Fratelli Italian Restaurant & Bar

I think this place (Fratelli) has closed and is now renamed Aqua Vitae or some weird name. Still looks like a dive to me however I have not eaten there since it came under new ownership. The last place was horrible so I have no great expectations for the new place.

Best pizza in town! Their white pie is to die for. Thin crust. Great salad too! Our fav.

Hit or miss depending on who’s working. The food is great, as far as Italian it all comes down to the sauce and there’s is definitely on point. Only letdown I can say is they stop serving pizza at 2pm and some employees are mad negative. All in all though, great business.

Excellent food and service. Would highly recommend it, especially if catering an event. Friendly staff and reasonable prices.

Went here recently for Lunch with some people from work as it’s very close for us. I had heard some mixed reports, but I was very surprised at how bad this place was. My one friend had warned me saying, «I don’t know what these other people are talking about, but that place is gross.» And while he was a tad harsh, he was basically right.
First of all, the service there is awful. The girl who took our orders had a mood that ranged from indifferent to downright hostile. I half expected to find a loogie in our water glasses… she was that bad.
Now the food comes and I ordered Chicken Parmesan… wow…that was really some of the worst Italian food I have ever tried. The sauce was literally bitter… too much Oregano, too much basil, no sugar, no good flavor… just bitterness and not a hint of tomato flavor. I literally could not eat it.
Now on the better news front, one of my co-​workers let me eat part of his hamburger which was a major improvement and made me raise my overall rating from 1 star to 2 stars. Now maybe I’m just an Italian food snob as an Italian guy from New York, but the Sauce here made your local Olive Garden seem like a gourmet 5-​Star New York City restaurant!
Stay away. I will probably never set foot in this place again.

Where do I begin? A group from work wanted to go for lunch, so we called our order ahead so we could get in and out. We get there and ask if we can add another table as a few more people decided to join as on our way out from work. We did get another table, but not without an attitude. Strike 1.
So we sit down and the waitress brings water and throws the straws at us. She never asked if there is something else we would like to drink. Strike 2.
So some orders start to come out. There are 12 in our group, 9 ordered ahead. Of the 9 that ordered ahead, there were 2 of us still waiting for our food after 20 minutes and some of our party already finished their lunch. We asked about our missing food and somewhere our orders got lost in the shuffle of an insanely busy lunch (insert sarcasm). There was one table seated when we walked in and 3 others after we got there. Oh, and did I mention the 2 missing orders were for 1) Caesar salad and 2) soup and a side salad, so it didn’t even need much prep to be served. Strike 3.
So we’re there about a half hour now and finally we all have our food. Most are already finished. Even after the late delivery of the last 2 orders, we had to ask for our checks. So we finally get our checks and of course they added in the tip because our group was more than 7. (insert BULLSH*T). I look at my check and was charged for a chicken Caesar and I had just a Caesar (OVERCHARGE). Strike 4.
Other people in the party never received parts of their orders, but I learned this after everyone was done and we were getting ready to leave.
On a final note, the food overall was mediocre at best, so don’t waste your time.

A cute little Italian hideaway. Friendly staff and good food. I had the sausage parm with a side salad and a cold drink. Low prices. Had the pizza in the past and the chicken parm. All good. Give it a shot.

My wife got the spaghetti for dinner and also paid extra for some garlic bread. The entire meal was disgusting and we threw it out.
1. The pasta tasted bland and had a rubbery texture
2. Meatballs also had a strange taste like they were old
3. Sauce tasted like it was from a can
4. Garlic bread was stale and lacking flavor
Would not recommend to anyone. Stay away!

Have ordered food several times since last review both dine in and take out. Pizza is still the best around. Decided to give Chicken Parmigiana a chance and glad I did. It is very good as well and a big serving. Also this place makes a very good cannoli.
All the people that work there as super friendly.
Great food, great prices and great people. I really find myself craving their food.

What can I say? This place has the best food. The atmosphere is laid back. Not fancy, a neighborhood feel with friendly servers. My husband says they have the best tasting pizza in the world. And with him being 70, he’s tasted a lot of pizza. You get enough food to have left overs for the next day. And be sure to get dessert. This is our go to place for a quiet dinner without loud sports blasting in the background. They do have tv so you can see your game, but its not annoying.

I’ve tried plenty of options on this menu and have not been disappointed. My favorite by far has to be the eggplant rollatini. Because of hours that close a bit too early for my tastes I really like that they deliver to my place of work, and is close enough for pick up. They have a bar, and serve by the modest carafe. Zerillos is also nearby, but this place has better deals, offers, a diners club, and they email coupons on a regular basis with food just as delicious (the veal here is actually way more delicious than Zerillos) than any other Italian joint in the area. Very unassuming and homey feel.

Located in an unassuming area next to goodwill, you’ll find fratelli.
We had a
coupon and were pleasantly surprised. Based on Mark H’s review I knew we were in for a treat.
We started off with the eggplant rollatini which was the star of the show. Next time I’m ordering this and a side of pasta for my meal.
I ordered the grouper francaise and chose the minestrone soup for my side. It was served with fresh garlic bread which was a nice treat. Although good, it wasn’t great. I guess it was hard to top the eggplant.
Mr Kelleigh ordered the chicken Marsala which was loaded with mushrooms and had a side of linguine. I tried it and it tasted a bit oily. He decided upon the side salad. That was a simple salad with a good house vinegarette.
Would we go back? For sure. I’d order the eggplant and a side of penne with their marinara and I would like to try the pizza. Other persons had ordered the pizza and it looked great (also a Mark H recommendation).

We found this place with a
certificate. I was impressed. It is good Italian food. I wouldn’t take children there and the service is rather slow but I really enjoyed the food. It is a small place and well hidden so if not for the certificates we never would have found them. We will go back as long as they stay on
so we ca remember they exist.

So we continue our quest of good italian food & due to good reviews we thought we would give this place a try. I’m sorry to report the marinara sauce had an unpleasant taste. The server was very nice and offered to trade it for something else, but at that point I was turned off to try anything else on the menu. So our search continues.

Hold the presses! Went back for a 3^rd time and we ordered the pizza. Took one bite and KNEW they use Grande cheese. This was confirmed by the waitress, who was overly impressed at my ability to identify the type of cheese. This was definitely a New York-​style pizza, hand-​tossed, backed on a stone in a proper oven. Kudos to this small mom and pop place for cooking a proper NY pie, IN ADDITION TO having down right delicious Italian food.

The food is okay. I was not blown away. We chose to eat here based on their participation with
and purchased a certificate for $ 25 off a $ 35 purchase. Our total was just under $ 40, but after they added tax and mandatory gratuity, the total was about $ 50. So when I expected to pay about $ 10 plus tip after using my certificate, I ended up paying over $ 25. So I was slightly disappointed. Especially with the fact that the food was not amazing. They also don’t have very good hours — only being open until 8pm on a weekday. It’s very hard to get off work and get into a restaurant before 7pm. It was alright, but I wouldn’t hurry to return.

Good food good prices

Nice local place. You’d never know it, as it is behind the Goodwill on Tampa Avenue in an industrial area. Very Italian décor and good customary pasta entrees. Lasagna very good, as is the baked manicotti, ravioli and stuffed shells. Nice marinara sauce on all. Large antipasto — can be a meal by itself. Has daily specials. Wait staff friendly and accommodating. Only open until 8p M-​Th, and 9p Friday & Saturday, so come early!

Food was bland and service was absolutely horrible! Salad was lettuce and a small amount of oil, nothing else. Pasta was clearly nuked and sauce was cold. Will not recommend or go back.

Update:
12÷23÷11
Joined friends and family here near the holidays for a quiet dinner. A thoroughly enjoyable meal according to all the Fratelli newcomers as well as those who’ve visited before. Struck once again at just how great the pasta fagioli is, a fresh taste with a nice spicy flavor.
Original review:
I retired to the Clearwater area 4 years ago, and moved to neighboring Palm Harbor one year ago. For all of this time I’ve been searching for a small family-​style Italian restaurants like I ate in so many times back up north. Fratelli’s is the real deal folks. I found them through the coupon site
, and checked out all of the online reviews which were excellent. They deliver fresh-​made Neopolitan-​style recipes that are so good, with great service at great prices. Fratelli’s is tucked just a block off of Tampa Rd. in a quiet spot (if you need a landmark for Commerce Blvd. on Tampa Rd., it’s where the large Goodwill store is). Furnishings are very nice and typical of so many great family Italian restaurants I remember, with plenty of tv screens playing sports channels and a bar you can eat or drink at.
I visited for the first time today with 2 family members. I ordered the shrimp marinara, and they ordered lasagna and a cheese and ham calzone. Within a moment of ordering an order of garlic bread landed at the table. Delicious! The entrees were served with a choice of soup or salad, so I chose pasta fagioli (pasta and bean soup). So fine and just like I tasted so many times back home. My family members split a side salad with plenty to spare between 2 people, and it got a big thumbs up. Service during the meal was prompt and attentive and our drinks were never empty due to the attention from the great wait staff.
Our entrees arrived just on time, and the portions were so big we decided to share all around to make sure we all sampled each dish. The lasagna was the finest I’ve tasted in Florida, thick and rich with sauce and cheesy goodness. The calzone crust was thin and crisp, and we each agreed it was almost pastry-like…far from so many other Italian restaurant attempts that end up far too thick and doughy. My shrimp marinara had that earthy goodness I’ve longed for, devoid of the overly sweet taste of marinara sauces at so many Italian restaurants. While I shared some with the family members, I barely finished half of the dish and brought the rest home for lunch tomorrow!
Soon after our meal ended, the owner stopped by to check on our meal and chat with us for a few moments, welcoming us to his restaurant. A nice touch and a great finish to a fine meal.
While we enjoyed the dinner menu during the lunch hour, they have a great selection of lunch specials under $ 6 that appear to be outstanding deals… you can hardly eat fast food at their prices. I noticed their website has coupons for the lunch specials as well as buy one/​get one entrée deals they may offer.
I’ve been researching the online restaurant review sites diligently for the past few months for places near me, and have had great luck checking out the highest rated restaurants. I rate my reviews on how well any restaurant meets, fails or exceeds my expectations. Fratelli’s definitely exceeds my expectations and solidly earns my five star rating. Highly recommended, and I will definitely be back soon.