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Cafe Italia
Rating Details »
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good for:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- None
12 reviews for Cafe Italia
One of my best gal pals wanted to go to lunch on Sunday. She knows she never has to twist my arm to go out to eat. We decided to explore Cafe Italia and see if it was any good.
Well it is!
The interior was rather dimly lit but once our eyes adjusted, it has a homey feel. The paintings of mobsters on the back wall cracked me up. When my close buddy asked for wine, the server said, "We don't sell wine." *pause* "But I can give you some of the house wine we keep in the back." And he brought us two glasses of red wine on the house! I was stunned. This is a BYOB place but we didn't know. I guess since my friend is cute and blonde we got the five star treatment but I suspect they treat everyone well all the time. (btw cute friend is single, I'm willing to screen applicants interested in a 32 year old cute UNT alumni, National Honor Society card carrying, Christian girl who wants a man who is church friendly. I am sick of listening to her complain about being single.)
Calamari? very good
Veal Marsala on my plate? fabulous
Veal Jerusalem on my friend's plate? stellar
sides of pasta with marinara sauce? ehh. Steer clear of their red sauce. its a bit on the sour side.
Tiramisu? oh sweet jesus.. some of the best tiramisu on the planet. and if the tiramisu wasn't enough our host refilled our wine glasses when he brought the dessert out.
I heartily recommend giving this place a whirl. Take a bottle of wine in with you and estimate you're going to spend around 25 dollars a person to do it up right.
Might I add its a quiet place on Sunday afternoon so this could be an ideal location for a fun bridal shower. I bet with some advance notice they'd welcome that kind of thing. Cafe Italia reminds me quite a bit of Denunzio's in PA where we had many a fun bridal shower in case you were wondering how I made this strange jump from tiramisu to bridal shower.
Not impressed, this small Italian place is a dime a dozen in Dallas. I was stoked to go here the first time, its not far from home, small cozy and great for my now Fiancee. The last visit which will be my last visit was just bad from the start, when we walked in there were a few people in the corridor the matire d said do you have reservations? I replied and said no, he said then you must wait 90 minutes. This is not one of those rave to mom, I'm willing to spend an hour and a half to get food that is just OK. I thought the vodka cream sauce on the pasta was just another pink sauce that i wouldn't try again. The bread wasn't that warm and parking is nothing short of a nightmare on a Friday or Saturday.
This place could use a pep on the decor and the service.
My boyfriend, a co-worker from out of town, and I ate here due to the good Yelp reviews and I have to say, that I COMPLETELY disagree.
I ordered a dish involving fettuccini, veggies, and a cream sauce - sorry, I can't remeber what it was called. The vegetables were cooked well and had a good flavor, but the cream sauce was awful. It honestly tasted like melted butter. My boyfriend had the lobster ravioli and it was relatively mediocre. If I hadn't heard him order the dish, I never would have guessed it was lobster ravioli, as the amount of lobster actually in the dish was pretty negligible. I am giving them 2 stars because I actually liked the calamari. The breading was light and well seasoned, and calamari was very tender.
Really bad experience here
The lasagna I ordered wasn't even made with lasagna noodles, it was made with wide bands of tagliatelle, and only one layer at that. It was served on a plate with a watery sauce and hardly any substance to it. I also tried the acclaimed pink vodka sauce, but could only taste butter.
The house dressing is a very ketchupy Catalina, and the Caesar was warm.
And so continues my search for a decent Italian restaurant in DFW: Napoli's you're next!
No matter how much I try, I just can't bring myself to give Cafe Italia a fourth star. To be fair, it probably deserves an overall 3.5 star, but not enough to deserve the fourth.
My dinner companion and I visited Cafe Italia based on a recommendation from a local working at one of the wineries in Grapevine. When I called around 6pm on Saturday to make reservations for two, I was told the earliest they could squeeze me in was 8pm. As I looked around the antique shop I was standing in where I was calling from in downtown Grapevine and the keen interest with which my companion was going through the rows of knick knacks, I had a feeling in the pit of my stomach this was going to be an interminably long 2 hour wait. Several shops and purchases later, we finally made our way to Cafe Italia.
It looked like there was a parking bonanza in the parking lot. Every other car was a luxury European make and at peak dinner hour, the lot is so narrow it's like fitting a square peg in a small round hole. Instead, park at the bank lot just across the street.
The restaurant interior itself is humble. The lights are dim, decorations are minimal except for a couple of charcoal sketches of characters from the Sopranos. Overall, the interior felt tired and old to me. The noise level can definitely reach extremes in the small, confined space.
The food was alright. The soft, warm bread was a nice treat. The mussels in spicy marinara were ok - sauce was a bit soupy. My veal Jerusalem was good, but again, nothing stellar. Food was prepared and brought to the table quickly and service was efficient. The BYOB with no corkage is definitely a nice touch. If you've got a group doing some winery hopping, this would be a good place to bring your group and bottles of recently purchased wine. Just make sure to make reservations in advance. Otherwise, I think there are better options to explore back on Main Street.
Great food. Great service. Great for a date.
BYOB is actually nice. Bring your favorite vino and you won't have to pay for overpriced booze.
Small, so make a reservation if gong on the weekend.
I believe I was one of the first customers to go to this restaurant when they first opened 6 or 7 years ago. One day there was ample parking and all of a sudden every spot is filled all the time. Good for them, as they deserve the business. I used to love Armend's in Southlake, but once I tried Cafe Italia, I never went back. I've never had a bad meal here and the lobster ravioli is the best!! The pink vodka sauce is fabulous!! I have tried other lobster ravioli and other pink vodka sauces at other Italian restaurants and none can compare to Cafe Italia. This is a great local place to bring visitors and out of towners. BYOB is fabulous. The house dressing for the salad is great too. My husband has tried every chicken dish on the menu and has liked every one of them. All in all this is one of my favorite restaurants.
Cafe Italia is my favorite resturant! I absolutely love everything about it. The food is wonderful, the service is outstanding and it's BYOB can I say more!! Its my favorite place to go on a date because its small and so romantic. Its not one of the chain resturants so its very personable and not at all plastic. Everything is fresh and delicious.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place.
NICE!!!!! the staff at Cafe italia Primo i say the food is out of this world As good as it gets!
We have been to Cafe Italia several times, this was the first in the new location. Outstanding food everytime. We dropped in on a Friday night without reservations, but were able to be seated at once.
The house dressing and bread are very good.
If you like excellant food and good service, be sure to go to this place.
Small and cozy. Service was second to none. The food was good. My group had the fettuccine which turned out very good and I had a balsamic chicken dish which turned out better than I thought but seemed to be missing something.
I keep this one in the back of my mind for italian night out. It's a better experience than the commercial places for sure.
It's not the best Italian food. It has a different taste than most place. The sauces are soupy. I do like the house dressing and the bread they serve. Th have a dish called something like Alio Olio and it's very good. It's a great place to hang out with friends. I do not go out of my way to eat here.
