What Real Italian Food Looks Like
Orlando has no shortage of restaurants that claim to serve Italian food. Most of them are chains. The pasta arrives pre-made. The sauces come from industrial kitchens. The bread is an afterthought. That is not Italian food. That is Italian-themed food, and there is a wide gap between the two.
At Ciao Italia Ristorante, the Navarra family has been cooking real Italian food since 1991. Every pasta is made by hand, every day. The Risotto Pescatore is built to order with fresh shrimp, mussels, clams, and calamari. The Pappardelle with Wild Boar simmers for hours before it reaches your table. The Lobster Ravioli is filled and folded by hand. This is how Italian food is supposed to be made, and it is the reason this restaurant has earned over 3,000 reviews and 9 awards in more than three decades.
The Full Menu at a Glance
The menu at Ciao Italia covers the full range of Italian cooking. Start with bruschetta, burrata, or calamari. Move into handmade pastas like Sacchetti, Gnocchi, or Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp. The seafood dishes include Risotto Pescatore, Linguine Vongole, and the daily fresh fish. For meat lovers, there are braised short ribs, lamb chops, Chicken Marsala, and Veal Piccata. Finish with house-made tiramisu, cannoli, or panna cotta.
Every dish is prepared from scratch using recipes the family brought from southern Italy. There are no freezers full of pre-portioned meals. No microwaves in the kitchen. Just a family that takes Italian food seriously, cooking for people who take eating seriously.
