Went here with a group of people.. I wasn't impressed. The server was overwhelmed and it showed and then she caught herself and pulled it together but by then we were afraid to ask for anything. The sausage and peppers was good but the noodles were al dente and I like my noodles to be softer. They ran out of soap in the bathroom and it was the waitress's job to figure out that situation.. Maybe we went on a night (Monday) that the manager was out or something. I had a pear martini and it definitely taste like a pear it was quite good. read more

Cafe Capriccio - Sausage and peppers - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

Cafe Capriccio always delivers, friendly service, great vibes and incredible food each time I visit. Tonight's visit was particularly exceptional in no small part thanks to our excellent server Ryan. Ryan spared no expense in making sure we were taken care of and really went the extra mile in embellishing our dining experience. All the servers here are great but tonight Ryan made us feel like celebrities. Will definitely be returning and looking forward to seeing Ryan and the Capriccio staff again. read more

While we don't write reviews very often, Cafe Capriccio needs special mention. Whether you come to Cafe Capriccio for special occasions, business dinners, or just a night out, don't pass up Cafe Capriccio. I miss those home-cooked meals of my grandparents of generations ago, and at 42+ years, Cafe Capriccio doesn't disappoint. Walking in on a cold January evening, the aromas from the kitchen were intoxicating. The staff are professional, personable, and accommodating. This would be one of those establishments where you ask, "if I were to eat here just once for a taste of Albany and family tradition, which antipasti, main, and dessert do you recommend?" Bar none, the best Italian dinner I've had in ages. Hats off, Cafe Capriccio! Great vegetarian and pescatarian options, too! read more

This used to be one of my favourite restaurants but it's not as good as I remembered it to be. The dishes try to do a little too much and I don't think it works. It feels a little snobbier than it used to be. read more

Went to Cafe Capriccio for our anniversary dinner tonight. Cozy side street restaurant. People were bustling inside to ensure patrons are comfortable and taken care of with seating when we walked in. Had a tasty glass of cab sav to start. Was fruity, not as dry or tannic as I prefer. We ordered the octopus appetizer and loved it. It was tender and yielding to the tooth. Such a delicate flavor. Was accompanied by garlicky beans. My girlfriend ordered the shrimp and scallop fra diavolo which she loved. It wasn't very spicy so she was extra happy about it. I ordered the osso buco. It's supposed to be pork but they were out and subbed veal instead, which they told me about when I was ordering. The regular price for the pork is $32, the veal upcharge was $48. Found that out on the check. It was quite tender and delicious and sat in a deeply rich tomato sauce. It was accompanied by a tasty al dente saffron risotto. I could not help but scoop out the gelatinous innards from the inside of the veal shank and shove it down my throat with wild abandonment. So delicious, hopefully it doesn't take five years off me but such is life, thank you. We finished with tiramisu and amaretto cheesecake. A perfect finish to a lovely celebration dinner. read more

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The food was spectacular and the service was great. Nice atmosphere too. The staff is really knowledgeable and fun to talk to. Highly recommended. read more

A little expensive for the skimpy portions. Dessert and appetizers were excellent Service was ok. The place is in downtown Albany but plenty of off street parking read more

Everything about capriccio is truly old school. Great service. Super food absolutely my favorite place in the capitol !

I wanted to love last night's dinner, but it just didn't pan out, as it were. Lovely table set for 6 even though I had called in the morning to downsize our party to 4. Ordered drinks. I had the Naked and Famous because I love Mezcal, but it was more like Naked and Vacuous, not only because it its name, but because it tasted so watered down. Very little going on in that drink. Then ordered dinner and a glass of Barolo. NOBODY sells Barolo by the glass, so I was excited. Well, they gave my friend the Barolo and me his Cabernet (which really tasted more like Merlot--very bold, round and sweet. I really dislike California wine, so double disappointment). My friend really enjoyed his "cabernet", so I wasn't going to take it away from him. He gave me a taste later and it was fantastic. I'd love to know what Piedmont vinter it was from. I only knew the little bit of info on the menu DOGC 2016--not enough to go hunting it down. Sadly, my average Ragu Napolitana was cold upon arrival, so had to be heated up. Bowl was quite warm on the bottom, but it might have been sitting out in the air or under a fan for too long, as the top layer was refrigerator-cool. Our server seemed exhausted, and you could tell that she just needed a big break, so she might have come off as a little prickly and over-efficient--just the facts, ma'am. Others' dishes were OK, except the scallops special which was spectacular. I sure wish I could leave a better review, but I can't. Maybe I'll try on a non-weekend night when it's not so busy. read more

Excellent non-tomato sauce-smothered everything. Creative tasty dishes, super helpful staff and not break the bank. House wine good. Octopus in its own ink. Gnocchi. Hard to go wrong. Looking forward to going back a fourth time! read more

As we road-tripped from Detroit, MI to Albany, NY we decided we would treat ourselves to a great dinner once arriving to Albany. One thing I didn't know about Albany is how rare it is to find authentic Italian places opened on a Monday night. Praise God for Cafe Capriccio. We drove straight here and this was our first destination in NY. The staff was incredible kind, understanding, and accommodating. The Tomato Basil Pasta was lovely and the Truffle pizza was everything I hoped for. We finished with the fantastic and perfectly balanced Tiramisu. Even the wine was great. Prices are great too. Cannot wait to visit again whenever I am back in town. read more

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Food was good, friendly service but $16 for a vodka soda made with a jigger I thought was expensive.

I haven't been in a long time but so glad I went tonight! The food was delicious and the service was absolutely perfect! Definitely going back again soon! read more

The best Italian in Albany. Pricey, but have never been disappointed. Best time to go is during Restaurant Week. Enjoy mussels, beef, and tiramisu for just $25. Generous portions, fresh ingredients, and great service. Protip: try the pasta with eggplant. The eggplant is so finely chopped that even if you don't like the consistency of eggplant, you will like this! read more

Cafe Capriccio - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Food was ok not that hot! Service was absolutely terrible. The waiter was not friendly had no personality. Did not check on us, when we asked for more wine he told us to wait. Excuse me?? Rude!! Maybe he should have checked on us and been a better waiter. While we were still eating they asked us what they can wrap up for us. My husband was like we are still eating. The waitstaff just wanted to go home. They were all talking about people coming in late. Not very professional. Don't waste your time coming to this restaurant. Total let down. read more

My co-workers and I had a Chef's Table meal. There are no words to describe how exceptional and phenomenal each and every dish was. Unless you don't like any Italian food, just go there and eat. You will not be disappointed. read more

Our trip to Albany to visit family would not be complete without a night out at Cafe Capriccio. I will get to the food , but before that my husband and I love the atmosphere. Living in NYC for years and now in Asbury Park we are used to great food, but atmosphere and friendly, knowledgeable staff is always at the top of our list. We started our anniversary night with the Pear Martinis ( perfect). Then the Beet Salad to start ( delicious) . I can't resist the stuffed eggplant there, always my go to and my husband got the special Salmon with Risotto and he loved it . One of out favorite things about visiting Albany. Thank you !!! read more

Food was good Service was terrible from the beginning Staff was too busy with larger tables! See ya! read more

Check your bill carefully!!! This place isn't as good as I remembered. Took my husband for his birthday. Very nice ambiance. I thought the food was mediocre (pumpkin bisque, margherita pizza), but my husband thought his was very good (beet salad, arrabiata). Drinks were excellent. BUT - Very concerning over-charging on bill. They charged us for SIX drinks when we only ordered four. When we got the waitresses attention and went to explain, it was as if she already knew. Before I could complete my sentence about the overcharge, she took the bill and said "it's our system - the 3 is close to the 1." I didn't even have a chance to point it out on the bill yet. Like she knew...??? If she knew, why did we have to bring it up? Seemed deliberate, like they hoped we would overlook it. Check your bill closely if you go here. read more

Average food. Horrible and rude servers except Christina who was outstanding. She went out of her way to make up for the other servers' atrocious rude behavior. Wouldn't go again read more

I don't normally write reviews. If I do it's for friend's businesses. This experience really shook me. I felt it needs to be shared in the hopes that the owners see what transpired between the manager and our dinner party. We called ahead that night, and they were able to get us a table with no wait if we came in at 5. We were sat by 5:05. We ordered cocktails, apps and entrees. The server knew we wanted dessert. My husband was waiting for me to return from the bathroom to order. We were very happy with everything up until a woman who wasn't our server approached our table and asked my husband if we were ordering dessert bc they would be needing our table in a few moments. We had no idea who this woman was. She made my husband feel like we were being rushed out the door. Where were we supposed to eat our desserts if they needed our table in a few moments? On the street? When we spoke to the manager about it, she said it was her that spoke with us. She had a lame apology. Sorry "if" I offended you, but.... Please stop right there. It wasn't a question of if - we really were put off! She went on to explain all the justifications for why. Us "walk ins" off the street on a Sunday night, we should know tables take 1.5hrs, as THE manager, it's her job to ensue that her reservations have a table at the right time, we should be more understanding. First of all, there was no indication when we called ahead, or even when we arrived, that we would have a time limit at our table. They should have made this clear when we called ahead, since we were apparently being squeezed in. I've never had that conversation with a restaurant in my life, however, I'm flexible and would've been understanding. The other thing is, we weren't ordering waters and camping on our table for hours. I could understand if we were just sitting there for 2hrs lingering, with no intentions of ordering - sure, check in and if you had no choice than tell us the situation. Risk the guests being pissed still. However, we were not even there 1.5hrs before she approached us about needing our table and our server knew we were going to order dessert. Who cares that we were "walk ins?" Why should walk ins be treated any differently? It was their choice to take us on! And besides, we did call ahead. And who cares if people walk in? We are spending money at your establishment! It should never be on the guests to feel responsible for the restaurants poor handing of reservations/scheduling. It was explained to us as if we should know that tables need to turn 1.5hours and our bad that we didn't know this going in. When I pressed the issue further, as she was unable acknowledge her mistake and take accountability, and was instead more focused on us learning the ins and outs of her job responsibilities- I said we would be uncomfortable coming back there. She told me that she doesn't care if we come back, in fact, she hopes that we don't - they have many loyal customers and we aren't required. ..... needless the say that was the end of our conversation. All the food I was digesting started to give me a sick feeling in my stomach. A simple genuine apology goes a long way. Empathizing, not trying to get people who are already upset to understand your restaurant lingo and job description, especially before you resolve the situation. The person who should've made it right made us feel like crap twice in one night. We "walk ins" may not be one of their "special guests", however, we have spent thousands of dollars there over the years between countless dinners, chefs table and our engagement dinner too. Many great memories there and we had plans for many more to come. I don't care how great their food is, my family won't spend another dime there- much to the managers delight. I wonder if the owners would feel she handled this appropriately? read more

We had a wonderful dinning experience. The food was delicious! Highly recommended All the ingredients are freshly made. Pasta sauce was so tasty and natural. Desserts are too dangerous! We can't stop eating!!! read more

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What a phenomenal Italian restaurant! I used to haunt this place back in the eighties, when they welcomed you right from the moment you walked in the door and made you feel special. I've since moved out of the area, but try to visit whenever I'm in town. I'm delighted to report that the quality of the food and ambiance has not diminished one bit from the first time I've come here! My friend and I had an absolutely delicious dinner- starting out with eggplant with four cheeses and an incredible red sauce, escarole with garlic- yum! She had freshly made pasta with duck and I had Cornish game hen under a brick- so tender and tasty! Five stars all around, a great romantic restaurant in an interesting neighborhood. Happy to see it still thriving after 34 years! read more

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I don't know what I expected before we dined here. I read a couple reviews from my fellow yelpers, 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. read more

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Great stuff, most of the time. Get the ravioli special no matter the flavor and go deep Italy

Love to capriccio for the gteat food and staff . jason , lee our bartender all made the night memorable. read more

Decided to go out with a friend for food, wine and a gab fest, so I picked Cafe Cappricio. Man, was I pleased with my pick. From the moment we walked in until we walked out the door we were treated as honored guests. The wait staff is wonderful, attentive without being intrusive, and our water glasses never were less than half full. Now onto the food - The only slight disappointment of the night, and it was slight, was the antipasto - while it was true to the menu, it really was just meat and cheese. I personally would like some other stuff (red peppers, olives, artichokes). I'm not a fan of the messes some restaurants serve but I probably would have ordered something else. We had the Pizza Margharita and the Risotto with duck breast. Both of them were outstanding. While the restaurant was full of business men who were dropping a ton of money, our check was pretty low. The staff had no idea that we were over the top tippers, but they never behaved as if we were less valuable customers. The evening was wonderful and proved that Cafe Capriccio was an incredibly run restaurant. read more

My husband and I ate here last night and had a lovely evening. It's the first time we have been out to eat since covid which made it very special. We enjoyed our meal, the service and the feeling of being tucked away in this little gem of a restaurant. I took the waiters advice and found a new wine to love as well! I highly recommend. read more

I came here for the food. Unfortunately we got treated Terribly. I was Ignored at the bar for about 5 minutes. I then asked the bartender for bread because my friend was light headed and he said "NO, no bread unless you order food." Very uncomfortable sitting at the bar. The bartender said "I don't have blue cheese stuffed olives because IM LAZY" lmao! The burratta salad was very bland. We then left and went to prime after the awkwardness. Good luck unless you're a regular there. read more

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 entree. 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. read more

Cafe Capriccio - Pescatora - Italian Near Me - Albany, New York

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The best Italian food in Albany. My fiancée and I love coming here. The food is superb and the service is outstanding. Wish there were more old world places around. Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to Cafe Capriccio. read more

Walking into the doors of Cafe Capriccio was entering a new world. The ambience is sultry, the waiters are enchanting and the food- the food is to die for. My boyfriend and I shared the meatballs to start and I ate the tomato sauce with a spoon, it was that good. The drinks are as beautiful as they are tasty. The pasta is cooked perfectly. Everything was amazing. I could not suggest it more here. read more

Takeout Thanksgiving dinner was the best I have ever had in my 71 years. Most tender turkey as moist and tastier than a tender chicken. Salad with buratta. The pheasant sausage stuffing was moist and firm. Just great. Garlic mashed potatoes scrumptious. Green beans with yellow beets outstanding. Cranberry/ blood orange relish. Then the spinach ricotta ravioli was a great meal in itself. Plus 4 bottles of Chianti. And apple pie ( our hostess choice) for desert the Turkey was so tasty and so tender. read more

I stopped for a bite tonight after the ballet at the egg. The food was delicious and the service was excellent. The evening took a downturn when I heard the N word at the next table. The two couples at the table were obnoxious and their conversation was laced with profanity. I checked with the waitress and found out the gentleman that used the N word used to be the mayor of Buffalo and a State Senator. Tony Masiello should know better. read more

I came with a group to Cafe Capriccio with high expectations. Our waitress came across as rude and dismissive when it came to our service simply because a member of our party politely spoke up when one of our friends received his dinner 40 minutes before the rest of the party. read more

Where do I start? We walked in with our table ready and greeted with a warm welcome. Dinner was going to be amazing. We agreed most of the appetizers off the menu followed by the chicken sorrento and franciase. We paired it with a bottle of wine that brought it all together. Thank you for an amazing night out with friends. This place is a must. We can't wait to come back. read more

I recently went to dinner. My son made reservations a week in advance for my husband's birthday. When we got there, we had to wait, which was no big deal. Another party of five came and got their table before us, again we didn't make anything of it. Then they stuffed us at a booth for four people. Again, we figured no big deal....finally we ordered our food. It came super late and was cold. The worst part was our appetizer came AFTER we were done eating our cold dinner. We were very disappointed. Not sure why we were treated that way. Although we are all fans of authentic Italian food, I don't think I want to be insulted this way ever again. read more

It used to be a nice restaurant. It was always pricy but now it is quite expensive. At the same time the ambience has deteriorated. It is as if the surroundings of the restaurant (it is located in a not very pleasant area of Albany) have made their way in. The food is still mostly tasty, but it's just not worth it anymore. read more

It was a significant birthday and we weren't going to let the Coronavirus ruin it. So we ordered a wonderful meal online from Cafe Capriccio. I got the chicken and eggplant sorrento and he got the pork osso buco. We pulled up out front and called them. They brought it right out to our car. The food was great as it always is there. We hope that others will continue to help our restaurants in need during these tough times. read more

Upon waking into Cafe Capriccio, the smell of Italian food hits you like a warm hug. After making reservations for a Saturday night, we were sat immediately upon arrival. We were told about the specials and started looking over the menu. We decided to start with Duck Confit and the Caprese Salad. The Duck Confit was the clear winner of the two. It was accompanied with beets and apple slices as well as thinly sliced cheese, and the meat was so tender -- we loved every bite! For our main courses, we ordered the Ribeye and Chicken and Eggplant Sorrento. Both were perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious. They did both come with vegetables, which I found surprising for an Italian restaurant. The marinara sauce on the chicken, however, was so fresh. For dessert, we tried the tiramisu and the Neapolitan cheesecake cake. The cake stood out as it was half vanilla and raspberry cheesecake and half chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. Such a great meal and the service was outstanding! Cafe Capriccio is a gem in downtown Albany. read more