Caffé Italia

Love this place– food is good, service is good and is a great local quality italian restaurant! The prices are a little high, however the portion sizes are pretty big. if you are from the marblehead area i would reccommend that you try

The meal was very mediocre, the wait for the food was fairly long which would have been fine if the food really made it worth waiting for — but it didn’t. Good wine selection. Way overpriced. $ 18 for ten very dry butternut squash raviolis. Nothing is included with your entrée. Will not return.

Love sitting by the huge windows! I can make believe I am in Europe on a Parisian street. The specials are always delicious with interesting combinations and colors and many healthy choices to keep me happy.

This place is very overrated, I believe they get most of their business from the theatre next door, so that explains the hype– but the food and service does not back it up. They’re trying to be overly fancy and falling short.
Food is decent if you order the right dish, but it’s not a place I would care to dine again.
The first time I went I had an average experience. My shrimp scampi was cooked perfectly, my boyfriend’s dish was hot and tasty, but the waitress seated us in a strange spot and hustled us in and out in just about 30 minutes. The restaurant was pretty empty at the time (it was before dinner rush), so it came off as a bit rude as we wanted a longer romantic dinner (and yes, we made reservations).
The second time was fairly awful. It took 20 minutes of waiting by the door to get someone to seat us, and there wasn’t even a line. Service was atrociously slow, it was almost 45 minutes before we even got to place an order and bread too too long to come out, my stomach was growling audibly. They seated a table of 10 right next to us with 2 screaming babies which didn’t help.
Over 1 ½ hours into being there and we didn’t even have our food yet, and the table of 10 that was seated about 30 minutes after us got their food first.
My father flagged down the waitress and asked if something was wrong or if the kitchen dropped our order, but she insisted nothing was wrong. Closer to hour 2 was when our food arrived, we would have left if it wasn’t for my boyfriend’s birthday. My dish was fine, a bit over seasoned with lemon (it was sour), my boyfriend’s lobster ravioli were good, but my father’s dish was horrible. It was like someone dumped a jar of pasta sauce, half cooked eggplant, and seasoning over rigatoni pasta and then heated it up halfway in an oven. Not pleased.
They gave us a free slice of chocolate cake to make up for it, and that came out quickly, which was nice.

So disappointed as Café Italia was one of our go to standards for delicious family dining. No offense to the owners but our last 2 visits were catastrophes and the food quality and service were atrocious.
In fact our waitress last night was clearly drunk and the entire meal was a disaster because of it.
I gave them a second chance but unfortunately I can’t give them a third.
I won’t go back.

We just had the worst dining experience in a long time. I am giving this restaurant one star only because I cant give it zero stars. The owner and the waitress constantly blamed everything on the fact that they were very busy. We dined here on Thanksgiving eve, arguably one of the busiest times of the year to dine out. Having said this, why were they so short staffed? We were seated right away and after our drink orders it took 30 minutes to be served a bottle of wine. When we ordered our meals, it took well over an hour to be served. We finally asked our server if we could have our salads that we ordered as appetizers only to have to tell her again exactly what we ordered. I am unsure if she even turned the order in. When the meal was served, it came out in bits and pieces. One order was wrong, two other sides of pasta came later and one meal was never served. When the owner walked by, we asked him to just cancel that last meal as everyone else had already finished eating. His only response was «OK, I will cancel it.» Then he walked straight to the bar and was laughing and talking with some friends. I have never experienced this level of service before. What a total disappointment as this used to be a nice place to eat. Did I mention we were over charged on the bill? Charged for things we didn’t even order. Do yourself a favor and avoid Café Italia in Marblehead

Great atmosphere, large portions, fun drinks and a personable staff. Been their a few times and will be going back soon. I feel like I’m at the north end when I dine their just without the Boston headache. Awesome job!!!

Sadly, our experience here was a big disappointment. We were coming off a long drive and were saving our hunger for a good meal out. My husband and I ordered two specials — one was a pasta with shrimp dish and the other a ribeye steak. We are giving a one star review since both our meals were not enjoyable. The pasta wasn’t flavorful at all. The steak dinner didn’t seem like a ribeye cut and was over cooked to the point of being almost inedible. The steak meal also came with only two very small potatoes. In hindsight, I should have sent my meal back but was so hungry and in all honesty, have never sent anything back.
In sum, we should have gone out for a few slices of pizza and saved our money.

I go back to East Boston with Donna. Good menu, moderate prices, nice atmosphere. I recommend it for good casual dining.

The absolute best martini (s) I have ever had. Just the right amount of fresh ingredients and different liquors! John is the absolute sweetest and most friendly bartender and mad scientist behind the bar. I have never had a bad meal while enjoying an evening out. This is a restaurant that is well respected by their community, with that being said as an out of town-​er I feel comfortable and appreciated as a customer and guest! Tonight I enjoyed a hot and dirty kettle one martini, their house Insalada and superb lamb chops!
I look forward to these types of nights!
assolutamente delizioso!

I have been here twice and the only reason for the second visit was because it was for a family members birthday dinner. I didn’t review it last time because I typically only review places that I have tried a few times and now that I have, the experiences have been identically disappointing.
I’ll be brief.
The appetizers are actually really good. I have had the Caesar salad which was excellent, the arancini and the meatballs. The sad thing is that these appetizers set expectations for the main course that they cannot meet.
First time going I had the chicken limon over pasta. The chicken was not pounded thin so only the outside had a faint lemon flavor while the inside was plain. It was like eating a piece if grilled chicken on top of pasta with some watery sauce on the bottom of the bowl.
Last (emphasis on last) time I got the fettuccine italia which was barely edible but luckily I had skipped lunch earlier and was absolutely starving. The pasta was great with a nice eggy color but that was the only good thing. The sauce had a sourness to it and the cut up Italian sausage was completely plain. The broccoli rabe stood up to the sour sauce but it was soggy.
In summary the place has decent prices in a nice area of Marblehead but if you do have the option of going to one of the many fantastic Italian restaurants within a 3 – 5 mile radius it is worth the extra drive for a much better dining experience.

This place is cozy and friendly. Upon entering, the door was held open for us by a handsome young gent and we were greeted by a hostess who was fabulous. She sat us at a table and commented in a deep husky voice «so smart of you boys to bring your wraps». They were hoodies. I loved it because she reminded me of certain kinds of individuals in San Francisco, if you get what I mean. She was sweet. Now, the water boy on the other hand, had a bit of attitude. I got the feeling it was his first job and first day on the job and he was a bitter pill. Oh well. Waiter was very friendly. Omg! The food was so much better than I anticipated. Had gnocchi in a red sauce. Might be the best red sauce I’ve ever had. Was great and the atmosphere was pleasant too. Partner had pasta with puttanesca sauce. He thought it was delicious as well. Highly recommended. Would have given five stars but have only been there once. Oh yeah, the rolls were great too.

This is a great place.
When you walk in, even when it is busy, you get a warm hello. They actually are pleased that you chose their establishment!
Once seated, you are quickly approached by a waitperson, drink order taken, and warm rolls with infused olive oil is placed on the table
The food is good. Their house salad is fresh, interesting and the house dressing is very good. The pasta with meatballs, fish dishes, lamb chops and old Italian standbys like Chicken Parmagania are served hot, well seasoned, and cooked correctly.
There are two sections of the restaurant. The section that at one time used to be an «Italian market», and the main side, which includes open-​window/​air dining, booths, adequate tables and a large horseshoe shaped bar. I have been their multiple times, and have yet to have an unpleasant seating situation.
Friendly management, helpful staff, good food, appropriate pricing.
I am looking forward to returning as soon as I can.

I like to give it more than ONE try and unfortunately several times the food and/​or service were not good.
We reserved a table for four. We asked ordered salads and bread several times and it never came.
My duck was a special and it was an overcooked disaster. I am not sure what the waiter was doing but He evaporated for long periods of time. The table next to us as well as a table across complained to him about the length oftime it took to get him back over.
Will not go back, ever.

good food. the amount of Italian places on the North Shore is sickening…
location is cool… parking is sporadic, service is good… menu is standard boston itallian nothing great

This place is just okay. It certainly doesn’t compare to Italian in Salem or Beverly. I wouldn’t come back for several reasons. I ordered the chicken marsala and it wasn’t good. The chicken wasn’t pounded thin and you receive two large breasts. The entrée doesn’t come with pasta or mashed potatoes served with it so be prepared to spend more on additional sides because who really wants just a chicken breast? The marsala sauce was watery, sweet, and lacking flavor. The rolls were good best part of the meal. We had a sourpuss waitress, but loved the nice, cheerful water girl. Overall, I was unimpressed.

This place is awsome! One of the best kept secrets in Marblehead! My wife and I have become regulars there! Donna is the most gracious host, the food and wine is devine! Very generous portions and reasonable prices! Donna, we love your place, you are the best on the north shore! See you soon!
John & Jenni Schillizzi
Salem,

We went here on a last minute date (my husband and myself) and were delightfully surprised by how good it was! We will definitely go back!

Went there last night and had a very mixed experience. It had been a beautiful fall day and we had worked outside all day so we were hungry. We arrived at peak time yet the hostess found a way to get us a table within 10 minutes — kudos for that, it was much appreciated. The wait staff was upbeat and attentive, the drinks were OK (tasted good but served in a relatively small low-​ball glass), and wine selection was OK (not huge — a couple of choices of each of the major types). Nice atmosphere — this particular night the whole front of the restaurant was open air.
We ordered the fried calamari appetizer and that was quite good. However, our entrees were not great. We had the lamb chops with apricot risotto and balsamic fig reduction as well as the marinated grilled shrimp on a bed of baby greens and zucchini with a side of grilled potatoes. The lamb was tasty and cooked properly but the risotto was tough in texture and the balsamic fig reduction was sour. We each tried one bite of the risotto and that was it. The grilled shrimp was not overcooked but it tasted like the charcoal of the grill — no hint of any marinade. The greens were good. The side of grilled potatoes never arrived but were on the bill.
Overall we had a nice time but the food left us unsatisfied.

The food was excelent. I loved my pasta with meatballs. Although simple it was good.
The fried goat cheese is definitely a winner even if I don’t like goat cheese. The atmospher was nice but a little on the loud side. Seems like the place to be for locals in the area.
I had the chef’s chocolate tort for dessert. I do not recommend that. I am sure the other stuff on the menu is better.

This was my third visit to Caffe Italia and I was unimpressed as usual. It really wouldn’t be that bad if it wasn’t so expensive for mediocre food.
Service was eh at the bar. would not choose to go back but I’m not sure of another Italian restaurant in Marblehead that would be any better. Ideas?