06/30/09

Worst Italian ever!

by CSMobileUser2

The food was really bad ... Stale bread.. Started off with soups... Yuck then our pasta double yuck ... I turned back my plate of pasta and clams ... And they still made me pay for this horrible plate of food... No taste, oily ...plain nasty

Restaurant not recommended

05/04/09

Consistently good food

by nunu256

We have dinner at da Leo about 3-4 times a month. We love good food but have 2 picky toddlers that limit our venues.

the waiters at da Leo are fantastic. They are friendly, fast (very important with toddlers) and more than happy to change items on the menu to cater to our kids tastes.

The soups of the day are always, always, always delicious. The pastas taste like nonna has been in the back slaving for hours, my husband always raves about how fresh the seafood is, and the kids love the milanese.

Few places in Miami are this consistent. For that da Leo is a gem.

• Pros: Great food and service

02/16/09

Discriminating actions by their personnel

by Lzaiter

If you were sure you were living in the open city of Miami where there is NO discrimination, you are WRONG. This past saturday Feb 14 at 815pm my husband and I were at this restaurant reading the menu along other potential customers. There was this kind of chubby bold guy reading the menu out loud and recommending some entrees, also offering seating, since they had availability. We decided to walk and compare other places, 5 minutes later we came back and requested seating for 2. Same guy looked at us down and up (we had bermudas and caps on, we were in the boat show) and said that if we did not had any reservations there was no way he could have us. Looking around again all of these guys tables were practically empty. He looked away and turn around to seat other people who just came and asked for seating and he immediatly accepted. By the way, these other customers did NOT had any reservations either. I was in total disbeleive and pist off. I wanted to storm at this guy and have everybody know that they are discriminating customers. However I did not wanted to end a perfect day with my husband by having a fit with these type of scums. I am however alerting you, potential customer in Miami, do not bring bussiness to this place, have them apologize for these actions and correct their personnels actions towards potential customers.

At the long run it was better for us, after visiting this and other websites, apparently their food is horrible.

Again, do NOT help these type of actions go unheard of and do NOT patronize this bussiness.

02/15/09

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT

by breakadawn

I was looking for a good Italian restaurant to take my gf on a Sunday afternoon. After looking through CitySearch I came across De Leo and was very enthusiastic about tasting some good authentic Italian food. Well let me just begin with the bread.STALE. That should have been a sign of things to come...but I kept being positive. We both ordered appetizers, avocado and shrimp app and the beef carpaccio. They sent out avocado and TUNA?!?! I sent it back and he returned with this mayo laden avocado half...I was skeptical to even dig into it. After find the courage to dig into this milky white avocado half, it was not half bad. But oh do I feel it now as I am writing this review. When ordering our lunch, we noticed how limited the menu was. The choices ranged from Osso Bucco and Lamb $24-$30 to Penne Pasta and Rigatoni $8.95-believe me there was no inbetween. I really didn't mind spending the cash because I wanted my gf to have a good time. We asked the waiter what he recommended and he suggested the Chicken Penne & Rigatoni with Meat Sauce. When those dishes arrived to our table I was flabergasted. I normally do not like making a big deal of bad food because I think the main part of the dining experience is the company & also I was trying to show my gf a nice time. But she could see the disgust all over my face and she couldn't hold in the laughter. My Rigatoni with meat sauce looked like pasta with dog food (SERIOUSLY). But the worst part of the dish was the PASTA!!! I believe there are certain staples that a restaurant should get right...rice in cuban restaurants, chips in mexican, fish in sushi and PASTA IN ITALIAN!! My pasta was so undercooked...I not only had to get by the look of my dish but also the lack of taste and texture. My gf said her chick penne was lean cuisine like at best. This was truly a HORRIBLE lunch experience and I would NEVER go back. Chef Boyardee is more authentic italian than this. GO ELSEWHERE

• Pros: I'm still alive to write this review
• Cons: FOOD (Especially the fundamentals of italian cuisine, PASTA)

10/10/08

Absolutely the best dining experience

by megsoc

I have lived on the beach for years, and am well aware of the gimicks and shortcuts that have unfortunately become embedded in dining culture here. This is not one of those places. This is where my boyfriend and I go when we celebrate something, because when you're there- everything is special.

The service is amazing. The staff is attentive. They speak of the dishes on the menu with the passion of true foodies. I have had many, but my favorites are the proscuitto sage stuffed chicken, veal osso bucco, and the seafood linguine. I can't get past the seafood linguine- it is such a cohesive dish. The sauce made from what have to be the most gorgeous tomatoes (no jars of tomato sauce here!) and the seafood so fresh it crunches. The dish easily serves two and I've split it- which they are more than happy to do for you, on many occasions.

My perfect night out is here, where they will greet you as if they know you, sit you at a table where you get a great view of Lincoln Rd, start you with fresh baked bread, tomatoes with a hint of basil, and an extensive menu highlighting some of Italy's best. Order the seafood linguine, a bottle of Villa Antinori Toscana, and the tirimisu. You wont be rushed, you will be taken care of, you will leave glowing. You can thank me later.

I should mention here that I am a chef. I appreciate the intricacies of the menu, the dishes, the wine list, and the service with a trained eye. Yet when I am there, it is the fact that you're not just eating food, you're enjoying a dining experience that makes it such a pleasure.

• Pros: great food, reasonable prices, fantastic service and atmosphere
• Cons: none

10/10/08

RESPONSE TO THE PERSON WHO FELT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST...ORIGINALLY EMAILED TO HER

by marcosurias

I am most appalled at the fact that you may think that da Leo a business in the service industry with a long standing record of good service and excellent community relations may engage in the practice of discrimination. This is simply not so.

In an effort to clarify your concerns, I will enlighten you on the nature of the business. We accept reservations. This is a given. On one of the busiest days of the year - Valentine's day - we accept reservations also. Valentine's day coupled with the boat show, along with the fact that it's also saturday night, and "season" we have a large amount of requests for tables.

Yes...it's possible that the bald gentleman with the long sleeve shirt and "chubby" offered a table to someone while you were at the menu board. This was possibly a no-show or a party of more than 2 people that could be accomodated due to the fact that the bulk of the reservations were made for 2 people. You may have also missed the fact that the tables you saw empty all had "Reserved" signs on them. You see we have a long tradition of honoring our reservations, hence our seating another couple without reservations would have made our reserved patrons wait...Something we try to avoid.

ILastly, I invite you to come to da Leo at any time, what your are wearing is of no consequence to us, since we are in a resort town. You're right...economy is off, however, discrimination is illegal, and we simply don't do that.

I feel terrible that you feel discriminated against, however, it certainly wasn't the case.

I invite you to come over anytime you want, and experience what great food, and service we have...however, I do caution you to make a reservation whenever possible, since we are a very busy restaurant, and the longest running restaurant on Lincoln Road.

I can assure you you will be treated with the respect, and given the service that you deserve.

Very truly yours,

Marcos T. Urias

GM

• Pros: Excellent people watching, great friendly service
• Cons: if you dont have a reservation in a major tourist destination you may have to wait

09/15/08

Drink lots of wine so you can't taste the food.

by njtomiami

I read the newspaper review posted in the restaurant thet recommended veal marsala $24.00. My friend ordered the waiter's recommendation, veal parmigiano $25.00. Both dishes were terrible. At first I thought I was served the wrong dish because it did not taste like veal. Was it chicken? No, it was their version of veal. The parmigiano had the exact same brown sauce as the milano dish (I expected a red tomato sauce). The mozzarella was fake. Both meals were served with identical vegetables that were inedible; broccoli and string beans which were extremely over cooked and I swear the string beans were out of a can. The restaurant often promotes wine specials, free bottle or half price bottle. I guess if you drink enough wine you will not notice the below par food.

• Pros: special wine prices at certain hours, friendly service. Quattro nearby so eat there instead.
• Cons: food lacks fresh ingredients, tastes like expensive fast food. cheap plastic chairs.

06/29/08

Ask for PIERO when you come

by littlevegas

When you come here for some authenic food ask for PIERO he is the best. It dosen't get more authenic then a guy from ITALY you know. The food here is to die for I had the filet and my girlfriend had the meat lasanga. I have ate all across the USA I have had good service and bad service and let me tell you this place will become a favorite very fast. I will see you every time I come back to MIAMI ( da Leo Trattoria ).

Awesome food and even better service just ask for PIERO when you come and you won't be disappointed. Always trust an Italian from LAS VEGAS.

• Pros: Staff ( PIERO )
• Cons: nothing

Editorial Review by Rick Munarriz

by Rick Munarriz

Step outside of South Beach and into Tuscany at this longstanding trattoria that sticks true to its Italian heritage.

05/03/08

Great spot in the heart of Lincoln road

by jmiz

This is a genuine Italian restaurant. I had the ?Involtini? and have to declare it the best I ever had! The tiramisu was the real stuff... Being a Miami native, it is was great find!

• Pros: Perfect spot on Lincoln Road