The place was full and we did get seated immediately. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The table was literally right at the door so people had to squeeze by to get in and out...ah well...no real inconvenience.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place was loud so it made it a little hard to hear, but the service and food was terrific.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We both loved the pizzas....! I'd definitely return! read more

Even though we live so close to Cafe Amici we finally got around to trying it on a cold fall evening. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They have both the inside and outside tastefully decorated for the holidays, which the already cozy space such a warm and extra cozy atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Staff are very friendly and on top of it! The food was very good! Tons of flavor in the dishes and good portion sizes. Their sausage in spicy sausage pasta was amazing! The wine and cocktails were also very tasty! Can't wait to go back! read more

While not a gourmet experience, the dinner sized salad options were perfect for a quick delicious meal. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It is a bit noisy and crowded in the bar area for dining.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Good spot to hear live music when available[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

We came here for our wedding anniversary dinner on a whim. It was a Monday night so we said let's go for Italian. First time here; we're new Connecticut restaurants so still exploring the places around. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We decided to sit outside and it was a nice day to do so.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We started with the eggplant tower and it was tasty. We also got a bottle of red wine. Hubby got the arugula pizza which was good, and I got the rigatoni salsiccia which was likewise tasty. Seems like a pretty decent place for some filling food. read more

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We arrived Saturday night after 9 and asked if they would serve dinner in the bar area. The manager/owner was welcoming and happy to serve us. We ordered a drink and water which arrived quickly with Italian bread&butter, and ordered 2 shrimp pasta dinners. They arrived less than 20 min. The shrimp was generous and well steamed, angel hair nicely cooked and tossed with sauces and vegetables. The dishes presented well. The server was efficient and very pleasant. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The bar was busy and had a small jazz band and wonderful lead singer.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]We were impressed with the timing and atomsophere since the restaurant was hosting a celebration large party and their regular dining area was busy and it didn't affect their service.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Thanks for a great dinner! read more

The food is terrible. Don't order chicken because it will be overcooked, taste like rubber and dry. Don't order cheesecake because at 9.99 per slice for something that comes out of a freezer - it's worse than Trader Joe's. Pasta is not cooked well either - sauce terrible. I think this restaurant belongs on Kitchen Nightmares. Waste of money. read more

Cafe Amici - Cheesecake - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Amazing. Did my father's memorial lunch there this past weekend and my gosh I couldn't stop eating. The food was so amazing we have not stopped talking about it! Service was amazing and everyone was helpful. [[HIGHLIGHT]]They were very accommodating and everything was super clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Four entrees, four excellent meals. Matteo's Buccatini, Gnocchi Marano, Rigatoni Bolognese and Chicken Amici. Generous sized meals, all prepared perfectly. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Cafe Amici is the perfect neighborhood eating place.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] There is a mid size bar area with tables, and 2 separate dining rooms. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Pleasant atmosphere and ambiance.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great place for business gatherings, and private events.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Parking lot in back, but does not accomodate a huge amount of cars. Overall impression - highly recommend. read more

Came here on a recommendation. Started with Calamari app. It was just ok. For dinner I had the Italian salad, it was so good, my husband had the penne. A la vodka. I didn't try it but he said it was great. My daughter ordered the gluten free pasta which was awful. I like Al dente but this was almost crunchy. Service was awful, waitresses were young and very slow. I would maybe try it again hopefully it was an off night. read more

Came here a few weeks ago with my spouse and and old friend. I had never been to Amici in its old location, but I figured it must be good to have moved into a bigger space. My hopes were immediately dashed when I saw the drinks menu. It was the most uninspired list of wine I've seen outside of a dive bar or airport bar. It was all major label and almost entirely California with the exception of an obvious Italian Pinot Grigio and Moscato. When your top shelf selection is a Kim Crawford NZ sauvignon blanc ( at 5x the retail price), you've got a problem. You're insulting your customers who have even a modest knowledge of wine. My husband asked what we were having and I said I honestly didn't know. There was nothing there I could trust as being remotely good enough to justify the price. And that started the dinner on a major note of mediocrity. Our sever was nice. We mostly ordered specials. The chicken liver paté was tasty, but such a huge quantity there was no way we could finish it. My pasta with seafood and lobster tail had a good taste and good lobster tail, but too many of the mussels had not opened themselves. Someone either cracked open the shell or else cooked and served mussels with a cracked shell. Either way, that's a problem with quality control, which shouldn't occur on a dish as expensive as this. Maybe one can sneak through, but not three. In the end, we all felt it was an expensive meal that just didn't provide a matching level of quality. read more

Went to Cafe Amici again yesterday. We celebrated my fathers 80th birthday, along with about 30 family members. The staff was amazing as usual. A big thank you to Steve and Julie for everything. The buffet lunch was tremendous. We had pasta, chicken, scrod florentine, stuffed breads and more.. Cant wait to go back. read more

First time customers. Ordering online, for pick-up, easy enough. Very appetizing menu, pretty authentic opposed to the norm. However along with that came the prices that were also way out of the norm. Very high, but went ahead and ordered anyway assuming it would be delicious food with decent portions. WRONG! VERY WRONG! Food was meh to poor, and portions were appalling. Neither the food nor the portions merited their prices! Then on top of it pick up was a joke, literally. The joke was on us! Walked in, waited, and waited and waited some more, (10+ min.). Then I decided to stare down the woman behind the bar, (yes, she was busy but could have at least acknowledged me). She finally came over only to tell me they had no order. I went outside, made a call to the person who sent over the order, it was there, as was on the $158 charge on the credit card. (Minus the cash tip)! They sent me screenshots and I went back in to show her. Didn't need to because she found the order, it had been completed and bagged. When I got in the car I had to check the ONE bag to make sure it had the 4 entrees, 3 appetizers, and 2 side salads in it. Surprisingly it did. If you care for specifics on the food, read the next review! Only allowed a certain amount of characters here. read more

Very very rude staff, the way the woman bartender talks is not acceptable at all, and the waiting time is too long

Made reservations, 5 weeks before event, for 12 people, to celebrate husband's birthday. We were told we would have a table in front of the windows. Visited 2 weeks before the date to confirm reservation. The day of event we arrived 15 minutes early so we could great our guests. Were told that a party using the room was finishing and paying. At 3:00, the people in the room were still sitting around the table talking. There was no sign they were ready to leave and the owner did nothing to inform the them another party had a reservation and were waiting. As their table was in the middle of the room, there was no place for us. Went back to owner to inform him we were still waiting. I guess it was alright to inconvenience us for the sake of this other, larger group. The restaurant, to this point, had no area for us. It was full. Finally, at 3:30 we took a table in the barroom as there was no movement by management to inform other party that another party had reserved the area for 3:00. We were originally told by hostess/waitstaff, that the party had arrived an hour late for their reservation. I think it was very poor management by owner to do nothing to get them to leave. I believe that the other party's reservation was made after ours because we had no issue of the date and time of our reservation when we made it. I think it was just greed on the owner's part for a larger party. One of the people with us, who had worked in their family owned business, told us that if a party was late for a reservation, they would be informed they would have to vacate table at time of the next restaurant reservation. This is really unfortunate because the food was very good. Don't know if I would go back again even though we enjoyed our original visits. I would inform anyone seeking a reservation for a group to steer clear of this restaurant for large groups. The restaurant does not have the space to accommodate more than a couple of large parties and the owner proved he will not honor reservations. read more

Food is fantastic. Service is great! I attended an event in one of the banquet rooms. Very cozy. Staff was friendly and accommodating. read more

Cafe Amici - a table with a cake and a christmas tree - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Food is great. I love going here the service is great, and [[HIGHLIGHT]]the design of the place and the vibe is amazing.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It's better than it was 2 years ago don't worry read more

We ordered Amici catering for a Father's Day picnic and were so happy we did! the food was delicious. The pasta salad was phenomenal and the potato salad delicious! Highly recommend! read more

A neighbor mentioned they have delicious eggplant Parmesan and she did not lie. I had the shrimp toast appetizer to start - scrumptious with crunchy bread and tangy sauce. Paper thin eggplant - spectacular. Dinner. read more

Been going to cafe amici since I was really young. I do like their food, but their bread is not really the best! It can be stale at times. I recently went to the new location not long after it opened and had a decent experience. The service wasn't great and the portions were much smaller than they used to be, but I will cut them some slack since they just moved to the new location not too long ago. My dad is a regular there on Fridays. I'll be back soon I'm sure. read more

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I went to cafe Amici after church 2 weeks ago the spicy rigatoni was delicious but pricy sooo worth it! Great experience. Why 1 star fast forward went for dinner last night [[HIGHLIGHT]]place was so crowded[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I ordered same pricey pasta to go and when I got it home it was disgusting overcooked , loaded with Parmesan cheese n gluey! I was so mad had my mouth all set to enjoy . I called restaurant to let them know ( thought to my self too much money spent on bad food) told them I'd bring it back tomorrow it was to dark to drive back tonight and I don't leave around the corner. I go today explained what happened and that I would eat it at restaurant this time. I ordered an appetizer n drink the manager friendly enough informed me it would not be on my bill , well I already paid for it so why would it be on my bill? Hospitality and consistency goes a long way in food service and after driving back ( wasting my gas)to correct a problem I received Nothing. No comp appetizer no comp drink ( it was during happy hour restaurant wouldn't have lost much but now they have lost a pretty darn good customer!) the waitress was pleasant and of course she was taken care of but tonight's spicy rigatoni although not overcooked or loaded with Parmesan cheese nor gluey it wasn't as good as It was on Sunday. Not worth the price!!! read more

This is one of the best Connecticut has to offer ! Always great food and great service !now to top it off [[HIGHLIGHT]]I had my dads 80th birthday party in their private party room and the door service and the space was perfect ![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Their professionalism is top notch ! And [[HIGHLIGHT]]accommodated our large party of about 60 people and my this day special ![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Highly recommend read more

Everything was very good. I met a friend here tonight for drinks and dinner. We actually met for a late night because my friend had to work until 630. I got there early inside at the bar ordered myself a beer. Told the bartender I was hungry and he actually asked me if I would like some bread. Yes thank you very much perfect. I ordered the Thursday night special which was shrimp. I thought it was very good. I have plenty of leftovers for my lunch tomorrow. read more

Cafe Amici - a plate of spaghetti with meat and sauce - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Came here for the first time on a quiet Sunday afternoon around 2pm. Only table to be sat outside and the service was terrible. Ordered salad with chicken (they forgot the chicken) but never came back to check on us until my salad was gone as was the food of the remainder of my party because it took so long. Eventually had to go inside and ask for my check because a waitress never came back. If they are looking for repeat customers they missed the mark. read more

Great service. Good food. Extra large portions. We really enjoyed our first visit to Cafe Amici. Our server Kelly was very attentive. We loved the outdoor dining area and were greeted and seated right away. We were given bread with butter while we searched the menu. Salads were fresh and the dressing was tasty made in house. Wednesday is pasta night so we ordered 2 of the specials; Fettuccine Carbonara and Rigatoni With peppers and sausage. Chicken Parmigiana and Macaroni and cheese. All of the entree's came out piping hot! Every pasta dish was delicious. The portions were large enough for lunch tomorrow. Although we had no room our daughters insisted we get dessert! Tiramisu and cheesecake were great ways to end the meal. read more

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Upon a relative's recommendations, my friends and I went for the first time to Amici's and were delightfully surprised! The veal piccata was cooked to perfection, the pasta melted in your mouth, the salads were fresh and crispy and the service was good. What a wonderful way to celebrate a beautiful evening!!! My compliments to the chef. We will be back read more

The overall decor leaves much to be desired. The interior is boring - just a bunch of stock tables/chairs crammed into several stark, brightly-lit rooms. They could use a designer's eye to transform the space into someplace worth visiting. Similarly, the outside space hasn't been given much thought. Three umbrellas in a patio with full-sun in the middle of summer? Come on, now... at least give every table an umbrella if you're not going to plant some trees. The food is decent, but the ambiance is just too dull to make it worth a night out. read more

Great dinner ! Delicious fried calamari (no picture because we devoured it), veal chop special superb, chicken amici was tasty. Reasonably priced but we waited quite a bit for our table and food to be served. read more

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Got take out and was served cold food and I arrived 5 minutes early. Called to talk to someone about our experience, no one ever responded.

Bad...just bad. Not good. Beautiful night. Took 15 min to put in drinks and apps. App came out wrong ~ 2nd round of drinks never came ~ ordered eggplant parm, got chicken parm. Waiter offered more bread, never came. Overcharged for the chicken parm. Table behind us had a salad w/salmon. They got a salad with chicken and their desserts never came. Food was smaller portions than I recall. We live close by and don't come here a lot but really don't have a reason to come back unfortunately. Not a fan. 2 star, 3 star at best food. Service was absolutely terrible. read more

Picture speaks for itself. Caesar salad had romaine lettuce already browning at the slice points, a dusting of fake Parmesan cheese, and three croutons. read more

Cafe Amici - The $11 Cafe Amici Caesar Salad. Horrendous. - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

Café Amici moved from a location literally right next door. There it was quaint, friendly, and relaxing. The food was good and the atmosphere was friendly. It was a nice place to go on a Friday or Saturday night. Their current location has seen three or four different restaurants in it. I believe it housed a very upscale restaurant at one time that had a very open floor concept and a lot of tables. Since then it has been redesigned a number of times. I provide you with the back story because in its current form it is incredibly confusing. There is a large bar area and then a few separate dining rooms. I'm sure there is a rationale, but it's confusing to the customer. It almost feels like you are in the lobby of a boutique hotel. When I walked in to what used to be the main entrance There was a table right in my face. I thought, "This must be an emergency exit," so I close the door and go into another door, there there is no hostess station and nobody there to greet you, so again you are just standing in the middle of a bar area with no idea what to do. On top of it, there are waiters, waitresses and people that work there simply walking by providing no direction. We were there on a Friday before 5 so it wasn't busy. When we found the hostess (TIP: Come in the back door by the parking lot, the other 3 doors do not function as entrances) she wasn't all that nice, and she brought us into a tiny dining room that was cut off from the rest of the place. The tables were extremely close and it was just uncomfortable. The service was sub par at best. One of our drinks never came, and upon receiving the food 4 different people brought it to us, none of whom were the waiter and none of whom asked if we needed anything. The Food: we just went for pizza. We live near New Haven, so pizza is kind of a big thing. My wife expressed that she was in the mood for just regular pizza, not new haven style, not artisan pizza, just a regular pizza. The kind you get when you are watching football on a Sunday. This pizza was not good at all. It seemed as if it was a frozen pizza that they just thawed out and threw in the oven. We got a plain and a Margarita pizza. The pizza lacked flavor. It's hard to explain, but the crust was weird. It was thin, but not the typical thin crust. It felt like you were eating pizza on a cracker. We also got fried mozzarella, That was good. To be fair we didn't have any of the main dishes, so perhaps their efforts are more on the fancy dinners and appetizers. It's a shame because you really don't see any solid run of the mill mom and pop Italian restaurants anymore. You know, the type where the chef didn't really go to culinary school, but just knew how to cook good Italian food the way mom used to. Usually wearing a white t-shirt stained with sauce and doesn't care at all and would often come out and make everyone that eats there feel like family. Those no longer exists. read more

Was expecting more for the money I paid. Soupy rice and of course was not black rice... it was wild rice. Very disappointed...it was my first time trying the place and it will be the last!!! read more

This is our go-to family resteraunt in town. Good pasta and mains, good drinks, friendly wait staff (though sometimes a little slow, especially if you're in the side dining room). My family and I have probably been 4-6 times or so over the last year, and brought my parents when they were in town. We prefer L'Orcio for Italian, but they're more expensive and a little farther away, so we tend go there for special occassions and to Cafe Amici or other spots when we just want to dine out. I do recommend a same-day call for Friday/weekend dinner reservations; otherwise we've always been seated quickly. (We've never sat outdoors, I can't speak to the patio.) read more

I had my husband's 60th Surprise party there this past Saturday. I was googling places with a private room and Cafe Amici popped up. I've had dinner there a few times and never had a bad meal so I gave them a call and Steve (co-owner) called right back. No matter how many times I called/texted asking questions, he either answered or he called/texted right back. I was a little nervous because I only ate at the new location in the lounge area and never saw the private room, Steve saved me a trip and sent pictures. The room is very nice, clean and plenty of room for the approximately 45 guests. I decided on a cocktail party and the food choices were great and tasted delicious! It also has a pretty bar area in the room. The staff was very friendly and anticipated all our needs. I was able to enjoy the party without worrying about a thing and our friends and family loved it. I can't Thank the owners, Steve and Michael, our bartender, Rachel, and the waitstaff enough for a truly great night! read more

I used to visit Cafe Amici often and always loved it but I haven't had it again until tonight, the last time was roughly 14 years ago. Although I thought the Pasta Fagioli and Penne Vodka were good, I do remember them both tasting much better. This review however is not based on comparison between 14 years ago and present, but instead solely on tonight's take-out order. First off the peas in the Penne Vodka tasted like frozen peas (not a deal breaker for me), but something I wanted to point out. Secondly, the portion of Penne Vodka for $16.99 was rather small, I'd say it was around slightly more than a quarter pound of penne pasta. Thirdly... and this is my biggest complaint... The menu stated the following - "Penne Vodka - $16.99 pancetta, peas, marinara and vodka cream. Served with a side salad". The problem here is that upon checkout, I had to make a selection of $1.50 for a side house salad, or $2.50 for a Cesar salad, which contradicts the menu description. With that said I didn't make a selection and decided to skip the salad, not because I couldn't afford it, but simply because of the principle and that the menu contracted itself by saying the dinner comes with a side salad and then you ask me to pay extra money for it. If the menu did not indicate "served with a side salad", then I probably would have added one for the small up-charge. Aside from all of that, it's not the worst review I've ever left, but definitely a disappoint from previous experiences with Cafe Amici. read more

Cafe Amici - Pasta Fagioli - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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New location, new review! Friends and I went to the new place last night and we are all still talking about what a great experience it was. The food was (as always) great, top notch service, and a wonderfully chill atmosphere. 100% passes the vibe check, what a perfect place to go to unwind and have a bite with good company. Also, get the baked Alaska. You won't be sad. read more

I had a great time coming here with a large group on a Friday evening. The staff is friendly and attentive. The food is delicious. Everything was so fresh. Also, the portions are massive. The shrimp limoncello was my favorite, but the veal, gnocchi, and chicken parm were great too. read more

Cafe Amici - Shrimp puttanesca - Italian Near Me - Hamden, Connecticut

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Where do I start. I don't think I've ever had anyone, anywhere, at any point provide a level of customer service at the level Cafe Amici has done. I live in South Carolina, and had a family member unexpectedly pass away in the Middletown area. I reached out to them to see if they could send food out on short notice. Not only were they able to do it, but got it done around the initial dinner rush with a 1 hour round trip. My family was extremely grateful not only for the incredible service from this place but the quality of food as well. It put a smile on a grieving mother's face at the worst moment in her life. From the absolute bottom thank you all so much for catering to my family in an absolute time of need replacing some of that heartache with the comfort of food. Per my Aunt/Uncle if you are ever in the area stop in and give this place a try. Thank you all again, so much. I Miei Ragazzi - J read more

Just had a wonderful dinner at Café Amici . Wife and I were celebrating our 27th anniversary and we were very impressed both our meals and appetizers my wife even went as far as to say her shrimp florentine was the best she has ever had. The wait staff were very friendly and accommodating. We've been here several times and will continue to patronize this place. Will recommend Café Amici to all our friends and family. read more

Second time back. Loved it the first time but now think that had to do with a multitude of happy hour drinks at Mickey's beforehand. This visit, some dishes were hits (eggplant tower), while others were so so (scrod oreganato, eggplant parm and Oreo pie). There are too many good restaurants in nearby New Haven to return again. Cute cute atmosphere with twinkling white lights and real local hangout in the bar area are definite pluses. read more