Cafe Capriccio

Adorable little café with close quarters and low ceilings.
With reservations we were seated at the only table (10) in the middle of the tiny dining room. I looked around at all the suits crammed into little booths and was very happy with our table.
The staff works as a team which is smart but the one guy who thinks he’s cool with his chunky eyeglasses was pompous and dismissive.
The food was good but not worthy of the price tag and the portions are ample. We over ordered. The squid ink pasta was delicious. Mineral notes and tender squid, yum. My chicken cacciatore was tepid at best. Boring side veg.
We shared a beet salad which was good and some Brussels sprouts that became cloying quickly.
The house made bread ok.
The best Italian restaurant in Albany? Wow.
Oh, our second bottle of Vermintino was warm too.

I was on business in Albany and dying for good Italian. I sat at the bar, and chatted it up with the bartender who had been involved in running the place for about 30 years. Great guy. Ordered greens and beans, heavy on the escarole. So good. Then opted for a half order of the pasta with San Marzano/​lamb sauce. Ridiculous. I’ve spent a lot of time in Boston’s North End and Baltimore’s Little Italy. This is as good as it gets.

Place is amazing, it’s a must see, must try. Do find this place and test all you can and see that it’s worth it. Order a steak and if you don’t like it, leave Albany because your lying. Thank you guys for wonderful food and service.

Excellent dinner for four tonight. Very pleasant as you enter this quaint Italian gem. Staff was friendly and helpful. Good martinis and wine. Chicken picata, Eggplant in red sauce, Ravioli special, and chicken with eggplant were all fresh, tasty, and well made. Great dinner experience.

My mostly Italian family had a birthday celebration at the Chefs Table with 15 people. Many of us live in NYC and Connecticut and can be very picky. We were all absolutely knocked out by this special experience. Simply the best meal I have ever had. From start to finish… wow. The service, atmosphere and general warm hospitality was far above anything I have experienced.

Yeah.
Came here while passing through Albany, very cute little place. The risotto of the day with shrimp was good, and a huge portion. Decent wine selection and an adorable little building, not like anything we have in Texas.

Never before experienced a meal where the chef eas in the room with you the whole time. Explaining each dish. Each course was a delight.

Went for a date on a Friday night, Got the pesto pasta which was very good but over priced for the portions given, asked for suggestions on what to order since I had never been and all the waitor had to offer was that everything was very good had a bit of a blah personality.

I don’t know what I expected before we dined here. I read a couple reviews from my fellow Unilocalers, glanced over the menu and foolishly thought I was mentally prepared. However, I was surprised when we walked in, it felt like a step back in time to an off-​the beaten path Italian restaurant where I might find myself dining alongside the likes of Tony Soprano himself. It is a quiet, intimate, quirky, old-​fashioned place with different compartments to the restaurant. It lacks the glitz and glamour of some of the newer places in town, and probably hasn’t been remodeled in the last 20 yrs, but this isn’t a bad thing. This place is in the business of making great Italian food without cheapening it by making it appeal to the masses.
For apps, we were feeling «green» and opted for the house salad and a caprese salad. Our server intuitively split the house salad onto two different plates which I loved. The salad had a great dressing. The caprese salad was fresh, authentic, and vinaigrette. We then ordered a sausage pizza that is made with super thin crust in a wood fired oven. It was authentic though a little greasy for my standards. The chicken and eggplant sorrento was as delicious as it was caloric. The marinara was spiced to perfection. We made a small dent in it then resigned ourselves to pack it up to save the gluttony for another day.
A word about the service. If I could, I would award this place as the «Best waiter/​waitress watching of the Capital Region». Each one of them were quirky and interesting from their personality to their tattoos to their hairstyles. They wait on the tables in a communal team effort which has it pluses and minuses. The best thing about it was that there was always someone checking on us. They were all pleasant and attentive. Our main waitress was great, with a no mess no fuss mentality. Got us through the dinner like a race car driver at the Indy500; speedy, satisfied, and sprightly.
Give this place a try, they have a menu you won’t be able to refuse.

I met a friend after work for an early dinner. We sat at the bar. Lot’s of suits, ties, Manhattans and Martinis going on but we felt comfortable nonetheless. The bartender was attentive and personable and made us feel welcome among a sea of men, which is not a bad thing :-)
We were there for food but not drinks. Yet we didn’t want to take up a table in the small yet cozy dining room. The bar welcomed us with open arms.
We split two appetizers based on the bartenders suggestion. The Greens and Beans Passannate (?) which was a rich and hearty concoction of hearty broth fortified with prosciutto, garlic, wine, escarole and white beans. It was so simple yet amazingly delicious. I will go back simply for this dish. We also shared the Eggplant with four cheeses. Again, it was such a simple dish yet perfectly executed. The eggplant was perfectly cooked, perfectly breaded and the red sauce was delicious and perfectly balanced with the perfect blend of cheese. Again, I’d go back just for that one simple appetizer.
Next we split a half order of the pulled duck ragu. Amazing. It was served over fresh tagliattlle pasta with a mushroom, white bean, tomato and jalapeño sauce. It wasn’t overly spicy and the flavors perfectly melded with the rich duck.
We also split a half order of the puttanesca which was the same pasta tossed in a delicious tomato sauce enhanced with anchovies, capers and olives. It had the perfect amount of savory saltines expected in this type of dish. Again, this was amazing.
This could be a 5 star review but I need to actually order entrées to be certain. However, the appetizers and starters as well as the service at the bar were wonderful. A bit pricey BUT this is one of those places where the quality and flavors of the food are actually worth the price. I’ll definitely go back again since I was blown away by my frst experience and it’s within walking distance from where I work.
***I just upped my rating because I can’t stop thinking about how delicious everything was. And even though we didn’t order entrées, sharing two appetizers and two half portions of pasta left us more then satisfied***

Another place for restaurant week! Overall good experience. The menu had a lot to choose from but if you’re a vegetarian and don’t like eggplant (like my friend…) you may be out of luck so go back when the regular menu is available. Finding the location was interesting. It is in an interesting neighborhood but thankfully there’s a parking garage right across the street. The ambiance is very homey/​Italian. It’s small, cozy, and romantic.
The food: two thumbs up! I really don’t have anything negative to say! I uploaded pictures of my meal. The braised beef was PERFECTLY cooked. Everything was seasoned beautifully. And the apple pie… Yum! I wish it was warm but it was still finger-​lickin-​good! Overall, we had a great experience. Go visit and support this local restaurant!

My favorite Italian restaraunt in the Cap. Region; I’ve never seen someone so vested in providing fresh, healthy, and savory in one setting. Franco collects the best of the best ingredients from local, organic, and off the beaten path vendors and puts his soul into his kitchen. Shame on those who thought this was a disappointment (maybe our culture has habituated to the GMO variety?) The atmosphere transports you back to a time in which we can only imagine having lived in; creating a nostaligic and memorable dining experience. The service is incredible and I haven’t had an entrée I didnt care for. It’s a great place to take a date (or have your date take you) or for any celebratory occassion.

This is a wonderful neighborhood gem with a great ambiance; hole in the wall feel, where one can dress up or dress down, and still not feel out of place. It’s a bit pricey, but there are many dishes that are unique, and can only be found here. The menu rotates seasonally, and I tend to find that I love 50% of the dishes, and find the other 50% of the dishes to be OK. However, this is just a personal preference due to the strong flavors being used. I’ve been with others that thought that the dishes I wasn’t a fan of were out of this world. My favorite though is the dessert menu. I love all of it, but especially the tiramisu. I would happily come here just for that. There’s also a wonderful kitchen upstairs, where for roughly $ 1k, Jim will cook for you and a small group. It’s a great way to have a great family italian family meal with endless food and wine. I have experienced it a couple years ago, but it’s still one of my happiest memories, and one of my most memorable meals and evenings.

Café Capriccio was a disappointment. The atmosphere was pleasant, but the service and food were mediocre. I had the chicken scallopine, which was somewhat mushy and tasteless.
We also ordered a couple side dishes for the meal, which came out well before the meal… twice. Of course, these got cold (and were not great to begin with).
The restaurant needs to make some significant improvements if it wants to keep charging $ 30/​meal.

The neighborhood appeared a little suspect, but the food and the place was not. Nothing but excellent Italian here in a romantic cozy space. The food and wine are a bit pricey but still a good deal compared to the alternative in NYC. I had the squid ink pasta in August, and I’m still thinking about it months later. Highly recommended.

Gah this restaurant is so yummy.
I’m not from the Albany area, but am there often to visit family. My sister, cousin, and I made reservations for a Saturday night at around 7pm and it wasn’t too crowded. We were seated immediately and welcomed by our fantastic and personable server.
My sister and I ordered a bottle of red wine and a caprese salad to start. The wine was delicious and reasonably priced and the caprese salad was packed with fresh tomatoes and basil paired with the creamiest mozzarella. For my main, I chose the sausage and eggplant pizza. Holy cow. The crust was thin and crisp, the sauce was perfect, and the toppings were not overwhelming. The pizza definitely could have been shared between 2 people, but I was hungry!
I believe my sister ordered risotto of some kind and my cousin had pasta. Each person raved about their dish and agreed that we would return.

This Unilocal page is swimming with positive Unilocal reviews so I’m not really adding much. I just couldn’t help but say this place was amazing, I’m not sure what took me so long to show up.
Awesome, fancy service, sexy atmosphere, quick food that was extremely extremely fresh, flavorful and decadent. Also, the appetizer size is perfect if you want a great portion of pasta for dinner.
Hey Café Capriccio, you can take my money anytime. :)

The menu is a little different and much more limited than your typical Italian restaurant. But the service and food make up for it. We split a tossed salad and and the Clams Casino for an appetizer. The dressing was good but the salad had too many tomatoes for my liking. I got the Pescatora for my entrée. This was a really good dish. Nice jumbo shrimp, clams, and calamari in a spicy tomato sauce over fresh tagliatelle. This is my ideal seafood dish. Most places cheap out and use mussels which aren’t as tasty.

This intimate little gem is an institution in this capital city.
It’s hidden, and not in the best of neighborhoods. But no matter. Its well worth seeking out.
Should you & your significant other be seeking an intimate, cozy, romantic, relaxing spot in-​which to coo & cuddle sharing some Pino & pasta than seek no more.
Low lighting, candles, flowers, high booths, opera, Italian food advertisements adorn the walls.
The service is professional, un rushed but attentive.
A limited yet authentic menu.
Highly recommend any in house homemade pasta, the eggplant dish is delicate, not overly sauced– perfect.
They also serve their own boule of fresh bread which was also excellent.
I enjoyed my ½ portion of tagliatelle in the garlic cream sauce w baby spinach & toasted walnuts. A creamy but not overly unctuous dish and the ½ portion was more than ample.
Highly recommended.

Satisfying Italian with an interesting regional Tuscan menu that goes beyond the usual fair.
All the dishes I tried were fresh and well cooked. Service was good. The place is a bit on the pricey side (pasta dishes for ~$ 18) but at least the portions are quite large. The place has a nice family home atmosphere.
The best dish I tried was probably the squid ink pasta. It had a very fresh seafood taste with a bit of spiciness and the pasta was well cooked.
Another interesting dish was the sausage risotto. It was very flavorful and had a lot of capers. The overall flavor reminded me of the lemon caper sauce used in veal piccata. I recommend sharing this dish, as the portion was very large and it could get a bit boring if it is the only thing you order.
The homemade eggplant ravioli were alright, but I was more of a fan of the sauce than the stuffing, which was not too flavorful and was overwhelmed by the sauce.
I am a huge fan of beet salads, but the one I tried here was just OK. I felt it needed more goat cheese to make it more interesting. The antipasto plate was also just OK.
I had a satisfying meal at Capriccio and would not mind returning if I ever find myself in Albany again. I recommend focusing on the main dishes over the appetizers, and sharing them as they are large portions and so that you can try more of their interesting options.