Arabellas in Winter Haven - Phone Number, Reservations, Reviews

I brought my lovely wife here for our anniversary and her birthday. Having my own cleaning company, I of course noticed first how clean the place was. We are plant based, so our server did the best he could to accommodate for our diet. When I asked for a desert to sing my lady happy birthday, he said he'd come up with something, and he came back with a delicious lemon flavored ice cream. His name is Sal, and it was a pleasure tipping him. The music was beautiful, the pianist was very thoughtful and talented. This is a very romantic place and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Make it your next date night. Edwin M. Cotto

I recently dined at Arabellas, an upscale Italian restaurant in Winter Haven, with high expectations but left thoroughly disappointed. My boyfriend and I began our meal with the calamari appetizer. We made sure to inform our server about our shellfish allergies prior to ordering. However, shortly after taking a couple of bites, my boyfriend began experiencing an allergic reaction, suggesting possible cross-contamination—a concern since we’ve enjoyed calamari at other restaurants without issues. While the calamari had great flavor, both of us ended up in considerable discomfort due to this incident. We were part of a group celebrating a birthday and immediately sought assistance from the staff for any allergy medicine. Not only did they not have any on hand, but they also took an unreasonably long time to inform us of this. We had to leave the restaurant to purchase Benadryl from a nearby CVS. On the way, I started experiencing symptoms myself, including a sore mouth and tightening chest. Upon returning, we proceeded to the salad course, which was thankfully delicious—the vinaigrette was particularly noteworthy. For our main courses, my boyfriend had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, and I chose a salmon dish with artichoke. Unfortunately, my salmon was overcooked and lacked flavor. The ambiance of Arabellas is undeniably pleasant, featuring a live pianist who took song requests and an accordion player, which added a charming touch to the evening. Our reservation was for 8:30 pm, and we were seated around 8:35 pm. However, the service was exceedingly slow. Despite leaving and returning before the salads arrived, our entrées didn’t reach the table until almost 11 pm—well past the restaurant’s 10 pm closing time. Even with three servers attending to our party, the service felt inattentive; they didn’t clear or properly reset the table, making us feel like an afterthought. What was most disheartening was the staff’s lack of concern regarding our allergic reactions. No one checked on us upon our return, and they initially included the calamari on our bill, removing it only after we reminded them. Having worked in upscale dining for over 10 years, I was deeply disappointed by the level of service and care at Arabellas. The staff did not seem invested in our dining experience, which is unacceptable for a restaurant of this caliber. Sadly, I cannot recommend Arabellas and do not plan on returning.

We have heard so much about this place and we were very excited to try it. There were four of us. The atmosphere and service were on point. The food, however, was less than memorable. We ordered calamari that was actually fried crispy but it was very salty. I had the veal Toscano. The veal was overcooked with a hard sear and was not tender. The pasta was also overcooked and the whole dish was drenched in a mediocre lemon sauce. My husband had the rigatoni Ametricana, The tomato sauce was overcooked without any signs of guancale and the pasta was also over. Our friend had a chicken piccata type dish with a very thick chicken breast that was very dry and overcooked pasta. Her husband had veal Saltimboca. Again, the veal had a hard sear and was not tender; pasta overcooked. This is truly a shame since the restaurant is lovely. I consider myself to be a fairly decent cook and we do not dine out often. When we do, I expect the food to be exceptional or at least comparable to the price being charged.

The ambiance, food and service were all amazing here! Everything was on point and we had a great experience! There was also a pianist playing requests which we enjoyed. I will definitely return here when in the area!

Our first time to Arabellas, and we were so impressed with the service, atmosphere, food (fantastic Chateaubriand), and the guy at the piano. He took our request for four tunes to celebrate our anniversary and played all four. Then we were served by our surprise with an anniversary dessert, and he played for us on his accordion. What a night to remember!

Food is great, but unsure if it should be as expensive as it is. Been here 5 times or so. Last time, we made a reservation after our elopement, put on the reservation we were celebrating our wedding, came in fully dressed in a gown and tux, and waiter didn’t say anything or acknowledge our special day, which is something you might expect from a higher end place. Went to Nineteen61 later that evening (after changing) and they were super celebratory with us with a card, champagne, dessert, etc.

Best food in Winter Haven! Best service! Great place nice and clean! ONE OF THE BEST OWNERS IN TOWN!

Arabella’s in Winter Haven is a superb establishment in both dining and service! We had our company Christmas party here, the food was excellent and cooked to perfection. The staff was helpful and kind, making sure to go above and beyond all of our requests. This restaurant truly is a five star restaurant with a classy atmosphere and the additional benefit of separate dining rooms, which can be booked for private parties. We really enjoyed this dining room option and enjoyed our party to the fullest!

This was my first time eating at Arabellas, I'm an Italian immigrant born in Italy. I came to this country when I was 15 years old and lived in New York City. I have eaten in the best Italian restaurants in New York and must say Arabellas is a close second. I found the food, atmosphere and service to be excellent! I had Calamari as an appetizer, veal marsalla for dinner. It was extremely tender, well prepared. For desert espresso with Banana Foster. Highly recommend Arabellas for a nice dinner.

Nice place, staff was attentive, food was very good, live music was nice touch.

****just my opinion**** This place is overrated. The location, service, and atmosphere deserve a 4. The Food deserves a 2. I ordered 5 different dishes and all 5 were just Meh! Why was it Meh? Because of the price. Imagine paying almost $300 and the food quality tastes the same as out the box? Truly disappointing. In my personal opinion a 4.7 rating on Google for this place is a stretch by miles. The people that have rated it have either never really cooked or just rated it for the experience. The wait for the food was definitely not worth it.

Disappointing, especially for the price. The young lady who greeted us was very polite and the piano player was interactive and friendly but that is where it ended. The men who served us never smiled and were very transactional but I watched them with other tables and were extremely happy and had big smiles with a few other tables which was bizarre. Not sure if it was because of our ethnicity or because my wife and shared 1 dinner and I only ordered Calamari, (I had eaten at work a couple hours before and was not very hungry) we only spent $120.00 (3 people) The food was just ok. The bread was very good. My friend's Salmon (he said) was good, my wife's Shrimp Fra Diavolo didn't have much taste to it and certainly was not spicy. She leaned over to me and said (your sauce is much better) and I'm not the best cook. The calamari seemed like it was from a box, frozen and quick fried. The few veggies put on top of the calamari was actually pretty tasty and better than the calamari itself. As others have stated here, I don't understand how this restaurant can have so many positive reviews?? The biggest disappointment was now we were treated. I really felt like I was not welcome. I prefer not writing poor reviews, I know business' need to make a living but you survive by treating people like.. people.

The dish was delish-rollitini stuffed w crab & ricotta, served w linguini ala Aurora! Was not asked if we wanted grated cheese and was not asked about food or service after food served.

We went for our Anniversary and the ambiance was magnificent. The server was on point and gave us gr8 service. The piano player was good and even played a few songs on the accordion. Parking was gr8. I highly recommend this establishment.

I must say I was VERY disappointed. For a nicer restaurant the service was non-existant. Took a very long time to be waited on. Caesar salad was highlight of meal. After that the Alfredo and Lasagna was just average. Not one time during the meal were we checked on to see if food was OK, ran out of bread and drinks. Never refilled drinks the entire stay. Will not be back. Far too many great places to chose from. Edit: As we were leaving heard one gentleman say "this service sucks" and another lady got up and left.

The service is absolutely fantastic. The food is delicious and the atmosphere is on point. I can’t say enough good things about this restaurant!

A wonderful restaurant with delightful cuisine and wonderful service! In addition, a talented musician provides enjoyable musical entertainment throughout the evening! Finally, for dessert, we enjoyed Cherries Jubilee prepared by their talented chef. It was very tasty! Our entire evening was very nice!

We went to celebrate our 25th anniversary. We had table side service to cook our meal, that was lovely. The food was delicious. The piano player took our request and actually played 2 other sings for us that he requested, and we danced to. In the end, they brought out a beautiful dessert. It was a wonderful way to celebrate 25 years.

We celebrated our 37th anniversary at Arabella’s. Michael was our waiter but he had many assistants. We had the bruschetta as an appetizer, the wife had the house salad and I had a side Caesar. We had Chateaubriand for two flamed and carved tableside. The piano player who plays requests showed up at our table with an accordian as a complimentary dessert was delivered. Food & service was exceptional and the ambiance is perfect for any special occasion. We would rate Arabella’s as the number 1 restaurant in Polk County these days!

I have been to Arabella’s a number of times for dinners and lunches with family or friends, as well as with a ladies group and larger dinner celebrations, and have always loved the food, drinks, and the wonderful service. Our previous group celebration in March was outstanding from start to end. This night we were a group of 10 out to celebrate my birthday, and unfortunately our experience was quite different. Our waiter came in for a moment to introduce himself and then disappeared. Our drink orders were taken by a young woman who was clearly not an experienced waiter, and seemed unhappy the whole night It started with our cocktails, some that came with the specialty ingredients which were the main ingredient of the drink, which we wanted, and came even without stirrers. The waiter finally peeked in and I was able to get his attention, and finally got a new cocktail. The rest of the evening went downhill from there. Appetizers were served to the wrong people, as were our main meals. 2 chicken entrees were dry, and my husband’s shrimp were overcooked. The veal meals were served with a very small serving of spaghetti instead of roasted potatoes, and with no sauce. In general, all agreed that this meal was nothing like our previous dining experiences. The worst part was that our waiter never even came back after our food was served to see how our meal was or if we needed anything. It was like he didn’t care. We questioned the young woman who previously took our drink orders and bussing the table what happened to our waiter, and she said he is out working on the floor. Mind you we are a party of 10. One of our group mentioned that it felt like he knew he was getting at least his 20% tip from us, (added to all group bills of 8 or more Our waiter finally returned to take our dessert orders, again we felt quite rushed. We didn’t realize the bill was not correct til we got home, or that the others were not happy because no one wanted to ruin my birthday. I was sad. On a positive note, the piano player was very nice, did all of our requests!

Expensive!!! but the table side hospitality was fantastic, everyone's meal was delicious, the table side Cesar salad and bananas foster was delicious.

When the restaurant is busy, it's noisy. If your party has more than 4 people, a 20% gratuity will be automatically added to your bill. The piano player/musician was great and took requests, even putting on a mask at one point. The food was just okay. My wife's escargot was bland. The fish special was filling, but at $77, it was a bit pricey. I had the ribeye with scallops, which also cost $77 (I don't mind the prices, but I just wanted to note them for your information). The service was good, but the atmosphere was noisy. It would be beneficial if they worked on the acoustics, perhaps by adding acoustic tiles. If you are looking for good food at a mid-to-high price, be prepared for a bill around $230, which includes one appetizer, one dessert, and water for drinks, along with the 20% gratuity added for your convenience.

What a joy of an experience in dining. First Class in everyday, from the service, the atmosphere and of course the food. It's expensive but worth every Dollar spent. Research the menu and make sure you make reservations ahead of time. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!

Spectacular in every aspect of a restaurant.

As usual everything was perfect. The waiter and helpers were right on. The food was done to perfection. Had a lovely evening with my adult visiting family.

We traveled to Winterhaven to take our son to Legoland and scheduled dinner at Arabella’s. We felt like we were in a time warp, as this was gourmet dining that we used to have in Fort Lauderdale in the 1980s and 1990s but has since disappeared. The table side, Caesar salad, Château, Brion and bananas flambé were classic and perfect, along with the service, ambience and the piano player, making a memorable experience.

Our meal was fantastic and so was our server Sal! He definitely made our night! (Get the veal!)

Other than the occasional cockroach crawling across the chair and per the manager, the occasional snake, it’s a great fine dining experience.

The piano was way too loud! It was very hard to have a conversation. Food was adequate but not impressed.

This is my wife and I's first visit to Arabella's and it certainly will not be our last. The food was delicious and portions were more than enough. The bruschetta appetizer would satisfy a party of four. Our waiter and staff all made the service a five star and the piano player on a Wednesday was a very pleasant surprise. I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. A little pricey but you get what you pay for. To top off the evening, the staff served us a decorated cheese cake to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

We dined here with family and it was such a wonderful experience! Not many places offer what Arabellas does: a full service experience of great dining, great service, and a romantic atmosphere! We loved Leo and Stephanie (our servers), and we enjoyed the tableside dessert preparation of Bananas Foster! Our family will most certainly return to Arabellas soon!

Shout out to Victor our amazing server, Jeff the best chef, Chris the Piano Man and Leo, the most attentive owner! Food was 10/10 and would definitely recommend the Brunello!

That's Restaurant is amazing, the atmosphere, the excellent service.and the food omg I'm speechless. Perfect and Romantic place. I recommend 💯 %

What a lovely gem. Impeccable attentive service. Excellent food. The shrimp corn chowder/bisque was delicious. The veal was tender and tasty. We will return.

For the most part I did note overwhelming positive reviews. My experience... Downtown, limited parking. Old musty building. Waiter attired in ill fitting livery reminiscent of something from a thrift store. Rushed into ordering. Ordered a shrimp Alfredo dish. Arrived with a few smallish tail on grilled shrimp scattered on a somewhat undercooked fettuccine with a smigon of Alfredo sauce. I commented on the lack of sauce... Waiter unpleased, but said it would be taken care of. Approximately 10 minutes later set a cup of Alfredo on the table and departed. By that time the dish had become cold . All in all, I can't recommend. Go to Olive Garden... You'll get better food, service, and it'll cost you a whole bunch less.

Literally the most perfect spot for dates. It’s really romantic and they have a pianist. The food is EXTREMELY good and the servers give you space but not too much. They’re also very friendly and respectful. Definitely coming back!!

Excellent food, service, atmosphere, and overall experience. Perfect date night spot. Highly recommend.

clean. amazing food. very attentive servers. we went to celebrate anniversary and it was perfect

Excellent food, excellent service, very clean, I will go back.

Loved this place so much ! Saul our waiter timed our apps, entrees and dessert with perfection. Very friendly and attentive staff. Apps and dessert were the best part. Lamb Chops were not great but they were good !! Delicious lobster special. Pianist Christopher played beautifully which made the experience even better.

The food was perfect, and the service was outstanding! I had chicken Marsala, and my wife had a steak. Delicious! We will be back!

This was by far the best dining experience of my family’s week-long vacation. We were extremely underdressed, as we were on vacation and only had shorts, leggings and t-shirts. My son actually wore swim trunks. However, we were not treated any differently due to our poor attire. The service was excellent - like no other. The food was delicious from the first bites of our appetizers to the last bites of our entrees. I wish we had discovered this place sooner and skipped some of the other duds we tried. I will definitely return if my travels bring me back to Winter Haven.

Service was not spectacular as we hoped. The food was good. Definitely not Ruth-Chris quality. More of an upscale Carrabba’s..

Love this restaurant. The food was amazing and the desserts were even better. Everyone was on point and very polite. It is a bit pricey but for the portions, let’s just say you will need a box. Thank you so much to the staff my boyfriend, his family and I had a wonderful night. Note - seating is by reservations only.

Food was great, wait staff was amazing, never felt rushed would definitely go back.

Nice place for a romantic dinner!

We've been trying to reserve a table at Arabellas for a few months, but they always seem booked up for dinner reservations. Today, we had our afternoon free and decided to see if they had lunch availability. Luckily, we were able to book a table. Unfortunately, the hostess who greeted us had an attitude and said she could seat us, but we had to hurry up and get our order in and be done eating in a timely manner. At this point, we almost said forget it and go somewhere else. Mind you, it was only 1:30, so it was not far past prime lunch hour, and they had the time available. This is what earned them a 3 for service. On the plus side, our waitress was super attentive, very professional, and the food was excellent, as you can see from the clean plate.

We had a wonderful dining experience with friends. The food and service was excellent.

Amazing gem in Downtown Winter Haven. There was a live pianist. The food and vibe is fun but elegant. Great for a celebration or just a nice, upscale night out.

This is one of the most incredible dining experiences you will have anywhere in the south. The environment and ambience were inviting and easy on the eyes and ears (live piano music). Our server Sal was excellent at his job for the food knowledge, banter, and delivery of the experience all night from start to finish. Wonderful place overall.

Great Service, great food. Bit of background noise (from conversations at the tables)

Went there with a large group of ladies. No complaints from anyone! Service was great, and everyone liked their meals. I loved the bread! I got the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken, had some leftovers, took it home, and my husband finished it. He ordinarily does not like Alfredo, but he really liked this!

One of the BEST restaurant experiences I have ever had and I have been around the world!! Our team was extremely professional, courteous and prompt. All of the food was at the correct temperature with outstanding flavor. The entertainment was extremely accommodating with great recommendations. I highly recommend this outstanding restaurant!!

Probably one of the top five meals eaten at a restaurant. I am a world traveler and this place is fabulous.

Amazing experience here! The food was amazing, the service was awesome, and the atmosphere was super cool, high class dining experience for sure! Would absolutely go back!

This is one of the best restaurants within a hour drive of Sebring, FL. Excellent across the board. Great staff, makes yolu feel like you're not even in Florida anymore. A great evening get away.

Delicious food and great atmosphere. Truly enjoyed the evening

Recently had a birthday lunch here, the food was excellent and service excellent as well. Veal Parm and a special birthday cheesecake for dessert. All delicious 😋 Arabellas in Winter Haven is a terrific Italian Restaurant. We had a wonderful dinner for a friend's birthday. They went out of their way to make it a special occasion! Our entrees were delicious. The Veal Marsala was so very good. Warm Italian bread was served, excellent house salads, followed by a sorbet. After the entrees we had a variety of desserts. Recommend the hot lava cake and ice cream. Dinner here is a leisurely affair. Enjoy.

Arabella's offered decent food, although I've experienced better elsewhere. Unfortunately, our waiter misled us by claiming our entree included a salad and then charging us for it, which was misleading and disappointing. Failing to disclose the salad's price was dishonest and left a sour taste in our mouths. Arabella's should strive for better transparency and customer service in the future. OAN, the entertainment was lovely he played the songs we requested and even came to our table to serenade us. #ChefsKiss

Meal was excellent had the mussels to start and branzzino for a main course the piano player was amazing very fun and light hearted overall very pleasant experience

Wait staff, pianist and ambiance were wonderful. The prices are too high for just the food you receive, but the added ambiance is nice for a special night out. They have some dishes which are prepared tableside and there is ample time between courses to chat.

They have a person playing the piano. The food it was fresh and tasty. We ate for appetizer, calamari, for dinner, veal and the dessert, cherry Jubilee. The ambiance was so soothing and peaceful. A wonderful overall experience as always!

Great food, service and atmosphere. Recommend the table service meals.

Very good food, friendly, attentive staff, lovely surroundings, and a piano player to boot! This is a real gem in Winter Haven!!

Arabella’s was fantastic! The service, the food, the prices, and everything in between was wonderful. They made my friend feel very special for her birthday and we appreciated not having a loud attention grabbing song. We will return again!

Always fantastic food with good entertainment.

Thanks waiter Leo and all crazy good service people! Live piano with Christopher bell, omg. A throwback to restaurants of old but with a new and slightly more lively vibe. Pasta pillows appetizer had just the right amount of gorgonzola cheese in the sauce and was served hot. The veal in marsala mushroom is tdf. As close to cruise ship dining as anything in central Florida. Can't wait to be hungry enough for cherries jubilee, bananas foster, creme brulee and others. Clearly a special occasion place but we did just because 😉

The venue was nice. Really enjoyed the piano player...definitely louder than I thought it would be. My only real complaint is the chicken on my fettuccine Alfredo came out a little overcooked

The best combination of fine dining cuisine, attentive service, historic ambience, and being treated like valued customers in the area.

Amazing food! The atmosphere is great. The service was outstanding. Our visit here was great for our anniversary/birthday celebration.

A delicious meal, beautiful environment, and excellent service. We look forward to going to Arabella again.

Very cute in downtown winter haven the building is aesthetic and a pianist plays the whole time

Excellent place for date night, special days, with great friends, or when you want to wine and dine in a beautiful historical building, relaxing atmosphere, and food that is beyond delicious! From start to finish, the attentive staff, tableside service, plus the piano player, made our dining experience memorable.

What a gem! We had our rehearsal dinner(1/11/24) here and could not have asked for a better experience. We had a group in the private back room and everything was amazing- the food was delicious, the servers were kind, attentive, and patient with our somewhat chaotic crew, the pianist was wonderful and greeted us when we walked in, even venturing back to let us know we could make requests. Just a wonderful place with a cozy welcoming atmosphere and seriously good food. Our families both raved about how glad they were we picked Arabellas. Thank you for a fantastic night before our wedding!

Great service. super food & drinks. The meal becomes entertainment when they cook desert at your table

Had a Fantastic dinner last night. Starting with the calamari and scallops. Our dinner was Amazing with main lobster tail, shrimp and scallops with a cream sauce over pasta. Absolutely to die for. And our waiter Sal was Amazing!!! He sat us at our favorite table and took excellent care of us. Highly recommend this restaurant and make sure you ask for Sal you won’t be disappointed.

Disappointed in overall value for the money. Food was okay. Service was good. Very loud with the piano/harmonica/accordion - couldn’t have a conversation.

Went for birthday celebration! Everything was delicious and the service was awesome. Table side preparations never disappoint!

excellent food and service Piano player was excellent too

We dined at Arabellas for the first time last night and were really impressed. The dining room was well appointed and laid out, our table was apart from others, to allow for private conversation. The service was attentive and the food was excellent, and reasonably priced, as was the wine. We thoroughly enjoyed the piano player, the music really enhanced the ambience. We will definitely be back when we visit Florida.

Excellent service Excellent food. They timed it perfect. Had some appetizers and salad waited just the right amount of time to bring out the next course . Piano player came to the table and took requests and made sure he played them for us before we left. If I could give more stars I would.

Very nice and the customer service was great. Will go again.

Our waiter and his assistant were exceptional. They were extremely attentive. The food was delicious and the atmosphere was great.

The food was amazing, tender, flavorful, & the service by our waiter Sal was incredible. We had not been to Arabella’s before, we will be regular guests now. Absolutely incredible food and service experience. We had fun!

Best dining experience ever would be five stars across the board but Chef special was pricey and not as good as other food.

Dinner was sublime, the best in the area! Treat yourself and guests!!

Food was delicious, service was excellent. Very enjoyable evening. Live piano entertainment is a nice touch. Only complaint was that the music was a tiny bit too loud.

Come here a lot. The best restaurant in polk cty

Had high expectations. Everything was acceptable.

I will recommend this place is the best everyone is the best love everything

The food was wonderful and the service was outstanding. First time here and would defiantly go back.

White spaghetti with no sauce. Little taste.the chicken was tough.

We had a great anniversary dinner at Arabella’s. We got there early and luckily got seated. I love their house salad and followed with the lobster ravioli. My husband had the veal marsala. Everything was delicious, the piano player takes requests and provides a great vibe. 5 star experience!

First time here & was very impressed by the whole dining experience. From the moment we walked in felt very welcomed & taken care of. The staff, food, environment was amazing. We were there for our anniversary & they made our dessert into something special to commemorate the occasion. The piano player was so thoughtful & very talented.

Went twice for our wedding anniversary and had a great time. Always worth it.

always a wonderful place to have a meal. Beautiful location and outstanding service.

Outstanding restaurant. Very elegant and nice place. Definitely I will go back very soon. The food is amazing, the service is great. This is the best place in winter haven to go with your wife/ partner.

Perfect place for a romantic dinner with excellent food and service.

Repeat customer. Go there alot and love the food. Apps were great

We had our family holiday dinner here as we have had many times. It was much noisier than usual as the piano playing was so loud that people were trying to talk over it. The food was delicious as usual, but it took an unusually long time to be served our meal. It was also quite a shock to find out that the specials were $80-$90, for surf and turf and seafood pasta dish, at the end. We have never seen prices like that at Arabellas! I wish the prices were told up front by our server. Lesson learned. Needless to say, we may never order the specials again. I hope I can convince my husband to come back, as this was already not his favorite restaurant. It is mine though.