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Last Update: Nov 11th, 2019
Piazza Las Olas

Piazza Italia

904 E Las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale FL, 33301
(954) 533-7130
Overall Rating
2.6
Food
Service
Ambiance
Value
Last Review
07/05/2019

Details

Hours: Mon-Tue 3p-12a, Wed-Fri 3p-1a, Sat 11a-1a, Sun 11a-11p
Parking: Street Metered
CC: Yes
Alcohol: Full Bar
Has WiFi: Yes
WiFi Password: meatball
Outside Dining: Yes
Reservations: Yes
Delivery: No

Pros

Prime Location

Cons

No Booths; not a Particularly Comfortable restaurant
Weak, Overpriced Menu

Critic's Review

Piazza's Cafe is in full swing; the gimmick here is Keto Smoothies, because this is what authentic Italian cafes serve. I'm guessing they don't have very good wireless, because there were no people here and the Capital One coffee cafe across the street was half full.

Still no evidence that the fancy dining room is open yet.

Piazza Cafe

The contrast between this restaurant and Caffe Europa next door was stark; I couldn't even tell if they were open for lunch at 2:10p; the outside space wasn't even open on a beautiful 81 degree day. Meanwhile, Europa had a full outside patio of customers.

Review 7/5/19

Piazza finally came up with a lunch menu, so it was time to take the plunge. I wasn't paying $24 for basic Italian food; I've been to this group's other restaurant, Casa Calabria, so I know what they're capable of. This place is a lot closer for me.

A 3 block walk in the summer in Fort Lauderdale is not unlike a sauna session; as I approached the restaurant I saw the sign touting their espresso bar; which concept was this, I thought to myself. The "Dining Experience" section of their web site doesn't work; I guess they're just hoping that people walking in 92 degree heat are craving hot coffee?

Piazza Italia on Las Olas

They have a "fine dining" room which STILL isn't open 5 months after opening. It's a questionable idea; the way Tuscan Prime is bombing shows that EVEN HIGHER PRICED Italian food isn't a big sell; whatever buzz they may have had in February (when the people with money to burn were still here) is gone now.

Piazza Italia Fine Dining Room

With 1 table occupied in the dining room and a spattering of day drinking ladies at the bar, the hostess let me pick out a table of my choice. The side tables aren't really booths here, so I selected a back corner, next to the fountain/statue. It turned out to be a mistake, as I found the constant plunking of the water to be highly annoying.

Piazza Italia Wall Statue/Fountain

You won't recognize this place from the original Mangos or the Disco Mangos; it's a big room with no separate bar area; I suspect that it's pretty loud when there are actually people here.

Piazza Italia Interior

Mangos had a center stage where live bands played nightly; here they have a piano in the corner. Pianos are kind of 1960s stuff; they're clearly not going after the younger crowd here.

Piazza Italia Piano

The big "thing" is the ceiling, which today was curious and boring. Huge palm leaves waving; it seemed to me it was more interesting the last time I was here. This just looked like a bad, low resolution gif.

Piazza Italia Ceiling Show

I ordered an Iced Tea while reviewing the lunch menu to make sure it was the same as the one I saw online. They have a water service here; my server didn't indicate if it was free or it would cost me $7 for tap water, so I passed initially.

Piazza Italia Beverage

There's virtually nothing on the menu I wanted to order; so many of the recipes were just wrong in an apparent attempt to be edgy. Grilled Italian wedge; "Baccala" with fresh cod? The description of the Bistecca Toscana (Steak Florentine?) didn't encourage me. Salmon with cheese sauce? So I took the safe choice and ordered the Chicken Parm. I usually opt for Eggplant Parm in this situation (as it's more difficult to make myself), but they don't have it on the lunch menu.

Piazza Italia Pre Meal

Bread was brought out 5 minutes later; it comes with tomato sauce but I asked for olive oil as well. The bread was toasted after slicing, which was unusual. I don't know what to call the sauce; it wasn't a marinara nor was it pizza sauce. The bread was quite good, with an edible crust; much better with the olive oil than the overbearing sauce. Sauce is more for bad bread.

Piazza Italia Bread

Music is predictably Italiano; with "Volare", "Marina" and "C'est Venice" detected.

The entree came out 10 minutes later.

Piazza Italia Lunch Chicken Parm

A decent portion, with inexplicable piles of basil chiffonade on the pasta and in the corner of the plate. I assume it was basil; it was quickly removed. I like to combine the pasta and the meat; pasta isn't a side dish for me. The chicken always seems overdone at a restaurant; they alway dry out the chicken to melt the cheese. I have a better method; but it's a secret.

Piazza Italia Lunch Chicken Parm

The sauce was a neon red color that I've never encountered before; the sauce wasn't bad but lacked a depth of flavor; a bit pungent; I'm a garlic and onions guy; this reminded me of Tedesco's a bit.

About halfway through I needed some water; I guess you don't get the water if you order a beverage. Definitely better than plain tap water.

Piazza Italia Water Service

I polished off the chicken, leaving half of the pasta, and asked for my check. No refill on the iced tea.

Conclusion

This place is the result of a bunch of old guys creating a restaurant that their Italian friends would like; not something that appeals to the general public. The old-word Italian ambiance; the idea of white glove service; these are things not in demand in a town where cretins pack into American Social. YOLO and Louis Bossi's.

You'll almost never see me order Chicken Parm in a fancy restaurant, mainly because it's simply not worth the price. Cut the cutlet in half and slap it on a hoagie and it's $8.95; so why is it $16 on a plate? It's also my go to quick dinner at home; it's so easy to make something so much better than this.

That being said, the dish was perfectly fine and service a lot better than the incompetent fool that served me at their other restaurant. I find the restaurant cold and not particularly comfortable; and the menu doesn't interest me, so I'll likely not be coming here again.

Previous Musings

Piazza opened yesterday, and I stopped in with the thought of possibly grabbing a bite. Without knowing the menu before going; it was a shot in the dark. I ended up leaving without ordering anything. They had a menu on the front door; what I saw was an absurdly priced, typical Italian menu; $1 worth of food for $18 (Rigatoni with tomato sauce) and $3 worth of food for $24. (Chicken Parm). $14 for a caesar salad or a bowl of pasta e fagioli. Ridiculous. No lunch menu.

But the prices aren't what kept me from sitting down. It was the dining room. Better than Mango's Disco, but still pretty creepy.

Piazza Casual Dining Room

I didn't think they'd seat me at the fancy booths behind the pillars, and I didn't want to sit in the middle of the room. I also didn't think the bar looked very comfortable.

They've split the room and there's another creepy room that's yet to open that will be their "fine dining" restaurant, where the cost/price ratio will probably be closer to 12x.

Piazza Casual Bar Area

The bar area is dark and the smallish 2012-style TVs are high on the wall, as if they're there just to be there but they didn't really want TVs. Outside is also a bit weird; there's 1 table and a bunch of bar seating that faces las olas; so you can feel like you're eating at a bar, but you're really not.

Piazza Outside Space By the Bar

I was engaged by 2 employees that were very friendly and helpful. I didn't really want a drink and I was wary to try one of their small plates. I figured if I had to pay dinner prices maybe I'd try coming back in the evening. Or Maybe Not.

Conclusion

The owners of this place also run Casa Calabria, a place where I once had a terrible bowl of pasta. The same dish is $6 more here. We now have so many Italian restaurants on Las Olas it's downright laughable: Luigi's, Luigi's Tuscan, Bossi's, Caffe Europa, Noodles Panani, This place, Timpano with Talento and Tuscan Prime opening in the Spring. The one's I've tried all suck. There's so many places to get a $25 chicken parm.

The chances that this place has tomato sauce better than I can whip up in 10 minutes is ZERO percent, so there's nothing that excites me about this. After a really bad experience in their other restaurant I have low expectations all around.

Previous Musings

2 years ago, a couple of dudes got the idea to open a south beach style restaurant/club on Las Olas and it flopped immediately; anyone who actually lives here could have predicted it at the concept stages. One of the partners is trying again; taking on the guys behind Casa Calabria and the defunct Tokyo Blue. Tokyo Blue was a joke and I wasn't impressed with Casa Calabria; they're both hotel restaurant that don't have to try hard to get the captive audience hotel guests.

They call the concept a "Town Square"; the restaurant will be split into 3 distinct sections with different ambiances; a clubby space in the front with small plates and live music (The Club), a patio with a fountain in the rear and a formal dining room only open for Dinner.

They want to make you feel like you're in Italy; when have we heard that before?

When is someone going to try to open a restaurant that doesn't have bad, overpriced food? I don't want to go to Italy.

This idea of course is better than Caffe Europa next door and Louis Bossi down the block and Tuscan Grill Across from Bossi's and the new Tuscan Prime opening in the Grille 401 space.

Comment Policy Add Comment
Administrator
Reply
This place seems to have really fallen off the rails; the latest reviews are brutal and there are some really scary looking food pictures.
David
Reply
There still isn't 1 legitimate review of the Venetian room; or a single picture of a person dining in it.
Mike B
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I see reviews for Piazza Italia are pretty poor. I hate to pile on...and rarely do a bad review unless I feel personally obligated, but Agee with the consensus. I walked by and saw the happy hour signs for half-off beers, wines and house liquor. The restaurant is nice looking & a good location on Las Olas Blvd. So I gave it a try. I had a Panini and a glass of wine. Both were on the mediocre side...but I wasn’t out for an event, just a guy in town on business having a casual bite. I got the bill for my sandwich, no side & one happy hour wine, $29. So I asked the waiter, “is this a $22 dollar glass of wine?” He says no...it’s $11. So what happened to the 3-5 half-off happy hour prices. Waiter..”oh forgot...I’ll fix it.” So at 5pm in the middle of 3-5 1/2 off drinks he forgot? It’s on the menus..signs in front of the restaurant...BS. I think they just hope people will be too polite, nice, not want to have any controversy...and let it go. This kind of blatant disrespect for their customers gets to me!
Administrator
Reply
There's 2 problems: First, the POS should set the correct price; these guys pay a fortune for these systems then don't program them properly. And 2nd, the server should check the bill to make sure it's right before giving it to you. The "I hope they don't notice" is definitely a strategy; I can't tell you how many times I haven't gotten the happy hour or wine-down discount without having to ask for it after getting my bill. Take a couple $$ off the tip and they'll probably remember the next time.

One big problem is that people don't use tips to reward and punish; they've been brainwashed into thinking that they have to give the same tip no matter the service. So the cretins these places have serving never learn (or just don't care). If a server presents you with a bill with an obvious overcharge they deserve to be stiffed entirely.
Bajan954
Reply
I've lived in downtown Fort Lauderdale for 15 years, but originally from from Flushing, Queens, the food on Las Olas is mediocre to terrible.
Administrator
Reply
We have the menu for the fancy Venetian room, where you can get a porterhouse for 2 that doesn't claim to be USDA Prime or Dry Aged for just $99. or a $51 Osso Buco. It's a limited menu, so I assume the regular menu is also available. A place for the highbrows to not have to mingle with the common folk.
Administrator
Reply
They still don't have a lunch menu, and surprisingly, no menu for the fancy-dancy "fine dining" restaurant. I also don't see one review of the fine dining section, or 1 picture with anyone sitting in the fine dining room.
Carlo
Reply
Noisy and mediocre goid
Administrator
Reply
It's funny to read the online reviews of people who think that Bossi's is good Italian food.
Emilio
Reply
Tourists and locals have No idea what good italian food is...Go to Little Italy downtown Manhattan thats where to go for a feast ......
Pina P.
Reply
U do realize that Little Italy in Manhattan is hardly Italian anymore right? Pushed out by the Chinese and all restaurants owned by Albanians. Yeah some real Italian feast there! Hahahahaha. Thanks for the laugh
Administrator
Reply
I'll bet the Albanians can make better italian food than the places down here!
BenG
Reply
Lolololololololo spot on!
Rose
Reply
"When is someone going to try to open a restaurant that doesn't have bad, overpriced food? I don't want to go to Italy"

Perfect!!
Vincent
Reply
I had dinner here last with a friend what a crap experience...We sat at the bar outside we had to wait 10 min for bartender to come over and ask her to clean the area up...We both ordered Veal Parm which was $29. It came out 20 min later lukewarm almost cold it was a small a portion with spaghetti sauce very bland taste no flavor..No one came by to ask us if we wanted fresh pepper or cheese...Staff was running around giving people poor service had to ask twice for water refills....Cafe Europa has nothing to worry about with this place Yikes...

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