We were at the beach in late October and were referred by a friend to eat at Cafe Tango. We were not disappointed. As other reviewers have stated, it is a small place so I would recommend reservations at all times. Being late in the season and on a Tuesday evening, there were only five other groups of dinners the night we dined at Cafe Tango. First off, I'll agree with other reviewers, the bread and the dipping sauce provided are out of this world. Olive oil, herbs and asiago cheese....what's not to like. We split one appetizer, Brie with fresh berries. When it came out it looked like they had poured jam over a round of Brie. We were pleasantly surprised. The cheese was warm, gooey and buttery. The berries added just a hint of sweetness to the dish. We learned they were reduced in triple sec. For entree's, it is all around sauces. The night we dined, your options were duck breast, lamb chops, two pasta options, fish and steak. There were two types of fish to choose from, grouper or red snapper, with three types of sauces to choose from. Two of us had fish. We both chose grouper. One had the dancing fish sauce, shrimp, scallop and a jalapeño cream sauce....Outstanding. The other had the Tango sauce, crab, saute'd peppers in a lemon sauce also very good. One person in our party chose a rib eye with a chimichuri sauce. The steak was cooked to perfection, and again, the sauce was excellent. All entrees came with mashed potatoes (excellent) and seasonal vegetables (just okay). Portions are large, and several of the sauces are very rich. We split a creme brûlée and it was a nice way to end the meal. I give it four stars instead of five because the service was somewhat inattentive, particularly with only four parties in the restaurant. The courses of food were served within acceptable time frames, but then our waiter would disappear. A cup of coffee with desert would have been nice, and was ordered, but never showed up. I would definitely go back to Cafe Tango, but would prepare myself for the service, because I think that is the pace of the restaurant. read more

Absolutely delicious, and I'm from South Louisiana where food is a way of life. Get the shrimp scampi appetizer and a side of chimmichurri. Any entrée is a good choice. Pricey but considering the quality of food not overly. Love love love! read more

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Small quaint dinner spot for a change of pace for a quiet dinner. Very friendly staff and phenomenal food. Get the foi gras and steak with Gorgonzola. Olive oil mixture for bread is some of the best I've had. read more

Very nice restaurant for a date night without my kids! Good wine selection. We had a rose that was great, nice and dry. My husband had the lobster ravioli and I practically had to stop him from licking the plate. I had the drunken fish since so many other reviewers said it was so good and I wasn't disappointed. We got the creme brûlée for dessert and it was just how it should be, crunchy on top but creamy on the bottom. read more

My husband and I love this place. It's worth the trek from Rosemary Beach! If you just want plain regular steak without flavor move on. If you enjoy flavor and solid wine this is a place to check out. Make reservations! read more

Initially we had called to place a Togo order around 7:30. When someone picked up the phone they where extremely rude and told us that they where not taking Togo orders, so we decided to attempt to dine in 10 minutes later but by the time we got there "the kitchen was closed." They close at 10. Upon asking why, we where given the excuse: "we go by our reservations." What does that even mean? Just admit you lied and tell us the kitchen was closed. The restaurant is full of people (tourists no less) and a TOGO ORDER SITTING ON THE COUNTER! Will definitely not attempt to eat there again. As a local, word of mouth travels fast around this place. read more

Wow. Sooooo good. Chef Patrick's passion for food really come put in the dish. You can tell there someone cooking that genuinely loves to cook because it was spot on. We will be back. read more

Cafe Tango - Italian Near Me - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

Absolutely no vegetarian options other than salad. When I asked there was no interest in even coming up with anything. Too bad as there are many other places I. Santa Rosa beach that are evolving. Not this place. read more

My husband and I always enjoy dining at Cafe Tango. Most recently, we had a fantastic dinner over Memorial Weekend. The owners are great and food was delicious. We split the Veal Special Pasta and The Dancing Fish and both were equally tasty. Highly recommend! read more

we've owned property nearby for 5 years, and hands down, this is the best food for a quiet, intimate night. food is excellent and fresh. atmosphere is quiet, not pretentious, and comfortable. don't bring young kids-not overly friendly, but great for a date night out. read more

Brought my husband here for his birthday and we had an amazing experience and meal!! Staff was super friendly and extremely accommodating. Brie appetizer is wonderful!! Habanero honey mustard dressing was amazing, I wanted to dip everything in it!! I had lobster ravioli and my husband had the lamb, we would have licked our plates if we weren't in public!! :) Dessert was rich and satisfying!! We have found our new favorite place to dine while we are here!! They said they are opening another restaurant so we will definitely be trying it when we come back! Thanks for making my husbands birthday so special and delicious!! read more

Excellent all around. The space is small and intimate, the menu is pretty extensive, the food is great, but what really makes this place is the people. The owner and his staff are beyond. We had a 2 year old with us, and the waitress brought her some strawberries - it just felt so personal and kind at every turn. If I ever own a restaurant, I would strive to emulate their service. read more

One of our favorite restaurants on the beach. The brie appetizer is not to be missed. The steaks are wonderful though the seafood is as well so it makes a hard decision. read more

Best food we've had in the area !!!!(including sandestin,destin, seaside, alys, etc). A must go!!! Dancing fish was amazing, and my husband and I love to go out to eat -so we have lots to compare to :) read more

What a find! Ate at this restaurant three days ago. My sister-in-law and niece did a search for a spot we could go to for a decent meal since most of the Walton County restaurants could not seat anyone until after 9:00 PM. July 4th weekend. I am a North Florida person who is fairly hip on the best restaurants in the Panhandle and have never heard of this spot. How lucky we were to get a table at this very small restaurant. We were 7 people looking to escape the miserable weather engulfing the Gulf beaches. I had the lamb chops. To die for. Bro had a steak with a great reduction sauce. Also to die for. Sis had homemade pasta and scallops. Another to die for dish. Sides of mashed potatoes and mixed vegies. To die for. Restaurant seats about 40 people but has a wine collection that I would have never expected. I am astounded by the fact that this restaurant exists but have never heard about it until we went there. If you go, don't tell anyone about this place, else word will get out and you will never be able to eat there again without reserving months and months in advance. And just pray owners keep the chocolate desert on the menu. Service: excellent. Ambiance: perfect. read more

Took forever to get our food The table behind us came in 20 minuets after n got their good 30 morning before we did

Have no problem spending for exceptional food, but this was nothing more than mediocre for the price.

This is one of our favorite restaurants in the area. It's small and quaint, yet fancy and perfect for a romantic dinner. My husband and I have celebrated a few special occasions at this place and we've loved everything we have ordered. It's a little on the pricey side, so we don't go as often as we would like. Service has always been great as well. read more

A trip to Cafe Tango is always on our list of to dos when we are in the area. It was outstanding as usual, the gentlemen had steaks and all said they were out of this world. I enjoyed the fish special of the evening. Service is always spot on. Can not wait for the next visit. read more

Terrific date night restaurant! All dishes were perfect! I had wedge salad and Dancing fish. The fish was one of the best fish I've ever had! Can't wait to eat here on our next visit to Florida! read more

First of all, this is not an Italian restaurant, it is a steak and fish house. Only 2 pasta options. Great intimate atmosphere but highly overpriced. read more

My husband and I enjoyed a kid free meal at Cafe Tango on our last night in Grayton Beach. We didn't have a reservation but luckily they were able to fit us in. The restaurant is small and very cozy. Our server was very helpful and made some wine suggestions based on what we ordered and they did not disappoint. We didn't have an appetizer but both had salads to start; I had the house salad with the homemade Parmesan ranch dressing and my husband had the Gorgonzola wedge. Both salads were fresh and delicious. My husband had the Panko crusted with chorizo fish of the day which was black grouper on the night we were there. The fish was amazing with just the right amount of spice. I had the veal and beef tartellio (sp?) which was similar to ravioli and was served with a white wine sauce. Not a large plate of food but it was filling and delicious. The bread that they bring out is served warm with olive oil, cheese and spices. We will definitely return; a great find on 30A. read more

Flat out the best fine dining on 30a and has been for years. Plan ahead if you want to eat there because there is only like 7 table tops...not a great place for kids but certainly a great date night or if you want to take a client to a hidden gem. read more

Amazing!!! Gnocchi, habenero honey mustard dressing, bone/ in ribeye- gorgonzola, dancing fish.....all to die for! Best meal we've had on 30A. Get reservations prior. Great wine selection. Good service. read more

Prepare to experience a collage of flavors. Small restaurant, about 30+, which means make reservations. Even off season there were no empty seats - including the 2 seats at the bar. Order what suits your taste - it will be unbelievable. read more

Small cozy restaurant in a converted home. The meal was incredible! Perhaps one of the best I've had along 30A. Grouper with a crab meat, shrimp and scallop sauce. Amazing. read more

The family gathered at Cafe Tango Santa Rosa Beach. It was a little hard finding the front door, but once we got in we were transported. Tango has exceptional quality service. On the 4th of July we were seated immediately for our reserved table - there are only abou 20 tables total. Bread fresh from the oven with a special olive oil dip with parmesean cheese. Salad was a bit on the light side, but you are here for the protein. Steaks and seafood were all cooked to perfection. The accompanying vegetable medley was chef made and fresh. Nothing pre-made here, including the one pasta dish on the menu. The server was knowledgeable about the perfect wine pairings with our meals. Finally, the dessert was to die for. We chose the brownie sundae to share for a table of seven and it was more than sufficient. The whole family agreed. Cafe Tango will be the best meal of the week. read more

I found this gem last minute and it was great. Very good service and the food was fabulous. It's a small place with a date atmosphere that won't disappoint. read more

Tip, our server was great. Suggested wine for my daughter/wine snob, which was excellent. Every element of the meal was carefully prepared and flavorful. Black grouper, red snapper, and a chicken paperdelle pasta dish were hits across the board. We will come back. read more

Everything was great. The food was fantastic. Great freshly baked bread and perfectly cooked seafood. The service was also great. Very limited seating so be sure to make a reservation. We'll definitely be back sometime. http://lyndsianddavid.wordpress.com/2011/07/02/restaurant-review-cafe-tango/ read more

Just fantastic -- by far the best meal i have had in two months on the emerald coast!! Lucked out with a reservation cancellation so we finally got in -- call in advance because this small, charming place is located in a renovated home and has few tables. appetizers of scallops -- outstanding -- and baked brie, yummy but fairly unappetizing looking with this gooky red cherry looking side - again, yummy! my grouper with scallop and shrimp was delightful, son's steak was perfect, etc. everyone had a marvelous dinner and i highly recommend to anyone. This is when expensive is totally worth the money! read more

One of the finest dining experiences we have ever enjoyed. Food & service equal to the great restaurants of the past, eg. Maisonette, Cincinnati; Ernie's, San Francisco; Charlie Trotter's, Chicago. Although faraway, we look forward to returning again and again. read more

Maybe the best seafood dinner I have ever had. The owner came to our table multiple times dinner and made sure we had everything we wanted. They care about how good your dinner is and it shows. read more

Ate here tonight. It was probably our 8th time dining in this fabulous small fine dining restaurant. Amazingly, we were the only table reservation for the evening. The food was delicious as usual. Really appreciated the special attention from our waiter Collin. Also enjoyed meeting Chef Seth. This was an incredible dining experience for my husband and I. The food was on par with any New Orleans fine dining establishment. Thanks to owner Joe Morris for opening tonight to honor our reservation. It was a memorable experience! We will be back. Hope we can get a table again during peak season! read more