Fra Diavolo
| Address: | 5444 N University Dr, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33351, USA |
| Phone: | +1 954-746-3132 |
| Site: | fradiavolorestaurant.com |
| Rating: | 4.7 |
| Working: | Closed 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11:30AM–3PM 11AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 5
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Amber Bost
I was hesitant about this place based on the location (its right next to the strip club! ) but my husband came here previously for a birthday dinner with his dad and swore it was amazing. Im a die hard fan of Scuottos so I came in a little bias. But the idea of them making their own pasta daily intrigued me! I love pasta! When we arrived, we had reservations at 7:30 but arrived 10 min early. We were seated right away and the small, cozy restaurant was quite full. It draws an older crowd for sure, but if the 13 or 14 tables, 2 were empty and 2 or 3 had a younger crowd. There were several large parties as well at large round tables. The staff was highly attentive throughout the whole experience. I say experience because you will be here a while. We were there 2 hours. But it didnt feel like it! Our water glasses were filled as soon as we sat and our waitor Ivan arrived within minutes of that. He was very pleasant, charming, and fun to interact with. We told him we would have the dinner for 2 experience and he explained it a little more and offered options for the appetizer since not everyone likes crab cakes. We opted for 1 crab cake and 1 calamari to share and both got salads. For the wine, you choose a bottle for the evening. We had 2 white and 2 reds to choose from. We opted for the Woodbridge Merlot and I was given the taste of it. It was good! Then we were brought our stater of antipasti and garlic bread. It was delicious. I would have ate the antipasti as a soup. Then just a bit later, the appetizers came out. You could the the crab cakes were real and fresh. Just amazing! The sauce for the calamari was also delicious. Fresh made and with a bit of kick. After a while later, our salads came out. Nothing fancy here. It comes with creamy Italian dressing on the side which I loved since restaurants tend to drown salads. We were also asked if we would like fresh ground pepper on it. Then, dinner came out. Wow. Just wow! You could taste the rustic nature of the homemade pasta. The seafood genovese that I ordered with the fra diavolo sauce was out of this world good. Nice and spicy, fresh, and paired well with the wine. There were plenty of shell fish smattered throughout the dish and an extra bowl was brought with a tiny fork to discard the shells. The shrimp were plump to. Nothing small and insignificant like typical. My husband got the veal pepato which came with a side of pasta and marinara and was topped with a spicy brown cream sauce. The veal was tender and the cream delicious. The portions were manageable. Nothing so large and you finished feeling content, not stuffed. Lastly came dessert. There were a lot of options to choose from. From ice cream to tiramisu to regular cheese cake, there was something for everyone. We both opted for the Italian cheese cake made with ricotta. Oh my word! Ive never had this before and it was so good! A little lemon essence to it and very light compared to a regular cheese cake. We had that paired with coffee and it went well together. The coffee was from an Italian company and very smooth for after dinner. Overall, this place is amazing. Its pricey compared to other places like Scuottos, but when compared to service and quality of what you get, its worth every penny and more. I highly recommend this experience to anyone!
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Michelle Manganiello
Dont be fooled by all of these fake reviews most likely posted by the owner. I went here a couple months ago, and as soon as I walked through the door and saw the grated cheese just sitting uncovered on a table by the front, I should have known. It looks and feels like a very grimy, dirty Italian restaurant. I honestly dont know how they stay in business. The garlic bread was good, but honestly, how can you mess garlic bread up? The bean/vinegar/veggie bruschetta they served was okay, but a bit watery. We ordered some minestrone as a starter, and the pasta was STILL hard in it. It completely turned me off. After our appetizers, the waiter "changed" our silverware. Which I ended up getting a dirty fork. I just looked the other way, and used the other fork we had on the table. It really made me question their sanitation methods. By this point, I was kind of disgusted. We ordered two entrees, "Gnocchi alla vodka" and "Chicken cacciatore". The gnocchi was pretty decent, nothing special. The cacciatore was absolutely, shamefully disgusting. I couldnt even eat it, and I usually eat bad dishes if I can find ANYTHING good to pick out of. It wasnt even cacciatore. It was 2 chicken breasts, dipped in some absolutely disgusting, extremely salty gravy thats supposed to be for mashed potatoes. The BROWN gravy. Then you had some soggy mushrooms, pepper, etc mixed in. Mind you, this place is expensive. My disgusting dish was damn near 20$ itself, and I should have sent it back. I just picked off the vodka dish, and was really angry. The pasta that came in a tiny bowl with sauce was pretty A-okay. I didnt even want to think about dessert though. At the end, my dish still had plenty of food in it. I tried to eat it, but that brown gravy haunted me. We finished the gnocchi, and the waiter asked if I wanted to pack up the rest of my dish to go. I told him no several times, but he kept badgering me to take it home with me. Like he didnt get the hint. I didnt want to make him feel bad, so I let him pack it up for me. And I threw it out ASAP. By the way, If you look at pictures of chicken cacciatore on google, it is absolutely NOTHING like it. Its two chicken breasts smothered in mashed potato gravy and soggy vegetables. Being Italian, I have tried most Italian dishes during my lifetime. I know what theyre supposed to look and taste like. All in all, this place is disgusting and unsanitary for the price.
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Karen C
Got take-out from here last night as we didnt feel like cooking. Calamari was good even though it was a little soggy from sitting in the take-out container. Bland, meh Cesar salad. Pasta fagioli was okay, just. Caprese salad with roasted pepper and unripe tomatoes would have been good if they used decent tomatoes. Carbonara had a FLOUR-based sauce, REALLY in a fine-dining Italian restaurant?. Chicken Scarpariello, WAY over-cooked sausage and chicken, 1 pepperoncini and 3 olives in dish. Hard as rock cannoli shells, and havent even tried the tiramisu yet. Bread was awful. Seriously disappointed in this supposed fine-dining establishment and really regretting the better part of $100 spent, this is why we dont go out often.
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James Ferriero
Earlier this month we celebrated my fathers 90th birthday and had it catered by Fra Diavolo who did an amazing job. Met with Carol and Chef Diego to plan it and they were both amazing and helpful during the process. Everyone raved about how excellent the food was. I highly recommend going for dinner or to cater your next event. This is my first review ever for anything online so please take that as a testament to go try them.
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Adam Marc Leonard
Went for Mothers Day dinner. Even thoe it was packed, we still had great service. Great Italian food for over 30 years. Homemade desserts are fantastic. Veal Parmesan was great, you can cut it with a girl. If you get there for the early bird, it includes soup & salad, coffee (can substitute for iced tea or soft drink) and one of the amazing homemade desserts, which are made daily by the owner.
