Ciao Italian Eatery

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#24 of 96 Restaurants in Fernandina BeachItalian, Pizza, $$ - $$$

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Ciao Italian Eatery

Review

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About

Luca's well established restaurant Ciao has relocated to 614 Centre, in a distinctive modern, yet, casual setting continuing to highlight fine ingredients, gracious service and charming ambiance. Italian traditional and signature dishes with an exceptional wine list and full bar.

Features

CUISINES

Italian, Pizza

Meal types

Dinner, Drinks

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly

FEATURES

Accepts Credit Cards

Full Bar

Gift Cards Available

Reservations

Seating

Serves Alcohol

Table Service

Takeout

Location

614 Centre St at the corner of S. 7th St., Fernandina Beach, Amelia Island, FL 32034-3939

Does this restaurant serve Romana food?

Yes

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Hours

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Closed now

• Opens at 5:30 PM

Sunday

5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Monday

5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Tuesday

Closed

Wednesday

5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Thursday

5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

Friday

5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Saturday

5:30 PM - 9:30 PM

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4.2

131 reviews

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Very good

Average

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Terrible

Robert W

Jacksonville65 contributions

A don’t miss when in Fernandina.

Apr 2024 • couples

Several years ago we dined at Ciao in their old location and the food was outstanding. The new location is outstanding. If you can get a seat in front by a window your excellent meal comes the best people watching in Fernandina. Davion was very attentive, and professional. The food was well prepared, ideal temperature and well plated. Servings were generous. No meal at an Italian restaurant would be complete without Tiramisu. Made in house, beautifully presented, delicious. We arrived at 5:30 on Monday, were seated right away. About 30% full. By the time we left at 6:30 100% full with approximately 12-15 people waiting. As others have said it had gotten noisy. To enjoy this quality of food and service we can stand the noise.

Written April 1, 2024

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Jon P

St. Marys173 contributions

Continuing an Italian tradition

Sep 2024 • couples

Our experience with Luca started over 10 years ago when we found a small Italian restaurant in a strip shopping center on the A1A route in to Fernandina Beach. We live in St Marys, Georgia so it wasn’t convenient but well worth the trip over the FL border. Continuing success enabled Luca to move Ciao to the center of Fernandina Beach’s prime tourist area further from us and we didn’t want to deal with the crowds that followed him. Fast forward to August 29, 2024 and we were challenged to find an Italian restaurant by our Italian neighbor friends in GA and I remembered Ciao which was now at a larger more accessible Fernandina Beach location. Luca’s Ciao Italian Eatery passed all our tests. Mine whose Mom came from Sicily and my fuss budget wife schooled by my Mom and a cooking school in Italy plus our friends Tony & Candy! I’m rambling so rather than detail our foursome I’ll detail my meal, perfect from Chianti Classico with a crisp warmed Italian bread, Caesar salad, Pappardelle Bolognese, and a homemade Tiramisu. I want to come back so………………. September 4 we have our best friends (both Italian) visiting from Massachusetts and back to Ciao’s. Another success with all including my wine, Caesar salad, Rigatoni Ciao (with scallops, shrimp & mushrooms) another “Luca family recipe” topped off with a cannoli. Ciao compares to the best Italian restaurants that I have eaten (not dined) in bar none, including the North End of Boston and Arthur Ave. in the Bronx. Please tell Luca you have high expectations because of my review. Forgot that my wife, Marie said the Eggplant Parm was even better than hers 😂

Written September 5, 2024

mobritain

Atlanta13 contributions

One of my Favorites in Fernandina Beach!

Mar 2024 • friends

If you want the Best Italian food in Fernandina, this place is It! A few of my favorite entrees are the seafood lasagna, shrimp and scallops pasta dish and the meatballs and sausage entree which is served on Sundays ! And never ever do I skip the limoncello cake….with or without a limoncello ! The service is consistantly on point and the owner greets his customers and always welcomes me back! The wine selection is good. Although I usually always prefer red and have not tried any of their whites. Thank you Ciao for being one of the Best in Fernandina !

Written March 11, 2024

TrippleTime

Amelia Island1375 contributions

Potatoes instead of Pasta?

Aug 2024 • couples

We usually enjoy dining at Ciao however our latest visit was a bit surprising. The waitress informed me that the Veal Picatta came with mashed potatoes and spinach. When I asked for pasta instead, she said there would be an upcharge! Curious that an Italian restaurant would even consider such a choice. I went ahead with the pasta and found it to be overcooked. The remainder of the meal was fine. The shocker was that the bill showed a charge for "Kids pasta" for $11. I spoke to the owner who took some time to remove the charge from the bill. When I asked why mashed potatoes were offered instead of pasta, his answer was a bit confusing and he was called away before we could inquire further. I hope the pasta returns as the standard side.

Written August 17, 2024

Katie

Ocala8 contributions

Good Food in Noisy and Hectic Atmosphere

Jan 2023 • none

This family restaurant moved from its former location down the street; the food is as good as we remembered it from the mid 2000's. I gave four stars in the individual categories because it's merited. I'm rating it 3 stars overall because we felt so pushed to finish our meal for patrons coming in. We were there for a romantic dinner to celebrate a milestone birthday and it was most decidedly not romantic; the overhead lighting is cool LED (florescent like) lightbulbs and the tables are very close together. I think it would be fine fun for a group going for beers and pizzas. The bartender had never heard of the after dinner drink I requested; I advised the server that I was looking straight at the bottle and she told the bartender. I don't expect servers to know all the drinks but I believe the bartender ought to have known.

Written February 2, 2023

chiantiConnecticut

1010 contributions

Dishonest pricing on drinks ruined the experience.

Nov 2023 • couples

A shame the pricing of drinks is not honest here. Ordered a tequila on the rocks, with pineapple juice, and a grand Marnier floater. (rocks glass) We each had one with the bread, and then one more with the meal. The bill was a shocker, these 4 drinks were 26.00 EACH, (total of $104.00 !) Asked the waiter if the bill looked right, he glanced down quick and said yes. When I got home I looked closer, and almost had a heart attack. $26.00 per drink! He got us. The issue is I messaged the restaurant twice to report it on their website, (gave receipt no.) they never got back to me, I messaged again, still no reply. They apparently do not pick up phones. We were regular customs too, always loved the food. Made the mistake of not ordering wine, this was the first time ordering a drink here. The food is great, but whoever is in charge of trying to make extra money like this is going to lose in the long run.

Written December 5, 2023

paul m

1 contribution

Wait staff wonderful, food average, kitchen staff/management tereible

Feb 2023 • none

there were 4 people in our group and we had concerns with food allergies and asked a few questions. OMG they kitchen manager and supposed chef couldn't tell us what menu items had eggs, if the gluten free pasta was made with corn, and so on. it is amazing with food allergies being a known thing that the kitchen "leadership" couldn't answer basic questions. DO NOT EAT HERE, it was like eating at a mega-chain restaurant with high-end prices.

Written February 18, 2023

Sheila K

38 contributions

Not worth the hype

Jan 2024 • family

3 out of 5 We were looking forward to having dinner here as I heard "it was good". Not so good for us. We ordered the Burrata caprese salad, yet they used roman tomaties instead of a heirloom or beefsteak tomato, which is usually what you get when ordering this salad. I ordered the Braised boneless short ribs which comes with polenta and a few green beans, looks like 7 in the picture. The meat was not what I expected it was a chunk of meat, which I had to try to cut with a butter knife as there was no steak knife given. My son ordered a pasta with shrimp, mushrooms and scallops, it was pretty good. The temperature of the meal was warm. Does anyone one not check temperature of food before serving. It needs to be hotter.

Written January 28, 2024

Brittany A

93 contributions

I’d try it again

Jun 2023 • couples

I am a huge fan of Italian food, and my husband really wanted a steak; so we decided to try this restaurant on our family vacation. We arrived early around 5:30, and we were able to be seated without a reservation. My kids loved the bruschetta bread. It is available fee of charge upon request. It was very good. My kids split a pepperoni and cheese pizza. It had a very thin crust, which kind of reminded me of when you make pizza on a taco shell. One of my kids liked it, and the other was annoyed because it sagged so much under the weight of the cheese. I got chicken parmigiana, and it was good. The chicken was the best part, but I thought the sauce could use a little more flavor. My husband got a New York strip steak. He asked for it to be medium, but parts of the steak were undercooked and rare. He was pretty disappointed, because he hadn’t had a good steak since we had come to the island. He did like the vegetables that were served with the steak. The staff was very friendly, and we were grateful that they fit us in without a reservation. In the end, I would try it again. There were several things on the menu that looked delicious.

Written June 29, 2023

Michelle M

1 contribution

Best Thing I Ever Ate!

Jan 2025 • couples

This was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. I ordered the tortellini, with porcini mushrooms - it literally brought tears to my eyes it was so delicious. My husband had the lobster ravioli and had the same experience. We paired it with the Pinot Grigio, also excellent and a great price. This is our new go-to Italian restaurant. We cannot say enough good things about it.

Written January 31, 2025

rmarky

Tallahassee93 contributions

Amazing everything

Dec 2022 • none

We arrived early to make sure we got a table, we could have made reservations but didn't and go right in. It definitely got busy though so glad we went early. The owner greeted us and took us to our table. Our waiter, Davion was fantastic as were all the staff. Every single aspect was terrific. The house salad was fresh and the dressing was wonderful, the bread was right out of the oven and they brought more when we ate it all. My son had the mussel appetizer but added pasta to it for his meal, it was very large! My wife had the Chicken Marsala and I had the Chicken Parmisan, both were excellent and good sized portions! Best italian food we've had anywhere in a long time!

Written December 28, 2022

DolceAllegra

2 contributions

Very disappointing

Apr 2022 • none

I had heard good things about Ciao, so I was really looking forward to eating there. My favorite Italian dish is eggplant parmesan, so that's what I ordered. It came pretty quickly but was not hot. I should have reported that to our waiter, but he wasn't especially attentive, so I ate it anyway. It was the most ordinary eggplant parmesan. No more than decent. As if that wasn't disappointing enough, the water that was brought to the table tasted bad, so I ordered mineral water. The waiter brought a huge 1 liter bottle. I only discovered when I got the check that the charge for the mineral water was $7.50. Wow. I only needed a glass. A much smaller bottle would have done fine. The service was below par, the waiter unprofessional, the cost way too high for such an ordinary meal and lack of service. I won't be going back there, ever.

Written April 22, 2022

DonnaC

Harrisburg210 contributions

Amazing food!!!

Oct 2024 • couples

The bartender at our hotel recommended Ciao and I am so glad she did. The food is incredible! My husband and I returned the next night. I had the fettuccini Alfredo (added spinach) and my husband had pasta with pesto crème sauce (sausage added) and spaghetti and meatballs. All dishes were superb. The owner is so charismatic and will visit your table to assure all is well. I can’t say enough good things about Ciao. Make reservations so you don’t miss the opportunity for an amazing meal.

Written October 4, 2024

apop

Georgia Coast9 contributions

Disappointment at Ciao

Jan 2022 • none

Three friends and I went out for a birthday dinner at Ciao this evening. We had reservations and waited about a half hour for our table. There were clearly tables available but we happily waited, anticipating a great experience based on the reviews we had read. We placed our drink order and one of our party ordered a small bottle of San Pellegrino which did not come with our other drinks. The waiter had to be reminded 3 times before he finally brought a large bottle of San Pellegrino. He did not ask if that if that was ok.He just proceeded to pour the water. He then dropped the bottle and spilled at least half of it all over the place which was not a big deal. The problem came when he cleaned it up with the help of another employee , who wiped water from the floor first , and then USING THE SAME CLOTH ,wiped water from the table. At the end of the evening we were charged for the water he spilled . Our food was good when it finally arrived. However, throughout the entire two hour meal , we were never asked if we needed refills, and we were constantly asking other employees for what we needed. To be fair, we did get a free piece of lemocello cake and a beautiful happy birthday song sung by a young man with a lovely voice. Our waiter never asked how the check should be divided, and once it arrived, we asked that it be divided equally among our cards. When the cards were returned, the charge wasn't correct. By this time we were just ready to leave. But alas our waiter had to tell me happy birthday and that I looked seventy . I am not seventy. Fernindina is full of excellent restaurants with excellent service. Next time we will look for a place with better service and excellent food.

Written January 29, 2022

Tellitubby

Loudon10 contributions

Ciao, Ciao!

Feb 2021 • couples

Made my first visit to Ciao last night. While my three dining partners might return, I will not. We were greeted by an experienced and helpful waiter and a basket of excellent fresh baked bread. Orders were placed before a second but inexperienced waiter “tagged in”. Salads arrived with the Caesar served with an overly sweet and heavy dressing. Before any of us finished our salads,the entrees arrived as we rushed to finish. I had ordered mussels which arrived in a very nice tomato and wine sauce. Unfortunately, the mussels had been nuked into oblivion and were inedible, so I dined on bread, refilled once at my request but not a second time, dunked into the tasty tomato sauce. This is where an experienced waiter could have saved the evening. If you’re going to use a “tag team” service approach, the lead waiter can’t just turn the meal over to his or her very inexperienced protégée and disappear. Someone has to take ultimate responsibility for providing a pleasant dining experience. The service staff becomes the “face”of the restaurant. Unfortunately, it was not a pretty face.

Written February 11, 2021