When you’re craving fresh pasta or savory seafood, Boca’s Italian dining scene offers you a wide selection of restaurants, from pizza places to upscale eateries. We searched for the top menus and venues with chef-inspired and traditional family cuisine. Here’s our list of the best Italian restaurants in Boca Raton, Florida.
Amante’s Italian Cuisine
Amante’s Italian Cuisine’s sleek main dining room is a long way from its beginnings as a humble pizza place with seating for four. Now a separate dining facility from the original Bob’s Pizza next door, Amante’s specializes in Southern Italian food with specials like the veal chop Valdostano topped with prosciutto, spinach, mozzarella, and marsala wine sauce and snapper Francese sautéed with a lemon butter white wine sauce.
Stop by Bob’s Pizza next door if you’re hungry for pizza by the slice or a whole pie. Try fresh creations like the Amante with garlic, spinach, broccoli, and mozzarella, or the Vegetarian with peppers, mushrooms, onions, broccoli, spinach, and black olives. Bob’s also serves many of the same main menu items as Amante’s, adding pizza and subs.
Location: 2068 NE Second St., Deerfield Beach
Hours: Monday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday 10:30 a.m. to midnight, Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Piccolino
The cozy atmosphere and friendly staff at Piccolino Italian Ristorante make you feel like you’re part of the family. Piccolino carefully crafts fresh ingredients into their Italian delights. Try classic dishes like chicken Milanese, veal piccata, and shrimp scampi with linguine. Sample portions of pasta like ravioli with spinach and ricotta, gnocchi Sorrentina, and spaghetti bolognese. Check out the wine list featuring reds and whites from Tuscany and other Italian regions. Their small pizza selection includes margherita and rosciutto e rucola.
Location: 170 W. Camino Real, Boca Raton
Hours: Tuesday through Saturday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tanzy Restaurant
Tanzy’s modern atmosphere echoes its succinct menu, which features fresh pasta, seafood, and steaks. Tanzy offers handcrafted cocktails to complement antipasti like the tuna crudo topped with lemon vinaigrette, pickled mango, and Fresno chilies. Taste reimagined pasta dishes like sweet corn and mascarpone agnolotti with crispy pancetta, sweet corn puree, and tarragon brown butter or spinach ricotta gnudi with roasted mushrooms, pesto, and gorgonzola cream.
Mains are anything but typical, with new classics like pressed chicken mattone with grilled trumpet mushrooms served on a bed of creamy polenta with blood orange gastrique or the grilled swordfish puttanesca with San Marzano sauce, pesto, and sauteed spinach. Irresistible sides like the parmesan fries and the truffled polenta will keep you coming back to this Italian gastro pub.
Location: 301 Plaza Real
Hours: Wednesday and Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Novello Restaurant and Bar
Novello is a great place to stop for an elevated Italian dining experience. Choose from a lengthy wine list with selections from the “old” and “new” world and antipasti appetizers like marinated anchovies, clams cooked with wine and herbs, or veal meatballs with ricotta. Risotto and pasta selections include zuppa di pesce with main lobster tail, mussels, scallops, clams, and colossal shrimp over linguine with a wine marinara sauce and homemade gnocchi with ricotta in a pink vodka sauce. Main dishes include veal marsala, shrimp parmigiana, and branzino fillet with capers, tomatoes, and white wine.
Location: 5999 N. Federal Highway #4, Boca Raton
Hours: Sunday through Thursday 4:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 4:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar Pizzeria
Chef Louie Bossi’s curated selections set his restaurant apart as a destination for Italian cuisine. Start with charcuterie and choose from a tasting menu of cheese and cured meats, or select from four different bruschettas before your main course. Mains include daily house specials like veal chop alla parmagiana or filetto con tortellini and fresh seafood or grilled meat selections. Try the elevated pizza al forno with choices like Giardino with garlic and hot honey or the Piccante with spicy salami and peppadew peppers.
Louie Bossi’s also boasts two separate pasta menus, one for traditional “long” noodles and the other for “short” pasta and risottos. Long pastas include offerings such as linguini nero with yellow tomatoes, shrimp, Calabrian chilies, and mint and Malfadinne, a ragu of pork with ‘nduja and ricotta cheese. From the “short” menu, try tasty dishes like Radiatore with eggplant, San Marzano sauce, and ricotta or the risotto al frutti del mar with mussels, clams, calamari, and shrimp.
Location: 100 E. Palmetto Park Rd., Boca Raton
Hours: Monday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. for pizza and cocktails only.
Dominick’s
Head to Dominick’s for classic Italian fare and a lengthy selection of house specialty dishes. With menu sections dedicated to eggplant, veal, and pasta specials, choose from dishes like veal Sorrentino with a white wine sauce, prosciutto, and grilled eggplant or capellini del villano, an angel hair pasta dish served with sauteed shrimp and spinach in a wine-infused marinara sauce.
Try one of Dominick’s baked pasta selections. If you can’t choose, you can always try the three pasta combo with tortellini alfredo, stuffed shells, and baked ziti. You can also order from over a dozen specialty pizzas or taste one of their meaty subs.
Location: 8177 W. Glades Rd., Boca Raton
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Le Sorelle Restaurant
Le Sorelle offers upscale Italian dining in a sophisticated atmosphere. The restaurant serves updated classics with a foodie twist like the fettuccine alla bolognese with pork belly added to the hearty meat and veggie sauce for flavor. Try a fresh catch like the branzino alla sale cooked with pepper, salt, and oil in a brick oven or the Gamberoni alla Griglia grilled with herbs, olive oil, and savory breadcrumbs.
Le Sorelle also serves a dozen pizza options including the Cappriciosa topped with artichokes, prosciutto, mushrooms, and buffalo mozzarella. Sumptuously sweet classic Italian desserts like crème caramel cake and panna cotta al Cioccolato tempt you after the meal.
Location: 6020 N. Federal Highway
Dinner hours: Daily from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.
We hope you treat yourself to a meal at one of the great Italian restaurants on our list. If we forgot one of your top choices, let us know so we can include your suggestions.