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.

Friends and neighbors in Sarasota if you have not eaten at Ama La Vita you are missing out on a delicious and authentic Italian dining experience. This restaurant opened at the same time COVID-19 shuttered our beautiful city. While we have enjoyed several carryout meals from here, last night was our first opportunity to eat in the dining room. The owners Tricia and Danny make you feel like family as soon as you walk in. Our table of four had the Shrimp Fra Diavolo, Flounder Oreganata, Pork Chop Giambotta, and Parmesan Encrusted Grouper. We spent our time over desert debating who out ordered who. Eat local support local!

-Ken V.

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.

Downtown Gem in SRQ!

Where to begin...We stopped by for date night dinner on a Friday night and fell in love with the restaurant, food, and staff! Family owned and operated, Danny and Tricia are amazing hosts and even better chefs. The food was fantastic, and the service was incredible. Make sure to try the homemade rice balls! Tricia also makes amazing homemade bread! We were treated like family and can’t wait to come back!

-Whitney G.

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.

Italian at it's finest comes to Sarasota!

New York, New Jersey, Boston, Chicago.... This New restaurant in Sarasota in gonna make some waves in Florida!!! The owners Danny and Trish from Jersey shores have relocated to Sarasota and bring their culinary skills to a great new location. Antipasta appitizers of house salads, Ceaser salas with shrimp or chicken, housemade meatballs with ricotta were all excellently done and served........Main courses of large Scallops with risotto..Excellent...The best chicken scarpiella with sausage with linguine as requested was unbelieveable with fresh garlic, spices. olive oil and marinara sauce was as good as I ever had.....Wine list very good and affordable...Folks, this is the tip of the Iceberg for these new owners!! Danny is the chef and Trish is the Hostess.......Don't miss this spot on main st, downtown on MAIN ST...... 5 stars on food, ambiance and waitstaff, Lucie is a terrific waitress with great bar help......You will be greatly rewarded with a fine meal.

-Hoopspoint.

Ama La Vita is a great addition to SRQ dining. Really great prepared to order italian food. Tricia and Danny are great hosts and made us feel welcome on our first two visits. We really appreciated the Italian wine selection. Tricia actually makes the bread and desserts. My favorite is the toasted coconut cake. Highly recommend Ama La Vita.

-Dennis J.