Famous for its mozzarella bar, NiDo also serves up some of the city’s best Italian fare. Sure the burrata is a must order, but its lasagna made with beef ragut and bechamel sauce is also worthy of praise. For those craving something a bit lighter, it also offers branzino, grilled salmon, and tuna tartare. 

Dynamic duo chef Luciana Giangrande and chef Alex Meyer bring on the culinary love in this tidy dazzler that leans heavy on the Italian side in part thanks to Giangrande’s family roots. Sample the crispy polenta with marinated eggplant along with the baked calms with nduja and lemon. Order the pappardelle alla lepre (rabbit, rosemary, and tomato), tortellini in brodo with foie gras, duck confit, duck prosciutto and duck brodo, or the saffron tagliatelle and be instantly transported to Italy.

This Northern Italian restaurant in Midtown offers an extensive menu in a charming setting. Appetizers include funghi in pastella di birra (beer-battered mushrooms), proscuitto di parma with fried gnocco, while main course winners include the tagliatelle with sausage, mushrooms, and cream sauce; and the pumpkin cappellacci in Bolognese sauce. 

Jose Mendin’s latest creation is Italian in focus, taking over the former Pubbelly space in Sunset Harbour. The menu features plenty of Italian dishes with that trademark Pubbelly twist like prosciutto bread with parmesan butter; veal chop parmigiana; Milanesa carpaccio with short rib beef, balsamic, black truffle, heirloom tomatoes; and raviolini ai funghi with porcini mushrooms and pine nut gremolata.

Perched on the Collins Canal inside the Kimpton Palomar South Beach, this local favorite boasts cuisine from Northern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region like seafood salad, prosciutto and mortadella meatballs, ricotta gnocchi in a black kale pesto, squid ink pasta, pistachio-crusted duck breast, and more.

The South Beach location of the incredibly popular red-sauce focused restaurant serves up the same high-end takes on classic Italian-American dishes that its New York City counterpart has since 2012 like its famous spicy rigatoni in a vodka sauce; the Caesar salad “alla ZZ” that is prepared table-side; veal chop parmesan; and more — alongside some serious old school vibes, potent cocktails, and plenty of people watching.

Italians are known for their stellar wood-fired pizzas, and Fi’lia is no exception. Starters like the stracciatella with truffle honey or the meatballs with whipped ricotta are great to open the appetite. Pies like spicy soppressatta or cauliflower and fontina cheese are hits, or opt for spaghetti carbonara or the wood-grilled sirloin skirt steak.

Located on pedestrian friendly Giralda Avenue, Luca Osteria highlights Italian flavors from chef Giorgio Rapicavoli’s heritage with modern techniques and flavors. Think items like pappardelle with beef short rib bolognese, wagyu beef carpaccio, bluefin tuna caprese, alongside spruced up versions of Italian-influenced cocktails. 

This longstanding Coral Gables Italian outpost offers diners hearty classics that has made it a staple in the neighborhood for years. It features oversized Italian specialties like risottos, eggplant parmigiana, four cheese gnocchi, pear filled ravioli, and more. And don’t skip the bread, the crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside creation has a fan following of its own. 

Probably best known for its decadent cacio e pepe that is finished by being tossed on a huge parmesan wheel, this Coconut Grove Italian restaurant also boasts other creative pastas worth trying like the spaghetti pesto with a Chilean sea bass, lobster ravioli, pappardelle with lamb ragu, along with a variety of salads and protein-filled dishes to round out the menu.

This Coconut Grove local favorite features in-house pasta with chef Michael Beltran’s creative flair. Appetizers like Miami clams with medianoche butter or the gruyere and French onion soup rolls with duck confit jam and grainy mustard are ideal start, followed by pasta dishes like conch bolognese with mortadella mousse or oxtail rotolo with calabaza, red wine tomato compote, and chanterelle mushrooms. Mains like snapper Milanese and veal parmesan are as good as an Italian grandmother back in the old country.