First time back to CI in over 10 years. Shared a salad and enjoyed the Vitello Piemontese. Was ok but nothing special. Service was terrific and noise ambience suitable for comfortable cross table conversation. Overall, ok for a local place. read more

I've seen this place many times on my way home from work and always thought I'd like to bring my wife here. Yesterday we just happened to end up in front of the restaurant and decided to go in and check it out. They have a very nice patio in front of the place flanked with a large shrub on the street side and covered in colorful umbrellas. The weather was perfect as the sun came down it was a nice warm evening perfect for outdoor dining. We enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, not only the food which was good but the atmosphere which was great. The server as well as the manager were both excellent hosts, friendly and so polite. The server was a really nice young man and friendly as well. He was an excellent server who took care of our needs and kept our drinks full and even offered some good conversation. The manager was also excellent going around to all the guests checking to see if we were pleased with our dishes and very friendly too. The food was very good we started with an artichoke appetizer which was delicious. We also enjoyed some good clams. Then I had some fresh made pasta with beef sauce that were absolutely fabulous. My wife had penne with vodka sauce and shrimp and they were quite divine. We ended with some delicious ricotta cheese cake, cappuccino and a couple of shots of sambuca. This is a very nice spot for dinner on a beautiful night, I will definitely return. read more

See all

We pass this restaurant over and over again because it's on our way home -this time we decided to go in and we had a wonderful time. Clam oreganota delicious their artichokes grilled amazing. My penne vodka with shrimps sooo delicious. Desert ricotta cheese cheesecake Yumm. The drinks were pretty good asked for a lychee martini but I got no lychee but it still taste good. Matteo our server was an intelligent young man and wonderful server. All the servers were great very attentive. Nori was very nice as manager he went around making sure customers were enjoying their meals. Such a cozy restaurant loved the the ambiance for sure. read more

See all

Service was great, ambiance too. Coming from Long Island to meet friends is a traffic issue. But... The food was ok. Nothing special. The lasagne meat was ground so thin it felt kind of mushy. The chicken dishes were good but portions arent great. Veal was good and the branzino, too. Good bread but the bruschetta on kind of doughy bread in squares was disappointing. read more

Out with friends who made a reservation here before the theater. Definitely a fantastic choice. We shared a seafood salad that was loaded with tons of seafood and had a fantastic flavor. For dinner Sandra had the half duck special. It was cooked perfectly and had great flavor. I had spaghetti with tuna special that was light and delicious. Our friends had the linguine with clams and a chicken special. Both said the loved their choices and they were delicious. The service was excellent and friendly and the prices and fair to high. Overall a pleasant experience and I will say we will definitely return. Enjoy read more

See all

Our second visit to this Italian restaurant, and though the service is wonderful with attentive servers and greeting owner, the food is disappointing. Appetizers are OK. Just tad bit expensive for the portions they provide. The veal was paper thin and chewy. We had to joke about it being whether it was veal at all. Fettuccine pasta in vodka sauce was - probably home made - chewy and the sauce was stingy. The best dish of the evening was lasagna !!!!! Thin layers of pasta, tasty tomato sauce evenly distributedin between. Just wished for more generous portion. Pasta Vongole looked great but it did not have any taste to it. As much as I like the ambience, Staff and the owner, we don't think we would be raving about it to others. read more

See all

I had the opportunity to visit this restaurant once last year in fall and yes it was pricey but it was a beautiful experience. Food was delicious, the service was elegant and the experience felt very high end. I ordered calamari delicious, spaghetti & meatballs big serving and delicious and fettuccine Alfredo with grilled chicken delicious as well. Well fast forward to now this would be my second time ordering for take out, aside from my first dine in experience. As per my two take out experiences here's what I gathered. I was over charged and here's why; upon eating in the restaurant a spaghetti and meat ball came with 3 meatballs and a great serving size well for take out I got two meatballs and the serving size was not acceptable. The fettuccine Alfredo was very bland and had a dried yellow color to it as if it's been out all day. And it didn't taste like fettuccine Alfredo that was a big let down. Lastly four entrees came out to $120. And the serving sizes were not what they were during the dine in experience and the food did not taste delicious. My conclusion is that consistency isn't key at this restaurant maybe during dine in youll experience a better delicious meal maybe I'm not even sure anymore but take out is definitely a no and to be honest after tasting and experience this I don't ever see myself eating at this establishment again. read more

Food is tasty, very $$$, service is unattentive."Clubby" feel - if you are known and "in" they treat you well. I wish them well... not going back. read more

See all

Went here for my birthday dinner with friends and everything was excellent. Ambiance: super cute. Food: great Service: Fast and attentive

This place is a great find for a leisurely lunch. Pros: +Great lunch special options + Amazing appetizers - highly recommend the caprese salad + Great pasta option - the pasta diavolo was beautifully seasoned + Great for family night or a date night + Staff is very accommodating read more

Pasta is excellent here. Had the pappardelle and it was amazing. They also made my friend a veal Milanese which was not a special on the menu. Very accommodating and great service. Calamari was good, light and crispy. Clams were small but delicious. Restaurant has a great ambiance and feel to it too! read more

Excellent Italian American food with a modern twist. Everything was delicious. We particularly liked the arugula salad with freshly shaved parmigiana cheese, which was not overdressed. The fried calamari was great. The breading was light, the calamari soft, the coating crispy, and not greasy. The scallops were fresh and prepared in a creative manner. The veal with shitake mushrooms was a standout. The veal saltimbocca was a hit. The desserts we had were not housemade, which was disappointed. The chocolate mousse cake was very good. We will order the house made tiaramisie next time. The waitstaff were professional, and the service was excellent. The owner was friendly and attentive. read more

BLUF: A surprisingly delicious meal. Why was it surprising? The complementary bruschetta at the start of the meal was not a great showing. The bread was stale, the tomatoes on top did not help to soften the stale, hard texture. However the bread basket had decent, warm bread slices. That was a confusing contrast. The rest of the meal was delicious. The pappardelle was made in-house, well cooked with a great ragu. The lasagna was really good too, very meaty. However the pasta was overcooked. While there were visible layers, the pasta had zero texture or mouth-feel against the Bolognese sauce. Nice place for a family dinner or a date night. Service was as attentive as they needed to be, albeit the restaurant was having a slow, post-Thanksgiving, Friday night. read more

See all

Food is good, fresh and well prepared. Service is excellent and ambiance inside and outside is pleasant. I've given it 4 stars only because I think prices are too high. read more

Fantastic old school Italian restaurant! Has an extensive menu and food is very fresh and superb! Servers were attentive and really enjoyed our dinner. Highly recommend this Italian gem! read more

This was my first time coming to this location. It did come recommended, the food was good, but the wait times were a bit much. It took over an hour for our food to be ready. I feel the food had a unique taste. I loved the veal milanese a lot. I liked the vibe of the place. Might come back, not sure read more

I recently had diner at Cafe Italiano and was a bit disappointed. I found the menu to be okay but not large. The entre prices were within reason However the dessert menu was much higher than it should be and a rip off as well. The owner was at times abrupt to customers. Overall the service staff was great without any problems read more

nice people nice setting bad food over priced diner quality Ordered eggplant parm w pasta Quality sub par my partner order veal was like a flatened shoe! Diner quality and over priced read more

The waiter is rude! The manager isn't always nice ! For a place that doesn't really get a lot of customers you would think they would Be a lot nicer !!! The food isn't that good! The only thing that is good is the oysters ! I will never go back again read more

The food is great and the service is also excellent. My family enjoy the lunch time in this place. read more

See all

Cafe Italiano is a top notch restaurant with great food and awesome service. I have been coming here for a few years and this place never disappoints. When you walk in through the front door you're greeted by the best of the best . You truly feel you're with family , all of the staff and owner are truly the best . I would recommend this restaurant to my family and friends . read more

Went for Business Lunch Food - 5/5. Bruschetta had a nice crust with well marinated tomatoes which was great compared to the mediocre bread. Caprese salad was delicious; the dressing really gave it that pinch of acidity to mesh everything together. The pasta had a lovely mix of ingredients. Pappardelle was cooked al dente, the chicken was juicy, mushrooms had a slight sear, peas added a hint of sweetness and the cream sauce brought it all together. Great food. Service - 4/5. Staff was very attentive with the service being proper: fresh pepper mills, crumb clearing and replacing of utensils per course. Value - 5/5. $16 is quiet a lot during lunchtime, but the business lunch comes with three courses. The food tastes great and they close the meal with fruit and coffee. Good place for lunch! Parking - Private Lot (Free) read more

See all

Let me start by saying this place has earned all stars since i enjoyed dinner with a close co worker whom i missed so much! The food was right on, during the holidays i gained a couple of pounds so I ordered a simple salad. I loved my salad the dressing walnuts and kale plus spinach was great! My girl had duck which i tried it was delicious. The taste was amazing and well cooked. As for desert we asked our lovely waiter so he recommended the cannoli it was perfect :) Tip this place is expensive but worth it read more

Squid Ink seafood pasta beautifully executed with tons of mussels, clams, squid and a nice sized lobster tail. read more

Cafe Italiano Restaurant - Squid Ink seafood pasta beautifully executed. - Italian Near Me - Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

One of the best places around. All the servers are amazingly kind. The owner Danny is the definition of a gentleman. The food is amazing. Highly recommend read more

overall food was fair, but ordered the snapper that was swimming in balsamic vinegar sauce. I told the waiter. This was unacceptable and was told that was on the menu and refused to credit the bill. I did not even take a bite of my food. This is very disappointing. read more

This place has good food but always questionable service. Went there for Lunch today with two eight year olds for graduation from 3rd grade and my my mom who has been on deaths door since April First.She had two wines.Me and my sister ate and drank merrily as we were ubering. The bill with the tip was over $500 dollars!!! For lunch! When I questioned the bill ( all handwritten by the way, nothing computerized) they refused to give us a complimentary anything. . Do not go here! River Palm has better food and cheaper food prices. They also would have given the kids free desert for the graduation. read more

Excellent food and customer service! Baki always remembers your name and personal favorite drinks and dishes. I had a party on the patio for my mother's birthday and everything was perfect! I highly recommend Cafe Italiano! A big thank you to everyone there who made our party wonderful! read more

Cafe Italiano Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

Excellent food, great service and typical for the location pricing - $$$. They serve mini bruschetta with bread and butter to start and then we had a caprese salad appetizer and a great rigatoni and prosciutto meal. Fabulous. Thanks to the staff for a wonderful dinner experience under the umbrellas! How did we get here from CT? We were stuck on the local lanes for the GW bridge on the way back from DC and decided to get off at the Englewood exit. A few turns later and we're in Ft. Lee in front of Cafe Italiano at 8 pm on a Sunday. read more

Four stars food and two stars services. I guess the owner is the short guy? That's who we felt very rude, and almost funny. How can you treat your customers like that? Soup nazi?! my guess is he is the boss hence why still works there. It was such a busy Saturday night, full house, so it's okay. read more

Do you want to feel like eating at gradnma's house? This is the place to be! Excellent food! Drinks and desert! Really recommend this place! Come and check it out, you wouldn't be disappointed! read more

Cafe Italiano Restaurant - Perfect Day for a Margarita! - Italian Near Me - Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey

See all

I have a real mixed emotions about this place. They get it right sometimes and they are just clueless at times. I am not sure what it is about the waiters and their attitude either. Food = OK; nothing great but decent Italian dishes with right size portions. I do not order pasta stuff here because I'm personally not a big fan of the noodle dishes. Service = I don't know. I am not big fan of the Italian accented rudeness. I really have no emotional ties to this place; yes I am an emotional eater. read more

See all

I have had the pleasure of dining here multiple times. The food and service are exceptional. The staff goes out of their way to accommodate special requests. My husband recently had the gnocchi and it was unbelievably delicious. I would highly recommend the clams oreganata and calamari for starters and the Cafe Italiano Chicken is amazing. The wine selection is fantastic! read more

We came during off-peak hours when there were only about two other tables seated. Service was quick and attentive. We were seated indoors at a corner table. The restaurant looked nice and had a nice ambience. We ordered the mixed green salad, chicken scarpariello, and pasta with meat sauce. The food was presented nicely but the taste was underwhelming for the prices they were charging. The chicken was just OK, nothing special. The pasta was drowned in the meat sauce which had an overly sweet taste. The ambience and service were nice but the food was not great. We will not be returning. read more

Very attentive service, food is ok but far from exciting. We had linguine a la vongole which had fresh clams but only three tiny ones, hardly a reasonable number. And now I see that the menu says "Linguine flavored with Fresh Clams," which actually describes it. It is not "clam sauce" but "clam flavor." A piece of fresh sliced bread tasted moldy, everyone at the table took a piece and quietly left it on the butter plates. I tasted a bit of the veal francese and that was delicious. The coffee was standard restaurant coffee. And we ate indoors, but were not asked to show proof of vaccination and the staff was not masked.....what message does this send ? read more

They have a really nice reasonable lunch special. Quite a few entrees to choose from and it includes an appetizer of soup, or salad, (either caprese or house,) and for dessert, coffee or tea, with a fresh fruit platter. The meal starts off with bruschetta for the table and a bread basket. read more

I hesitated to write a negative review since my coworkers selected this place for our annual department get together, but I will never go here again. The food was actually good, I guess, nothing great, but the service was so bad it was absurd. The worst part is that the poor service was coming straight from whom supposedly is an owner! Also definitely don't bring kids! I am not even sure where to begin. This man got annoyed that I asked to order separately from our group's fixed menu, for my son who is 6 years old. He didn't tell me what they offer for kids and seemed offended when I asked if they had pizza for him. We ordered chicken fingers. We had a large group of 20-something people. Other places have sometimes comped the one kid. I got a bill for $18 for four chicken fingers the size of my fingers... no drink but water, and no dessert included. This would be less than $5 at a fast food place. My son also requested the cheesecake the moment we sat down! This man, at the end, brought everyone cheesecake EXCEPT to me, for my son, and one other coworker. Then he said they were out and brought this "pie," without explaining what it even is. I paid $45 plus $20 after tip for my son's ridiculous chicken fingers. We drank water, mind you. This man also made a racist comment to a coworker. He also was very bothered when a coworker asked him for a COLD beer, since he received a lukewarm one the first time. He also was very disturbed that my son sat behind me and pulled up a chair because the sun was in his face where he was originally sat. The man also made some comment as I was returning from the restroom, sarcastically saying, "THANK YOU," to me. I still don't know what I failed to say thank you for! What is wrong with him?! I enjoyed the company of my coworkers and so can't say my time was bad, but I will NEVER come here again! read more

We have been back quite a few times since I had given Cafe Italiano a poor rating. Why? Because there are not many other places to dine "al fresco" in Englewood Cliffs. As an update, I must say that there has been dramatic improvement. The menu is filled with delicious specialties and the service has gone from poor to excellent. The host ALWAYS comes over to our table to shake our hands and to insure that everything is going well with our evening. Give Cafe Italiano another try ! read more

Never bring children here ,we have two children under the age of five we asked for a children's menu they said they had none ( we thought a printed one)but the kids can have chicken fingers with fries or pasta making it sound like they were a child size portions with child size prices when we got the bill we found out that chicken fingers was $18 pasta 17 and a side of broccoli for children was nine dollars . Two children's meals now cost $44 the owner had nothing to say but oh well the manager told me oh well good luck I said we will not be coming back there are 12 of us here and he said OK good luck good luck good luck. TOTAL Rip OFF read more

As other yelpers reviewed, the food is quite good but the service is terrible. The servers act as if they don't want to be there and their attitude is unacceptable. I didn't even finish half of my dish and they didn't have the courtesy to ask if I wanted to take it home. read more