Ventura's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar

Ventura's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar Located on Longboat Key and now on Cortez Road West in Bradenton, we offer homemade Italian specialties, from pizza and appetizers to entrees and desserts.
(1)

Enjoy a bar menu to complement your meal. Join us for an authentic Italian dining experience! My name is Debra Ventura Murphy, I am a second-generation American with roots in Sicily. The youngest of seven children, and the only daughter, from a small beach town in southern
New Jersey. Growing up at the beach is different. I grew up with sand in my toes, literally. Flip-flops were only worn on really hot days if the sand was too much. The smell of the salt air, and the sound of​ the water, there is truly nothing more calming. I yearn for that smell every day. My husband, Mike, grew up the same way, and for the past 20 years, we have traveled to find our forever home. We kept finding ourselves coming back to the southwest coast of Florida, particularly LBK and AMI and a few years ago decided this would be where we kick off our flip-flops. We recently purchased the long-established Bayou Tavern from Dominico and Angelo, who have graciously served the families on the key for two generations. We plan to keep using their recipes while adding some of our favorites to the menu. Don't worry you will still get to see them here and there! Down the Jersey shore, my family spent our summers growing our garden full of aromatics of basil, oregano, rosemary, flowers, vegetables, and rows of tomatoes. As my Nona passed down family recipes to my father, I at an early age, was tasked with rolling pasta and canning tomatoes before being promoted to meatball rolling and artichoke stuffing. Our Sunday morning was spent making dinner, not just any dinner, but Sunday Gravy (Sauce) using the freshest seasonal ingredients, often homegrown, homemade pasta, sauce with meats, fresh vegetables picked from the garden, and even fresh seafood caught by my brothers. Life was different then. The food was fresh, made with love, and always surrounded by family and friends. All our friends were always welcome for Sunday Dinner and the table always grew. As I married, the dinners shifted to my home and my garden, becoming my traditions, and today, the table still grows. Over the years, I have found my love for cooking to be contagious. I find joy in not only
preparing the meal but watching others have joy in what I have prepared with love. I have
worked for 30+ years in restaurants and hospitality and have a genuine love for people. Now, I want to bring my love for cooking and people together. I believe fresh, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients are always the better option, and will really make a difference on your table at Ventura's Italian Kitchen. Stop by. Come be a part of our family!

09/24/2026

Thursday Night Football 🏈🇺🇸

📍Meet your friends at Ventura's❤️🍕🍷🥂

🎉➡️You can now arrive by boat🚤🛥

🏈FOOTBALL IS BACK BABY! 🍕ORDER YOUR FAVORITES NOW FOR DELIVERY OR PICK UP! 🚗CORTEZ 11a-9pLBK 3p-9p https://venturasitali...
09/20/2026

🏈FOOTBALL IS BACK BABY!

🍕ORDER YOUR FAVORITES NOW FOR DELIVERY OR PICK UP! 🚗

CORTEZ 11a-9p
LBK 3p-9p

https://venturasitaliankitchen.com/

➡️Use Third party? Check out our specials on Doordash and Uber Eats

Watch, follow, and discover more trending content.

09/19/2026
This is a great debate! What is your choice? Deb- D or E, Mike C or D. Let us know where you are !
09/18/2026

This is a great debate! What is your choice?
Deb- D or E, Mike C or D.

Let us know where you are !

Noticing a trend........
09/15/2026

Noticing a trend........

09/15/2026

GRASSINI WINE TASTING, PRESIDIO NEIGHBORHOOD, SANTA BARBARA

So we are in an area that has multiple wine tasting rooms. We chose Grassini, over the neighbors as we like small family vineyards.(aka Mom and Pops) The wine maker, Bradley Long, has a ton of experience and it shows! Fabs our host, is very knowledgeable and I highly recommend coming here. More Pics to follow.

Santa Barabara City Hall and The Masonic Lodge.
09/15/2026

Santa Barabara

City Hall and The Masonic Lodge.

Address

6814 Gulf Of Mexico Drive
Longboat Key, FL
34228

Telephone

+19413124975

Website

, ,

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Ventura's Italian Kitchen & Wine Bar posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Featured

Share

Category