It was a lunch with the boss and I have never been there before even though I have seen it for years. The atmosphere is quaint but not cheap. The service impeccable. The food was fantastic. I don't usually eat all my food when we go but I literally couldn't stop. The bread at the beginning I don't want to forget is like a whole ? not just like a mini loaf. Rest assured I look at everything I was in the restaurant business for like 20+ years so please trust when I say. Delish. Clean and worth it. Price is actually not bad either. GO
Three stars because of good and fast service (Thursday night), but honestly the food wasn't great. The sauce on some of the dishes was bitter, the alfredo sauce tasted too milky, and spaghetti was flavorless. The only thing we enjoyed was the calamari. We paid $89 plus tip for 4( 3 adults and 1 kid) so is pretty expensive too. I don't think I'll be back.
Visiting from out of town, we patronized this restaurant at the recommendation of local friends. The food, the service, the atmosphere, the reasonable prices and BYOB all added up to such a good experience we went again before flying back home. Especially liked the veal dishes... and the marinara sauce was excellent!
Came for lunch around 1:30 on Saturday and it was not too busy. When we walked in they immediately asked us if we had reservations so I feel that this place gets busy at times. The inside is dark and a little stuffy feeling. The staff is friendly but definitely not overly friendly. They served bread and butter when we sat down at the table. I had the Chicken Genovese and my friend had the Chicken Piccata Both were very good! I had the house dressing on my salad and it was tasty too. If you are looking for good Italian food this place is a great choice.
This past Saturday night, I celebrated my birthday at Cafe Italia on Northwest Hwy in Grapevine with about 13 of my closest friends. I have been to this restaurant multiple times (normally just a small party of 2 or 3) and have always had great experiences with delicious food. For this particular party, I reserved our table about 2 weeks in advance and was told we could have it until 8pm, as they had another party that would need it at 8:30. When I called on the day of the party to confirm the final headcount, I was told the same thing. While at our dinner, our waiter told me we were being too loud (there was another party going on right behind us, and we were no louder than they were). A little while later, he came back and told us we needed to leave by 7:30, and we had not even gotten finished with our entrees and on to the dessert portion yet. I went to speak to the manager, whose name I was told was Sal), and he was absolutely, mortifyingly rude to me. He asked me to point out to him the person who told me we could have our table until 8, which of course I couldn't do since my conversations had taken place by phone, and he waved me away and said I was lying. When I told him he was being inexcusably rude and nearly ruining my birthday party, he called me a profane name, which I will not stoop to writing here, but it was two words and the letters start with "f" and "b." I was absolutely astounded at such disgusting and unwarranted treatment. Our waiter was mortified and embarrassed and gave me a hug afterwards, telling me how sorry he was for what had happened. The ONLY reason I'm giving a 2-star rating instead of 1 on all my reviews is because of the amazing service and apology from our waiter. I am beyond disappointed and will NEVER return to this establishment again. There are plenty of equally good, if not better, restaurants in the DFW area to give my business to who will treat me with respect and who enjoy helping their patrons celebrate special events. If you go here, just be aware. So sad and disappointed by this experience.
TLDR; we attempted to dine here but were turned away.We popped in without a reservation for dinner on a Friday night. The entry is very small, so like 8 people were shoulder to shoulder. After several minutes, we were finally greeted. They asked if we had a reservation, which we did not. The host leaves & speaks to another gentleman that takes a quick look around the small restaurant & returns to tell us that they wouldn't be able to serve us. They weren't rude, they just seemed put out that they even had to deal with us. They didn't offer a wait time or anything. They just said "no tables for 6 people", when we clearly saw several tables that could've accommodated our party once they were finished. Really disappointing. Manners go a long way.
For great Italian cuisine with no frills, Cafe Italia is highly recommended! The restaurant itself is nothing special, although it does have an old world charm, but the food stands out. Fantastic classic Italian dishes all over the menu. I had the calamari appetizer with the Caesar salad and Filet Mignon Madeira. They also give you a little bowl of their house spaghetti pasta. Everything was great tasting. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and flavor of the steak. Service was attentive and quick. Highly recommended.
Quaint, lowkey, and great menu! Always feels like I’m coming back home when I walk in the door. The owner/manager, when he’s in, makes a point to always stop by our table and exchange courtesies. The Pasta alla Vodka slaps everytime and the Cheesecake is amazing.
Great food and you can bring your own wine
Stopped after meeting some friends in Grapevine and we were not disappointed. Bruschetta was delicious and the lasagna was right out of grandmas kitchen (or so it tasted.) Our server was fantastic and even gave us a little magic show after our food. We will definitely stop to visit anytime we are in Grapevine and hungry!