Owners are the chefs and the food, wine and service were outstanding. great pasta, veal, meat and seafood dishes with a wide variety of choices to please any palate – Jack G 5/07/2019 Tripadvisor

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… love this place!

You could visit an Italian restaurant every night of the year and still not exhaust all the choices in South Florida. But while dining recently at Cafe Italia in Fort Lauderdale, something hit us: “Hey,” we thought, “we’re eating real Italian food.” And what’s more, virtually everyone dining at this small extra virgin olive oil only, unpretentious cafe was speaking Italian, a sign there’s authenticity coming out of la cucina.

Cafe Italia Menu

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Pasta & Risotti

Lasagna

a delicate combination of meat sauce, bechamel & fresh mozzarella
delicate layers of fresh pasta coated in a luxurious mix of hearty ragù bolognese and creamy béchamel

Spaghetti Marinara

a simple classic with our homemade sauce made from San Marzano tomatoes

Lasagne alla Bolognese

a delicate combination of meat sauce, bechamel & fresh mozzarella
delicate layers of fresh pasta coated in a luxurious mix of hearty ragù bolognese and creamy béchamel

Eggplant Parmigiana

layers of eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella & parmigiano

Spaghetti alle Vongole

an Italian classic, flavorful pasta infused with clams and white sauce

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Bucatini all’ Amatriciana

bucatini pasta tossed with pancetta-onion tomato sauce, parmigiano & black pepper

Risotto con Funghi Porcini or Asparagus

arborio rice slowly cooked with white wine & fragrant porcini mushrooms or asparagus

Spaghetti Carbonara

spaghetti with crispy pancetta, egg yolk, generous parmigiano & black pepper

Pennette con salmone e vodka

penne pasta infused with flavorful salmon and vodka sauce

Shrimp e Broccoli over Rigatoni

a light garlic & olive oil sauce sautéed with shrimp & fresh broccoli florets

Pappardelle Mare e Monti

porcini mushrooms, garlic, large shrimp & wine in a delicate cream sauce

Farfalle di Mare

bowtie pasta with zucchini & shrimp in a pink sauce

Rigatoni ai Porcini e burro al Tartufo

creamy porcini sauce, truffle butter and parmigiano

Risotto allo Scoglio

white seafood risotto with mussels, clams & shrimp

Rigatoni alla Cristiano

pasta tossed with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, garlic & basil

Lamb Meatball Ragu over Chitarra Spaghetti

a pasta shape typical from Abruzzo tossed with delicate lamb meatballs simmered in tomato sauce

Trio Adriatico

fancy italian egg fettuccini with clams, shrimp & scallops in a delicate white sauce

Zuppa di Pesce over Linguini

linguini covered with mussels, clams & shrimp in a red or white sauce

Carne & Pesce

Salmon

slowly cooked in olive oil, garlic, wine, tomatoes & mushrooms

Chicken Marsala

sautéed in a light marsala sauce with mushroom

Yellow Tail Snapper

slowly cooked with a delicate mix of mushrooms, diced tomatoes, wine & garlic

Yellow Tail Snapper Livornese

slowly cooked with a capers,  olive oil

Yellow Tail Piccata

Tuna Steak alla Siciliano

pan seared tuna with a rich onion, lemon & olive sauce

Tuna Steak Siciliano

Pescespada con Peperoni in Agrodolce

swordfish steak simmered in a sweet-sour red and green pepper sauce, onion, garlic and white wine

Chilean Sea Bass

simmered in extra virgin olive oil, onions, diced tomatoes & basil leaf

Snapper alla Livornese

simmered in a hearty tomato sauce with onions, capers, black olives, diced tomatoes & parsley

Veal Marsala

delicate light marsala sauce with mushrooms over veal scaloppine

Veal Saltimbocca

Veal Saltimbocca

slowly cooked veal shank in tomato sauce with celery, onions, carrots and red wine

Ossobuco

slowly cooked veal shank in tomato sauce with celery, onions, carrots and red wine

Filet Mignon or NY Strip

grilled and accompanied by a wine and mushroom sauce

Desserts

Various imported Italian desserts

Tartufo