2024 Restaurant Spotlight: Fat Clemenza’s

Glasses are filled with garnet wine from Tuscany. Steaming plates of clam linguine and wood-fired pizzas heaped with gourmet toppings are passed around the table. The ambiance is warm and inviting, like visiting a friend or family member’s home.

Invited into their home is exactly how the owners and staff want diners to feel at Fat Clemenza’s. In 2007, while feeling homesick for Italy, the original owners set out to open a restaurant that brought an authentic taste of their homeland to Miramar Beach.

There’s an element of surprise to Fat Clemenza’s — the exterior is that of a pizza parlor, but when guests enter, they quickly realize they will be experiencing the area’s most authentic Italian cuisine.

Dining at Fat Clemenza’s is like being transported to the Old World with its ambient lighting, a golden glow from the brick ovens, black-and-white family photos on the walls and a space that’s cozy with just 16 tables.

In many ways, Fat Clemenza’s is modeled after restaurants in Italian neighborhoods in New York and Chicago, with a blackboard outside that displays the day’s specials.

Where the specials change daily, Fat Clemenza’s takes pride in offering menu staples that are tried and true recipes passed down for generations.

When asked for recommendations, the staff will likely lead you toward the eggplant parmigiana, made from grandma’s recipe. They’re likely to also recommend the clam linguine, veal and a wood-fired pizza. If you dine on a Friday, they may recommend the fresh fish special, caught locally and prepared with whatever touches chef Clovis fancies that day.

The seafood is always sourced locally, and the olive oils, pasta, tomatoes, flour and seasonings are imported from Italy. Twice a week, a shipment of sausage arrives from Chicago.

The red and white wine selections are extensive with the majority imported from Italy — Tuscany, in particular.

Gathered around a table and sharing a meal is when some of life’s most cherished moments occur. Fat Clemenza’s provides all the ingredients for wonderful memories to be made.

Fat Clemenza’s

12273 U.S. Highway 98, Miramar Beach  |  (850) 650-5980  |  fatclemenzas.com