So I’ve lived in Fort Lauderdale over 43 years and I have to say this was the best yellowtail and red snapper preparation I’ve ever had. It’s a tiny storefront restaurant with maybe 10-12 tables? Run by an Italian couple that have been there 23 years. How did I miss this gem? If it hadn’t been for a Groupon coupon I never would have found it. We started with mussels.. they were big, plump and delicious and spicy the way I like them.
We each had fish and it was cooked to perfection. Amazingly fresh as the tail was still on it so it was a nice small size yellowtail snapper or red snapper and the sauce was perfect. We ordered a side of broccoli cooked in garlic and oil and pasta done the same. It reminded me of what I cook at home and I’m a real foodie. We had the Tartufo with pistachio ice cream covered in chocolate and whipped cream yum! It reminded me of a little Italian restaurant I went to growing up in New York.
This is definitely our go-to Italian restaurant from now on. It is beer and wine only …we had Prosecco for a very reasonable $25 a bottle. This whole dinner cost is $90 which was amazing in itself for a five-star restaurant in my book. I would make reservations if you go on the weekend, during the week it seems good but we went early….love this place!
Great little place on Federal Hwy. Found this place on Yelp while working in town. The cheese and olive plate was a great touch.
We go to this Fort Lauderdale restaurant about once a week for our date night. The people are friendly, the food is good and so is the wine! Our waitress knows what we drink and eat most often and usually tells us what we are ordering before we can tell her! We enjoy the atmosphere as well. The prices are mid range. We try new dishes often. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an Italian restaurant to make their favorite
Authentic Italian food. Delicious & fresh! When you arrive, servers immediately bring fresh, warm bread with a soft center & crunchy crust. A flute of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, a plate with green olives & chunks of fresh Parmesan cheese also arrive. Additionally, they bring a bottle olive oil & balsamic vinegar. For a neon-sign exterior, this attention to detail was truly unexpected.
My husband is a pasta fagioli soup connoisseur & devoured this version. The Caprese salad was OK. They were disappointedly out of buffalo mozzarella & could have added more fresh basil; the balsamic vinaigrette served with it was an odd choice, as the olive oil & balsamic vinegar on the table is more traditional, so that’s what we used.
We dug into our main dishes before taking photos, so any perceive lack of perfect presentation is our fault! He loved the lasagna & I highly recommend the baked to perfection eggplant parmigiana. I opted to pay for the side of paste ($3, I think). I chose pappardelle, which was prepared well but could have used more marinara.
We were too stuffed to get dessert. We used a 20% off Yelp coupon. Super deal! This is a must-stop Italian dinner in Fort Lauderdale. Don’t let the strip mall exterior deter you!
If your date night restaurant revolved around amazing authentic Italian cuisine in a friendly local establishment of over 20 years then Cafe Italia Ristorante is the perfect date night restaurant.
3471 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 Call: (954) 561-3900
The Charm of Old Italy is in this small family owned Italian Restaurant. Enjoy freshly served cooked-to-order plates including yellowtail snapper, veal marsala, risotto, lamb, seafood dishes and much more.
“Amazing little restaurant near me has the best pasta dishes and sauces around. I stopped in to see what the place looked like since it has been there for over 20 years and never went in! It was a small cozy romantic restaurant with Italian music playing. I liked the round chandeliers and asked where he got them.
One of the best restaurants in Fort Lauderdale for authentic Italian cuisine. I ordered the Bucatini Amatriciana and it was the best pasta I ever had in Fort Lauderdale.”
The Miami Herald Dining Section
It seems as if I spend my life in Italian restaurants picking apart menus, dining rooms and meals, trying to discern the relative value of a dining experience. But the truth is that I believe the best restaurants, Italian or otherwise, are not necessarily the ones with the finest Riedel glasses, French- trained waiters and the oldest balsamic vinegar — though that certainly can help — but rather those that give diners a good feeling of welcoming and home. The ones that convey a feeling of conviviality, that entice the appetite not only with fine food but with fine hospitality.
Café Italia is just such a place. Though the decor is strictly generic strip mall and the tableware equally unimpressive, owner Francesco Lapi is such an omnipresent source of warmth that it is hard to find much fault with the place.
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One of the best Authentic Italian Restaurants in Fort Lauderdale, owned and operated solely by Italian descent. Owner Francesco, from Pescara a city in Abruzzo Italy is highly educated in central Italian cuisine and Cafe ITALIA is prepared to deliver only the best!
Loved it, loved it. Great Italian cuisine. The best Italian in Fort Lauderdale.
Celebrate these crisp nights at Cafe Italia with Authentic Italia Cuisine. We only use extra virgin olive oil. Cafe ITALIA Since 1993. Enjoy the best cooked to order Italian cuisine right in your backyard.
3471 N Federal Hwy Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 Call: (954) 561-3900
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Barbara Fried, Nov 9, 2018 Cafe Italia is a wonderful restaurant. The food, wine, service is always wonderful. The prices are more than reasonable. I highly recommend this neighborhood jewel – a little piece of Italy right in Oakland Park.
