Casa D'Angelo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Story Rooted in Salerno

Angelo Elia was born in Salerno, Italy, where his mother first taught him to cook and his father, a local butcher, instilled an unwavering respect for quality ingredients. At 14, he crossed the Atlantic to New York City, working his way through some of the city's most prestigious kitchens — including the Four Seasons — before bringing his vision south to Florida. In 1998, Angelo and his wife Denise opened the first Casa D'Angelo in Fort Lauderdale. The Boca Raton location followed, carrying forward the same founding conviction: "It's all about the ingredients."

Traditional Tuscan Cooking, Made From Scratch

The menu at Casa D'Angelo Boca Raton is a sincere expression of Italian fine dining, where nearly everything is made in-house. Pasta is hand-crafted — from the fusilli shaped after Angelo's mother's own recipe, finished with fresh tomato, basil and mozzarella, to home-made pappardelle braised with lamb ragout, fresh ricotta and pecorino toscano. The Tonnarelli Astice pairs house-made pasta with Maine lobster medallions in a pomo rosa tomato and basil sauce, finished with pulled burrata. Among the secondi, a grilled Colorado rack of lamb arrives with broccoli rapini and an amarone reduction, while the 16oz veal chop is dressed with a wild mushroom marsala sauce. Tuscan cuisine, at its core, is about restraint and honesty — and the kitchen here holds firmly to that principle.

The Team Behind the Table

Executive Chef Angelo Massanova, also from Salerno, trained at the Roberto Virtuoso culinary school before working across Italy — from the Amalfi Coast to Piedmont — before Chef Elia brought him to Florida in 2006. He has since represented the restaurant at events including the James Beard Foundation House in New York City. Denise Elia oversees all front-of-house operations, ensuring the warmth of the welcome matches the care in the kitchen. Director of Operations Peter Criticos, who has been with the Casa D'Angelo family for 15 years, puts it plainly: "Hospitality is not just about serving great food, but also about building relationships and connecting with people."

Recognition That Spans Decades

Casa D'Angelo has earned Wine Spectator and Gambero Rosso awards every year since 1998 — a record of consistency that speaks louder than any single accolade. The 2025 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence continues that unbroken run, reflecting a wine program that is taken as seriously as the Italian cuisine on the plate. The restaurant's tables have drawn guests ranging from Steven Spielberg and David Beckham to Derek Jeter, and it has been covered by outlets from The New York Times to Condé Nast Traveler — yet the dining room remains, at its heart, a place where anyone who appreciates good food feels genuinely at home.