Fresco Italian Restaurant & Market

Recommends

herbstcj10

Joined 3 years ago

Awesome for kids!. This place is great! Large menu with an excellently priced kids menu.

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coilalsu

Joined 3 years ago

Best Italian this side of the pond. I was visiting Orlando with my daughter's dance team, and the other moms and I were looking for a place to eat the night we arrived (after a 12-hr drive!) My friend found Fresco on her iPhone using CitySearch, and while skeptical about the "best italian food" rating, I agreed to go anyway. (I am known amongst my friends as 'the food snob.' ) When we drove up to the restaurant, I was dismayed - it was in a stripmall next to K-Mart, for heaven's sake! But, we were there already and we were tired so we went in. I am ever so glad that we did, because what ensued after we were seated was the very best Italian food I have ever had outside of Italy. I've been to Italian restaurants all over the US and in a couple of places in Canada, and this restaurant beats every single one of them (and many meals that I had in Italy!) I had the something-something carbonara and while I am not usually an over-eater, I polished off every morsel on the generously-portioned plate and wished I had more. We had a table full of children but the waitstaff didn't seem to care - everyone, from the hostess to the waitstaff, to the manager - treated us as if we were the only customers. The manager even brought cookies to our children!! I am going back to Orlando in May 2010 and I simply CANNOT WAIT to return to Fresco!!!! (Fresco staff, if you are reading this make sure you have a table for 6 ready at about 8pm on May 21, 2010! No kidding!)

Doesn't Recommend

KDAMB

Joined 4 years ago

cold pizza toppings. We visited because we had a coupon, which they told us they wouldn't honor anymore. we stayed anyway and ordered a gourmet pizza which arrived with cold toppings. when we asked about it, they said "thats the way its supposed to be". we also asked for more dipping sauce which was brought out on a spoon and plopped into the dish that was on our table. very tacky...

prices were high on the entrees, not a price the "whole family can enjoy" in this economy.

we love going to restaurants that aren't chains, but this is one we will not be returning to.

Recommends

Italianfoodlover

Joined 4 years ago

Best Italian Food in Orlando. If you are from New York , and miss your favorite family owned Italian Restaurtant with veal that you can cut with your fork, great pasta and "gravy", then you will love this place.

The food is authentic with interesting presentations. The desserts are varied and sinfully good.

The owner and family are on premises and the waite staff is very attentive.

Extensive wine list. Very moderate prices for large portions.

Recommends

jshope

Joined 5 years ago

Best Italian Food I've Had In the U.S.. Three friends and I were in Orlando for the whole Disney experience and decided to try to find someplace nice to eat off-park; after looking for Italian restaurants on Citysearch we decided to try this place because foreign food places with "and market" in the name are usually pretty good. Fresco did absolutely not disappoint! We got there about 20 minutes before they closed, and they immediately seated us without any hint of annoyance. Everything on the menu sounded delicious, and each dish the four of us had was spectacular (I had the Chicken Saltimbocca--it's delicious). The wine list was extensive and the dessert selection was well worth any cost. The cheesecake (imported from New York), tiramisu, and canoli were all extremely good. The server was very friendly and conversational, and never seemed bothered by the fact we stayed until almost an hour after closing time. The food came out very quickly, and the bread with olive oil was great. There's also a small market attached to the dining area that has meats, cheeses, pastas, beverages, and some small dishes you can buy to take home.

I cannot recommend this place highly enough. The prices were very fair (I had a glass of wine, an entree, and dessert for 30 bucks, tax included) and the service was impeccable. This is definitely a place I'd return to next time I'm in Orlando, and if I lived here I'd frequent this restaurant. It's a definite gem and serves the kind of real, fresh, rich Italian food that can't be found at a local chain eatery. I've eaten in Rome, Florence, and Venice, and this place matches up with the food you can find in those cities. Definitely one of the highlights of the trip for my friends and I.