Pelagia Trattoria - Tampa

Food was good, hot, and priced reasonably. The restaurant could use a bit of general cleaning.

Pelagia Trattorio has been my #1 choice in Tampa for over a decade. Fabrezzio was the Executive chef brought in by Marriott to build the restaurant from scratch. He did a great job; he went on to other Hotel restaurants in other states. The mystery is why the place is not packed every night. Of course, if you want to eat where most people eat, go to McDonalds. it is one of the only restaurants where people can eat and hear each other talk. That is why I eat out; not to be seen. I never have had a bad entry. All of the servers are five star.

Food was not what we expected, when I told my girlfriend the bread was the best thing of the night, that is not good. Very disappointed with experience. Are server was very nice though.

Almost impossible to find on the ground level of the International Mall below all the other restaurants, appended to the Rennaissance Hotel. Open Table and Google Maps do not accurately provide the location. Look for the hotel, not the restaurant. Once you find it: a very nice space, caring servers, blissfully quiet, and food better than anything in the other Mall restaurants. We had salads and appetizers. Calimari was superbly done just cooked, very tender, and artfully presented. Their dolmades were outstanding; vividly spiced, tender, delicious, and also nicely presented. Their caesar is imaginatively presented as a bundle of dressed romaine leaves tied up in a fried parmesan ribbon , again very tasty, the dressing a tangy fresh made true caesar tasting properly of anchovies, cracked pepper, and fresh lemon. We also had a small plate of a fesh pea risotto that was lovely with just enough creamy cheese to smooth everything out without overwhelming the sweet fresh peas. My biggest fripe? The wine list is rudimentary and cries out for an upgrade. Banfi Chianti Classico is just about the most exotic and regionally appropriate wine on the list. How about more wines from the region (Lebanese, more Italian, Greek) instead of the largely American mainstream Cabs and Merlots listed?

Great! Menu was varied, the venue is in International Plaza offering many other reasons to meet here and the service was quite good and the food even better. The noise level was likely the best in Tampa's Westshore sub market for deal-making.