Cafe Fiore has become a local staple. It is a good sized restaurant that has a nice outdoor seating option. Inside is spacious if even a bit minimalist. The hostess was friendly and efficient. We were seated at a deuce near the bar. While airy, the ambiance was, in my opinion, overwhelmed by an overly loud soundtrack more appropriate for a '80's dance club than an Italian restaurant. The menu made it clear there was an overwhelming interest in pink sauce (?vodka). I ordered a veal/lobster over pasta. It was well prepared; well presented. (No pink sauce). The portion was large and, to my surprise there was a lot of lobster. My daughter ordered the lobster ravioli...which she reported as excellent. Given, I was not allowed a single bite, it probably was. I hope this helps.... read more

Mother's day 2025.Made reservations weeks in advance. We waited well over hour and 20 minutes for our food.only to find out they messed. up on one dish totally so we portioned off some food so that one person wasn't left with no food.In my honest opinion they took on too many reservations. But I've learned my lesson and won't be returning read more

Food is really good. Meatballs, sauce and pasta plates are all very good! However, Atmosphere is a bit drab. Almost felt like a senior living home. Overpacked too. Servers struggle to keep up. read more

I've been there many times the wait staff the bartender everybody is top-notch the food is incredible and they have one of the best happy hours around read more

The food here is very good. They bring you warm garlic knots with parm cheese on them that are absolutely delicious and they are very generous with them. We are frequent visitors to this establishment. Service is also very good. I have one suggestion for them. And that is to offer a few more options for salad dressing like a ranch and thousand island. read more

Great food, reasonable prices, and friendly service. Our first choice in the Middletown area. The room was a bit noisy but not loud enough to bother our social discussions. read more

The food was very good. The service was excellent. The portion size was right and the prices were reasonable. You can't ask for much more. I will be back. read more

Always great food, good service, garlic knots incredible, menu has a varied selection, Tuesdays ladies night, great happy hour apps and drink specials. Nice wine list and martini specials as well. Atmosphere very nice as well. read more

Ambiance here is nice. Service is spotty (Middletown) but they have the best chicken Caesar salad around. Very large and filling. However my mother ordered the salad which had "apples" in the name, she got it, was eating it and realized there were no apples in it. Called the waitress over (hard to get attention as there was a funeral party going on in another room) and she told her there were no apples in the salad and that was why she ordered it and the waitress said "we're out of apples" so you let someone order the salad, bring it without mentioning that? Hence the three stars. read more

Feb 22 2025- had a 6:30 reservation to celebrate my birthday. We arrived on time and saw a MASSIVE crowd of people by the front door. Yes, they COMPLETELY OVERBOOKED!!! Walked away by 7pm absolutely disgusted and so disappointed. This is a complete disregard for others and so unprofessional! read more

Usually I enjoy CF, but this time was different (and my husband and I had our wedding dinner here during the end of covid). We were placed at a tiny table behind a booth, near what I'm guessing is the iceroom/wine cellar. Every time the door opened, which was often, there was a large cold breeze. A table shouldn't be stationed there to begin with. Next I ordered the chicken and shrimp dinner. My dish arrived and I had count, TWO shrimp on my plate for the price of $24. I could understand if there were just four shrimp, but two for the price of $24 is absolutely ridiculous. While my dish was tasty, I felt robbed for the price. read more

Food was great, asked for penne Al la vodka because they used to have it in the Middletown one (not sure if owned by same family) and it was sooooo good. Came for lunch was fairly busy but didn't have to wait for a seat at the bar. Clean place and tv in bar area. Service was friendly read more

I've been a couple of times & have enjoyed Cafe Fiore. The food is solid & their prices are good. They have a great ladies night on Tuesdays & a very nice happy hour selection, both for drinks and and apps The first server who waited on us was a really lovely, seasoned waiter - zero complaints. Our server the last time was sweet but we didn't see her as much as we'd have liked. The menu is standard nice Italian restaurant menu with a couple of Cafe Fiore specials. Again, solidly prepared. It is popular and usually busy, with a crowd mostly on the older side. Cafe Fiore is very comfortable, you'll enjoy your meal and you will be happy with the check. I will definitely be back. Very happy to have another local place to frequent! read more

We the pleasure of outside dining on a perfect day extreme enjoyable unfortunately the wait staff was not up to the task I get it a lot of new help and things are just starting to get back to normal. A high point was my wife's dinner and actually perfect the old parmesan flavorful in light on the other hand my Caesar salad with a drastic disappointment and I also had seared sea scallops which seemed to be just flat top fried few seconds on each side not the best experience but we'll go back again read more

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Great food , even better service and servers . In the words of the illustrious terminator I'll be back !! read more

Had a delicious dinner at Cafe Fiore on 5/22/2024 - a Wednesday evening at 7:00. Salad came with the meal (!!) ...a very pleasant surprise, along with yummy garlic knots. The Chicken Fiore was excellent. Why only three stars? The service was quite bad! The first thing the waiter told us was they were short staffed. I took that as a warning. He neglected to come back to us to check on how we liked the food or ask if we wanted more water, drinks, etc. Then we had to look for him for a dessert memo, and then the same for the bill. Not good! Then he never came to get the credit card so we could leave. We had to finally go up to the bar to pay. We were invisible. Not a good way to feel. Note: by the time we were trying to leave the restaurant it had really quieted down and they were sweeping the bar area's floor at 8:00!!! Maybe take-out was the way to go. read more

We enjoyed our dinner very much. Nice relaxing atmosphere. Extensive menu. All in all a very nice experience.

The food is certainly more than acceptable for sure. Good comfort food decent prices. Sadly the menu hasn't changed in years which is pretty boring to me. One thing that really is important when you go out w a group of people. Even 2 they will not split checks. How ridiculous and should not make a bit of difference to the staff or kitchen. read more

Service was great and the meal was even better! Bread is to die for and there is something for everyone on the menu!

Great pizza and salads! Nice decor and decent service. Great dining addition to Old Saybrook!

Eh.... adding a handfull of capers to everything doesn't make it exotic or better... food wasn't terrible. Prices were high for the size of the portion but these days you have to deal with that I guess. Sat at a table without getting service while the table next to us who arrived after us was into their food when we finally got asked if we were served by anybody. Garlic knots were good. They left that on the table and we chowed them down. I'd go back, its classy and they had a pretty good crowd for a Monday. I suspect a lot of those people live in the condos that surround the place though. read more

What an unpleasant experience we had at this restaurant. There were only us (2) and 2 more in another table. Our order was mistakenly served to them and they ate it while we got the wrong ones and as we told the waiter, he took the wrong foods back and had us wait another 35 more minutes. While the other table enjoyed the foods that was supposed to be ours, they were even served a new set of meal that they originally ordered. I was so famished but lost my appetite due to this. And they only said sorry for the mistake, but not for the very long wait. I do not want to pay but my friend was so kind and still paid for it. I could hear the crew speaking in Italian and I couldn't understand them. This was so far the worst dining experience I ever had. read more

Kwonderful place to stop in with family and friends. Prompt service and good food. We were a 2 top, but looks like that could take 6s, 10s, and even larger with some notice. read more

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My family and I frequent Cafe fiore and it is always as good as the last time, they never miss! J really enjoy their vodka sauce and they're very accommodating with substituting ingredients if you ask. The service is on point, the ambiance is nice and it's a great place to meet friends or family for dinner any night of the week! read more

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Was told it would be 15 minutes for table 30 minutes still waiting friends of hosts came got right in. People that came in after us went in 5 minutes after we put our name we were told it would be only 10 minutes more We waited over an hour and a half for a table Food was ok garlic knots were delicious. I don't think it was worth the wait read more

That's amore! My husband and I searched for a good restaurant for seafood for our anniversary. We happened upon the reviews of Cafe Fiore and decided to try it out. It didn't disappoint! For apps we got the pan seared scallops and the prosciutto wrapped asparagus. I also ordered a mojito- all were out of this world. There was a slight bite to the sauce on the scallops so if you don't like that I'd veer away. But those scallops were like butter Chicken & Lobster Fiore has an amazing vodka sauce and the Sole Francaise was so light, flavorful and melted in your mouth. The decor is classics for an Italian restaurant- nothing too exciting but comforting at the same time. The only thing that was kind frustrating was there was no changing station for my 6 month old in the bathroom. But besides that with all the Covid stuff going on, the restaurant was clean and the staff were following protocol. We'll be back that's for sure! read more

Cafe Fiore - Chicken & Lobster Fiore and Sole Francaise - Italian Near Me - Branford, Connecticut

We had a lobster ravioli and an appetizer of scallops. The scallops were nicely but not perfectly cooked and there were only 3 with a side of asparagus. The lobster ravioli was also tasty and nicely cooked with a tomato base. The food was pleasant and filling. A good recommendation for sure read more

Cafe Fiore - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Branford, Connecticut

As soon as you walk in, the ambience is relaxing. The server was very attentive and helpful throughout our dinning experience. The portions of food were perfect, not extremely large like some places where you feel bad. The food was flavorful and so delicious. I will absolutely be back! It was even a nice touch that they had sound boards all around so even with a restaurant full you can still hear your friends at your table ! read more

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This place was gross. We spent the morning on the Thimble Islands and came here for (an extremely mediocre) lunch. The calamari appetizer was inedible. It was chewy, gross, and clearly not fresh. When we told the waitress, she rolled her eyes, gave no apologies, and left. She never returned again. Our entrees were not much better. The sauce on the chicken parm was very sweet and the lobster ravioli was clearly straight out of a frozen package. I had to go inside to ask for the check because the waitress, in addition to being rude, was completely absent. Clearly, this was both our first and last time. read more

I have three opening words for Cafe Fiore: Nom, Nom, Nom! Have tried all the appetizers, they're delicious! The vodka sauce and marinara are so tasty... love the Chicken Fiore with Shrimp, or Lobster. The garlic knots are to die for. You get a salad and garlic knots with entree, so in my opinion, it's a very good deal for fresh yummy, food that is well-prepared. Service is great, decor simple and modern. One of my favorite area restaurants! read more

Fabulous food, friendly servers! Garlic knots are so good. The Chocolate Bombe is amazing!

To keep this short, the food somehow was very over seasoned. Our server Eli was not attentive and when we requested items we did not receive them. I didn't make a big deal and would not be making this review if the server didn't decide to tip themselves $15 and overcharge my card. Please be sure to check your transactions against your receipts to ensure you are being charged accordingly. I will not be back as I can no longer trust this establishment. read more

OK I totally forgot to take pictures of my dinner!!! But it was very good. We started with seafood for an appetizer we had shrimp cocktail and oysters which were fresh and very good and then something called Café Fiori chicken which was very good in a pink cream sauce. I'm sure it was definitely off my diet but well worth it!! read more

Cafe Fiore - Front of the building - Italian Near Me - Branford, Connecticut

Great surprise. Excellent food all around. Everyone in the party loved their dinner. Service great.

Cafe Fiori may be the new kid on the block in Cromwell, CT but they come with an impressive culinary pedigree and history within the foodservice business. They are one of a series of Fiori restaurants in CT and by my first dining experience , I would venture to say they have a very bright future ahead. For starters my son and I had the Fried Calamari New York Style, ie spicy. We both have had similar dishes countless times elsewhere but none quite like this. It was fried then dredged in a hot syrupy spicy Mediterranean concoction which lent a caramelized coating to the exterior; not overly spicy but delightfully different and very tasty. Instead of bread Fiori's serves garlicky buttery garlic knots, the emphasis on garlicky, they were some of the very best we've had! For our entrées my son ordered Chicken Genovese, pieces of tender flavorful chicken breast, coated and fried; served with fried eggplant, fresh tomato slices and a creamy dreamy pesto sauce served over pappadelle. If you've not had a similar dish, make it a point to order this particular incarnation, if this doesn't rock your world; you are in need of a serious tune up! I always test and evaluate an Italian restaurant by their linguine white clam sauce preparation; Fiori's did not falter on this point. They serve a combination of canned and fresh clams with perfectly cooked al dente linguine and a very delicious white clam sauce. I can't tell you how many restaurants do not do this dish correctly. We sat at the bar, the bartender/our server was hospitable, engaging, knowledgeable and our orders arrived quickly from the kitchen. This is not your average Italian resto, expect a subtle Mediterranean Adriatic Ionia tweak & twist to your favorite Italian dishes. I can only hope your dining experience will be as memorable as ours!!! read more

I came here for the valentines pre fixe meal and I was delighted with the entire experience. The atmosphere of the restaurant is aimed at being classy without being snobby. You're able to dress up or wear jeans here it all goes. The meals were served with garlic bread and a salad. The garlic bread was incredibly garlicy and I loved every bite. The salad was your typical house salad, would recommend the peppercorn dressing. The most disappointing point was actually the entree. I had the salmon and it was cooked really well but it desperately needed some more seasoning. The best part of the meal was the dessert! Definitely get a cannoli! read more

Cafe Fiore - Italian Near Me - Branford, Connecticut

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Food is good, they do make their own pasta which is nice and light. We were there when they had a singer in the bar (he was real good). Nice entertainment. read more

Amazing food!! Great service & ambiance!! Highly recommend! You won't be disappointed!

I've been here a couple of times with my grandmother who absolutely adores the place. First, they have an absolutely beautiful menu. There are plenty of delicious options making it impossible to not find something you would like. I got the Salmon Oreganato and it was absolutely delicious and beyond worth the money. The dinner was $22 and the piece of salmon was huge! I had enough for 3 meals! It was cooked perfectly as well, making it my favorite dish there. The best part of this place? The Garlic Knots provided with every meal - to DIE for! read more

Cafe Fiore - Salmon Oreganato - Italian Near Me - Branford, Connecticut

Used to be my favorite until the manager or owner treated me, a steady customer few times a month treated us like a POS for his mistake with no remorse as a told him my thoughts and walked out the door and he didn't care. To bad Eli the bartender is great guy and the staff. I made reservations for 4 people on Thursday night the person confirmed it and wrote my name down. Showed up Friday and they told me they don't take reservations in bar area which I specifically stated and was arrogant about said we don't take reservations in the bar area. That's not my problem check your book it's says it with my name on it. Didn't care told me to wait over there I'll handle it 40 minutes later and watched him sit 3 couples who came in after me I had enough, didn't offer to give us a drink while we waited or anything a professional would do for a mistake he made. Told him my thoughts left and he said ok bye. Went to La Lupa in North Haven , had a tremendous meal with plenty to take home! My new place, try it! Pork chops siciliano and the calamari n beans soup was in credible! Turned lemons into lemonade May be an image of food and indoor read more