My daughter introduced me to Moonlight Cafe as it is close to her place of employment. We had a delicious lunch of fresh pasta with vodka sauce and a chicken Caesar salad. The waitress was efficient and helpful in meeting our needs. The food is made in house. The cafe is larger and nicer than it appears on the outside. A little pricey but worth it! read more

Great food and fantastic service. Will be going back again very soon. Telling everyone I know about it

Small restaurant tucked away on Carlisle ave across from the best ice cream between Harrisburg and Philly. We saw it the other day and wanted to try some real Italian food and we were pleasantly surprised. Friday before dinner time for 3 had us wait for 40 minutes, but once we sat we were provided hospitality and meals rather quickly for made from scratch. Dinner rolls hot and fluffy, led to a simple but light and friendly salad (loved the creamy Italian). My kid loved his chicken fritters (tenders) and fries, but loved the meatballs even more. My wife enjoyed her gnocchi, relating it to her Italian dad. My spicy scallops with spaghetti was ver my good, honestly I've never had capers on anything outside of a nova lox on bagel. Wanted to get dessert but with those huge portions just couldn't. The ambiance was the best part, definitely slot if friendly folk talking in groups, no silence, and we loved that we could see the kitchen. Can't wait to go back! read more

See all

This restaurant has been around for quite some time. Given the business, I was expecting much more than received. Let's start... the arancini balls were Luke warm. The outside was cooked faster than the inside I'm sure due to improper fryer temps. Next, our French onion soup, again LUKE warm cheese barely melted. Lastly, our Chicken Marsala was a complete disappointment. The sauce was watery w/ no favor. The noodles tasted like they were out of a great value box. The chicken was tough very very bland and last the mushrooms were not impressive. I feel like I wasted $60 completely! However.... The service was a 10/10 - She was excellent! We never complained as it was SO LOUD in there, she wouldn't have understood what we were saying. Nothing felt authentic except the friendly smile our server gave us. I DO NOT recommend. It's harsh but it's true. read more

Hold up. Wait, what? How can an authentic taste of Italy be in the midst of tiny Dover PA, in a small little cottage, sandwiched between other buildings? Seriously, unbelievable. Before I start this review, I wanna make sure that you do not take my choice of four stars incorrectly. I have eaten incredible authentic Italian and this place almost hits a five star. If I could do 4 1/2 stars I would, but it's not because anything was wrong. I'm just stingy with my five stars. I got the chicken marsala and my husband had lasagna. We each got a salad and the meal came with bread and butter. The bread was soft, warm, and literally a remedy for any holiday blues we were dealing with. The salad was crisp and fresh. All the dressings are made in house. I got the balsamic dressing and knew immediately that it had to be house made. You have an option to actually buy a cup of the dressing and if we weren't traveling for the holidays, I would've taken a cup of that bad boy dressing home. My chicken marsala was really good. A tad bit sweet with good flavor. I had a friend who used to prepare their marsala sauce over a several hours. It was deep, rich and velvety. This sauce was not like that, there was nothing in the sauce that led me to believe that it had been taken through a long reduction process, but, it was still delicious and I ate almost every bite on my plate. My husband's lasagna was a tower of pasta and sauce and meat. Baked and covered in cheese, he loved every bite. I taste tested and it was really delicious. I'm sorry I don't have any food pictures on this review. We were so hungry and started eating our main dish when it hit me that I had not taken photos. Hangry won. Note: We arrived at 5 o'clock. We were asked if we had reservations, we did not. The place was fairly empty except for two other couples and granted seating was limited, but I was surprised they asked us if we wanted reservations. Well, by the time we were leaving around 6 o'clock, the place was completely packed, not a seat available. Plus, people were waiting at the door. So my biggest tip for the Moonlight Café? Call ahead. read more

See all

Absolutely one of the greatest food, feels like home cooking , small place only about dozen tables. Service is wonderful and super friendly . Portions are huge , we could not finish it . Place is BYOB so even better ... we got crab dip, chicken Marsala and Shrimp champagne, also came with bread and house salad . Total bill was $73 . Definitely recommend to visit . read more

See all

Very angry! This place was not good this most recent visit! Waitress was rude, food was mediocre and expensive, and ambiance was deplorable! This place gone down the shitter over the past 18 years! Will not be returning unless bored! read more

This place is sooo good! Three in my family have celiac and they safely enjoy the GF pasta. Go early as the place is small and gets busy!

Got take out it was superb The Diablo was outstanding The mussels were tasty and the lobster ravioli was wonderful Had a good bottle of wine and nice evening read more

Delicious food Great atmosphere, friendly staff Reasonable prices Family owned business read more

What a surprisingly good restaurant! Small quaint spot with minimal seating. We had to wait 35 minutes before we could get seated but it was certainly worth the wait. I loved every thing we tried and the portions were huge. If you come here I'd highly recommend anything in their vodka sauce. Very flavorful! I got the veal penne and the sauce was incredible but the meat was a little overcooked. And although it comes with a salad it's pretty bland but it's a nice add on. The staff here was very attentive and they all worked together to help each other. read more

Moonlight Café - Crab dip - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

See all

Food was excellent, but what really stood out to me was the service. I asked for gluten free pasta. The waitress had enough forethought to give me a salad without croutons. The chef/cook asked about flour on my veal, that it tasted better but wanted to make sure it wasn't an allergy. read more

Great food, service, and a community-focused atmosphere. The food is consistently delicious.

Literally every single chicken parm I've ever ordered was covered in bread crumbs. Or fried chicken parm. I've never once had it without. This place can make it how they want obviously. But being that this is the standard or norm to have chicken parm breaded. They should say that under the item description. It's simple. Grilled chicken breast with parm cheese and marinara sauce. Now I'm out $14 plus 15% tip on something I'm throwing away because it is not appetizing at all. I called and the restuarant could care less about my more than valid complaint. If everyone else does it one way then it's your obligation to notify the customer as not to expect the normal standard. They still get 3 stars ( knocked down to 2 because they didnt respond. I really feel like my money was stolen on this one.) because the pasta meal was outstanding. But just google chicken parm. You will have to scroll for like 50 pics till you yet to 1 that it lightly breaded let alone just grilled chicken. It's not the norm of what someone would expect. Properly describe and then you won't have customers feeling like you stole their money. Update: so this blog reviewed the top chicken parms in every single state. Literally every single one was breaded. Except for one. And here was the description "In Boise, Idaho, ROMiÓ's makes a controversial choice with its chicken Parmesan sandwich by using grilled chicken breast strips instead of the traditional fried chicken cutlets" So not the normal its controversial. You can see them all in the article below. Read More: https://www.chowhound.com/1836442/best-chicken-parmesan-sandwich-every-state/ You stole my money, give me my refund and make this right please. Other edit. The one time I spoke with the owners and they didnt care nor make the situation correct and argued with me. The owner tried to defend their grilled chicken parm and said that's because we make it the original traditional way. She tried to act like they were above every single Italian restuarant in America and they knew better than everyone else. 1st issue here is what kind of customer service is this? Ive been to this restuarants 15 to 20 times. Never had an issue. I have an issue one time. And its not black and white, you are literally the only restuarant that makes it with grilled chicken. Why not just refund the customer. Instead her ego lies and makes up some story. So I went down the rabbit hole. Chicken parm doesnt exist in Italy. They couldnt afford chicken back then. Immigrants came to the US and made eggplant parm with breaded eggplant. Then they were able to afford chicken and replaced the eggplant with chicken. Breaded. Its always been breaded. Its never not been breaded. Its not traditional italian but when it was created it was originally breaded. The owner is a liar and cant let her ego admit guilt. They have zero customer service skills for the service industry. They arent polite. They have no respect for their customers or their hard earned money in this economy. When we go to restuarants we overpay for the cost of food and in exchange for that overpaying we are to receive proper service and a meal we enjoy. If its not enjoyed and you are a jerk with the service and you wont refund. Well then you are a their and a disgusting person. Olive garden is more original than your karen butt. read more

As a local I will never get tired of coming here! The chicken parm is my favorite and is huge! Sevice is always great too! The restaurant is small but works great and is so cute! read more

The food is always good. We have often gotten the veal parmesan for dinner w salad and hot dinner rolls. Today was lunch. Ample portions and the best food around. Make sure you make reservations for dinner. Only 10-12 tables in the whole restaurant. Worth the wait. read more

See all

Had a truly great dinner at Moonlight Cafe last week. We got there early on a Friday night and the place is small, and it was raining, so we had about a 20 minute wait for a table, which they asked up to do in our car. (The dining room is that small--- there's nowhere to wait.) We were seated at the table directly in front of the counter that separates the kitchen from the dining space. There are now clear plastic sheets hanging from the ceiling so there wasn't any excess noise or smells coming from the cooking area. We did, however, get a front row seat to all of the food coming out and it all looked incredible. We started with Cigar Rolls and the special bruschetta from the board. The cigar rolls were a nice blend of cheeses. I just wish the phyllo was a little browner and crispier. The bruschetta was not what I expected. Traditionally speaking, bruschetta is a grilled slice of an Italian loaf, with a dressed tomato mixture. There's crunch. What I received was an Italian roll, what I assume they serve their panini on, topped with a tomato mixture, cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic. It was served warm and the cheese was melted. I enjoyed it but it was more of a combination of a Caprese salad and a margherita pizza than what I anticipated receiving. They were out of their crab soup so my husband had their French Onion and said it was flavorful but there too many croutons. For our entrees, my husband had Chicken Parmagiana. It's his way of judging restaurants. It's the measuring stick. His came out with a generous portion of chicken, with melted fresh mozzarella on top, all piled over a mountain of PERFECTLY cooked spaghetti. I am very particular about overcooked pasta and sweetened tomato sauce. Moonlight Cafe does them both absolutely the way I love. I had a hard time deciding what to order. On one hand, they have a nice selection of veal dishes. Veal isn't easy to come by these days. But other yelpers rave about the Chicken Fumicato. Our server explained that I could customize my meal however I wanted, so I got Veal Fumicato- a tender, breaded veal cutlet served over penne with a brandy rose sauce with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers and smoked cheese. This dish was PHENOMENAL. It was a unique combo of flavors that came together beautifully. I am salivating a little bit right now, remembering it. (My leftovers also reheated beautifully in the oven the next day!) For dessert, my husband had the blueberry cheesecake. It was pretty and tasty. It had a ribbon of blueberries baked into it, rather than blueberry topping, but it was still enough fruit to compliment the rich cheesecake. I had the Creme Brulee, which is a regular menu item and I was a little disappointed in it. The custard was a little shallow in the baking dish and it was kind of grainy. It did have a nice bruleed top that I had to break through with my spoon but it wasn't garnished with a berry, which I think of as typical. I had that with a chai latte, which was delicious. Hubs and I have already decided to return soon to try more of their menu. read more

See all

Very small local spot...very casual but food speaks for itself. Everything is truly exceptional. I enjoyed the zuppa di pesce. Abundant portion and delicious sauce. It is apparent that fresh ingredients are used and meals are cooked with care. Pleasantly surprised and will most definitely be returning! Also, cannolo was very good as well! Cheers! read more

Moonlight Café - Zuppa di pesce - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

Had another amazing meal here with my family. The 5 of us were seated promptly (we opted for the "early bird" as the restaurant is small and on occasion, it becomes quite difficult to get a table without waiting). The menu has many amazing options but the specials never fail to dazzle either. It can be difficult to choose what you want to eat because everything looks so good! We ordered the arancini appetizer as they are an amazing Italian street food that originated in Sicily but has since spread across Italy but is not too popular in America. My mom and her husband had not heard of them before. However, they were quite pleased when we split them. Crispy and golden brown on the outside, cheesy rice surrounding peas, and meat sauce. Delish! The shrimp & scallop rigatoni special is what I ordered and I believe I won the day despite the fact that everyone's meal was 5 stars. The rigatoni was like cheesy stuffed pillows that were sealed on each end, the cream sauce was decadent and seasoned perfectly. Large shrimp and perfectly tender scallops rounded out the dish, a perfect pasta dish. My mom ordered the filet mignon panini, not a huge amount of filet on the sandwich but for $9 she was very pleased, tender, and cooked just to her liking. Came with fries which delighted my daughter who got to eat a little bit of everyone's meal... maybe she was the real winner? My mom's husband got the fried grouper mac & cheese. A huge hunk of beautiful grouper, breaded, & fried crispy over a big bowl of "Mac" (Penne) & cheese. At first thought I was thinking it would be like a lobster mac where it's throughout the dish but the chef knew how to kick it up a notch by placing it on top. A really delicious delicate fish that didn't need to compete with the mac and cheese flavors (unless you wanted it to) My wife got the sweet Italian sausage dish with pasta, our daughter didn't go crazy on the sausage so she said she wish she had ordered it with spicy Italian sausage, oh well, next time! Most of our meals came with side salads, fresh lettuce, tomato, cucumber, shredded carrots, a bit of cheese & croutons. The salad dressing was great, not sure if the Ranch was homemade or not but it was delicious. The rolls were HOT & FRESH! Not sure if they are made in-house or parbaked and then finished right before serving to the table but they are crusty on the outside and hot and chewy on the inside. The dessert menu looked great but we did not partake. The espresso was a bit overpriced in my opinion but it's labeled right on the wall so you can't say they didn't tell you so. The staff was friendly and prompt to get us everything we needed. Don't forget this place is a BYOB, a major plus, Giant is nearby if you forgot to bring some wine along for the meal. Take it from someone who lived in Rome Italy for a year, & has been back for a month's stay recently... this is the real deal Italian food... Long Live Moonlight Cafe! Delish! Cannot wait to come back. read more

Moonlight Café - Shrimp & scallop rigatoni although I think that sells the dish short... the rigatoni were like stuffed pillows of deliciousness. - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

See all

Large portions but no flavor. I had the meatball lasagna and it was definitely not a true bolognese sauce, mostly cheese and noodles, a few small meatballs thrown in. It needed more Italian spices like basil or something to give this bland meal some Flavor. Husband had Primavera. Lots of veggies but bland flavor again. The garlic wine sauce had no garlic taste and veggies and pasta was sitting in bowl full of watered wine sauce. Will not be back. read more

Hosted a rehearsal lunch for 22 people. They were amazing with the service, speed and quality. Everything was delicious for such a great group. read more

Moonlight Café - Rehearsal lunch - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

Everything was delicious. We couldn't get a reservation on a wed night but walked in around 715 and plenty of seating. It was a celebration dinner and our older children really enjoyed the food too and tried new things. Portions are large. Service was friendly. read more

See all

What wonderful surprise in Dover. The food is exceptional. The wait staff was fantastic. We walked in on a Friday night. They were busy, but we found a table. Too bad we did not bring a bottle of wine. read more

The food is outstanding, one of the best Italian spots in York County. The restaurant is cozy and charming. Did I say the food was amazing!? The service was attentive and friendly. I had a couple of questions and our waitress was very knowledgeable. The open kitchen allows the sounds and smells to enter the dining room and will have you drooling while you wait for your food. read more

I've been driving past this place for years, and my wife finally got me to go inside and have lunch. We have gotten takeout previously, and I have a hearty respect for their menu given how diverse it is considering their small kitchen. There's seating for only 14-16 people max, but that suits their size and style and business model. Staff were friendly and prompt. We got their sandwiches and wraps. My wife got the turkey sandwich with roasted red peppers and balsamic, and she thought it was divine. They give a hearty amount of fries with their lunch specials, and we have enough for leftovers. The only reason they did not get 4 stars is that I am very picky when it comes to Italian food, and it is very rare for an Italian restaurant to get 5 stars from me. read more

They have gluten free pasta and can be used with any of their regular pasta dishes and except the fried ones like chicken parmesan

well, at least the pasta was al dente. Or the calamari tiny pieces of frozen calamari with a Russian dressing, dipping sauce and a tiny piece of lemon 15 bucks the Parmesan was as tough as an old boot and I'm not exaggerating. The pasta sauce was about it five out of 10 ithe veal did not smell fresh to begin with. My wife order was shrimp scampi, no wine, no garlic no lemon but they did add scallions which is a nice touch for an Italian restaurant. First time I've ever seen a scallion in an Italian restaurant, but they claim they've been in business for 17 years, was not in the leased surprised when I learned it was newmowners. i'm 65 years old and this was probably the worst Italian food I've ever eaten, but people are coming and spending their money when you don't know what good food is then you'll go back to a restaurant like this I should have the owner come to my house and make them a meal, I don't believe he has any concept how real Italian food is prepared in my humble opinion. Disgusting. Save yourself the very expensive money and don't go.! read more

Love love love. This place is adorable. The kitchen is visible from the dining room and everything is extremely clean. It's BYOB so our lunch experience was featured by a bottle of champagne. We ordered the caprese salad, Cobb salad, and pear and walnut salad. They were very generous regarding portion sizes. The staff was incredibly friendly too. Prices are very reasonable. I can't wait to stop by again for dinner service sometime soon! read more

Moonlight Café - Pear and Walnut - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

See all

Outstanding! Could be the best antipasto salad in recorded history. Service was excellent.

Sausage and pepper panini with fries- lunch special Cigar rolls Meatball panini Eggplant parmesan entree with side Moonlight cheesesteak panini with fries Fried flounder wrap with fries Another delicious to go dining experience. Definitely try the. You will be back again and again. #mybirthdaycelebratiion read more

Excellent food. Easy to find location. Very busy at times. Quaint location. Charged $2. extra for Parmesan cheese on Chicken Parmesan? Otherwise excellent service and food. Small family style atmosphere. read more

Always good here! Small place but mighty in taste! Service is great! Good Italian and paninis!

Went to my in laws anniversary dinner, they were able to seat a large group. Though I should mention it is small inside just like a cafe. It's BYOB, they can provide glasses and a corkscrew. I order the Calamari as an appetizer, it was light, crispy and the sauce they pair it with was perfect. For my entree I order the chicken and broccoli crema. The cream sauce has a sort of sweetness to it that I wasn't expecting. Once I wrapped my brain around it, it started to grow on me. The bread was delicious, nice crust on the outside, soft and tasty on the inside. And the entree comes with a side salad of lettuce, cucumber and tomato. I got the peppercorn parmesan dressing, pretty good. Overall it was good, I like more seasoning in my food but this restaurant is located in Dover so I should have expected as much. read more

See all

Was there to celebrate our 14th Anniversary. Very first visit for my wife and I. Great food, good people and fantastic friendly atmosphere. Loved the taste of every single bite. Tried few items from the menu. Serve was fast. Clean place. Spoke with the owner Marko. Nice friendly cool guy....... Will absolutely go back many more times........ read more

Moonlight Café - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

See all

Rudest staff you can possibly imagine. Pasta was good but the staffs rude behavior really the experience. Sad.

Easy way to make reservations. Service and food fantastic. Bring your own bottle . Love it here

I love this place food is great service is great. I hope we never loose the great moonlight café in Dover read more

Moonlight Café - Cannoli - Italian Near Me - Dover, Pennsylvania

Amazing Italian dining in the most unlike location. Would highly recommend but be sure to make a reservation

Visited last week. I believe there was only one server working and the restaurant was packed, but she did an incredible job! The arancini was a little cold in the center and the bruschetta wasn't my favorite, but everything else was great. While the bruschetta wasn't my favorite, it was exactly was it was described on the menu. I was skeptical ordering it because it's not what I'm used to and what I prefer, but it was not bad by any means. The bolognese and sausage manicotti special were both incredible. The started salad with the house dressing were fresh and delicious. The creme brûlée and the other fail special dessert we ordered were also great. Everything came out very timely, especially with how busy it was. Everyone was friendly and it had a great atmosphere. read more

The crab dip is to die for... seriously though food is good and the staff is very friendly. I would definitely go again!