For many many years, this was the best kept secret in the area for absolutely great hard core Southern Italian Cuisine. I can say this being Italian myself. Unfortunately, this place has changed owners twice in the last 4 or 5 years. Gone are the lines around the corner every night to get a seat, and for good reason. Service is horrible, the food is mediocre at best, and costs way way too much. My trips to the Tampa area no longer include a manditory stop here. i just drive by now. Get The point?!

I have passed by this restaurant a few times over the past few months and yesterday, October 17, 2007, thought it was time to give it a try. WHAT A MISTAKE! I went in with a guest to have dinner at around 7 PM and the restaurant had 5 tables of people. We stood in the doorway for a minute until a waitress walked by and told us to sit down at the table in front of us. We sat down.... and waited for about 3 minutes before getting up to get our own menu. But wait.... it gets worse. After deciding fairly quickly what we wanted, we put our menus down and observed the waitress walking around to the other tables, serving wine, taking orders and continually walking past us. Eventually a steward came by to pour water in our glasses. After sitting there for about 13 minutes - after I picked up my own menu - I realized that there was a very good chance that a year could possibly go by without having any service. After making eye contact with the waitress, the stewart and what I could only imagine the owner my guest and I finally gave up and walked out. 16 minutes of no attention what-so-ever in a tiny restaurant is a little much wouldn't you say? We ended up going to the Olive Garden for great service and wonderful food.

I live in NJ. While on vacation in Florida my nephew suggested Angelina's Gourmet Italian restaurant. He had eaten here and liked it. We went there for lunch on July 31st. It took 3 tries before the salad that came with the meal had no wilted lettuce in it. My brother-in-law ordered the fish which was stuffed with crab and shrimp. The lunch menu only said that it was stuffed with crab so he told the waitress he was allergic to shell fish. I guess they don't consider shrimp a shell fish anymore and it came with the shrimp. They had to prepare the fish a second time without the shrimp and crab. We were stuck in the restaurant longer than anticipated because he had to wait for them to prepare it again. Time is of the essence when you're on vacation. The menu also said that parties of 5 or more had a 20% gratuity charge added to the bill. When I got the bill for the 5 of us I reviewed it and found that they charged the gratuity on the food and also on the sales tax. When I pointed it out to the waitress the manager very nastily opened his mouth and said that he wasn't changing his cash register. I guess when I saw the 20% gratuity charge on the menu I should have walked out. Any place that tells you in advance that they automatically add 20% to the meal tells you that the service is of poor quality. I paid the bill with my credit card; I wrote a comment on the merchant's copy and now I will dispute the bill when I get my credit card statement. Feel free to eat here if service and quality of food are not important.

What was once the best Italian food in Brandon, perhaps in all of greater Tampa, has become mediocre at best. Once upon a time, this hole-in-the-wall was well known and highly regarded for authentic Italian cuisine and superior service.

Alas, after my last experience I won't be going back. A shame, as the calamari is still the best by far anywhere in town and the potential is there if only the owners would knuckle down and do what needs to be done to make this place what it once was. It's almost as if they don't care anymore.

Note to management. Fire the wait staff that don't know the differnece between casual dining and fine dining. Your menu prices dictate the latter. The current crop of waitstaff, if my waitress from my visit on 2/16 is a general indicator, belong at Pizza Hut. Not only did this one not understand basic "menu Italian" (three times my Agnello Scotta Dita was met with a "wha?" until I finally gave up and said "the lamb, please." What happened to the authentic Italian waiters/waitresses???

My wife asks for a takeout container for the salad she can't finish and she geta another side salad in a takeout contaciner. Doh! She forget's to order my son's rack of lamb, so he and I wind up sharing mine. His food finally arrives when we are ready to leave. The lamb was not as good as my last visit a few months back, unfortunately. Nor were any of the other meals at ourt table.

We were a part of five, so when the check came I was surprised to see that a gratuity of 20% (after tax!) was already added to the bill. For parties of under eight, even six, this is obnoxious, especially considering the level of service we experienced. I tried to get the owner to speak to him, but wound up waiting and waiting until I finally gave up and left.

A shame that this place has gone so far downhill. We won't be going back.