osteria natalina

intimate and authentic italian experience. some of the best italian in tampa. the food always is fresh and the service is excellent.

the menu itself is uninspiring, but, as the owner will tell you, they can make just about any pasta dish. and the specials are numerous and always excellent.

it also is an intimaterestaurant(seating for around 50 people) so be prepared to wait for a table if you don't go early or a little later. but it is worth the wait.

if you are searching for authentic northern italian cuisine you have found the right place. osteria natalina is a hidden gem in tampa. i had the opportunity to travel throughout northern italy and ate plenty of food that was a delight for my eyes and taste buds.  there isn't one italianrestaurantin town that replicated those dining experiences except this one.  the service is impeccable, friendly and warm. the dining experience is similar to european customs. don't expect to rush in and out.  rather, sit back and enjoy your time here.  therestaurantis very clean, small and cozy. it's not loud like so many restaurants are these days.  the menu has many delicious options.  if you can't find what you are looking for ask the waiter to see if the dish you are requesting can be prepared for you. i have been here at least four or five times and can't say enough positive things about it.  the food is consistently excellent, full of flavor and the portions are just the right size.  i assure you i always leave completely satisfied and have discriminating taste in good food.  i highly encourage you to try it out if you have never been before.  you will be pleasantly surprised. ciao!

i've been wanting to try this place for awhile. like all the restaurants over in those shopping centers, it is a mission to find parking. therestaurantitself is tiny and cozy but definitely gives you that warm feeling of a really friendly italian family making you homemade dishes. they were extremely accommodating as my friend was debating between two dishes and our waiter (which also could have been one of the owners) surprised us with both. i had one of the specials which was a very interesting seasonal twist on four cheese raviolis, this one had pear and walnuts. the texture and taste was awesome. portion size for me was perfect but for people who are used to olive garden portions, this might not be the place for you. i highly recommend if you're looking for authentic and delicious italian food in south tampa.

great little spot in the crowdedrestaurantscene in this area of tampa. small cozy inside so if this is not your bag then look elsewhere. if you do tyou will miss a truly italian experience in service, food and ambiance.very romantic as well for a date night, special occasion or other worthy woo the babe event.food was excellent and we even got some personal attention from the ownership on our visit. wish there were more like this one around, in tampa and other places as well.well done.

rude!. i called therestaurantto reserve a table and the guy who answered rudely told me no reservations, first come first serve. so i thought, i'll give it a try regardless. my friends and i show up at therestaurantat 5:30 for dinner and went to open the door, which was locked. strange, i thought, since there were two men sitting right at the entrance looking outside at us. i knocked and a guy opened the door and asked what we needed. i said, uhh, dinner? he said we're not open; i explained i had called and was told 5:30. he said it's not 5:30; my friends and i all have 5:30 as the time. i said, ummm, it is 5:30. he said not by my watch and went to close the door. i said wait a minute; you are the same rude guy i talked to on the phone (the owner i'm pretty sure). he said you don't like it go somewhere else. jesus are you kidding me!? clearly, we left...

i am floored by the attitude of the owner of this restaurant. my husband and i arrived to an emptyrestaurantat 5:45 on a friday night with our toddler. as locals and former new yorkers we have been searching for good italian food- we thought this might be the spot... too bad we will never know! we wanted to sit at a 4 top and after the waiter settle us at the table, the owner told us we had to move to a tiny two top. i told him that my son eats real food and needs his own place setting. anyone with kids knows you can't spend an entire meal with your kid arms reach from your wine glass and food!!! he was so rude and told us that he needed the table.... for his empty restaurant. i mean we would have been out of there well before his dinner rush! i will not spend a dime here. and to think i've felt bad for this guy every time i see his empty place when i go to yokos!

my assessment is this is a greatrestaurantbut why does he insist on the “no separate checks’’ policy? while this is a minor inconvenience, splitting checks is fairly standard at just about every otherrestaurantin town. it’s irritating that the owner refuses to accommodate patrons.

the best italian food i have ever eaten. although therestaurantwas small the atmosphere was great and the staff was friendly and efficient. great menu.

awesome! our new favorite italianrestaurantfor tampa!. i've been to osteria once before, and had a great meal, but we have a tendency to forget about south tampa at times...

last night, my friend randy asked me to join him at osteria, and how grateful i am that he reminded me what a terrificrestaurantosteria really is!

from the moment i walked in, and being greeted by the owner, spartaco. how great! our server was prompt and always respected our conversation, never interrupting. his descriptions of the evenings specials made my mouth water - perfecto!

randy started us out with the eggplant rollatini appetizer - a delightful and delicately rolled eggplant - perfectly prepared. excellent! randy ordered the snapper off the menu, and i ordered one of the evening's specials - snapper francesca. we shared our dishes, and both meals were fantastic! perfectly prepared, super moist and tasty - fabuloso!

the service was impeccable every step of the way - not the overly-doting type of service, but just enough - maybe what i'd call politely persistent. other servers can discover a few lessons in service by dining here!

i must make it a point to return, as while i think carrabbas is a fairly good restaurant, it deeply saddens me that we don't have more locally owned restaurants with higher scores.

congratulations spartaco - i give this one a 10 (out of 10). you have a fabulousrestaurantwith awesome service! we will return - with regularity!

(and - thank you randy for reminding me what great talent we have in tampa bay!)

if you like authentic italian cuisine, you will love this restaurant! therestaurantwas formerly known as spartaco and the menu has many of the old favorite in addition to some great new items.