Il Ritorno

The food at Il Ritorno was truly incredible — every dish was beautifully prepared and full of flavor. Unfortunately, the service did not match the quality of the cuisine. After being seated for our 8:30 reservation, it took about 10 minutes before anyone greeted our table, and another 15–20 minutes before we received drinks or even bread. Throughout the rest of the evening, we noticed a consistent pattern of slow service, especially when it came to getting drink refills or placing additional orders. For the price point and reputation of this establishment, we expected a much more attentive and timely dining experience. Amazing food, but the service was subpar and disappointing for what you pay.

Il Ritorno is hands down my favorite place to dine in Saint Pete! The food is absolutely incredible. The charcuterie board, bucatini pomodoro, dry-aged meatballs, and truffle potatoes are all must-tries. The service is truly exceptional the staff are so attentive and always make sure you have a great experience from start to finish. It’s easily the best Italian food I’ve ever had, and I look forward to every visit!

We visited here for our anniversary in October 2025, and while the overall experience was OK, we both agreed we would not take the time to go back. The Pros: We went on a Monday night, so the restaurant was quiet and the service staff was very attentive. We were waited on right away and were even given a free glass of champagne each to celebrate our anniversary! The highlights of our meal included some fantastic bread, pasta, beautiful plating, and a great wine selection! The Cons: The rest of our meal, however, we would say was quite underwhelming. The salad was a bit bitter, and the octopus (while cooked absolutely perfectly) had a bit of a fishy flavor. But the real disappointment for us was the meatballs. We did not realize these came fried, and when they were served to us, we each had one bite and decided we did not particularly care for them. We kindly let our waitress know, and even though we left the entire remaining dish untouched, she did not offer any apologies or to take it off our bill. All in all, it is a nice meal. But for people like us who go to Michelin Guide restaurants all the time, we felt this missed the mark.

We had an absolutely incredible experience at Il Ritorno for our anniversary! Not only was the food impeccable, but so was the experience, the staff, the ambiance, it was overall a top dining experience. We did the tasting menu, and the team was so nice to accommodate making mine gluten free (we did call in advance to make sure the kitchen was able to do this for us that evening). Dan was our main server and truly made sure that we were enjoying our time and made sure we felt celebrated as well. We will be sure to be back!

One of the BEST meals we've ever had! Celebrated our anniversary with the Tasting Menu (and wine pairing). Everything was beautifully presented, ingredients were relayed by the service staff and the taste was out of this world! I can't say enough good things about the food and service. Kudos to the entire team!