I really can’t say enough wonderful things about Ciao... from the friendly and attentive owner (Luca), to the wonderful servers and, of course, to the excellent food! It was our first time in Amelia Island and we chose to eat dinner twice at Ciao during...our 4 day stay. It was cold at night while we were there so sitting outside was difficult for dinner (we were able to do so the first night at España restaurant and tapas- which was excellent as well- but then it got too cold the following evening)- but we felt very safe in the front part of Ciao (near front windows) which was not crowded and the tables are well spread out. As for the food... all I can say is WOW!! The first night we ordered the traditional bruschetta as appetizers and they were excellent! Only wish the plate was a bit larger (only 4 pieces so we each got only one). For entrees my husband ordered the Pappardelle Bolognese the first night and wow was it tasty.. I had a few bites of his and loved it also! Our two teen daughters thought Ciao was a hit also! Our older daughter ordered the Farfelle con Pollo and she raved about it. Our younger daughter ordered the Gnocchi Aurora (spinach and ricotta gnocchi in a pink sauce). We ordered a meatball for her to add to it and it was a great combo! She said it rivaled the gnocchi she ate in Italy a few years on our trip! As for my plate, I ordered the salmon with Polenta and steamed vegetables. I was truly blown away! The salmon had the most amazing crispy crust (wish I could do that at home!) yet was perfectly cooked on the inside and not dry at all. And the polenta was amazing! It was so addicting! Italians know food, for sure. It put any American mashed potatoes to shame!! Lol. Finally, our waitress said the vegetables would be mixed but the plate came with thick cut carrots is some crazy good seasoning. I am not a huge fan of carrots usually and I could not stop eating them- I was shocked!! They were definitely the best carrots I have ever eaten. When I asked about the switch in vegetables, the waitress apologized and quickly brought out mixed veggies (zucchini and broccoli) but I have to be honest and say that the carrots were actually much better. I usually dislike carrots so this says a lot! Then on to our return visit another night. First we ordered the calamari with marinara sauce and everyone loved it! Large sized, tender fried calamari with plenty of marinara for everyone. Then we decided three of us would share two of their pizzas so we initially ordered the prosciutto with arugula. I should mention that their pizzas are crispy but paper thin- so if you like pizzas with substantive crusts or with even hand-tossed thickness, these might not be for you. But wow are they tasty! For our second pizza we thought we had ordered the goat cheese and caramelized onions pizza, but the waiter misunderstood and brought another white pizza with a similar name but which had Gorgonzola and ricotta. That one was really BAD... just way too pungent and inedible... I was confused because Yelpers raved about the goat cheese and onion pizza. Our waiter was wonderful and returned the pizza and brought us another prosciutto and arugula pizza at no additional charge. Later on we were speaking with the wonderful owner (Luca) who came to talk to us at the table, and he figured out what had occurred and explained the white pizzas have similar names and they had brought us the wrong one. But they were so nice and apologetic- and the prosciutto one was so good- that it was a mere blip for our overall experience. Our younger daughter ordered the lobster ravioli that second night and loved it!! Finally, we did order desserts that second time (which we had skipped the first night), and Boy were they memorable. I am not usually a cake person (prefer pies usually) and I am totally in love with their limoncello cake. It was the lightest and most wonderful cake I had ever tried without chocolate. Just excellent- try it.. you won’t be disappointed. I shared it with my husband but almost ordered a second one- took a lot of willpower not to! Our girls split a Nutella chocolate mousse and it was very good as well. Normally desserts with chocolate are always my favorite - and this one was very good (yes, of course I tried theirs!) ... but it is hard to beat that limoncello cake at Ciao’s. I can’t stop thinking about it, actually. And that has never happened to me with a cake! Moral of the story is that Ciao is a must-visit restaurant when you are in Amelia Island. I am hoping to return soon so I can actually try the goat cheese and caramelized onions pizza that Yelpers love so much! Hope this review helps if you are in the area and looking for a great restaurant.More
