The first official stop in my tour of under-the-radar restaurant classics in the Florida area is an Italian restaurant with a heavy and dedicated fanbase. Reaching its 20th year of existence in underrated Clearwater Beach, Gondoliers remains a local staple amongst the dedicated beach going community. Located past downtown Clearwater and in the front end of the beach, this restaurant serves authentic, massive, and magnificent Italian cuisine while being located a mere few yards from the beach. While burgers and seafood are usually common with beach eatery, Gondoliers breaks the trend by hurling you into a slice of a delicious Italy.
I was ready to drive about 2 hours for this place, and the difference is, they do serve all their food every single day (Yoder's, I am looking at you). This is easily one of the few Italian restaurants out there that is surrounded by ocean air. The menu is what is most impressive about the place. There are 10 types of salads, 13 different types of subs, 11 different varieties of calzones, 10 different varieties of stromboli, 17 different types of pizzas, and 5 different types of spaghetti, rigatoni, and tortellini. And I have not even brought up the lunch and dinner specials, which there are around 10 each. When my family and I visited Clearwater, we would head there three times simply because there was so much variety, so many different potential lunches to eat. And they are all delicious. But, it has been a while since I had gone there. So with my latest trip, will it be the usual quality fare? Or does it dwell into the franchise syndrome and become hit-and-miss depending on who is running the place? I drove over there to find out. On the way I passed by a local place that will be subject of another visit later on in the year (Whiskey Joes, a seafood place right on the beach).
The server was the same one from the last one I visited the place with my family. The poor guy was running the restaurant by himself (All of Clearwater is hiring, and they had just fired someone). Nonetheless, the man was on fire, being all over the place, and still with a smile. Arika was my partner on this trip. She orders calamari for the appetizer (one of 7 potential options) and I ordered the bruschetta bread. Both appetizers arrived hot, and ready. While calamari is a seafood specialty, Gondoliers is actually well-known for its surprisingly good seafood just as much as its pasta. Perhaps being so close to the ocean helps a little. Nonetheless, the calamari was massive and very good. The bread was superb. Checking the menu, the only difference is that fewer entrees came with a salad than last time. No biggie, it’s not like I drove two hours for salad anyway.
Me and my eatery partner in crime ordered calzones. Mine was pepperoni, and hers was chicken. After a little bit of waiting, they arrived, and hot enough to be considered fire. The calzones themselves are massive, acquiring nearly half the plate in crescent-like shape. The outer shell was a bit thick, and a bit tougher than your usual calzone. However, this was to conceal the awesomeness located inside. Using a mix of ricotta and mozzarella cheese, the calzone is stuffed with a ton of meat, enough to make vegetarians run to the door. The amount of meat and cheese makes it a very awesome lunch, but also a very fulfilling one. This is not an item to order if you wanted to sample around—which I did anyway. With a side of small yet delicious cheese pizza, the lunch was a major success. No disappointments here.
And of course, what excellent restaurant isn’t complete with an array of delicious desserts? Featuring a blend of cakes and Italian and French delicacies, Gondoliers features a gorgeous-looking dessert section of the restaurant that makes you want to think twice about ordering a big lunch. The dessert choice (recommended by our server) was the chocolate mousse cake. For those who are not familiar with REAL mousse, mousse is a fluffy-textured delight that is as light as a feather, but heavy on taste. Well, this cake was layers of chocolate with mousse mixed in---and then surrounded by a hard chocolate outer core. It was practically three layers of chocolate heaven. Healthy eaters, avoid this delight. Those that want to be closer to heaven, you must try this at least once. I also had my eye on an oreo cake that they were serving—but that’s for another visit.
A little more information about Gondoliers. Like I previously stated, this one in particular was hitting its 20th year, and is about to be accompanied by an installment in Lake City, Florida. The original one was in Tennessee back in 1974, and most of the franchising has been in that state and around that general region. The one in Clearwater was the only one in Florida up until the one in Lake City, opening eventually. The owner actually lives in Clearwater, a mere few minutes away from the restaurant itself. They say he visits often. I wouldn’t see why not; showing up and asking for Gondoliers food whenever you want is a dream come true. The place has strived because unlike most Italian places, this one offers more than your usual pasta—there is Greek, French, and American influence sprinkled throughout the menu. The restaurant has the makings and technicalities of a franchise joint, but its reputation and status as a premiere restaurant gives it its old-school flavor and old-school cult following.
Bottom Line: Gondoliers is one of the top restaurants out there in my opinion because the ambience perfectly matches the food they are selling (Only Italian music plays in the background here), the food is always plentiful, they provide a ton of options, and the price isn’t ridiculously high. You are getting what you paid for, and some. From appetizer to dessert, you are getting a lot of food, and each bite is as good as the last. While pasta is among the best type of food in the planet, once you’ve been to an Italian restaurant, you’ve pretty much almost seen them all. Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, and Carrabbas are different in terms of price, ambience, and skill—but they all generally deep down serve the same types of food. With Gondoliers, you can have your delicious Italian, but can also travel to Greek cuisine if you want a little change in pace. That little sort of variety goes a long way, and that’s why Gondoliers is more successful, more memorable, and more enjoyable than your usual Italian.
Devi visitare questo posto. E 'bene per l'anima.
674 Gulfview Boulevard
Clearwater Beach, FL 33767
PH: (727) 441-3353
P.S. Se l'italiano รจ terribile, la colpa di Google.
