Top Businesses

One Room, Two Crowns: Christini’s Also Rules Orlando Italian

Christini's Ristorante Italiano takes No. 1 in our Italian rankings with a Net Score of 97.1 — why it won, and what to get when you go.

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Christini’s Ristorante Italiano is the No. 1 italian pick in Orlando — not by our say-so, but by the numbers. In Orlando Citizen’s Top Businesses rankings, it posted a Net Score of 97.1, the highest in its category, on a blended 4.9★ drawn from 5,546 public reviews. This is the winner’s profile: why it won, what to get when you go, and the details that make it a Dr. Phillips fixture.

Orlando Citizen Best Italian 2026 — awarded to Christini's Ristorante Italiano

Why it won

Our Net Score blends a business’s public ratings across the review sources we could retrieve — here: Google 4.8★ (339), OpenTable 4.9★ (5,207) — weights them by review volume, and then applies Bayesian shrinkage (m = 200) so a handful of five-star reviews can’t outrank a proven track record. Christini’s Ristorante Italiano cleared a field of 22 ranked businesses in Italian. That is a clear margin over the No. 2 finisher, Osteria Ester (93.2). Scores compare only within a category, and the underlying ratings were retrieved November 14, 2026.

What to order

The fagottini alla pera and the gnocchi bolognese; the tiramisu is the classic finish.

The names that come up again and again in its listings: Veal chop, Chicken piccata, Osso buco.

Worth knowing

Dress code enforced; expect fine-dining prices.

The local detail

Accordion music, a rose for the ladies, and decades of Dr. Phillips regulars.

The essentials

  • Find it: 7600 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819
  • Directions: Get directions
  • Neighborhood: Dr. Phillips
  • Hours: Daily 6 p.m.–10 p.m. (as listed in November 2026 — confirm before a special trip)
  • Phone: 407-345-8770
  • Online: official site

See the full list: The 10 Best Italian Restaurants in Orlando — every ranked business in this category, with scores.

🏆 Christini's Ristorante Italiano — this award is yours to use

Congratulations on Best Italian 2026. The badge is free to use on your website, your socials and in your window — all we ask is that it links back to your feature, this page.

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Photo: eliazar (CC BY), via Openverse. Photo-grade treatment by Orlando Citizen. The photograph is representative of the category, not the business itself.

Part of Orlando Citizen’s Top Businesses in Orlando series. Net Scores are recalculated from fresh public review data each edition.

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