Ama La Vita | Italian Restaurant in Sarasota, FL

Great addition to Main St, Sarasota dining! Stepped-up big time during the COVID mess, serving to-go 7 days a week, with a smile. To-go food was wonderful, but the sit-down that I enjoyed this evening was incredible. Relaxed, friendly, and able staff served some great wine and food. Pork was prepared to perfection and the chicken scarpariello was fresh and tasty! Cajun shrimp appetizer was a great start to the meal. Absolutely recommend this restaurant and hope they enjoy a long run in Sarasota!

-Bill M.

I was invited here for a birthday dinner of a dear friend of mine. Upon arriving, the ambiance of the restaurant itself was that of a cozy personal touch. The staff was amazing— friendly, communicative, helpful, and accommodating. Being someone who is vegan, often it can be a challenge finding a good meal at places that aren’t vegan-centric. Here, they not only accommodated but made me a personal touch from scratch — and it was DAMN GOOD! The wine was flavorful, the food was fulfilling and the staff was the icing on the cake! It is my friends favorite place in town and now I see why! Looking forward to my next meal there.

-Omar S.

Fabulous restaurant!! Great service by Jarod he's the best..great and delicious food and also the best Italian Wine Make sure you make a reservation for dinner you won't be disappointed. Thank you so much for a fabulous evening. We loved everything. See you soon!!!

-Barbara V.

Wonderful food and great service.

We were outside with tables placed for social distancing along Main Street. Dinner was delicious and the owners were gracious hosts. The grouper and mahi-mahi were exquisitely prepared. Excellent bread too.

-Kathleen.

We just booked our third visit as Ama La Vita Ristorante is now our GO TO Italian Restaurant in Sarasota. We are "Just So" when it comes to dinning and this ristorante checks ALL the boxes. Quality entrees, A varried Menu,  Vino offerings at Fair prices,  In House, "Home made desert Cakes" (ie, made by the owner, Tricia), Friendly and Helpful yet Professional Servers,  We plan on becoming regular patrons as dinning here cannot be any better. Simply said, "AAA+++". If in Sarasota do yourself a favor and dine at "Ama Il Vita" , 1551 Main Street, Downtown. FYI: Opens at 5:00 PM.

-DaWizzard

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in Sarasota. The service is amazing, the FOOD is the BEST!  THE sauces are incredible, the menu is diverse. The desserts are made by the owner,   The ambiance is wonderful and warm.  LOVE this place.

-Cuba

Great Cozy New Italian Downtown!

We passed by AMA a week or so ago walking on main street and decided to give it a try last night. GREAT CHOICE! Our server Jay was very helpful with wine selections - allowing us to try different wines before making a choice. The salads are big enough to share and the burrata special app was wonderful. Our table had the pork chop the Mahi special with lemons white wine olives and capers and the gnocchi. I wanted the Mahi but really wanted to try their pepperoncini sauce from their chicken pasta. The chef made my Mahi with the pepperoncini sauce - it was amazing! Very accommodating and friendly owners and don’t miss Trish’s Coconut Cake!

-Lynne K.

This restaurant was amazing from start to finish! The owner greeted us and explained that she makes all of the sauces and the bread, they gave us complimentary eggplant fritters, and the food was incredible!  The service was excellent, and we will certainly be back!

-AmyN

Charming - YES!
Friendly and welcoming - YES!
Overall ambiance - Beautiful--- plus the outdoor seating is ample and lit beautifully.

Ama La Vita was such a wonderful experience across the board that I had to write about it. YOU, READING THIS - you should go.
The food was delicious. It was mouth watering. From the tasty appetizer, to the entree, to the gelato and espresso. Just wonderful.
I dined with 3 people and each of us had a lovely meal. Eggplant Parmesan, fish of the day (grouper for us), and chicken . Delicious.
The espresso was especially good - great flavor, nice creama and perfect temperature.
The desserts are made by the owner and are a perfect finish to the meal. We had the pleasure of visiting with her and what a delightful treat it was.
Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to a visit!

-Chooqui D.

For real Italian food, this is THE place!

This was my second visit. The first was so good I had to bring friends. The first visit was solo and I sat at the bar which was fun. Enjoyed the best carbonara I can remember. This night there were 6 of us and we had the window table. Between us we shared the artichoke oreganata, beet salad and Sicilian rice ball. All three were delicious, what great tasty treats! We all ordered different entrees since everything sounded great. I savored the shrimp fra diavlo which is made with squid colored pasta and held just the right amount of heat. Others ordered the pasta vignole with delicious clams and a savory sauce, an eggplant parmesan which was yummy. Everybody was very pleased. We topped off with the coconut cake...wow!
Trish, the owner checked in on us to make certain all was well. She’s really a neat person. I spoke with her at the bar on my previous visit and we had a great conversation about food and Sarasota.

-Finimex