Date Night Near International Drive in Orlando

A Date Night That Actually Impresses

International Drive has dozens of restaurants, and most of them are designed for families with kids who just left a theme park. That is not a date night. A date night is two people, great food, a good wine list, and a room where you can actually hear each other talk. Ciao Italia Ristorante is the date night restaurant near International Drive that locals have known about for years.

Just just 2 minutes from I-Drive on Westwood Boulevard, Ciao Italia has been the Navarra family's restaurant since 1991. The lighting is warm. The tables are spaced so you do not feel like you are part of someone else's dinner. The wine list is Italian-focused and curated with care. And the food is made from scratch every day, the way it has been for over 35 years.

What to Expect

Start with the Burrata or the Bruschetta Classica. Share the Risotto alla Pescatora or the Pappardelle with Wild Boar. Order a bottle from the Italian wine list. Finish with the house-made tiramisu, which has been on the menu since the restaurant opened. The entire dinner is unhurried. The staff knows when to check in and when to leave you alone. That is the difference between a restaurant that has been doing this for 35 years and one that opened last season.

Ciao Italia is Zagat rated with over 4,000 guest reviews and 9 awards. It is not trying to be trendy. It is trying to be excellent at something specific, and it succeeds.

Better Than the I-Drive Options

The restaurants on International Drive serve a purpose. But when the evening matters, when you want your partner to look across the table and think you really put thought into this, you drive five minutes off the strip to a quiet street where a family has been cooking Italian food for three decades. That is the move.

Located at 6149 Westwood Boulevard, Orlando, FL 32821. Free self-parking. Open seven days a week from 5 PM to 10 PM. Reservations recommended on weekends. Call (407) 354-0770.

About Dining Near I-Drive

International Drive is the heart of Orlando's tourist corridor. Stretching over 11 miles through the center of the city, I-Drive is home to theme parks, attractions, outlet malls, and hundreds of restaurants. Millions of visitors walk this strip every year looking for somewhere to eat after a long day.

The problem with dining on International Drive is that most of the restaurants are chains. The same menus you can find in any airport or shopping mall. The food is predictable, the service is rushed, and the experience is forgettable. Visitors deserve better than that.

Ciao Italia Ristorante sits just off International Drive on Westwood Boulevard, where the Navarra family has been cooking authentic Italian food since 1991. The pasta is handmade daily. The sauces are made from scratch. The bread is baked fresh every evening. It is a fundamentally different dining experience than anything on the main strip.

Whether you are staying at one of the I-Drive hotels, visiting SeaWorld or Aquatica, or spending the day at the outlets, Ciao Italia is 2 minutes from the action. Free parking, walk-ins welcome, and open every night from 5 to 10 PM.

How to Get to Ciao Italia from I-Drive

Getting to Ciao Italia from International Drive could not be simpler. The restaurant sits on Westwood Boulevard, one block off the main I-Drive corridor. Whether you are coming from the north end near ICON Park or the south end near the outlets, you are looking at a 2-minute drive. Free self-parking is available for all guests.

More Questions About Dining Near I-Drive