Spoleto Restaurant Offers Culinary Freedom for Fast Delicious Italian Meals
A trip to Italy is high on my ‘travel someday list’. Until the actual trip happens, food is the next best thing. Dreams of travel usually inspire where and what I eat so I’m always in search of new restaurants to keep the travel inspiration alive. Plus, it gives me an “excuse” to get together with friends more often. It’s a win-win!
I recently visited Spoleto Restaurant in Winter Park, Florida and learned it combines the speed of fresh-casual service with the sophistication of an Italian restaurant and gourmet-quality food at a very affordable price.
Read on and find out why this fast-casual chain is not only a winner in the market (It was recognized in the Fast Casual Top 100, a list of the industry’s most significant brands) but also a perfect place to get together with friends and family to dream of travels to Italy. Here are 9 Reasons to visit Spoleto Restaurant when you’re in the mood for a fast, delicious Italian meal that won’t break the bank.
Go “Make Someday Happen!”
1. Culinary Freedom
I love the term “culinary freedom” and that’s exactly what this fast-casual chain offers guests. You have the freedom to be the chef and create your own Italian dish. Except here, all you have to do is point to more than 30 different farm-fresh and house prepared ingredients to top your pasta, salad or flatbread, and a professional culinary team will actually do all the work, assemble and prepare it for you, exactly how you want it!
“The goal at Spoleto is to give our guests the Culinary Freedom to experiment with amazing Italian Culinary. We want them to be in control of this open kitchen, working with our chefs to craft their perfect meal” said John Velasquez, President of Spoleto USA.
2. Polpette Grande! Fantastic Pastas & Flatbreads.
You want a giant meatball? You got it! Order the giant meatball and hear the staff all yell out in unison: “Pollpette Grande” – a celebration comes with each meatball!
Select your pasta. In the mood for Penne, Spaghetti, Cavatappi or Fettuccine? How about whole grain penne, gluten-free Fettuccine?
Then, select your toppings from their expansive selection of fresh certified organic and non-GMO ingredients. and your sauce – choose from pesto, marinara, Bolognese, Alfredo or chicken broth all prepared in house daily.
Add a house-made favorite protein like that giant meatball, link sausage, or roasted chicken.
Don’t forget the finishing touches like fresh Parmesan cheese, truffle oil, and Italian herbs.
If you’re not up to creating your own and just want the chef to select for you, go for “Chef Inspired Recipes” such as Penne Gambaretto with roasted red onions, tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, shrimp and pesto cream sauce.
My favorite, Spicy Rose a spicy number made of Cavatappi pasta, roasted garlic, red peppers, tomatoes, red onions with crushed red peppers and a rose sauce. It had that perfect zing of flavor and heat!
If you love Carbonara, this is one of their most popular Chef Creations. Fettucini A La Carbonara with herb roasted chicken, bacon, baby spinach, carrots, peas, roasted red onions and signature Alfredo sauce. Can you say yum?
In the mood for a warm, crispy flatbread? Guests can select from the same fresh ingredients to dress it up before it’s placed in the 1500 degree stone fired oven! Top it off with balsamic glaze, fresh herbs, and fresh grated parmesan cheese and voila! A creation all your own!
Try the Burrata and Prosciutto Caprese ($10) with cherry tomatoes, red onions, marinara, Italian cheeses and balsamic glaze drizzle.
3. Fig Prosciutto & Burrata, oh my! Fresh Salads.
When you’re not feeling like pasta and flatbreads, go with greens! A variety of salads are on the menu, or create your own. The Fig Prosciutto and Burrata Cheese is an absolute winner! Arugula, strawberries, prosciutto, burrata cheese tossed with balsamic vinaigrette. served with crispy oven-baked bread with fig jam. To die for!
All of Spoleto’s salad greens – arugula, romaine, Arcadian spring mix, and baby spinach – and most of its produce are now certified organic and sourced from Florida growers like Earthbound Farm, Organic Valley, and Foxy Organic by The Nunes Company.
Choose from the same local ingredients, cheeses, and proteins like herb marinated shrimp, prosciutto or roasted herb chicken and then select from Spoleto’s house-made dressings (balsamic vinaigrette, Italian vinaigrette, Caesar).
“We’ve worked very hard with our distributors to find local growers so we can source as much produce as possible that is certified organic,” said Velasquez. “It’s important to us and we know it’s important to many of our guests, so we’re very proud to now offer them these organic ingredients. Culinary Freedom promotes conscious eating, allowing guests to select from healthy and mostly organic options for a reasonable price. We are constantly exploring and evolving all of our offerings to give guests the healthiest and most flavorful Italian culinary experience.”
4. Cheers! Affordable Wines & Beer Pairings.
Pair your entree with a selection of affordable wines like Tolloy Pinot Grigio, Ruffino Lodola Nuova or Querceto Chianti Classico, ranging in price from $4-7 glass / $15-$22 bottle.
Sit back and clink glasses with friends. At these prices, you can have a bottle or two!
A variety of local and imported beers are also on the menu including popular favorites like Crooked Can from Winter Garden and Cigar City from Tampa, Florida and Peroni from Italy, ranging in price from $4-$6.
5. Yum! Scrumptious Desserts.
Don’t skip dessert. Never skip dessert! The Nutella Flatbread with fresh strawberries, Panna Cotta with strawberry gelle and Nutella Mousse with “Baci” Crumble are all worthy of indulgence.
6. Not Fine Dining but Finer Fast Dining.
Spoleto is not five star fine dining. They don’t aim to be. But they do provide a finer fast casual experience. All entrees are beautifully served on china, not disposable ware. You will also have real silverware not plastic.
They carefully source high quality ingredients mostly imported from Italy and local certified organic produce. You can’t beat this quality for the price.
You will see fun art on the walls, hear pleasant music in the background with a funky techno lounge vibe – not the cheesy Italian O Sole Mio variety – and enjoy a comfortable environment with rustic communal tables, soft lighting and a creative sculpture of pans on the ceiling.
The staff is attentive, will deliver food to your table and has a good time with customers. “We do everything with passion, love and care” says executive chef Laura Henderson. You can hear the passion in her voice as she describes each dish. You can taste it with every bite.
7. Easy Order On The Go.
Spoleto Restaurant is making it easy for guests who can’t dine in, to still enjoy. In a hurry? Order online and pick up and go. Have a big group to feed? Special catering options for meetings, special events and large groups are offered. Want to stay at in and get delivery? The restaurants partners with delivery services Order Up and Amazon Prime to bring Spoleto meals to your home or office.
Use Spoleto’s app for simple ordering and great rewards. The app’s features include:
- ^ Spoleto Takeout: a mobile ordering system to avoid the lines – order and pay directly from Spoleto’s app.
^ Spoleto Mobile Pay: Easily add money to Spoleto mobile pay and process payments digitally
^ Loyalty Card: Allows users to keep track of all rewards through the app
^ Spoleto Current Events: Keeps users engaged on all social platforms and up to date on current events for all restaurants
Additionally, the app allows users to save payment information, favorite locations and meals, and reminds users of special offers and daily promotions. To incentivize people to download the app, Spoleto is offering a complimentary build your own pasta, on the virtual loyalty card that is redeemable during the guest’s second visit, or any time after.
“We designed this app with total convenience in mind – from ordering through the app, to our Spoleto mobile pay card, we wanted to make the ordering experience as easy as possible,” said Luis Pestonit, U.S. company technology manager. “To ensure our customers know we appreciate them, our team even introduced the loyalty card – where users can easily build up rewards after every visit, or after every mobile order from the Spoleto app. Users can also receive a free Nutella flatbread on their birthday.” Spoleto’s app is available for free download through the Apple and Google Play Store and is compatible with iOS and Android devices.
8. Central Florida Roots and Community Involvement
Spoleto may be a chain restaurant but they firmly believe in being a part of the local community and are rooted in Central Florida. I learned that although the chain originated in Brazil (where it is mega-sized with over 380 locations overseas), when they decided to open in the US, they made dramatic changes to the concept, the menu and the dining experience. In addition, their commitment to local charities and special offers for students are a few ways of how they are a part of the community.
“We’ve created a concept that is proving to be a big hit with our guests looking for creative, fresh, Italian food at a great value,” said John Velasquez, President of Spoleto USA. “We are poised for significant growth across the Unites States. We love that the brand was born right here in Orlando, and we’re very excited about future locations throughout Orlando.”
9. Special Discounts & Celebrations
On various holidays, Spoleto offers special discounts, such as the 50% discount for National Ravioli Day on March 20 or a free spaguetti on National Spaguetti Day. Be on the lookout for announcements on their social media.
You know ravioli is good when you can eat it without sauce and it tastes amazing. We sampled their Four Cheese and Chicken & Cheese stuffed ravioli, specially made for Spoleto and imported from Italy.
Restaurant Information:
Spoleto Central Florida Locations:
- ^ Winter Park: 349 N. Orlando Ave, Winter Park, FL.
^ UCF: 12101 University Blvd, Ste 219 Orlando, FL.
^ Florida Mall: 8001 S. Orange Blossom Trail, Ste. 199 Orlando, FL.
^ Windermere: 4750 The Grove Dr, The Grove shopping plaza, Windermere, FL.
For more information, check out Spoleto’s Website and follow on social media: Facebook,
Twitter, and Instagram.
If you’re looking for a fast, easy and delicious Italian meal to share with friends and family, I hope the above 9 reasons to visit Spoleto will inspire you to go! Make Someday Happen!
Cheers!
Go Epicurista
Disclosure: I was a media guest during a preview event to sample the Spoleto experience. No compensation was received and I was under no obligation to write this post. As always, I only share with you experiences and products I love and are worth celebrating to inspire you to Go #MakeSomedayHappen one delicious bite, sip and trip at at time! Cheers!
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