Davide Italian Cafe

Italian restaurant
Gluten-free options
Dinner
Italian
Delivery
Take Away
More
This intimate Italian eatery offers a quaint, family-friendly setting reminiscent of a traditional Italian home. Despite challenges with service and ambiance, it provides a warm atmosphere and staff who are generally friendly and helpful, catering to gluten-free diners with dedicated options.

Good to know

1

Reservations are recommended to secure a table.

2

Gluten-free chicken piccata has a high upcharge.

3

Expect high prices for menu items, including pasta dishes.

688 Bald Eagle Dr #2541, Marco Island, FL 34145, USA
2.4km

People are saying

S
Really disappointed to be writing this review after being a loyal customer of this restaurant for years on our annual trip to Marco Island. To begin, we were seated 20+ minutes after our reservation. Why offer reservations if they mean nothing? The ambiance is overwhelming - the live music is far too loud and honestly, painful to listen to. When it came time to order, we requested to place for food and drinks all at once due to the significant wait we already had for our delayed “reservation”. We asked for lemon wedges for the table in addition to our beers; please note: this restaurant does not have a liquor license so options are limited. The server brought literally 3 slices of lemon for a table of 5 - how generous! We ordered 3 chicken piccata dishes (one gluten free) and 1 chicken parmesan. The gluten free is a $6.50 up charge, which is the highest I’ve ever seen for an allergy accommodation. As I mentioned, we come here annually and it has always included 2 chicken breasts per dish. Apparently shrinkflarion has really gotten Davide as it came with one minuscule chicken breast each. The chicken parmesan was cold. At this point, we had been over an hour since we had ordered and were starving with a dog to get home to. As such, we just ate the cold food. We said nothing and asked for our bill, just wanting to get out of there. The owner stopped by as we were waiting for the checks to return and asked how everything was. A member of our party said “slow and cold but besides that fine.” The owner suddenly became aggressive and defensive, asking why are we just now complaining? In response, we corrected him that we were not complaining, he asked. He stormed away and sarcastically told us to have a good night. We finished up the checks and departed for our vehicle in the parking lot. The owner followed us into the parking lot and told us to never return to the restaurant. For what? Telling you the hard truth about the poor experience at your restaurant? Feedback, unfortunately, is not always positive but as an owner, or just a human in general, you need to learn how to be receptive to it and respectful when receiving it. Perhaps the owners Napoleon complex is getting in the way. Dine elsewhere where you will be a respected patron with warm, timely food.
T
We have been loyal patrons of Davide for years, but after tonights appalling experience, we will never return. I have a gluten allergy and politely requested a substitution for pasta with my meal. The restaurant OWNER assured me it was "no problem." For $31, I was served a single, laughably small piece of chicken—comparable in size to a chicken finger. When I calmly asked if I could have another piece of chicken since I had one small piece of chicken on my plate, the OWNER said it wouldn’t be a problem but what followed was a level of unprofessionalism I’ve never encountered in a restaurant. Instead of simply declining my request or handling the situation with basic courtesy, the owner made multiple trips back to our table—not to resolve the issue, but to insult me and my husband. He condescendingly claimed no one had ever complained before, then proceeded to mock my personality by saying “how much he loved my personality” in a way that was dripping with sarcasm and hostility and walked by and said “why are you still talking about this I have resolved the issue” we weren’t even talking about it. He commented on my husband. His behavior was not just rude; it was aggressive and completely unnecessary, making my entire family deeply uncomfortable. If the restaurant was unwilling to provide another (reasonable-sized) portion, that’s their prerogative. But escalating the situation with repeated antagonistic remarks was beyond unprofessional—it was downright bizarre. I have never left a dinner feeling so humiliated and upset. There are plenty of restaurants that respect their patrons and handle dietary accommodations with grace. Davide is clearly not one of them. Save yourself the trouble and dine elsewhere.

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