Dining VisitSPC.com/Dining Italian BONU’ TAVERNA OLIVIA SOUL SICILIAN FUSION BONU’ TAVERNA • St. Pete; $$ • This Central Avenue restaurant offers casual Italian fare in a lively setting (which gets livelier as the evening wears on). The speciality of the house is pinsas, Roman-style pizzas topped with everything from mortadella with pistachios to spicy Calabrese salami and mozzarella. Folks can also cobble together a meal with cured meats and cheeses and tasty “piccoli piatti” – small, shared plates of snacks. argument for quality fast-casual Italian. Order up front and then grab a seat in the narrow dining room before digging into crispy artichokes with Calabrian chile aioli, pasta and pizza. Both are available in gluten-free versions, too. IL RITORNO • St. Pete; $$$ • This fine dining Italian restaurant in downtown St. Pete features a constantly evolving menu that hinges on the freshest ingredients and impressive kitchen techniques. A daily five-course chef’s tasting menu offers the best of what the chef has in store that day, from Spanish octopus with pickled turnips to duck tortellini with foie gras and red snapper with crab-stuffed potatoes. JAY LUIGI • St. Pete; $$ • Whether you’re looking to grab a few pies to go or fancy a quick bite in, this St. Pete restaurant makes a compelling THE NONA SLICE HOUSE • Safety Harbor; $$ • You’re not just getting pizza at this Safety Harbor restaurant, you’re getting a show. Most evenings, the owner will come out for a performance, spinning and swirling the pizza dough high in the air, often to a live musical act. Several different types of pizza are served, including Detroit-style pies – thick, square pizzas baked with Wisconsin brick cheese. OLIVIA • St. Pete; $$$ • An offshoot of James Beard-nominated Chef Chris Ponte’s Tampa restaurant of the same name, this is modern Italian dining at its very best. Start with the yellowtail crudo, tangy with tangerine vinaigrette, and move on to the simple-yet-decadent cacio e pepe with pecorino foam and a side of Brussels sprouts, IL RITORNO 78 AMERICA’S FAVORITE BEACHES
Gulf To Bay St. Pete Clearwater FL Gulf to Bay 2025: Page 78
