Caffé Toscano

Caffé Toscano is a hidden gem in Fort Myers. It is family owned and operated by Antonio and Diana. Located in a shopping mall across from Landings Yacht, Golf and Tennis Club. It is next to CIBO Italian Restaurant.
Seven of us went to Caffé Toscano.
Right in front of restaurant, a chalk board today’s special are written. As you walk in, you noticed that antique stove by the right front windows. The place is not big but the ambiance is small and intimate!
While we drinking our beer and wine, slices of Italian bread with olive oil were served. They were hard on outside and soft inside. The extra virgin olive oil makes this bread special!
I have the Florida hogfish Trabaccolara. The hogfish was smothered with capers, black olive, tomato, sauce and garnished with green bean and sweet and white potato wedges. There is only one word for this dish, delicious! Wife ordered veal scaloppini with mushroom Marsala. The veal was thinly sliced and cooked to perfection.
Other member ordered Veal Osso Buco with Acquerello saffron risotto. The lamb shank is tender and falling off the bone. A very hearty Italian dish!
The Fettuccine with Maine lobster were run out early today. The replacement was Shrimp and scallop on a bed of homemade pasta.
For dessert we have Tartufo, Olive oil cake and Lemon Nona cake. Tartufo is a smooth vanilla and hazelnut gelato coated with crushed hazelnuts and dusted with Coca powder. Olive oil cake and Lemon Nona cake are not to miss!
Portions not enormous but good.
This place is a must-​try and you will not be disappointed! Kudo to Antonio!

Great food and service! The bolognese was as authentic as I have had to Italy. The olive oil cake was delicious. Strongly recommend!

Had the Black ink pasta Great. Great best I ever had
The olive oil cake not to be missed
The service is wonderful Five Stars

Fingers to my pursed lips, blowing a kiss to you & your staff, Owner/​Chef Antonio!
The dining room is small, well appointed, and well lit. I loved the antique stove by the front window; it’s silver embellishments shining. For mid-​week in November, the dining room was full and the wine was flowing. I learned that the owner’s previous professional life involved exporting from Italy of the finest purveyors’ culinary specialties. That was a great ramp-​up for his next professional iteration at Caffe Toscano. Even the waitress was well versed in not only the long list of Chef’s own dishes, but how to pronounce them, too.
There was a short stack of aromatic, bagged coffee beans for sale beneath the chalk board’s announcements. A glass case next to the kitchen tempts with layers of rolled cheeses; And, my friend swears that his neighbor comes frequently just to take home some of the dense, freshly baked bread that is delivered to each table.
I had Florida hogfish, caught in a bed of fresh green beans, and garnished with capers and black olives. Delicious. My friend had a type of lamb ragout atop wide noodles. My other friend held her breath and filled her lungs with hope as she ordered pasta, topped with imported, shaved white truffles. She exhaled, smiled, her fondest hopes realized for authentic white truffles, shaved wafer thin.
We shared a morsel from her plate ($ 75) and savored for ourselves the delicate flavor that is adored by connoisseurs. They’re the ones who know that dogs and not pigs forage for truffles these days. Pigs just can’t be trusted; they eat them as fast as they unearth them.
I would be an unemployed truffle finder if I were let loose in Italy. At Caffe Toscano, I tempered that reverie with a well selected, house Chianti until after dinner, a coffee (remember those stout little bags on display?) arrived along with a slice of olive oil cake. The three of us shared this flourless concoction made with oil, nuts, a heavy lacing of almond, and a marinated fruit.
Bellissimo!

About as good a Eggplant Parm as you can get, Veal Marsala was tender and delicious.

I love family owned and operated restaurants. The husband and wife team who run this eatery are very good at what they do. He’s in the kitchen, she’s out front. Tonight’s lentil and butternut squash soup was over-​the-​top good; veal Marsala was very good. Service is friendly but not speedy. They charge a premium, but it’s worth it. The food here is as good as most of the restaurants I’ve eaten at in Tuscany.

Absolutely wonderful food! The eggplant dish is without a doubt the best I’ve ever had. Great service too. When the owner is the actual chef, there is always a very good chance he/​she will do the best to please their customers. That is the case here!

My wife and I recently dined here and the food was excellent! I had the redfish special and my wife had the lasagna. Both were prepared to perfection and were truly exceptional in taste as well as presentation. They also have a very reasonably priced Sangiovese to accompany your dinner. Highly recommend!

First off if you’re considering eating here, the answer is yes!
Caffè Toscano is a hidden gem in Fort Myers. Owned and operated by a local couple, this restaurant offers Lee County a fresh taste of authentic Italian. I visited during a trip home this past January and was beyond thrilled with my experience.
While eating there my boyfriend and I had the lasagna and the redfish special. Both dishes were perfectly portioned. I noticed some of the other reviews say the portions are small, but this is only if you are comparing them to the oversized plates served at most Italian-​American eateries. The food however, is beyond compare. Each plate at Caffe Toscana is delicately prepared by the owner with the highest quality ingredients and the result is nothing short of outstanding. My redfish was packed with flavor and cooked to perfection.
After dinner we had a cappuccino and an espresso as well as two of their homemade deserts. The Mrs. makes an amazing Olive Oil Cake which they told us often sells out quickly. I can see why! We also had their tiramisu which was as expected, fantastic.
A must-​try for all Fort Myers residents, and a treat for anyone visiting and looking for a great place for cozy date night. Can’t wait to return!

This place is great, I was born in and raised in Italy so it’s safe to say I’m familiar with Italian food. This place offers dishes and ingredients that aren’t easy to find in regular places. Most of the dishes I had were great. I don’t understand all the bad reviews except that maybe these people are used to food from the Olive Garden or any other fake Italian chain restaurant. This place is one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in South West Florida.

We LOVED this place. So authentically Italian and reasonably priced we thought.

Love Caffee Toscano! Antonio (owner/​chef) and Diana are wonderful hosts who really care about the food and their customers. Everything is fresh. They only purchase what they need for that day. So if there’s a special on the board you are interested in, make sure you tell your waiter/​waitress so they’ll reserve one for you! The portions are enough to fill you up but are not intended to be gigantic so that you have some to take home. I’m a big eater and had more than enough. Even the desserts are great — Diana used to create desserts for a restaurant in Italy. If big chains like Olive Garden and their processed dishes are your speed you may not enjoy this — but if you like authentic, fresh well prepared dishes this is the place for you!

cute little hole in the wall with very poor presentation and food.
I wandered in unaware today to have a light lunch and ordered a prosecco and the antipasto plate Toscano. Let’s see: for $ 14 there were 4 slices of italian bread lightly toasted. One had very pale food service tomatoes parading as bruschetta topping… no taste. One tablespoon of «Tuscan «style pâté which was a indifferent liver pâté with nothing to denote Tuscany. 3 dried black olives. 2 slivers of dried out cheese… no Parmigiana Reggiano or even a pale cousin. Then about 1 ½ oz. of three shaved salumi, prosciutto, and some other indifferent dried meat. That was it. Not even a basil leaf to give it some color. Dull tasting, presented without care.
The much higher end Cibo, almost next door, would never dare serve such a sad plate much less charge $ 14 for it.
I continue my search for a nice little local place to take clients. This will not be one.

We had lunch there today and it was amazing! Although the restaurant was very busy and only there was only one or two tables left, everything was perfect. The waitress was super friendly and the food was awesome! We have been to Italy many times and it was like we were visiting again. The owner (and chef) also took time to go to every table and ask people how everything was.
Great experience, will go there again soon!