times before I make harsh decisions, because I have hope and faith they will correct the burning of the pizza and any other hiccups they might have. The ambiance is nice and interesting and I look forward to trying it again.

I have no clue why this is only rated a 3.7. I went there last night based on a recommendation that if I wanted Italy quality artesian pizza that this is the place to go to. They were absolutely right. The service was great. Our server knew about how the pizza dough was made and what inspired the owner. The calamari was cooked to perfection with a slight crisp. The homemade bread was soft on the inside with a crispy crust. They also had a cool drink menu. Never had a Rum Old Fashioned before. The peak of the meal was the pizza. I grew up in NY eating a lot of Italian food and hate the fact that Florida just doesn't know how to make pizza. This place nailed it. I'd put their slice up again John of Bleeker. That's how good it was. Can't wait to go back to have a plate of pasta.

This upscale pizza pasta restaurant recently opened In the new Waterside Place in Lakewood Ranch, Sarasota. We came at 5 pm on a Thursday during the Winter. They don't take reservations. There was a wait at 6;30 when we left. There is a full bar menu. We had an Aperil Spritzer which was a nice size and delicious The menu included appetizers, pastas, pizzas, salads and panini sandwiches. For an appetizer we tried the fried calamari and a serving of focaccia bread. The calamari was good and it included some fried artichoke hearts as well. The focaccia bread was more like a naan bread, tasty but not focaccia. We both had the pasta with pistachio cream and sausage. This dish was different and good. But the pasta was too al dente. Needed to be cooked more. The prices are high as is everywhere in Lakewood Ranch. The food is filling so we did not have dessert.

My in-laws who live in Lakewood Ranch invited us to join them for dinner at Osteria 500. This restaurant is located in Waterside in Lakewood Ranch. We arrived early, at 5pm on a Thursday, as per my in-laws request. They were concerned that the restaurant would be extremely crowded with a long wait if we went later in the evening. Actually, to their surprise, when we arrived the restaurant was empty. They have been here many times and say it gets extremely crowded. Unfortunately, this restaurant does not take reservations. We started with cocktails and I ordered the Aperol Spritz and it was $14 which is a bit pricey. But It was a decent size drink! For appetizers my husband and I ordered the Fried Calamari with crispy artichokes. Although it was a nice size order, I thought there were a lot of the tentacles in this dish and the tubes I ate I found to be chewy. (I completely forgot to take a picture). We also ordered the Focaccia. This is served like a pizza. I thought it was tasty and enjoyed it. For dinner I ordered : CALAMARATA CON CREMA DI BURRATA AL PISTACCHIO & SALSICIA... large pasta rings, with burrata cheese & pistachio cream and house-made sausage I thought it was delicious but I personally would've preferred the pasta to be cooked more. It is served undercooked (which I knew from reading reviews). I thought I'd like it but it tasted a bit raw to me. When this dish is served it's deceiving! It doesn't look like a large portion but the dish is deep! I actually couldn't finish it. My husband ordered the same dish as me and felt the same. My in-laws shared the following pasta and a pizza : PAPPARDELLE MAMMA MIA... pappardelle wide fettuccine with speck, porcini mushrooms and truffle cream I tried a bite of their Pappardelle Mamma Mia and it was delicious! I would definitely order it if I ever go back to this restaurant. The restaurant is decorated nicely as many others have stated. It has two floors, we sat upstairs which was fine. They also have outdoor Seating. One thing I will mention is that the server will want to take your entire order at once. My husband and I often like to order drinks and appetizers and then look over the menu for dinner. We don't like to rush and don't like our entrees to arrive while eating our appetizers! At this restaurant, the server will tell you they want to take your entire order at once. We did as asked and didn't feel rushed at all. Everything arrived to the table as it should and we all enjoyed our evening. As we were sitting eating, the restaurant became crowded as my in-laws said it would. There was plenty of parking available when we arrived at 5pm.