Rustico Italiano Restaurant Reviews

The night could not have been better. Tony greeted us and from there on was nothing but excellent. The Osso Buco was to die for... Thanks for the great evening. DEFINITELY COMING BACK.

After I clicked on the link to write this review, I stared at the screen for five full minutes because I did not know where to begin. First and foremost, thank you to Nino - the chef and owner - for a completely fantastic experience from the minute we turned the doorknob. Secondly, my wife and I will without hesitation return. This place has catapulted itself to the top of my favorite restaurants list after my wife and I visited last night for dinner. The atmosphere is completely appropriate for this truly authentic Italian restaurant - music, decor, comfort, etc. My wife and I were greeted with nothing but smiles and pleasantries upon entering and were quickly seated by the sharp and attentive staff. I am from New York originally and this place reminds me of being on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx - the real little Italy.

Now for the food - it is as real deal Italiano as it gets. Please do not leave without having some kind of filled pasta, be it the ravioli, tortellini, or angolotti. It is made fresh in house and just melts when you take a bite. I had the ravioli with black truffles to start and loved it so much that the plate looked like it just came out of the dishwasher after I sopped up that sauce which I refused to let get away with a piece of crusty bread. My wife had the - get this - fried zucchini flowers stuffed with fresh mozzarella. Are you kidding me? Crispy, cheesy, just scrumptious. For dinner I had the veal osso bucco (I specify veal because they also have a bison osso bucco) which came braised to perfection with linguine in a delicious and savory brown sauce. The wine selection is great - but honestly, put the list away and just ask Nino which bottle to get with whatever you are ordering because he will nail the pairing, no doubt. The only thing I didn't know about the place was that it has beer and wine service only - no spirits. But to give you an idea for how much that mattered, I will leave with a quote from my wife while gulping our last sips of beautiful vino rosso: "I came in disappointed that I couldn't have a martini, but have spent the last two hours realizing how much I don't care.

Fine Italian cuisine. What a delicious surprise to find excellent Italian dinner made to order. From the authentic Italian bread to the Limoncello, a great dining experience!

Romantic and the owner is on premises, he makes you feel like home.

Awesome and tasty food, I love the mood this spot has, and the staff members were very nice. I will surely come back again.

Authentic Italian food. This is the only Italian restaurant my wife will let me take her to. She is also half Italian. They treat you like royalty and the food is amazing. Unfortunately I have only eaten there a dozen times. Can't wait to go back.

My wife and I have been here a few times. Food is good and it has a classy atmosphere. We made reservations 2 weeks ago to celebrate Valentine's day. Got to the restaurant to find out they didn't have valet tonight, which is a must in that area.



In the end we walked out completely disappointed and disrespected.

Horrible service, they have no idea how to treat their customers. We will never go back.

There's a reason this restaurant turns up as TripAdvisor's NUMBER ONE Italian restaurant, and comes up in the TOP THREE when you Google "best italian restaurant in south florida" .... The food at Rustico Italiano is amazing and the service is top-notch. Cuisine is authentic Italian (not the corporate American "Italian" fare you find at the chains) ... this is the real deal! The restaurant is cozy, European chic, elegant. The staff is attentive but never intrusive. First class all the way.

Dear rustico, five years ago i visited your amazing restaurant with my family all the way from australia. I cant get out of my memory when i got my son the spaghetti bolognese and he couldnt finish, so being a good father i finished it for him. Never have i ever had such an amazing bol in all the world, not italy, japan was close due to their pasta skills, but you are no 1 in the world! Please pm me how to make that sauce! Love desperate aussie

Great place. Food was wonderful and the sneaky guy from Mr. Deeds is always there to answer questions.

Amazing! Great Food, beautiful atmosphere, and wonderful service I loved it and will be back soon!

Arrived at 8:15 pm and was able to sit down immediately at the only fourtop available which was comfortable and we were served immediately which was very nice at that late hour. A couple of the items on the menu were not available, and one of the five dessert offerings was also sold out.
I ordered a cappuccino instead and was disappointed that there was no little biscotti available, or served with it...a pet peeve of mine with all of the Italian restaurants today...a cappuccino deserves a bite size biscotti (especially at these prices). Isn't that the way cappuccino is served in Italy?
Food was fresh and delicious, and service was good, but at $100 per head (which did include a bottle of wine),
it will be a special occasions place only for me.

I took my entire family there to celebrate my mother s 82 birthday and everything was absolutely terrific. The service was attentive and friendly, the wine selection is excellent and the food was fresh and definitely home made . Highly recommend this place!

We had my birthday dinner at this place after visiting several italian places in palm bea f2f h i would say this is one of the best, kinda empty when we got there (6pm) but it was full by the time we left (8pm) we had stuffed clams, and they were amazing, tried the wild quail on black rissoto and even tho the risotto was undercook , the quail tasted amazing, shrimp and crap rissoto and pistachio cheesecake had no comparison and a large wine selection. Thank you for a very good birthday dinner

very good food and awesome people, love their job!!

Great all round dining experience. The osso bucco was amazing.

Ambiance and service was excellent and most of all the food was the best Italian food that You can find in south florida. A true authentic Italian experience

I love this place! It is a traditional Italian restaurant. The food is great, the service is excellent, and it has the kind of atmosphere that I like. I have visited several times, and hope to visit many more times.

Everything about this place exceeded our expectations! The owner himself, the service, the atmosphere, the food and the wine were all amazing. Definitely coming back and recommending it to everyone!!

The perfect to describe a restaurant; the best restaurant, saw viole mangiare bene visit it. Super good quality service, thank you Nino

One of the great hidden gems in Palm Beach County. Great food. Great service. Great atmosphere. Want to impress your date? Take her/him here.

When nothing but the best is needed to impress, this is my number 1 choice of restaurant in Palm Beach County. Without fail whomever I introduce this place to ends up giving me a marvelous thumbs up. Try the stuffed artichoke and the risotto of the day. Fish preparations are outstanding. If you are lucky enough to still have room - at least share a dessert!

Lovely Italian restaurant run by Chef Nino.from the island of Capri.From the moment you walk through the door the service is excellent, very welcoming and professional. Nice decor, clean and modern,lots bottle of wine, pleasant atmosphere even when busy. We have been there on a Tuesday evening and the place was full but still remained intimate. The food is excellent, fresh and well cooked and presented. Great for special occasions or a romantic meal for two. We will definitely be visiting again.

Waited 8 minutes or more for water.... still... no waiter. 2 mgr types asked if we were ready to order... still no waiter 5 or 6 minutes later. We got up and left. Got great food and super service at Downtown Pizza!

Fresh, handmade authentic Italian dining. High-touch service, without over doing it. Ambience encourages table talk, but is not noisy. A must-visit experience for any size party. Recommend reservations as it seems popular with locals in the know!

This is a wonderful upscale dinning experience for sure. Highly recommend if you want a little quaint romantic Italian dinning to come here. Cost is upscale as well. But definitely worth it.

Honestly the place looked charming and I did not have a reservation. Upon walking in the waiter told us he did not have a table and that I should come back at 8:30 if I wanted to try. My daughter and I flew in from NJ to look at colleges and had driven from Tampa to Gainesville and then back to lake Worth. We were tired so we weren t sure we wanted to wait. After a short walk I went back in just to put our name in and tell him we would wait for next available. The waiter impatiently raised his voice and told me I was already told to come back after 8:30 and that i could see it was too busy. I wouldn t call it yelling but stern chastisement. I am a 53 year old woman and am not about to take that treatment from anyone. They can keep their food ....customer service SUCKS.

Wonderful place to east and have a quiet time while enjoy diner

My favorite Italian restaurant in palm beach for sure.
service is wonderful and every staff member is so friendly.A very welcoming authentic restaurant with a family feel .Chef Nino is a wonderful host.From burrata to stuffed peppers or pappardelle wild boars just great and delicious food .We were ready to leave and the owner told us to sit back down and brought us the best tiramisu to die for .Highly recommended this place !

Great food, Good Wine and Excellent service our favorite place to eat hands Down. You will Not find a better Italian Restaurant Anywhere......

Tony and Mateo Provided excellent service and food outside on the patio. We enjoyed many items on menu and the service was impeccable. Very comfortable social distancing. Delicious wine and food. Highly recommend.

When you dine at Rustico Italiano Ristorante an incredibly delicious and delightful experience will occur. The meals are creative yet reflective of chef and owner NIno Annunziata"s native isle of Capri. The food is delicate and artfully crafted to perfection, creating a subtlety of flavor that is dazzling to the palette. I have tried most items on the menu, sometimes ordering the same entree, salad, pasta, dessert, or special year after year. It is a pleasure to report that the quality of the food is consistent, nothing short of excellent. The next day I can still remember the savory tastes of dining at Rustico and wish to go back night after night. I also appreciate the waitstaff and owner who are courteous and friendly, accommodating and reliable. In a romantic atmosphere with fine food, fine wine and soft music, Rustico Italiano is a radiant star.

Nino is the absolute best. Hands down best authentic Italian. Tastes like my nonno cooking.

Absolutely fantastic. Nothing more satisfying. I've eaten at some of the best places in Manhattan and the north end of Boston (some of the best Italian in the US) and was blown away. Small cozy little location, lots of class, and a great menu to boot. The wine selection is fantastic across the board. Every course was amazing, an desert was finished of with a nice complimentary amaretto sipper. Truly classic Italian, with a nice urban touch, and friendly wait staff. Couldn't ask for more from a nice little Italian restaurant. Worthy of any wait that didn't even exist! We will be back tomorrow just to get another chance to savor the delectable delights at this fabulous Italian restaurant.

Excellent food and romantic atmosphere. This is a great place for a special occasion.

Food was delicious. Service was terrible, we were often left for 20 minutes at a time, and were treated as if we didn't belong. From the beginning the staff seemed surprised that we had made a reservation. They were not at all welcoming. Part of our order was forgotten. Check your hand written bill, we were over charged by $15. When we mentioned it to one of the staff, he tried to make us feel inferior. This particular waiter was extremely rude the entire time we were there.
We would be regulars if their service was not god awful.

Fantastico, everything is made with care. Highly recommend.

Never disappointed. And whom I believe is the owner of the restaurant, is a very nice fine guy. Food, well, let me see how I say this...IT IS FANTASTIC, everything from the beginning to the end is perfect. We were there last night for the second time, and were offered this amazing limoncello shots. OMG, what a delightful drink. Love it. Will keep going back. Best experience ever.

Held our office Christmas party here. Excellent service, atmosphere, and food.

Wow! Wow! Wow! What a beautiful dinner. Amazing service amazing food amazing place. I will be back.

When you walk in you feel like you just stepped into Capri. The food there is by far the best Italian dish I've ever had, if you are an Italian food lover this is the place for you and I promise you won't be disappointed.

By far the best Italian restaurant out there. I thought I knew Italian food until I tried food from the island of Capri, chef Nino really surprised me. It doesn't get better than Rustico Italiano. The service is great, food is out of this world, and The overall look of the restaurant is amazing. Definitely 5 out of 5

My husband and I have been coming here for years! Food and service is fantastic!! We ve been a few times recently and they re doing a great job with social distancing tables and sectioning off areas. They have some limited outdoor seating but inside is spaced very well. We felt very comfortable. Nino is the owner and he is great! Highly recommend this place!!

Some of the best Italian food I've had in this area! Absolutely in love with the decor, the atmosphere, and the food is wonderful! Highly recommend.

This place is horrifying! The help is rude and inconsiderate. I would not let my dog eat there!!

We were there to celebrate both of our husband's birthdays. When we arrived the restaurant was virtually empty. The waiter was clumsy and apparently inexperienced - not only in the way he avoided eye contact, but in the awkward way he removed plates across the table, etc. Bread was brought out but when we asked for more, 3 pieces came out in the basket for a party of 4. The salad was the only excellent thing that we had. My husband's osso bucco was stringy, chewy and tasteless as was my branzino fish dish which is very hard to ruin! Our friends each ordered the veal chop parm special that was dry and not tasty. Our bill came to over $225! 2 of us each had a glass of wine--outrageous for what we got. Overpriced and terrible quality food. Our local Dominics food is far superior to what we were served here! Spend your money elsewhere - this is a bust, sorry to say.

Friendly, excellent service & the food couldn't better if you travelled to Italy for your dinner!!!

excellent food just lacking a little service although extremely busy

Loved everything about this place! The food, service and atmosphere were all exceptional!

Best Italian food in the east coast! Ossobuco simply the best!

An amazing restaurant with incredible food and friendly staff. Would I recommend it to family and friends? You better believe it. If you get a chance to try the Ravioli al Tartufo Nero, you won't regret it.

Good Italian restaurant in Lake Worth. Just the right size. Food is better than fine. The restaurant is generally full and and noisy. We meet friends from the Boca area here

Pleasant staff and very good quality food I will definitely be going back and highly recommend

Great food and great experience! Wait staff was very kind and helpful! Food was amazing! I cant wait to go back!

Ambiance was nice but the rest of the experience was less than memorable. The wait staff are older men, which is normal if ever travelled to Italy, but ours was a bit pushy and directing of what to order. Having experienced authentic Italian cuisine on numerous occasions we were excited about adding this to our Palm Beach vacation. The food however, was mediocre at best and way over priced......the area has numerous Italian restaurants to experience so we would suggest you skip this one a give another a try......

With all the 5 star ratings I expected much more. The food was pretty good, not the greatest Italian food but a 3-4 star on the food. Atmosphere was very nice, surrounded by wine and a European feel. The beverages were very disappointing. Started by offering us pellegrino mineral water to which we said yes. An alternate was brought to the table, still from Italy but not what we were offered. Then the wine, ordered a montilpulciano for $42 and was informed it might not be the exact one we ordered but equivalent. I'm not an expert on Italian wines but I do know excessive mark up when I research it. This was a $8 retail bottle, over 5X markup!! That is just wrong and that is the main reason for the 1star. Finally they brought a complimentary amaretto to the table which I thought was a nice gesture. It was either watered down or a low quality amaretto as it was thin and weak. So there you have it, good food, bad beverage experience. Won't go back.

Authentic Italian. Great atmosphere and great service.

This restaurant is fantastic; one of my favorites in South Florida. It's intimate setting and decor transports me back to Italy every time I have the good fortune to dine here. Upon entering, the aroma reminds me of walking into my grandmother's apartment when we would visit for Sunday dinner. The staff is very helpful and the food is always delicious. I would highly recommend Rustico Italiano to anyone who wants to enjoy a taste of Italy right in the heart of downtown Lake Worth. Molto bene!

Always incredible food, very fresh ingredients, with great service

Wonderful food in a lovely small Italian atmosphere

My mom had a gift certificate that was old as heck and they honored it :)

Classic Italian with great food although a bit pricey for the location. Recommend the veal saltimbocca.

I have to say the food was amazing. The owner Nino was personable and made the experience welcoming and relaxing. I highly recommend if you want athenic Italian cuisine. I will be returning regularly.

The restaurant is a place that serves five star cuisine with a 4 star price. Excellent authentic Italian.

Wonderful. Surprisingly authentic for south florida

As restaurant professionals, we were delighted to discover this wonderfully authentic regional, (mainly Campania influenced) Italian cuisine. This little gem of a restaurant has thrived and survived for 18 years in the heart of downtown Lake Worth, which, unless you are an aficionado of comidas Mexicana, Cubana, or Peruviana, is pretty much a culinary wasteland. 18 years is 3 lifetimes for a restaurant, and a testament to the skill and professionalism of the owner and his small, but excellent staff.



We skipped dessert because we were tired after a long couple of travel days, but we won't be leaving without dessert next time! Nino, the chef/owner, was a very gracious host, treating us to delicious homemade Limoncello that transported us straight back to the Costiera Amalfitana! Bravo Nino, grazie infinite e ci vediamo alla prossima!

We've been coming here once or twice/year for 5 years as it's half way between where friends from the South live and where we live in Palm Beach...and we like it very much. It's a nice, small Italian restaurant. Sort of old fashioned. 6 of us had dinner there last night and had a variety of things all of which were good. Service was good. Easy to park in the neighborhood. We like it.

the service was not up to par with the prices on the menu. It was very cold in the restaurant. The food was just ok there are better places to eat in the area.

Peppers and sausage app was unbelievable and all four of our entrees were amazing. Highly recommend if you want authentic Italian food

We've been here several times, love the shrimp risotto and squid ink pasta, not to mention the most amazing atmosphere, I feel like I'm in Italy when I'm there :-). Thank you Nino for the most authentic dinning experience in all of Palm Beach County!

Small restaurant with friendly service and good food.

Fine Itallian dining from a master chef and service to match.

I'm traveling around Florida almost everyday and when i'm getting close to Lake Worth i must stop at Rustico Italiano Restaurant.
Tony is a great person,he has knowledge of good Italian food and wine.
Personally i believe is a Five stars restaurant with reasonable prices.

Excellent! Food, Wait staff, Ambiance, Music... Can't wait to come back...

Great dining experience! Quaint downtown restaurant with delicious food. The owners are meticulous about cleanliness and sanitation and we didn t have a worry in the world! Highly recommend.

We had a great dining experience! The service and food were excellent! The atmosphere was very romantic. They had a huge wine collection. Chef Nino recommended flaccianello and it was the best! We had it with the Veal Shank Ossbuco.