A Taste of Italy on Siesta Key

Fantastic food, incredible service…thank you Julia!!

Waiter was slow and customer service wasn’t his specialty.

1) do not pay for parking. You won’t know that you don’t need to, but do not pay for parking. I made the mistake and it’s almost $25 I will not get back. Restaurant customers can park for free. I did see employees go into the lot and stop people later in our visit, but we didn’t find out until well after it was too late. 2) “climate controlled patio” is great in colder months I’m sure, but if you’re going in the warmer months, be prepared for the heat. They were great about bringing a fan out, but that was it. Not necessarily a problem for everyone, but it’s not mentioned anywhere else, so here we are. 3) food and service were fantastic. Chicken parm was great (and gigantic), as was the gnocchi special (that day it had Italian sausage, ground beef and mushrooms). Price was fair. Drinks were well made- she had a spritz, I had a mule. The server, whose name I unfortunately forget, was attentive and very pleasant.

Cafe Gabbiano is fabulous. Refreshing upscale quality in every way!

Try it once you will go again.

My husband and I have been to Cafe Gabbiano every time we visit Siesta Key. Although it’s always been a nice experience, last night did not do it for me. My husband got the Bolognese Lasagna and he said it was very good! I got the Chicken Milanese and it was awful! I got 2 chicken breasts with a scoop of rice and arugula salad on top of chicken and they had some grilled vegetables on the plate as well. Whoever made this Milanese does not know how to make a true Milanese! Chicken should have been crispy, crispy without the bread coating coming apart every time you cut into it. True Milanese is being able to scrape your knife across the top of the chicken and hear the crispiness of it. This was an “Organic” chicken and when I tell you it was dry, it was very dry!! So disappointing!

We were visiting from our of town and I celebrated my birthday dinner here. Everything was wonderful from the service to the dishes we tried. Will come back when we are back!

Authentic atmosphere and dishes, good service, generous portions. An enjoyable experience all round!

Our service was excellent