Café Gabbiano

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Fresh, Handmade, and Rooted in Italy

Café Gabbiano sits just steps from the white sands of Siesta Key, bringing a genuinely Italian sensibility to one of Florida's most beautiful stretches of coastline. The kitchen operates on a straightforward philosophy — free-range, handmade, local — and the menu reflects it: fresh pasta crafted from family recipes, rich risottos, and seafood prepared with seasonal ingredients that shift as the year does.

At the stove is head chef Paolo Di Costanzo, who comes from Ischia, the volcanic island off the coast of Naples. His background informs the authenticity of what arrives at the table — this is Italian cuisine shaped by memory and place, not approximation.

A Room for Every Occasion

The restaurant spans 4,000 square feet, giving it the rare ability to feel both intimate and accommodating. Guests can settle into one of the private wine rooms for a quieter dinner, or take a seat on the climate-controlled patio and catch the evening breeze. The atmosphere is described as serene and casual — fitting for a spot surrounded by the kind of paradise that doesn't need to be dressed up.

Families are well looked after. The children's menu offers classic Italian options — spaghetti and meatballs, pasta with marinara, linguini alfredo — each meal finishing with a gelato sundae. Half-portions of pasta from the main menu are also available for younger diners.

Wine as a Destination in Itself

The wine program here is a serious undertaking. Certified sommelier Marc Grimaud oversees a collection of more than 200 labels available on site and pairs wines to meals on request. The depth of that list earned Café Gabbiano the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2023 — recognition that reflects not just breadth but genuine curation. The flight menu extends the exploration further, with options ranging from a Grappa flight featuring Poli's Vespaiolo and Moscato expressions to an International Dessert Wine flight spanning Hungary, Portugal, and Tuscany.

General Manager Peter Tracy brings 28 years of fine dining experience to the floor, and it shows in the kind of attentive, personal service that keeps a restaurant earning recognition year after year.

Siesta Hour and Beyond

Each evening opens with Siesta Hour from 5 to 6:30 p.m. — select drinks and appetizers at $7, signature cocktails at $10, available at the bar. It's an easy way into the night before settling into the fuller Italian cuisine the kitchen is known for.