Real Italian Food

Owner Francesco Lapi grew up in Abruzzo by the Adriatic Sea.

His early memories stretch back to days spent on the beach and authentic dinners of fresh fish cooked simply with the best ingredients right off the fishing boat — no compromises.

Since 1993

Cafe Italia Restaurant. Since 1993. At Cafe Italia we speak Italian, live Italian and cook Italian! The Charm of Old Italy in this small family owned Italian Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale!

It is these recipes, prepared by his mother and grandmother, a former professor at Villa Santa Maria, the famed Italian cooking school where Lapi learned much about his trade, that he now serves in his Ristorante.

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, unpretentious cafe was speaking Italian, a sign there’s authenticity coming out of la cucina.

Cafe Italia Fort Lauderdale
3471 N Federal Hwy
Fort Lauderdale, FL
954-681-3716