Our Story
A family kitchen in Oldsmar, where the pasta, the ricotta and the bread are made by hand, every day.
A Little Piece of Italy in Oldsmar
Casa Cosenza is a family restaurant. Chef Fabrizia, from Naples, runs the kitchen. Her husband Giuseppe, known to everyone as Peppe, is from Rome. He greets you at the door, pours your drink and remembers how you like your table. After starting out in Orlando, they chose Tampa Bay as the place to raise their children and opened Casa Cosenza in Oldsmar in [OPENING YEAR]. Their son helps out on busy nights. That is the whole secret: the people you meet at the door are the same people who make your dinner.
We never set out to be the biggest restaurant in town. We wanted to be the one you come back to. Our guests tell us the room feels warm, clean and calm, and that the food tastes like it came from somebody's home. We take that as the highest compliment.
Our goal is simple. When you sit down at Casa Cosenza, we want you to feel like you are in Italy, even if only for one evening. Fresh bread arrives at the table. The pasta is rolled in our kitchen. On Friday and Saturday nights, live piano fills the dining room. Some of our guests have been coming for years, and we know them by name.
We are proud of our neighbors in Oldsmar and Tampa Bay, and we are proud that so many of them have made us part of their celebrations.
Trained in Rome, Cooking from the Heart
Fabrizia earned her professional chef certification at the Italian Chef Academy in Rome, completing 130 hours of classroom training and a 600-hour kitchen stage. She worked during the day and studied at night to get there. Today she cooks the dishes she grew up with, made from scratch with ingredients she trusts.
Only the Finest
When the Love of Cooking Meets Quality Ingredients
In our kitchen, there are no shortcuts, no pre-cooked pastas waiting in plastic tubs, and no mass-produced sauces. From the moment our doors opened in Oldsmar, Florida, Casa Cosenza was conceived as an authentic sanctuary of Italian gastronomy.
We serve the finest ingredients imported directly from Italy: genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano aged up to 36 months, delicate Prosciutto di Parma, whole San Marzano tomatoes sun-ripened at the base of Mount Vesuvius, and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oils pressed from ancient groves.
To honor these gifts, our pasta dough is blended and rolled every morning using authentic Italian flour and farm-fresh eggs. Our ricotta is made fresh in house, our bread is baked daily, and our desserts are prepared in our own kitchen.
“Ours is a peaceful, elegant, and exquisite restaurant that puts quality and genuine hospitality at the center of every preparation.”
Our Culinary Code
Pasta Fatta a Mano
Rolled and folded by hand every day for unparalleled texture and bite (al dente). Our pasta station sits behind glass, so if your timing is right, you can watch it being made.
Fresh Ricotta and Daily Bread
Ricotta prepared fresh in our kitchen and bread baked every day, alongside imported Italian cheeses.
D.O.P. Imports
We insist on certified Italian origin ingredients, including Parmigiano and prosciutto, for genuine regional taste. Our olive oil is Tuscan.
Dietary Care
Gluten-free and vegetarian preparations treated with equal culinary devotion.
What the Critics Said
“Enchants with the tastes and touches of home.”
“A homestyle Italian trattoria experience.”
Come Hungry, Stay Awhile
Our dining room is bright, white and quiet enough to talk. It is a favorite for date nights, anniversaries and birthdays, and it is just as good for a family dinner.
Open Monday through Thursday from 4:30 PM, with last seating at 8 PM, and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 PM, with last seating at 9 PM. Closed Sunday, except for private events.
Live piano, Friday and Saturday
Enjoy dinner to the music of [PIANIST NAME], a familiar name to many Tampa Bay diners from his 20 years at Donatello.
A full bar
Try our signature Limoncello Martini, made with our house limoncello.
Easy reservations
Book through OpenTable, or call (813) 925-9765.
Private events and catering
Sunday celebrations and business lunches for groups of 15 or more. See the Events page.
Our bread, fresh pasta, house dressing and limoncello are available to take home.
Ask your server, or see our Catering and Take-Home section.
Your Table Is Waiting
Join us for dinner, and let us show you what a family kitchen can do.