This was a favorite but after our visit tonight I would say they have slipped a notch or two. We came for dinner and sat outside which was very nice. Service was just Ok, somewhat haughty. We started with wine, bread and the olive tapenade. Most of the wines by the glass were listed as "house" and the selection by glass or bottle wasn't nearly as extensive as I remember. We ordered a rose and a Cava. The rose was passable, but I thought the Cava tasted more like a Moscato. Turns out that's also what I was billed for so the waiter just made an error as I clearly ordered Cava. We also split a Chianti later with the main course and it was fine. The olive tapenade was very good, but had several pits in the mix, thankful I didn't break a tooth. The entrees seemed a little more suited to winter, heavier lamb shank and Osso buco for example and no steaks at all except for a filet on the special. We opted for the Lasagna and the Rigatoni Sardi. The Lasagna was meaty and good but the noodles were very soft, way over cooked. The Rigatoni noodles were perfect and that sauce was tasty but I though a little on the thin side. It was an enjoyable evening and the food was Ok with some very good items, but a little disappointing. I have dined here probably once or twice a year for at least 10 years and I always felt this was a 5 star place. Not this time. read more

The food was awesome. Love the atmosphere. Service was fast and every one was polite and very welcoming. Prices are more than average, so expect to spend more for your dinner. Very authentic Italian food. read more

They charge you $4 for oil to dip bread on and $4 for bread itself; without letting you know. The service were extremely slow and the waiters had a lack of attention to the table request. read more

Cafe Borgia used to be the standard by which all restaurants strived to meet. and I truly believe the dining room and the professional servers in the main dining room still are. But it seems that the Bar Manager Samantha is doing everything in her power to destroy Borgia's stellar reputation. She is unprofessional, condescending, and deceitful in addition to just plain sloppy in both appearance and service. Just a word of advice -- sit in the Dining Room and avoid the Bar area if you want to have a nice night out. read more

Food was tasty, service was OUTSTANDING! Very kind and hardworking people here. They are so humble and i will be coming back!!! (: Dessert choices are generous and tasty also! All food portions are full!!! read more

Flavorful, juicy, garlicky lamb shank. The whole big shank, not just a slice of lamb shank. Service was great! We were seated with a hot mini loaf of yummy homemade crusty bread and butter. The roasted garlic paired well with the lamb shank. The bread pudding made my mouth water! read more

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I legitimately worked in restaurants for 25 years. This place, as I heard, has been around for years. I was so excited to have such amazing and flavorful food as I did yesterday, which happened to be Valentines Day. Despite it being one of the busiest restaurant days of the year, we were greeted and seated promptly as walk in guests. Our service was impeccable from start to finish. We ordered the Porcini Penne, along with the 4 cheese stuffed chicken with Brandy Cream sauce. Wow! We shared our dishes and were in heaven with every bite! Thank you Cafe Borgia for making our day extra special! My guys parents went here for special occasions back in the day and the food and service were better than ever! We are now going to make this place one of our special splurges forever! Thanks again! read more

My family has been eating at Cafe Borgia literally my entire life, since they started at their old location in the 80's and 90's. We love the food and love supporting this independent local restaurant. However, the past few times we have eaten there, our service has been bad. Rushed, rude, careless...but, we have always returned because of their amazing food and our history with them. After over 30 years of eating at this restaurant, I have finally decided that I can no longer support this business after recently eating there and seeing a sticker placed on the front of the menu saying something to the effect of "no returns, exchanges or refunds." It is the tackiest, most offensive, inhospitable thing I have ever seen a restaurant do (I've read other reviews talking about how horribly ownership/management deals with complaints). Previously, this is a restaurant that I would strongly consider bringing out of town guests to, but I can't any more -- it's embarrassing to see a restaurant communicate with its patrons in this manner. Tacky, offensive, classless...and disrespectful to the patrons who have kept this restaurant open for so many years. It's a shame to see a restaurant's service and attitude overshadow (in a bad way) such wonderful food. read more

Great food across the board. We took my mom for lunch on a Sunday and she wanted pasta and my mom loved it. My wife loved it as well. Me I had several of the dishes here over the years because of Steve Reynolds. We all miss Steve his Christmas party's with Cafe Borgia catered it. The portions are huge and as an Italian Greek that's a chef I have a hard time eating Italian out. But Cafe Borgia must know authentic recipes as I do because I loved it and you aren't gonna find Italian out there in Indiana or Chicago as good as this place. Mike and Karen you guys make some amazing dishes. The party's with your food I've had in the past at Strictly men with John and Michelle Kelly and Steve Reynolds from Joey Blubird were amazing with your food. I'm just glad that you're still in business that I can enjoy it still. I recommend if you come to Cafe Borgia to bring an appetite and or a group and get three or four entrees and do family style so you and friends and family can try some of these dishes and then you got food to take home to continue to enjoy the food. Munte Bene Cafe Borgia!!! read more

I still love the food. Prices are even higher now but I understand but what I DON'T understand is charging for bread!! No other place I've ever been to ---upper scale restaurants--charges for bread. Ridiculous. read more

Stop nickel and dime the customers for bread butter cheese and oil. Those items should be complementary especially with that high gratuity.

Wife loves this place, she has visited several times with friends, recommend we try it together. Cocktails were tasty; Appetizers were good, fried calamari, lightly battered, and seasoned well, and prosciutto, wrapped mozzarella. My entree was very bland, had rigatoni with Italian sausage, in a red sauce, tasty at all. She did enjoy her calamari salad. Giving this place 4 stars instead of 3 stars because the service was excellent. Wait Staff and Servers were polite and friendly. read more

Everything is great every time I go here! The food and the service is top notch. It's my favorite date night place.

What a surprise to find a restaurant like this here. My wife said one of her friends recommended this place. I'm always reluctant when I hear that. The building is either brand new, or kept up better than a fine hotel. Very clean, interesting motifs, pretty landscaping, and enough parking. Inside is eclectic and entertaining, and still clean as can be. The service is better than any place I've been, ever! Food: we ordered a couple appetizers, one was pan fried goat cheese, and I highly recommend it. I ordered cannelloni, stuffed with veal. It was beyond amazing. My wife had their ravioli, (not adventurous). It was extraordinary. We are having dessert. We ordered 4 because we couldn't make up our mind. They are all wonderful. Long way to say, one of the best restaurant experiences I've had. Take the trip, it's worth it. read more

We went there for lunch to celebrate our anniversary. We ordered a bottle of wine and bread with olive oil and cheese. Then we ordered calamari for an appetizer. The calamari was so rubbery and difficult to cut with a knife plus it was completely flavorless. The bread came in small slices in a small bowl. There was no flavor to the oil and cheese. We weren't even asked how it was. For about $30 for those two food items you'd expect a lot better. We decided not to order lunch. We did mention it to staff on the way out and were met with indifference. Later I PM them on Facebook and was basically told " Sorry for that- we aren't perfect - sorry you won't be back and what exactly are we looking for". Bottom line- very expensive bad food and unprofessional owner and staff. There are so many better places that would appreciate our business. read more

Excellent service and excellent food. So many awesome appetizers to choose From. Everything is scratch made, including desserts. Definitely coming back. read more

The place looks nice. The service is good. But the food is right on the average mark.

Food was terrible ,Lasagna was a glob of tomato paste covered with a glob of cheese and fettuccine was like a bowl of soup with no flavor.Service was just fair.I am Italian and I can tell you this is not Italian.The guy who stands by the door says he has been making the food for like 30 years ,you would think he would be good at it by now and he is rude. read more

They raised prices 22% and stopped serving bread and butter when you sit down. You have to ask for it and then your charged. Can't bring in a birthday cake, a ploy to make you buy desserts for a birthday party. They lie and claim insurance reasons. Will not be going back, sad day because of all the years we have been going there. Regrets​ read more

Love this place!! Always well staffed, staff is on top of everything, clearing table, getting sitted right, served right away,etc. Food was delicious always! read more

I came here with my husband and a friend of ours from California. The food tasted pretty good overall but unfortunately my friend and my husband got very sick with vomiting and diarrhea after eating here. Maybe it was a stomach bug and not the restaurants fault but we haven't been back since then because we have no way of knowing. read more

Solid Italian food. Consistently good. Great service and I recommend trying this place.

READ THIS: This is not fair to call it an authentic Italian place. I'll start with the fact that the server didnt know what is Aperol Spritz. But it turned out that they just dont have Aperol, so it's not surprising that the server didnt know of its existence. Then I ordered a margarita pizza which was terrible. The main dish was a risotto. Which wasn't even close to a risotto (attached a photo) no creamy texture, the chicken is absolutely tasteless. I kindly asked if I can change the dish or take it off the bill (which is what she was supposed to offer as soon as she saw that I didnt eat their "risotto" and she said NO. She said "what if every costumer will ask to change the dish because he doesnt like it?" Well... dear owner here are some news for you : If EVERY customer doesnt like your dish, there's a good chance that the dish is VERY BAD. The owner Karen Gessr called me an asshole. That's about it. Ohhh.. she called a police to escort me out because I refused to pay for the "risotto" read more

Cafe Borgia - Risotto - Italian Near Me - Munster, Indiana

Excellent, delicious and consistently well-made Italian cuisine. Best of this type of food in NWI, the chain "Italian" restaurants can't compare. Great service, too. So glad to see this family-owned business has continued to grow and thrive since the mid-1980's! read more

-Good Food With High Pressure Servers - Came in based on the reviews and was impressed by the decor and ambience. The veal shank was delicious, and HUGE. Dessert was tasty and the right size after a large entre. As mentioned in the headline, the staff was so pushy with menu items. I had to literally sell the staff member on why I didn't want an extra item.... Take your 20% tip because I don't plan on returning. read more

Cafe Borgia - Italian Near Me - Munster, Indiana

I have been eating at Cafe Borgia for years. I don't visit the area without going there. Food is amazing, love the bartenders Jen and Julz, and always get polite respectful service! Highly recommend. My brother eats here every week! read more

Awesome Italian cuisine!! EVERYTHING is amazing!!! Staff is very accommodating and the decor is so beautiful. The owners are amazing they welcome you at the door!!!My family and I eat there often! read more

I am so happy that this fine establishment is so close to home! The food is excellent. I have never had anything I wasn't happy with. The staff is awesome and owner Karen is always so welcoming and efficient in seating and making sure her patrons are satisfied. Jen in the bar is wonderful and so good at her job. If I could give more than 5 stars I would. read more

Amazing food, always tastes great and cooked just right every time, a little pricy but totally worth it!

Just wanted to share a recent GREAT experience for a private room for a Bridal Shower at Café Borgia. It was spectacular, stress-free, delicious, perfect room setup, and above all A+ service!! Honestly I felt Café Borgia went above and beyond my expectations! Huge shout out to the owners and the staff for an absolute outstanding job - THANK YOU!! Highly recommend!! read more

I've been going for over 25 years. Loved the old location too. I don't know where the owner finds her wait staff but they are second to none. I have never had any experience or food from another to match. Consistently wonderful. THank you wait staff!. read more

Cafe Borgia - Italian Near Me - Munster, Indiana

Awesome restaurant. Great atmosphere and decor. Food was delicious! Service was prompt and wonderful. Very upscale with reasonable prices. read more

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I've been a fan of Cafe Borgia since it's opening decades ago in the tiny Lansing operation. This newer operation is absolutely top notch. From EXCELLENT service to amazing foods, nothing is lacking in the least. Still cannot get over just how good the calamari was. (I kinda use that as a template for the kitchen's skill). Lamb shanks-another WOW. Better presentation and flavor than the Michelin starred North Pond in Chicago. I am delighted that a fine dining restaurant like this exists in NW Indiana. Five stars aren't enough. read more

Is this the most underrated restaurant in NW Indiana? People always seem to forget about this place. One of the better Italian restaurants in the area. (Much better than Ciao Bella.) read more

I'll cut to the chase. The one reason I would come back here is for the filet of beef. So tender, it pretty much cut like butter. Oh, and I like the colorful painted wall and red, hanging, star, pepper things. Ok, that's two reasons. Skip the mussels (not the freshest and salty) and stuffed mushrooms (old stuffing). Dessert is nothing to rave about either, with the chocolate zuccoto cake being ordinary and the bread pudding like dressed up banana walnut bread from a leftover loaf. Impeccable service! read more

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We were worried because it was a Saturday and we failed to make reservations, but no problem, we were seated in just 5 minutes. The food was good, served hot and fresh. The server was attentive but not overbearing. I would go back again. read more

It was our first time here, we had a great experience today, our waiter was kind and courteous, our food was delicious and so was our dessert, will be returning for sure. read more

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You may think everything is " authentic" but I don't buy it. I've had better food at fazoli's. Their wine is expensive

Went to dinner last night and was very impressed with how they're working through Covid. Very clean and thoroughly sanitized, servers masked up and temperature taken upon arrival. My meal was very delightful as always. Great great service always. Highly recommended read more

One of my favorite restaurants! Been going since I was young. Everything they make delicious and always comes to the table hot.