Gabriella's - South Padre Island

As for the pizza, it wasn’t for me. It had the kind of sauce that many Italian restaurants seem to favor, which, if you’re used to pizza chains or have had authentic pizza in Italy, you know it falls short. It was lacking in flavor and instead tried to compensate with sweetness—definitely not appealing. One of my companions ordered the tuna (cooked medium), and they said it was fantastic, so there’s that positive note. The desserts were the final disappointment (especially regarding the hefty bill for this whole experience). The tiramisu? This place clearly doesn’t know what tiramisu is supposed to be. They do get credit for using fresh Ceylon cinnamon (a nice touch if you’re familiar), but that’s where the compliments end. The tiramisu was absolutely subpar. If it had at least been on par with grocery-store versions, that plus the amazing bread would have earned this place at least four stars from me. I have a strong passion for tiramisu and am usually willing to overlook flaws for a truly good version, but that was not the case here. My disappointment was immense, and it really put a damper on my day. I tried the desserts that the other two people at my table ordered, and they weren’t much better. I do plan on returning someday just for that amazing bread, but I’ll be opting for entirely different items on the menu. And I’ll probably order unsweetened tea, just in case they haven’t figured out their Diet Coke situation by then.

Excellent food, exceptional service, and a fantastic beer selection. We usually opt for takeout because it can get quite busy in the evenings. I'm a big fan of their calamari, and we all enjoy their pizza; the salads are decent too. Their desserts are generally on point, although they do skimp on the strawberry topping for the cheesecake. I had a stout before settling the bill, and I highly recommend trying their peanut butter stout paired with the double chocolate stout.

As for the pizza, it didn’t appeal to me. It had that sauce that many Italian restaurants use, which just doesn’t measure up, whether you’re a fan of pizza chains or have actually visited Italy. It lacked flavor and tried to compensate with an unwelcome sweetness. Yuck. Someone at my table ordered the tuna (cooked medium) and claimed it was fantastic, so at least there’s that. The desserts were the final disappointment (though the triple-digit bill added to that feeling). As for the tiramisu? This place clearly doesn’t know what tiramisu is. They do earn points for using fresh Ceylon cinnamon (if you know, you know), but that’s where the compliments end. The tiramisu was truly terrible. If it had at least been grocery-store quality, combined with the outstanding pre-dinner bread, I might have given this place four stars. I have a passion for tiramisu and tend to forgive a lot for exceptional variations of it, but that wasn’t the case here. My disappointment was immense, and it really put a damper on my day. I also tried the desserts ordered by the other two people at my table, and they weren’t great either. I do plan on returning someday just for that amazing bread, but I’ll be opting for entirely different dishes from the menu next time. And maybe I’ll stick with unsweetened tea if they haven’t addressed the Diet Coke issue by then.

We dined at this restaurant tonight, arriving right when it opened to avoid long wait times. The pizza was excellent, and we appreciated that they allowed us to order half and half so my husband and I could share a pie. My chicken florentine side of the pizza, which is shown in this review, was delicious! However, I’m giving the restaurant three stars because the rest of our meal was disappointing. The garlic bread was simply toasted bread—there was no garlic flavor and it didn’t even seem to have any butter on it. The house salad that accompanied our pizza featured wilted and brown-spotted lettuce, which was a big turn-off. We also ordered dessert to go—a slice of carrot cake and a slice of chocolate cake—and both were just average. The service was decent, but we could have used some refills more than once. Overall, it’s not the worst place we’ve been to, but considering the price, it certainly doesn’t stand out as the best either.

Very good Italian restaurant. We ordered pasta carbonara ?My Way?, and a chicken Parmesan sub. The pasta was not the traditional carbonara. They used bow tie pasta bacon and chicken with small Roma tomatoes cubes. I would say that I did miss to have somefresh Parmesan to top it with, but they did have the packaged kind available on the table.The sub came with fries and was alsovery good. Salad and bread came with the dinner. We got a table outside and enjoyed it very much. Friendly service.