Highest-rated Italian restaurants in Gainesville by diners
Highest-rated Italian restaurants in Gainesville by diners
Italian food is the most popular cuisine in the world, according to a 2023 study by The Picky Eater that tallied up Instagram tags. It's no wonder why so many people love it. Just thinking about dishes like chicken parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs is enough to get your mouth watering—even though many of these world-famous dishes are actually Italian American creations more so than true Italian fare. Traditional Italian food embraces an assortment of sumptuous recipes that aren't dependent on fried breadcrumbs and red sauce—think frittatas and focaccia, or carpaccio and panna cotta.
Italian immigrants have been weaving their cuisine into the fabric of the American food landscape for generations since they arrived in the United States nearly 150 years ago. And the cuisine, like the culture it hails from, tends to give off warm and fuzzy "family" feels. For many people, the quintessential local Italian American restaurant—complete with its red-and-white checkered tablecloths, pour bottles of olive oil, parmesan cheese shakers, cute little jars of red pepper flakes, and wicker baskets of oven-fresh bread—brings back memories of special life moments, like first dates and milestone birthdays.
Luckily, today you don't need to be in a major metropolis like New York or Los Angeles or an area with a large Italian or Italian American community to score top-notch buon cibo. You can find excellent Italian offerings in almost every city from coast to coast. To celebrate all things mozzarella and marinara, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated Italian restaurants in Gainesville based on diners' reviews on Yelp as of January 2024.
Read on to see if your favorite is among the top-rated or to find a new spot in your neighborhood.
Note: The photos in this article are stock images and do not necessarily depict the specific restaurants listed or the dishes they serve.
#13. Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs
- Rating: 2.5/5 (16 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3600 Southwest Archer Road Unit B Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp
#12. Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs
- Rating: 2.5/5 (13 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 1310 Northwest 23rd Ave. B B Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp
#11. Olive Garden Italian Restaurant
- Rating: 3.5/5 (147 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 2711 Clark Butler Blvd. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Italian, Salad, Soup
- Read more on Yelp
#10. Carrabba's Italian Grill
- Rating: 3.5/5 (158 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 3021 Southwest 34th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Italian, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#9. I Love Ny Pizza
- Rating: 3.5/5 (86 reviews)
- Price level: $
- Address: 2645 Southwest 91st St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian
- Read more on Yelp
#8. Sandy's Place
- Rating: 4.0/5 (81 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 5001 Northwest 34th St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Greek, American, Italian
- Read more on Yelp
#7. Pomodoro Cafe
- Rating: 4.0/5 (274 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 9200 Northwest 39th Ave. Ste 100 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Italian, Pizza, Seafood
- Read more on Yelp
#6. Amelia's Restaurant
- Rating: 4.0/5 (165 reviews)
- Price level: $$$
- Address: 235 South Main St. Ste 107 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp
#5. Leonardo's Pizza of Millhopper
- Rating: 4.0/5 (171 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4131 Northwest 16th Blvd. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Sandwiches
- Read more on Yelp
#4. Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza
- Rating: 4.0/5 (240 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 1250 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Salad
- Read more on Yelp
#3. MidiCi - The Neapolitan Pizza Company
- Rating: 4.0/5 (181 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 4949 Celebration Pointe Ave. Ste 100 Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Salad
- Read more on Yelp
#2. V Pizza - Gainesville
- Rating: 4.5/5 (279 reviews)
- Price level: $$
- Address: 115 Southeast 1st St. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Pizza, Italian, Chicken Wings
- Read more on Yelp
#1. Time 4 Italian
- Rating: 5.0/5 (5 reviews)
- Address: 3731 West University Ave. Gainesville, Florida
- Categories: Italian
- Read more on Yelp
This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani, writing by Jennifer Huizen, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 312 metros.
