Caragiulos Italian American Restaurant

Sarasota, United States

4.2

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards
Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 941-951-0866
Website:
www.caragiulos.com
Address:
69 S Palm Ave, Sarasota, FL, 34236
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.7 miSarasota, FL (SRA)
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
Yes
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Good For
Dinner
Parking
Valet, Garage, Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
Yes
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
Yes
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Sarasota) 10:32 AM Thursday, May 22, 2025

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Tuesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Wednesday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 10:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 11:00 pm
Saturday 5:00 pm – 11:00 pm
Sunday 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Description

Specialties

For more than 24 years, the Caragiulo brothers have been entertaining Sarasota locals with their unique formula; simple and inviting Italian-​American recipes made with fresh, local flavors. The bread is baked on the premises each morning. The mozzarella is made fresh. The biscotti is still baked by Mrs. Caragiulo herself. Eating here is more like a gathering in the home of a good friend; comfortable & memorable.

History

Established in 1989.

Caragiulos became one of Sarasota’s most popular eateries in much the same way the family found the cozy storefront on Palm Avenue, with… ease. From his bakery in Brooklyn, Tony Caragiulo and his five sons came to Florida in pursuit of an agreeable location to open a simple Italian restaurant. After an exhausting, two week long car trek around Florida with no prospects and tempers flaring, Tony signaled for the car to pull over; «Stoppa the*#!*#!!!car!,… This is it,» he declared, pointing to the vacant stucco location… And it was.

Meet the Business Owner

John, Mark, Rob, Anthony and Paul C.

Business Owner

Caragiulos became one of Sarasota’s most popular eateries in much the same way the family found the cozy storefront on Palm Avenue, with… ease. From his bakery in Brooklyn, Tony Caragiulo and his five sons came to Florida in pursuit of an agreeable location to open a simple Italian restaurant. After an exhausting, two week long car trek around Florida with no prospects and tempers flaring, Tony signaled for the car to pull over; «Stoppa the*#!*#!!!car!,… This is it,» he declared, pointing to the vacant stucco location… And it was.

Related places

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Vicinity

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20 reviews of Caragiulos Italian American Restaurant

No registration required
Place rating: 5
St. Petersburg, FL
From the moment we walked in, we were greeted and seated quickly. Our waiter was friendly and recommended the tastiest wine and dessert.
Our meal was prepared delicious and it was a good size. We will definitely come back! Can’t wait to have the eggplant parm again.
Place rating: 4
Clearwater, FL
The food is AMAZING! Perfect sizes and not to rich like most tourist town Italian spots. Chicken parm was amazing and had light sauce which was perfect. Linguini with clams was the best I’ve had. The interior is calm and authentic. Reminds me of the Italian trattorias is NYC. Black and white checkered flooring, beautiful exposed brick pillars and industrialized hanging watt bulb lighting. Beautiful! The service was bland and unfriendly. But the food made up for our servers lack of effort.
Place rating: 5
Sarasota, FL
The specials are the best, buffalo chicken pasta & the veal is to die for. Then there’s the mussels & the bread. As for the staff there great, they make you feel very welcome & are very helpful. Can’t wait to go back…
Place rating: 4
White Plains, NY
Just really good food. Every dish we had was both well prepared and flavorful. The seafood was fresh and cooked just right.
Service was done with a sense of humor, though it was crowded when we were there for dinner and they may have been short one waiter.
Our one quibble is that desserts were by and large lackluster and we would skip them.
Place rating: 1
Sarasota, FL
Got the Angel hair Fra Diavolo. Not mention of Scallops in the dish… Dish shows up with scallops everywhere. Told them i would die due to allergy. No big deal for them. No «sorry». We almost killed you. Nothing… This place is pathetic… Train your staff– I almost owned this place. :-)
Place rating: 4
Newtown, PA
Best salad in SRQ! I have been coming here for many years and love the double size house salad with grilled anything! My favorite seat is at the bar because the service there is the best, always something on the bar TV, a friendly bartender and many interesting locals hang out there, too.
The salad itself is not fancy, ask for added avocado or whatever you like but the star here is the salad dressing. They also do take outs so you can’t lose! Indoor and outdoor seating is also available and so there is something for everyone.
Place rating: 5
Paradise Valley, AZ
We have been going to Caragiulos for 26 years. The staff and the owners are always attentive and make us feel so welcome and valued. The location on Palm Avenue is great for walking downtown.
The DaVinci Classic pizza is without question, the best pizza ever. I live in Phoenix and I am sorry to say, the famous Pizzeria Bianco does not hold a candle to this superb casual eatery. Their salads are fantastic and their grilled vegetable dish amazing! Don’t miss this wonderful and inviting eatery with charming patio! You won’t get better service anywhere!
Place rating: 5
Philadelphia, PA
The waiter told us they have the best lasagna in town and I ordered it… no joke and it is sooooo good! Very juicy and flavorful… also good qiantity as well. We had a great dinner here! The service is awesome!!!
Place rating: 1
Sarasota, FL
A pseudo Italian if there’s ever been one. I had the most tasteless and awful Caprese salad! The mozzarella cheese didn’t taste like mozzarella cheese it was dry and sour, it was cut in thick slices, so were the tomatoes. It was huge maybe that’s why it cost almost $ 12. After this I didn’t want to order anything else because if an Italian restaurant cannot manage to make a simple Caprese what is left for its more «complicated» dishes. The service was beyond ridiculous, our server disappeared, never brought placemats or cutlery for one of the guests, he had to get up and find them himself. Do yourself a favor if you have to go to this place, just sit at the bar which is cute, it’s hard to ruin cocktails or wine and if you drink enough you could probably swallow the food.
Place rating: 5
North Port, FL
Great atmosphere, great service, outstanding food. What more could anyone want?
Party of eight got first class service. Every dish was de– lish.
Place rating: 4
Sarasota, FL
In the art district of downtown Sarasota. A short walk from Main Street. Cute Italian restaurant. Would go back again for the chicken Parm and mussels!
We had:
Calamari. 3⁄5 stars. A little tough
Mussels 5⁄5 stars! Delicious!
Chicken Parm 5⁄5 stars!
Veal Picatta 3⁄5. Too salty.
Risotto 5⁄5. Creamy and delish!
Spaghetti and meatballs — 4⁄5
Place rating: 5
Mahomet, IL
Excellent food.
Bread was amazing.
Dinner was amazing.
I would come here again. Can’t wait to try the Cannoli.
Place rating: 5
Burr Ridge, IL
Never disappointed!!! Been coming here since February 2014 with the boyfriend who loves their Chicken Parmesan! I enjoy their Chicken Marsala accompanied with a glass of Chianti. As for the appetizer, their mussels are delish!
The service is always very friendly and the ambiance very comfortable
Place rating: 5
Indianapolis, IN
This is my biggest disappointment. Why? Because I lived in Sarasota for 16 years before trying this place!!! Ugh, regrets, regrets.
The bread with olive oil and balsamic is divine. My two favorite items on the menu are the braised short ribs ravioli and their meatballs. Sometimes the husband and I go just to share a bowl of meatballs and sauce… no pasta needed.
Do not leave without getting their homemade cinnamon donuts with coffee ice cream. It is an ENORMOUS portion, totally shareable!
Enjoy the exposed brick walls and ambiance, art work, and always stellar service.
Place rating: 5
Naples, FL
I ate here a few months ago with my fiancé before attending an orchestra concert at Van Wezel; what a pleasant surprise! The mixture of old world details and industrial lighting in the restaurant’s design added to the comfortable ambiance, which could be enjoyed at any taste level. The service staff was excellent, making sure we were taken care of and satisfied at all times. This is a definite must eat at restaurant whenever we are in the Sarasota area again!
Place rating: 5
Chicago, IL
We were going for a Christmas drive and decided to stop to have lunch. We parked on Main St. And walked about 5 minutes for this delicious Italian food.
We we more greeted by a smiling host and seated immediately near a window (I love window seats). Our server was a ray of sunshine & just a joy.
The complimentary bread was delicious (I ate 4 pieces… maybe it was 5). My Caesar Kale salad was simple yet delicious. And the homemade ravioli was fresh (I typically don’t like red sauce but this sauce was amazing; so amazing I «soped» up the remaining with bread… LOL). I heard that the spaghetti w/​Italian sausage was great. Lastly, we order cannoli’s & I enjoyed those, also.
We’ll definitely return to try other menu items.
Place rating: 4
Encinitas, CA
I haven’t been writing many reviews in the last couple years. Hence no «Elite» parties for me. I’ve been pretty busy — or is it self important — no no, busy. Yeah, that’s it.
Anyway; I’m taking the time out of my self-impor…BUSY life to write this one because I just had the best plate of pasta I’ve eaten in Sarasota by a large margin and a side of broccolini rabe that could have come from my Nonna’s kitchen. This was followed by one of the few deserts I eat — properly made cannoli. Really great.
4 ½ stars only because the service was ok, not great. Hearing servers complain to each other about a previous diner not tipping well enough is just unprofessional. People like me that tip too much make-​up for that, so get over it. If this food is consistent next visit, the review will certainly get the extra ½ star.
Highly recommended by this Paesano. Mangia!
Place rating: 5
Cincinnati, OH
Caragiuolos is a restaurant for just about anyone and anything.
You can have parties there, you can have a romantic evening or a fun time with family or friends.
Their salads are really good. Ask for the big bowl. They’re dressing is so good, that they sell it.
Their pizza bread is yummy.
Their chicken Parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs are all delicious. For dessert we had cannolis, which just topped off a perfectly tasty evening.
Their waitresses are very personable and knowledgeable.
If you like Italian, check them out!
Place rating: 3
Davie, FL
nice place to have an easy dinner and beer or wine in Downtown Sarasota. its close to many things in downtown and probably a great option after theater or ballet.
I chose the pizza special and salad and was enough to share for two. the pizza crust was light and tasted great. it came with pineapple and jalapenos which were a bit on the hot side.
salad was the beet and goat cheese.
wine selection okay. I would say everything was good and proved to be typical Italian. space in the restaurant is cool and on the noisy side but that’s a good thing.
parking is on the street and that was easy as well. valet parking available for this area no matter where you are dining. shops were closed. Sarasota shops are for those who shop early in the day.
Place rating: 4
Southern Pines, NC
We went two nights in a row so that should tell you something! The bread they give out to their guests is pretty good, what makes it the best though is the Venice olive oil and the Venice Balsamic vinegar, absolutely tasty. I could just eat that all night.
The cappers appetizer is beautifully presented on a hard wood block and arranged artistically. Our son loved making his own pizza on both occasions. They bring out a special platter with cheese, sauce, fresh dough and extra dough for the kids to amuse themselves; even a wipe to clean their little paws.
The chicken parmesan was pretty good, however i would like to see it presented with a more unique pasta and a little extra sauce. The filet was terrific but with the porcini mushrooms it was a bit much, not everyone enjoys mushrooms that much. I think a better paring would have been with fingerling potatoes, maybe sautéed onions and keep the grilled asparagus that it already comes with.
My mother ordered the salmon and she was really impressed which says a lot because she has pretty high expectations for a good salmon dish, it was perfect and again presented beautifully.
The desserts were great the flourless chocolate brownie and tiramisu were very good, served with fresh fruits and whip cream, the coffee was flavorful and the service was a pleasure.
Wether you are seated inside or outside, the ambience is relaxing and inviting. Even on a chilly night, the heater lamps keep you warm and the area is protected from the elements.
I highly recommend Caragiulo’s, a great place to try out and come back to.