Casa D'Angelo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A South Florida Institution Built on Old World Principles

Casa D'Angelo was founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1998 by Angelo and Denise Elia, and over the past twenty-five years it has grown into one of South Florida's most respected names in Italian fine dining. The Aventura location carries forward everything that made the original a local institution: an uncompromising focus on ingredients, housemade pastas, and the kind of warm, attentive hospitality that keeps guests coming back.

The restaurant's guiding philosophy is disarmingly simple — "it's all about the ingredients" — and it shows in every dish that leaves the kitchen.

The Man Behind the Kitchen

Chef Angelo Elia was born in Salerno, Italy, where his mother first taught him to cook and his father, a local butcher, instilled in him a respect for quality sourcing. He arrived in New York City at age 14 and worked his way through some of the city's most demanding kitchens, including the Four Seasons. That formative experience shaped a culinary sensibility that is both rustic and refined — traditional Tuscan and southern Italian cooking executed with precision.

Executive Chef Angelo Massanova, also a Salerno native, joined the Casa D'Angelo family in 2006 after training at the Roberto Virtuoso culinary school and working across Italy — from the Amalfi Coast to Turin, where he worked with truffles and risotti, to the Cilento National Park, where he made handmade bufala mozzarella and artisan salumi. Together, Elia and Massanova have represented Casa D'Angelo at the James Beard Foundation in New York City and at the Food Network South Beach Food & Wine Festival.

Denise Elia, co-founder, directs all front-of-house operations and oversees private events, ensuring that every guest is received with genuine warmth — a detail that has defined the Casa D'Angelo experience from day one.

What's on the Table

The menu is a confident tour through Italian cooking, anchored by housemade pastas. The Mamma Fusilli — made from Angelo's mother's own recipe with fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella — is a signature that speaks directly to the restaurant's origins. Other standouts include Bucatini Cacio e Pepe all'Astice with Maine lobster medallions, Cavatelli Ragout d'Agnello with braised lamb, and Gnocchi Sorrentina baked with San Marzano tomatoes and ricotta. Antipasti range from grilled octopus with taggiasche olives to crispy zucchini flowers filled with ricotta and mozzarella.

Main courses span Creekstone Prime cuts, free-range chicken roasted Tuscan-style, and daily seafood selections — all handled with the same scratch-made discipline that runs through every section of the menu.

Recognition That Reflects Consistency

Wine Spectator has recognized Casa D'Angelo with its Best of Award of Excellence, a distinction that reflects both the depth of the cellar and the kitchen's commitment to food that pairs well with serious wine. The restaurant has received Wine Spectator and Gambero Rosso recognition every year since 1998 — a streak that says more about consistency than any single accolade could.

The guest list over the years — from Steven Spielberg and David Beckham to Tony Bennett and Derek Jeter — reflects a reputation that travels well beyond South Florida. Casa D'Angelo in Aventura is the kind of place that earns that attention quietly, one well-salted pot of pasta at a time.