Love this restaurant. Elegant setting... white tablecloths and napkins. Quiet backroom dining, although the bar area looks lively. This is my fourth time this year. Delicious food, beautifully prepared... large portions. Appetizers included a HUGE arugula salad with burrata and peppers; stuffed mushrooms (plentiful but a little mushy_ Liver with bacon. Most and tender. Two veal dishes with excellent vegetables and a Tilapia with tomato sauce, capers, etc. Canoli and Lava cake dessert. Excellent service. Knowledgable waitress EVERY time we are there. They obviously know the restaurant. Reservations taken and honored. Value pricing for the food quality. HUGE menu with large number of specials. Highly Recommend. read more

Once again Cafe Allegre never fails. Joe the bartender, was such a conversationalist. Great insight to some fun facts of Las Vegas and National Parks as well as some fantastic dishes offered at the restaurant. Made the visit there enjoyable and insightful. The escarole and beans and pasta I ordered was fantastic! Thank you!! The restaurant ambiance was designed where it makes one feel inviting. read more

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The restaurant is very cozy and nice inside. The staff is exceptional, and very professional, The bar drinks are fantastic. We were there last summer and the food was excellent. I don't know whether they have a new chef or if something else was going on, but when we were there on February 18, 2024, the food was not good at all. We went there to celebrate our 41st anniversary. Thought it would be a restaurant that we could go to on our anniversary every year. A special place... The food was awful! I had the French onion soup, which is my favorite. The soup was tasteless, I had to add salt to the soup to give it some flavor. My husband had the minestrone soup which he said was good. For an entrée my husband had the rigatoni Bolognese. He said the sauce was good, but the more he ate, the spicier it tasted. I had the steak with sautéed onions, mashed potatoes, and green beans. The mashed potatoes and green beans were great! The steak and sautéed onions were tasteless. It seemed as though there were no seasoning at all on them. The best part of the meal was the, Keylime martini and the chocolate gelato. We won't be going back unless the food changes... read more

Yum!!! Last night we came in for dessert after having dinner elsewhere. Decided to come back tonight for dinner. Started at the bar with a glass of wine, lively bar crowd and great bartender! Seated at our cozy table for two. Greeted promptly by our waitress, Karen ( I think) who was terrific. Great explanations of menu & specials. Excellent menu choices, traditional Italian fare as well as a steakhouse menu! Excellent seafood options. A wonderful list of specials. Shared the eggplant rollatini appetizer which was amazing! I had a seafood cioppino with lobster and king crab that was stupendous! Hubby had the gnocchi, which was enough for two people! Really a must try and will certainly go back again! read more

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Really good Italian food, highly recommend it! Staff are friendly and service on point! Definitely worth checking out if your in Madison!

Was intrigued by the spicy chicken dish on the menu and asked if it could be done with veal instead. The chef accommodated up and the sauce had a great flavor and the gnocchi were delicious, but the veal was tough and the meal was a letdown. What was surprising was that the chicken dish was listed for around $22 and the veal special on the menu was in the neighborhood of $32. Our bill came and the upgraded veal dish that was a knockoff of the $22 chicken dish came in at $37.98. At that price the meal was a complete letdown. #gouged read more

Fantastic food, beautiful atmosphere. Very attentive service and great location. I will be back for sure when in area! I had the tilapia over capellini, which was absolutely delicious. We also enjoyed a tomato/mozzarella appetizer, the best escarole/bean soup I've ever had (and I've been Italian for all my 50 years!), and pasta Bolognese. great wine, bread etc. what more could a person want!!!!! read more

Food not good for me. Content was serve one in top of each other. Not appetizing. Service was ok. Friendly though. Ambiance was very good.

Excellent dinner early on a Saturday night. We were able to sit at the bar, which was very nice. Service was awesome! Hubby had veal parm snd i had a burrata special. We shared eggplant rollatini for an app. Alll delicious, prices very fair. We'll go back! read more

Went to cafe Allegre for the first time last night. Was there for a private party in the back room. It was a really beautiful space with some nice natural lighting. There was one server helping out our whole party that was very kind and offered many suggestions along with food and wine pairings. . Started out with some appetizers. The Eggplant rollatini was beautifully presented and the perfect ratio of cheese and sauce. We also had the New York Style calamari and some crabmeat stuffed mushrooms. The stuffed mushrooms were my favorite appetizer of the evening, however they could've been presented a little bit better but the flavor was amazing. I paired my appetizers with an Aperol Spritz which was really well-made and refreshing. . Next we shared the New York strip, which was cooked perfect. We ordered it medium rare and it was cooked absolutely perfect. We also ordered the salmon Sophia , which was a very generous portion of salmon topped with lobster sauce. I paired it with their monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc and it was absolutely delicious. I will go back to this restaurant just because of the salmon Sophia dish. It was that amazing! . Overall this restaurant was incredible I would definitely go back. I knocked it down one star because I fell for the size of our party there should've been another server in the room assisting to speed the service up a little. However, the one server did amazing for the amount of people in our party. read more

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Scrumptious! Sadly, we learned that Chef Silvio Suppa passed away last year, but that was only AFTER we asked our waitress to compliment the chef on an OUTSTANDING meal! After reading rave reviews, we decided to choose Cafe Allegre for a wedding rehearsal dinner. We chose the Toscana banquet menu ($38. per person plus gratuity): Appetizers: Eggplant rollatini, pasta, clams casino and fried calamari Salad: With house made dressing Dinner: Chicken marsala, Chicken Fraincaise, Tilapia Aqua Pazza, Salmon Filet, Veal Parmigiana and Past Primavera (vegetarian) Dessert: Chef's choice, coffee & tea & soft drinks To our HAPPY surprise, every single bite was absolutely delicious! Everyone raved over the food and our family is usually a tough crowd to please. The eggplant rollatini melted in your mouth... the pasta sauce was the BEST we have ever had anywhere, and we have eaten in some prime Italian restaurants all over the country. The chicken francaise was buttery and lemony - not bitter at all. It was a song on the tongue! Given a choice between house made lemon or chocolate cake for dessert, I asked for a 50/50 split of both and was very happy when they agreed. My goodness, that was The Best cake we have ever had (except for the red velvet cake at Julia's Bakery in Orange, CT). Cafe Allegre's cake was moist and flavorful, not a flavorless sugar-bomb like most others! You tasted cocoa & chocolate, not sugar! The lemon mousse was delicate and subtle, but the lemon peeked through after a moment in the most delightful way. Heavenly! Our server Karen was extremely friendly, informative and attentive. Our glasses were never less than half full and plates were removed with expert timing. All guests were allowed to take home their uneaten portions and we were stunned when later, after our guests left and we settled the check, we were handed large bags filled with leftovers! Let me just say the leftovers we enjoyed for the next 3 days were just as delicious as they were during dinner that night. WOW! We were treated like royalty, from the initial phone call with Jen to moment we left the restaurant that night with full bellies, a happy & satiated family and smiles on our faces. "Service" appears to be a lost art, but it's alive and well at Cafe Allegre! The restaurant had two other wedding parties there that night and there wasn't an empty table in the house, but service did NOT suffer a bit! The decor is elegant and clean and reminds you of a fine inn. Even the entrance is grand with potted geraniums, ionic columns and baskets filled with gourds and farm fresh apples in the foyer. Although it was sad to learn that chef Silvio passed away, we did learn that his son Roberto and daughter in law (who have been with him since he opened the iconic DelMonaco's in Wooster Square, New Haven) are carrying on the tradition of fine, award-winning food and service. We found it touching that Chef Silvio's cookbook was proudly on display inside the restaurant. His legacy lives on. Cafe Allegre is Italian cuisine at it's finest. read more

Great dining experience each and every visit ...ambiance food and service is always excellent and Justin our server most times is always the best! read more

Had dinner here Saturday night with our friends. The food was just ok. My tilapia texture was mushy which makes me think it was not fresh. My husband used the men's bathroom and stuck to the floor from urine. He immediately reported that the bathroom was disgusting to the Maitre-d and he response was, "really??" no further response from her or anyone at the restaurant. There are so many good restaurants in this area, Cafe Allegre needs to step up their game. I will not be back. read more

Great family owned business. Food is reliably good and waitstaff is pleasant. It is a large venue so you can often get last minute reservations at a good time. All around good place. read more

I was pleasantly surprised by my first visit. For a long time I thought Cafe Allegre was some fancy restaurant serving pretentious French food. Maybe its name has something to do with it. I have no idea what Allegre means but I know the building is called the "Inn at Lafayette". I just naturally assumed the restaurant was French. But I actually found it to be very nice. I have visited several times since my first visit and have always found the food and service to be excellent. The menu contains mostly Italian style dishes. The chef/owner boasts a Wooster Street restaurant background. He has a take-out food store across the street named "Allegre Gourmet Express" and sells his tomato sauce at local supermarkets under the name Chef Silvio's. Prices are about on par for a restaurant of this type. Some examples are: $10 for fried calamari appetizer, $15 for rigatoni bolognese, and $23 for pan seared tuna. The wait time for the food to hit the table can be a little slow but the staff has always been friendly and attentive. If you plan on catching a movie next door, I recommend allowing yourself plenty of time at the restaurant so you're not rushed. I have never sat at the bar but it looks nice. It's not the type of place you want to walk into wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt. You'll want to somewhat "dress to impress". On occasion you might find some older men wearing jackets at their tables (it's Madison, what can I say). The decor is on the elegant side but could probably use an update because, in my opinion, the colors/styles are a little dated. Other than that I really can't think of anything negative to say about Cafe Allegre. read more

Cafe Allegre - Cafe Allegre (from Website) - Italian Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

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Came here for dinner with family and had a great time. We were early and enjoyed some drinks at the bar before being seated at our table. The bartender was very attentive. It has a nice, cozy feeling inside here. We were a larger party, comfortably seated around a large circular table. Our waitress was good and let us know about the specials. The food arrived in a timely manner and everyone seemed to enjoy their orders. We had mentioned it was my mom's birthday so they were kind enough to bring out a birthday dessert with candle, and a mini champagne bottle. This was a nice touch. It was a little pricey, but we had a great time here! read more

We went tonight to find out the seating we had reserved outside wasn't available. In this time covid after seating inside our waiter wore her mask on her chin after reminding her she continue to do so Many of the waiters didn't even wear a mask. Unbelievable! This is such an average place We will never go back read more

This was the best Italian restaurant I've been to in ages. Everything was fantastically delicious and the atmosphere was wonderful. We ate eggplant rollatini, zuppa de pesce, gnocchi, lemon mousse cake, cannoli, and we're eager to drive 45 minutes in each direction to come back and try more. read more

Tried to patronize an old favorite during the covid 19 crisis. Not sure if Lario did the cooking but it was terrible. Ordered a tray of chicken Parmesan. Totally fried like I would get from a pizza place. If I had not been to this restaurant before I would never go back if this was an indication of their food. We ended up throwing most of it out. I hope they had a bad day! One strike - X read more

I cook Italian a lot of Italian food. If you are used to homemade food then you will not like it. This place was Not for us. Ordered fried muzz which was fried sticks, yep like the frozen ones you get for 1.99. Ordered bolognese which was not very tasty and penne ala vodka (no cream). Was tasty but not ala vodka Sauce. Then waiter made a 100$ mistake!!! When we pointed it out it was corrected but honestly that SHOULD NEVER happen!! Oh Cafe Allegre what beautiful ambiance but food, NOT.... read more

We had a party of six with 7pm reservations and all went well at first. The dinners were splendid, and the drink menu was interesting!!! The only challenge of the evening is that the young man who waited on us may have gotten a better offer for the night. He attempted-to rush us from the second we sat down. Albeit we had a lovely time, we were subjected to a dozen interruptions. Again the food was very good! My monkfish was delicious!!! read more

I had sole francaise which was delicious as was the spinach it was on. My husband had Salmon and Lobster which was excellent.The friends we were with also raved about how delicious and well prepared their food was. read more

Disappointing. I use to love his place but it seems to have gone downhill. On the inside it looks like a very classy upscale restaurant however the food is a different story. The food came out within 3 to 5 minutes of us ordering it which means it was probably just reheated it was also on the cold side. The veal was extremely tough and hard to cut with a butter knife which is the only knife they gave me. There was very little else on the plate besides the veal although it was supposed to come with mashed potatoes and vegetables it maybe was a teaspoon of each. This was 26.00 The veal had no flavor. My friend also had a veal dish which she said was similar.There were two of us at the table and they gave us two little slices of cold bread. There are much better restaurant choices in the vicinity read more

Came in last week for a staff holiday party. We were given a back room, thankfully there were doors to section us off from the rest of the restaurant, but the bunch got a bit rowdy after a few drinks and I'm sure the other patrons could still hear us through the door. The food was mainly appetizers. I recall the eggplant rollatini as quite good and the garlic bread, well I'm sure I could have killed a few vampires the next morning still by breathing on them.. I wasn't keen on the scent of the restaurant overall though, it had a "stagnant seafood on a cruise ship" sort of smell to it... read more

Cafe Allegre is a great restaurant. I took my wife there for our 30 year anniversary. The food was amazing. Their fried artichokes and calamari were delicious. And their meals and deserts are second to none. And as to the staff and chef (Chef Illario) totally professional. Strongly recommend. read more

Warm and Pleasant New England Setting, good Italian food Members of our family live at the east and west ends of coastal Connecticut so Cafe Allegre was a convenient midpoint for luncheon as we wanted to get together before the holidays. The restaurant itself is New England charming and we had very good service, with the waiter attentive but not intrusive as we caught up with one another. We like Italian food, and this was quite good -- nothing fancy but the pasta, fish, and sandwiches were all well prepared. I am somewhat surprised at the other negative reviews here. Our experience was such that we will come back. read more

Outstanding! Loved the staff, the food, and the clean and friendly environment. I would 10/10 recommend

Flavors good but quality of food and service has gone way down. Server forgot to serve bread then after we asked for it, we got 2 slices of bread on a plate instead of a basket. Stingy. I used to really like dining here. Very Disappointed. read more

Quite frankly, I cant believe this place is still in business. I went back after to try it again after having not been in a while. Same tired staff, same very tired decor - think early 80's dead grand mother's house. You get the feeling you're walking into someone's living room and you weren't invited The food is ehhh at best. Pasta was overcooked, the "specials" were the same ones on the menu last time I was there, and the veal I had was not particularly tender. Enough. (I think the owners are tired of running it and it shows...) read more

in 2010 we had a graduation dinner celebration for 22 people at Allegre and it was the worst restaurant experience of my life. The food took over 70 minutes to arrive and was cold and not very good. Service was horrible and the meal was very expensive. Even worse, when I contacted the owner ( still the current owner ) to complain about the experience he was totally indifferent and did not address any of the issues. I've waited 4 years before I relaized I could leave a YELP review, so perhaps it has improved, but as the owner remains the same person I expect it has not improved. read more

It's good to be the only game in town. If not for that, Café Allegre probably wouldn't be open. The food isn't horrible, maybe even mediocre. It's the service that's just appalling. Bar service is extremely slow, and again, mediocre in terms of what they serve you. Martini in a warm glass, cheap wine. After waiting a while for service, the bartender turned away to help someone else mid-sentence as I asked about the food. I later suggested that I was given the wrong salad dressing as it was white and creamy. I was told that's how they make balsamic and the bartender promptly turned and walked away. It's almost like they were paying me to be there. read more

1. Don't allow the wait staff to count their money in front of all the customers. 2. Don't pour the leftover wine into other bottles. 3. Don't let your waiters with their dirty hands touch the bar fruit and out into drinks. 4. Don't us paper placemats. 5. Don't give butter in the foil containers they came in. This has the bones of being a great restaurant. Food was decent but who's managing this place??! Someone needs to take notice before this place closes because of poor management. Restaurant Impossible needs to get here fast! read more

The food is ok, the service is good and on a busy night it feels like a factory. I had the lobster sauce with capellini and the lobster was not fresh, most likely frozen. My friend and I had an appetizer, entrees, wine and after dinner drinks. After we paid the bill, we had been there 2 hours, instead of the waitress asking us to give up the table...a large man was sent to our table asking us to leave. Not tasteful at all. Embarrassing and left with an even worst taste in my mouth than the lobster meat. This place used to be good. Sadly, not many restaurants in Madison for people to choose from. 10/27/15 Thank you Silvio for taking the time to read my review. I hope it helps and I wish you much success in your future. read more

I want to post this review to express how incredible my experience was On Saturday 6/12/21. Meeting friends for dinner, we decided on Cafe Allegre. This is a popular place and have been there a few times before and had good food and never was disappointed. The atmosphere was pleasant and inviting, it was comfortable and staff was very gracious. Enough with the layout.. Let's get down to the review.. There was a variety of apps and I have to say they were very good. There was the stuffed artichokes, fried calamari and bread that was brought to the table. The calamari and was very good, a little oily but not unedible, and marinara was a little thick, but this made for great dipping. The artichokes were full and stuffed , the taste was pretty darn good. My only negative comment was that the bread was not that good. Very soft, not a crispy crust,, it seemed not fresh, it was bland at best,, but for dipping it hit its mark.. Now the for the main course. There are 2 I want to highlight.. The penne vodka.. Usually this comes to the table with a watered down sauce that has a passable flavor and you are somewhat satisfied. Not here.. this incredible looking plated masterpiece came with a thicker sauce with perfect color and consistency that had an aroma that was equally delightful. An added bonus was the peas that were in the sauce, they were tight and flavorful. The taste .. The penne was cooked 1000% perfect , the sauce was out of this world, I really can't believe how this dish brought a whole new meaning to this dish. Every ingredient blended to make a taste so incredible its indescribable, words do no justice. Absolute A plus!!! Now for the best part of the night. I had the veal parmigiana.. Again, how this dish brought a completely new and different meaning to a rather common menu item. The veal came plated over some penne pasta, (I have to say was also cooked beyond perfect) and a decent sized breaded cutlet. The cutlet was a little thicker than most restaurants, which is the way it should be, and topped with a delicious Sunday sauce. My anticipation was unable to be Contained.. Taking my fork to cut a piece of this veal is my test, no knife needed.. It was like taking your fork to a slice of cheesecake. It was so tender and cooked perfectly. The first bite took me to a whole new level of appreciation for veal. I know I am rambling but the words do no justice in describing what I was tasting. So this incredible eating experience will ensure my return. I want to say that I will try to try more of this menu, but for the immediate future, this veal will be on my radar whether I sit inside the restaurant or get a couple to take home and enjoy for a couple of days. Do yourself a favor, give Cafe Allegre a chance you'll be happy you did.. read more

Had our wedding rehearsal dinner there Sat night. What a fantastic time we all had. Service, food and atmosphere were 5 stars. I could not have asked for a more perfect place to host our wedding party guests. Thanks Cafe Allegre for your outstanding restaurant and fantastic staff. read more

I really enjoyed my dinner here. A nice Italian restaurant in downtown Madison. We ordered too choco-martinis (one Almond Joy and one espresso). Both very good! Our server was extremely friendly and joked around with us, finally taking my fiancee's plate away forcibly! ha! I ordered the special (it was a Sunday so it was some sort of beef dish with meatballs). The portions are no joke! Very good, hearty and tasty. We ordered wine and that too was very good (Malbec and Merlot). For dessert we got some sort of cheesecake. Not the best, but pretty good. Overall a very enjoyable dinner experience! read more

It was good. Clean. The back room where my wife were sat had a classy 80's vibe goin on. Not like, 'cool make fun of the 80's kind of feel', but more like, 'we decorated for an upscale crowd in 1987 & have no idea why you wouldn't like it' sort of feel. Not like they don't care, but more like my Dad not knowing his suit is out of style. Prom-ish. Anyways, the food was good. I had a really good Lobster angel hair pasta dish that was not light on the lobster at all. In fact, there was lobster with every bite of pasta. My wife had another pasta dish that was average. The free bread wasn't very good, and the calamari was flat out boring. Service was fine. Over all, this place was more like 3 1/2 stars than 4, but I didn't want to underrate them. read more

Decided to try this for an mid-afternoon/late lunch after another place we wanted to eat at in Guilford was too busy. So glad we found this gem. This is located right on the main road mixed amongst shops and with ample parking out back. Such a warm feeling when you walk through the doors. We were sat in the back - seemed like it was either part of the banquet area or at least close to it. Our waitress was wonderful (wish I got her name). Started the meal off with the fried calamari: absolutely delicious and not overly fried; also this dish is only made of calamari rings versus other dishes that may include the tentacles. I selected the eggplant parmigiana sandwich which comes with fries. Although I didn't eat the fries, I was told they were delicious by another member in my party. This sandwich was was very good, I only ate half as the calamari more than satisfied me even though it was shared amongst 3 people. However the bread of the sandwich was incredibly fresh and had a nice crisp to it and the eggplant was nicely cooked and wasn't overly saucy, my only wish was that there was more cheese. Others in my party selected a risotto special with scallops, calamari, and one piece of shrimp - it sounded like there was more calamari than scallops in the dish; another in my party had the spaghetti with meatballs and sausage which was devoured! To drink, I had the Limoncello Mule (not served in a copper mug) which was delicious could definitely taste the Limoncello which was nicely balanced with the vodka, ginger beer and splash of peach schnapps (which I couldn't even sense in the drink). Definitely a great place for lunch along the shore when you are sick of the seafood shacks or want something different. read more

Cafe Allegre - Fried calamari appetizer - Italian Near Me - Madison, Connecticut

My heritage is east coast southern Italian - this is my favorite Italian restaurant outside of NYC (where I worked). The chef apparently raided my Nonna's recipe index (he is from Campania, Italy west coast) - the dishes are authentic, from the medley of foods that I enjoyed as a child (except no game). The preparation/execution is excellent. Service is top-notch. Buy the cook book - try the seafood Mediterranean. read more

This is a great romantic restaurant on the shoreline. I definitely recommend it. It's set on Main St. in the Inn at Lafayette. Chef Silvio and wife have created a "new world italian" menu. Everything is amazing. On one visit, I had the best seafood risotto I've ever tasted. On another, I had the Sole Fiorentina which is basically Sole Florentine.... that was excellent too. I sampled the osso bucco which was great and I've also had their famous Sundayunday sauce". They hold a Valentine's Day dinner which is really nice. Make reservations well in advance if you are interested. It is well worth it. They do have vegetarian options available, and my veg friends have never been disappointed on the V-Day seating. It's a romantic place for the shoreline folk, I've had a friend get proposed to here, if you can catch my drift on how " dreamy" the place is. It's nice....but I wouldn't go that far. None the less, they execute good italian food. read more