Some dinners need a door that closes: a rehearsal dinner, a milestone 40th, a closing dinner with clients in from out of town. Tampa’s Italian restaurants are good at exactly that, and this guide rounds up six private dining Italian restaurants in Tampa with real private rooms, not just a roped-off corner. You will find everything from an intimate wine room downtown to a 1,200-square-foot banquet floor in Ybor, with the room sizes, the hours, the neighborhood, and the dish worth ordering once the party is seated.
| Restaurant | Neighborhood | The private room(s) | Price | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Donatello | Westshore (Dale Mabry) | Dedicated banquet room for events | $$$ | Daily from 5pm |
| Forbici Modern Italian | Hyde Park Village | Private room, up to 22 | $$ | Open daily, lunch and dinner |
| Che Vita | Downtown (Riverwalk) | Wine Room, plus full buyouts | $$$ | Daily, breakfast through dinner |
| Ava | SoHo | Two rooms, about 12 and 30 | $$$ | Dinner nightly, weekend brunch |
| Maggiano’s Little Italy | Westshore Plaza | Banquet rooms up to about 250 | $$ | Open daily 11am |
| Bernini of Ybor | Ybor City | Whole 3rd floor, 1,200 sq ft | $$$ | Open daily, lunch and dinner |
Private Dining Italian Restaurants in Tampa
Donatello
Donatello has been the white-tablecloth Italian near the airport since 1984, the kind of room with tuxedoed servers, a piano in the lounge, and osso buco carved at the table. Its banquet room is built for the occasion dinner, a rehearsal, a company holiday party, a big anniversary, with its own space away from the main floor. Complimentary valet out front makes it an easy call when half the guest list is flying in for the night.
Forbici Modern Italian
Forbici sits on a corner of Hyde Park Village doing modern Italian built around Roman-style pizza, cut with scissors, which is where the name comes from. Its private room was recently redone and seats up to 22, with the tables rearranging for anything from a seated dinner to a shower with passed plates. It is the rare private room that works for a relaxed group without a four-figure minimum, and you are a short walk from the rest of the village before or after.
Che Vita
The newest name here, Che Vita opened in 2025 inside the Hilton downtown, a few steps off the Riverwalk, cooking bold Southern Italian with house-made pasta and wood-fired pizza. Private dining runs through the Wine Room for a smaller seated dinner, and the whole restaurant books for a full buyout when the headcount or the celebration calls for it. Being attached to a downtown hotel makes the out-of-town logistics simple: people can eat, then take the elevator upstairs.
Ava
Ava is the SoHo crowd-pleaser on South Howard, turning out Neapolitan pizza from a 900-degree Acunto oven, house-cured salumi, and fresh pasta. It carries two private rooms, a snug one that seats around a dozen and a larger one that takes about 30, so it scales from a birthday dinner to a small rehearsal without losing the warm, low-lit room. Weekend brunch is on the table too, which opens up the daytime shower or family lunch.
Maggiano's Little Italy
When the guest list is long, Maggiano’s at Westshore Plaza is the one built for it, a big Italian-American kitchen where private events are a whole department, not an afterthought. The banquet rooms flex from a small family reunion up to around 250 for a reception, and the family-style menu lands platters of lasagna and chicken parm down the middle of the table. It is the safe pick for a graduation, a large company dinner, or any party where the number keeps climbing.
Bernini of Ybor
Set in a grand former bank on Ybor’s 7th Avenue, Bernini gives a private party the entire third floor: more than 1,200 square feet with its own street entrance, restrooms, bar, and lounge, so the group has the run of the place. The kitchen does the classics well, eggplant rollatini, shrimp scampi, chicken parm, and the historic building gives a holiday party or a milestone real character. A banquet manager handles the menu and layout, which takes the planning off your plate.
Best for…
Best for a big celebration
For a long guest list, Maggiano’s and Bernini are the two to call. Maggiano’s banquet rooms scale to about 250 and the family-style platters keep everyone fed without a plated-dinner wait. Bernini hands a party the whole third floor in Ybor, with its own entrance and bar, which is hard to beat for a holiday party or a big anniversary.
Best for an intimate group
When it is a dozen people, not a hundred, Ava’s smaller room in SoHo and Forbici’s private room in Hyde Park both feel personal instead of cavernous. Ava keeps it warm and low-lit over Neapolitan pizza and salumi; Forbici seats up to 22 around modern Italian and scissor-cut pies. Both are a short ride from Bayshore and the downtown hotels.
Best for a business dinner
Donatello and Che Vita are the easy corporate picks. Donatello near the airport runs valet, a separate banquet room, and a long wine list, which suits a client dinner where you want quiet and polish. Che Vita sits inside the downtown Hilton off the Riverwalk, so a working dinner ends with guests a short elevator ride from their rooms.
Where Tampa’s private-room Italian restaurants cluster
The picks spread across a few pockets. Hyde Park and SoHo hold the walkable pair, Forbici in the village and Ava on South Howard, both a quick hop from Bayshore. Westshore is the business corridor near the airport, with Donatello on Dale Mabry and Maggiano’s at Westshore Plaza, which is why client and large-group dinners tend to land out here. Downtown has Che Vita off the Riverwalk for anything tied to a hotel block or a Water Street event. Ybor stands on its own with Bernini, the choice when you want a historic room with some swagger. If your group is flying in, stay near Westshore; if the night is built around downtown, Che Vita keeps everyone close.
Frequently asked questions
Which Tampa Italian restaurant has the best private dining room?
It depends on the size and the feel you want. Bernini of Ybor is the standout for character, handing your party the whole third floor of a historic bank with its own entrance and bar. For a polished business dinner, Donatello’s banquet room near the airport is the pick, and for an intimate night, Ava’s smaller SoHo room seats around a dozen.
How many people fit in these private dining rooms?
The range is wide. Ava’s smaller room takes about a dozen and Forbici’s seats up to 22, both good for an intimate dinner. Bernini’s third floor runs more than 1,200 square feet, and Maggiano’s banquet rooms scale up to roughly 250 for a reception. Tell each venue your headcount and they will steer you to the right room.
How far ahead should I book a private room at a Tampa Italian restaurant?
For a weeknight party of 12 to 20, two to four weeks is usually enough. For a weekend, a large group, or anything in December or Gasparilla season, give it a month or more. The bigger rooms at Maggiano’s and Bernini and the buyout at Che Vita book earliest, so start there as soon as you have a date.
Are there private dining Italian restaurants in downtown Tampa?
Yes. Che Vita, inside the Hilton off the Riverwalk, is the downtown pick, with a Wine Room for smaller dinners and full buyouts for bigger nights. Bernini in Ybor is a short ride east, and Donatello and Maggiano’s sit a few miles west near Westshore, so most of the city’s private-room Italian options ring the core.
Do these private rooms have a minimum spend?
Usually, yes. Most Tampa Italian restaurants set a food and beverage minimum for a private room rather than a flat rental fee, and the number climbs on weekend nights and in December. Forbici is one of the more relaxed for a smaller group. Ask the events or banquet manager for the current minimum when you call to book.
More private dining in Tampa
More Tampa Italian guides
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Last updated: May 2026