Bonù Taverna Italiana

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

The Spirit of the South Italian Table

"We believe that one of the greatest sources of joy is what happens around the dinner table." That phrase, signed by Antonio — known to regulars as Toto — sets the tone for everything at Bonù Taverna Italiana. Sitting on Central Avenue in the heart of St. Petersburg, Florida, the restaurant brings an avant-garde take on South Italian culture to a city that has embraced it warmly, drawing guests from across the region and well beyond.

The recognition from Gambero Rosso, Italy's most authoritative food and wine guide, with 2 slices in 2025, confirms what the neighborhood already knows: this is Italian cooking done with genuine intent, not approximation.

A Menu Built Around Clean Flavors

The kitchen operates on an ever-changing menu anchored in seasonal ingredients and Mediterranean specialties. The philosophy is straightforward — clean flavors, honest sourcing, and a clear line back to Italy.

Small plates set the pace. Grilled octopus arrives with pistachio pesto and a cannellini bean salad; arancini come loaded with mozzarella, provolone, and pecorino romano; a tomino of oven-baked Piemontese cheese wrapped in speck and finished with balsamic is quietly one of the most satisfying things on the table. The charcuterie grande — prosciutto di Parma, speck, finocchiona, mortadella, mozzarella di bufala, parmigiano reggiano — is built for sharing and rarely lasts long.

Pasta is a serious chapter. The Spaghetto di Bonù pairs tomato vellutata with burrata and basil in its simplest, most confident form. Orecchiette with Italian sausage, rapini, and Calabrian chili oil reads as a direct line to the South. The gnocchi in a four-cheese creamy sauce — gorgonzola, fontina, parmigiano, cacio di Roma — is the kind of dish that earns return visits.

Pinsa, Mains, and the Roman Tradition

A dedicated section of the menu celebrates pinsa, a hand-pressed Roman dough with over a century of artisan tradition behind it. The Toto Ripiena — stracciatella, arugula, prosciutto di Parma, truffle oil — carries the chef's name for good reason. The Bronte, with mortadella and toasted pistachio pesto, is another standout.

For main courses, the South Italian spirit extends to veal saltimbocca with prosciutto and sage, grilled lamb chops with mashed sweet potatoes and mint, and a 12 oz black Angus ribeye finished with a pink peppercorn brandy sauce, truffle oil, and grated parmigiano.

The Space and the Occasion

Bonù Taverna accommodates everything from an intimate dinner for two to private events and corporate gatherings, with a dedicated lounge space available for bookings. The atmosphere — described by the restaurant as an "avant-garde concept" — manages to feel both polished and genuinely welcoming, the kind of place where the South Italian idea of indulgere, mangiare, gustare — indulge, eat, savor — lands as an actual invitation rather than a slogan.