la famiglia italian restaurant

terrible dining experience. the starter salad was insultingly small. there were five of us dining and each of us were equally disappointed with our entrees. the lasagna was very similar to a can of chef boyardee ravioli. the chicken fettuccini was incredibly bland and the chicken tasted as though it was thawed from a bag and never seasoned. the margherita pizza had little to no sauce on it and was also incredibly bland. the veal was a special menu item. the sauce that the veal was served in was mostly red pepper and olive oil. it was painful to eat and impossible to finish. and the only dish at the table that was fair was te lamb which was also a special. the salad it was served over was very fresh and the lamb was not anything to brag about but was definitely not as bad as all of the other dishes. overall, this was a serious disappointment to our entire family and i personally do not understand how this place could ever get agoodreview from anyone if this is the normal state of the food served.

always looking forgoodplace to eat when we vacation in destin, and this place was great!!! coming from louisiana, we're picky aboutgoodfood. this was the best italian food i have ever had!

dinner. we were the very first customers when this place opened and enjoyed taking visiting family & friends there regularly; the service and the food were consistently good, but that was before they got popular. we continued to patronize them until about a year ago when the servers barely acknowledged us, the same ones we'd known since the beginning. then, the food started to suffer. we returned again only when out-of-town family came to visit & remembered howgoodthe food was. it's one thing for one person to have a disappointing experience, but our whole table confirmed that items we had truly enjoyed in the past were nowhere near the quality or flavor we had before. our favorite, osso buco was a very small portion, mostly bone and very little meat and was swimming in fat. the very small lamb chops special was way overcooked, dried out and the chops were tiny altho' the plate looked large by a whoping heap of salad greens; the special fish we ordered was tasteless. that would make this the last time we visit there, especially since the prices are way out of line; after all, this is not new york where the price is worth the meal.

went at dinner time expecting it to be busy and there was no one there. customer service wasgoodand the food came out fast. (10-15 minutes we received our food) i had ordered a cheese pizza and fries. the pizza was medium crust and great for the price. $12.99 and we got what we paid for.

i would come back for the pizza.

let down from other online reviews. we went to la famiglia on a sunday at the harbor location after reading so many glowing reviews on another site. we were quite let down. the salad was strangely missing any truly green lettuce and did not look fresh (see photo). in addition it was an up-charge with the entree (it being included was marked through on the menu, so at one time it was). it was definitely not worth the additional expense. another family member's caesar salad did have better dressing, but still looked more yellow than green. pastas were better than salads, but not worth the drive from the 30a area, and certainly not anything more memorable than chain italian. perhaps we caught them on a bad day. the alfredo sauce was a highlight, but overall i left wondering how people were able to write so many glowing reviews after a mediocre meal. thegoodnews is that staff were earnest and service was overall good, even with a translation problem related to a dressing request.

we randomly stopped at la famiglia to eat dinner when my mom decided she wanted spaghetti for dinner --- which is so random for the beach. well, i am so glad she had that craving! the mango margaritas were yummy. the bread with olive oil, served for free, was refreshing! my mom ordered the cannelloni, which was eaten in its entirety by the pickiest person in the world. dad had white lasagna, which was sogoodthat he debated ordering a second to take home with him. i ordered the cheese pizza, and even though i wasn't really ecstatic about eating there --- are most of my serving (which was kid's sized, but still enormous). after trying everyone's very authentic italian entrees, we decided to share cannoli for dessert. it was my first time to have it, and it was prettygoodtoo. i had only wished the cream inside was colder and lighter. other than that --- this restaurant was perfect, especially for a family. our waitress was incredible, although i do not remember her name.

do yourself a favor and eat here while you're in destin. it has a big location on the harbourwalk, but we ate at the smaller one near the red door saloon.

will not eat here again. we are locals and thought we would give la famiglia a try. worst $71 food investment we have ever made!

grouper piccata special for $31 had a very small portion of fish- pretty sure it was tilapia not grouper. the pasta was underdone, and we like al dene when cooked properly.

my fetuccini dish tasted like jar marinara sauce, not evengoodquality.

hoped for agoodexperience but unfortunately not at all!

go elsewhere. we were looking for somegooditalian food and thought we would give this place a try. we should have eaten elsewhere. it took us about 5 minutes to get a table when half of the restaurant was empty. we were not offered drinks, i had to ask for them 3 times. one of the dishes we ordered they were out of and the food had no taste. we have had better red sauce at domino's pizza and better pizza from a frozen totino's pizza. then at the end of the meal, we heard the waiter give the table next to us specials....wow, would have been nice to have the same option. need i say the service sucks.. way too over priced for what you get....if you are reading this....save your money and eat elsewhere!!!

in town for vacation with the wife and 2month old. wanted somegooditalian so decided on this place. its alil small and nice inside so go early or wait. we got there at like 5:15 and it filled up by 6:15. the garlic olive oil with bread was great, and i had a martini that was good. wife and i split a pizza and one of the specials and they were both awesome. finished with the pistachio cheese cake and it was awesome. all in all, no complaints other than a touch pricey ($84). they accommodated us with the baby and service was very good. we'll go again next time.

returned again this year.goodservice this visit. i had spaghetti bolognese (average) and hubby had gnocchi with sephania sauce (parm, garlic, sausage) ( excellent). we finished the meal with cannoli (excellent).


-----24 sep, 2012-----

good food. service a little slow but they were packed on a sunday night. would go back again when in the mood for italian.

over priced. this place was very over priced for the taste of the food...if you wantgooditalian, you would be better off heading to clemenzas. their food is far more flavorful and isn't quite as expensive.

reallygoodfood! fast heartwarming service! get the lobster ravioli.

worth a visit!. i had a saturday business lunch and my bride was able to join me. four adults and a well behaved 5 year old made up our party. we had fried cheese sticks, calamari, the house bread and olive oil for our appitizers. the seasoned olive oil was top notch, as was the calamari. we ordered pasta off the lunch menu, and enjoyed the great company. the youngest member of our group ordered a cheese pizza off the kids menu. it was huge!

our food was served quickly and was perfect! the sauces were deep in layers of flavor and the pasta was devoured by our group. we were extreamly pleased by the superb service wonderful atmosphere and great food. of special note was the sweet tea. i seldom findgoodsweet tea in destin. here it was perfect.

if you are looking for great italian ... this is it!

grrrreeeeaaaattttttttt. omg we come from maryland where we have little italy, so glad we found you the best itailian ever! bad news we have to wait for a tablegoodnews you busy.


-----25 apr, 2011-----

the best. we love this restaurant!! the food is always wonderful and the people there are the best.

best italian in destin!. we happened upon la famiglia on the internet when looking for agoodplace to grab a pizza while in destin. after reading all the great reviews, we decided to try it out for ourselves. we ordered the bruschetta, caprese salad and the pepperoni pizza. the bruschetta was okay, but the pizza was so fresh and probably the best we've ever had. we actually went back on our last night in destin and had it again! there are many pasta dishes on the menu that i wish i had tried, maybe next time! also, the bread dipping sauce is so addicting! we will definitely be coming back next time we are in town!