Jay Luigi

I’m going to start this one with the service, because that’s a huge differentiator in Tampa’s growing restaurant scene. Sharif gave us impeccable service throughout our experience. He brings positive vibes and exuberance and a natural sense of timing. The food is amazing, but his service will be equally anticipated as we plan a return visit. Now the food, seriously you could make a meal out of the homemade sourdough bread stack and their Luca salad. But the homemade pasta (ie Cacio e Pepe) and protein sides (ie Crispy Chicken Milanese) are so fulfilling. This will go on our short list of favorite Italian in Tampa.

As a native New Yorker and an Italian cuisine connoisseur, the food was amazing and I loved the outdoor seating and chic atmosphere. The bread was phenomenal and the fresh ricotta and honey dip was a dessert in itself. The home made pasta carbonara was exquisite with the pasta cooked to perfection. I finally found a meatball that met my own homemade meatball expectations. I must add, the service was hands down superb! We will definitely be returning for another wonderful authentic Italian meal! High five to the chef!

Jay Luigi is hands-down my favorite restaurant in Tampa. As someone who has been very sensitive to gluten for the past 4 years, finding a place where I can safely enjoy bread, pasta, and croutons without feeling sick is incredibly rare. The chef personally came out to talk with me and even gave my mom and me a tour of their dough room, where they make all of their sourdough fresh daily using imported Italian 00 flour, triple-filtered water, imported olive oil, and a 120-year-old sourdough starter. The care, cleanliness, and passion behind their process was beyond impressive. I had the Daily Bread, Caesar salad with house-made croutons, and Alfredo with homemade fettuccine made from imported Italian semolina flour, and I felt amazing during and after the meal with no bloating or discomfort at all. For context, I am not celiac, just very gluten sensitive, so everyone’s experience may be different. I’m so thankful for the time the chef and owner took to share their story and make me feel completely comfortable eating there. Eating here brought me right back to how I felt in Italy, being able to truly enjoy incredible food again without fear. We will absolutely be back!

Today, I treated my mother and daughters to a delightful Mother’s Day experience at this restaurant. I highly recommend it! Matthew, the manager, ensured that my mom had a comfortable seat while we waited for our reservation and made us feel like VIPs throughout the entire meal. The highlight of the meal was undoubtedly the bread service—don’t miss out on this! However, let me assure you that every dish we ordered was bursting with flavor, vibrant colors, and overall, a truly exceptional dining experience.

Dined here on Wednesday night and were pleasantly surprised to see that they have live jazz music from 6-9 every Wednesday. I reserved a booth when making the reservation but was notified they are saved for parties of 4 and up, which was fine. We started off with their sourdough bread and Caesar salad which were both very delicious. For dinner I had the creamy tomato vodka with chicken and thought the portion was small at first but ended up being perfect! We wanted to try the lemon meringue pie-tini but they were unfortunately out of it so instead we got the not your nonnas tiramisu and it was delicious. Highly recommend this spot for a good espresso martini and pastas!