Probably the most consistent restaurant in Cayucos. Menu has been the same for years but overall good food and service.

The food here is simply fantastic, and the owner is really nice. I've had the chicken parmesan twice now and both times it's been one of the best I've ever had! We're big fans. read more

On this quiet stretch of asphalt (at least in winter) in Cayucos, there really aren't a lot of restaurant options on a Wednesday night, but Cafe Della Via is a reliable stalwart that deserves a visit should you travels take you to or through Cayucos. We rolled in around 7pm to find a fully packed restaurant. We were greeted by a sea of curious stares, which was a bit uncomfortable I admit as we continued to stay there and wait for about 15 minutes for our table. The next guest without reservation had to wait 45 minutes for a table so we felt pretty fortunate. The restaurant is simple and homey. When we went, there was some holiday decor to add some cheer. The menu is straightforward. The chicken marsala is clearly one of the stars on the menu. I relied on Yelp and y'all delivered. The portion size was generous, the chicken was tender, and the sauce was flavorful and just decadent enough without going overboard. It was perfect for a bone chilling, windy Wednesday evening. The seafood linguini was good, but a clear second fiddle to the chicken marsala. The warm bread with garlic olive oil dipping sauce was a great way to start the meal as was the garden salad. Our waitress was friendly and always checked in on us to make sure we were doing well. There seemed to be plenty of to-go orders going out the door that night so if you're staying local and would prefer not to wait or eat in the comfort of your abode, Cafe Della Via could be another great take out option for you. read more

Chicken parm is a great deal, plenty of food for two people. The ciabatta bread they bring you is top of the line and so fresh and tasty. Not bad price if you split, otherwise plan to pay $20+ per plate. read more

We had a huge take-out order last night and everything was amazing! The food was so wonderful it was hot when we picked it up and the staff was very friendly. I highly recommend this restaurant read more

My wife and I stopped by for a nice Saturday dinner and drink. They told us it would be 45 minutes for a table which was fine as it was a beautiful night and we didn't have a reservation. 75 minutes later I went up to the hostess and she looked at the list and her tables and said "oh sorry, it's ready". It was busy so honest mistake. We sat down with our menus and after 20 minutes and two polite requests of the bread girl, we still hadn't been greeted by our waiter/waitress. I still don't know who was supposed to help us. Rumor is the food is great, unfortunately I wouldn't know. Worst service I've seen. read more

Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Our local owners have made this restaurant a shining star in the culinary skies of Cayucos. The atmosphere is comfortable; very Cayucos-style. The menu is interesting and the food is prepared perfectly. Try the veggie lasagna and the pasta del mare for a couple of great dishes. The bruschetta antipasti is fantastic, and the drink selection is very good, and includes options on-tap. Busy during the summers but easy to get a table most of the rest of the year. read more

This quaint Italian restaurant in the quaint beach town of Cayucos was an exceptional choice! My boyfriend and I were doing the highway 1 drive from SF to LA and got delayed and caught in traffic heading out. After 2+ hours of driving through the winding, wet mountain roads in the dark, we were starving as we headed into Cayucos. When we walked in, the manager (maybe owner?) let us know that a felled tree was causing the city to shut down electricity in 20-30 minutes. She was amazingly accommodating; instead of turning us away, she told us to head to the bar and get our order in as quickly as possible. The staff was just as accommodating to make sure that everyone's food came out just before the power went out in the restaurant. Amazing execution! Our appreciation grew as we dug into Chicken Marsala and Pork Saltimboca by candlelight and flash flight. I chose the Marsala over mashed potatoes, and the rich sauce and delicate chicken were a perfect match. My boyfriend chose his Pork with pasta loved it. We chose the house Zinfandel, Opolo from nearby Paso Robles, and enjoyed our little power outage adventure while sipping a great local wine. We loved our experience and would highly recommend the restaurant! The staff was simply exceptional, remaining friendly, accommodating, and upbeat during a chaotic situation. read more

Chicken Parmesan was amazing! Alfredo sauce on the noodles, marinara on the chicken, and lots of cheese! So good! Friendly waitstaff, clean and warm, and food was out in a reasonable time. The steak that my wife got was just ok, otherwise would have been 5 stars. We came in at 6:50 and there were only 3 tables occupied. By 7:10 the place was packed. Recommend coming slightly off rush hours. read more

We had a very nice dinner here tonight. My wife had the special--angel hair pasta, chicken, kalamata olives, sun dried tomatoes, feta...she liked it a lot. I had linguine with clams...good...had better, had worse. Nice caprese salad. Great local wines. A little heavy on the garlic in god dipping oil (and I love garlic!). We'd come back here. read more

I ordered Pasta Del Mare for take-out and it exceeded my expectations. It tasted so fresh and the flavors were great. The sauce was provided on the side so I could add enough for my liking. Highly recommended. read more

Still loving this local gem! To start, they always have a decent glass of wine for $5. The bread and garlic/olive oil dip are deadly delicious. I always ask for some balsamic vinegar to mix in with it, but that's because I'm a vinegar fanatic. The Cesar salad is decent, however if they ever have the BLT salad as a special, ORDER IT! As for entrees, The Chicken Parmesan is my favorite. The breaded chicken is topped with a tasty and nicely textured Bruschetta and placed upon a bed of delicious Fettuccini Alfredo. I'm not generally an Alfredo fan, however theirs is lighter and has a nice touch of garlic. The portions are ample for the prices, and like most Italian food tastes even better the next day. Most importantly, the service is fantastic. In fact, tonight when placing a to go order this evening, I inquired about the aforementioned BLT salad special. Although they were not serving it, Denise (the owner) said if we were willing to wait she'd cook up the bacon and make it for us. Now that's called service! One of the key ingredients to a successful business is an involved owner, and Denise is a passionate and dedicated restaurateur. It exhausts me just to watch how hard she and her staff work. Whether you're stopping in for a glass of wine or a nice dinner, you'll be glad you did! read more

So here's an updated review since my initial review back in 2013... Still great food. Friendly, knowledgeable service. Great wine list. One thing I forgot to mention several years ago - try the soups! They are always changing and always delicious. My family had dinner here last night, and it was a great time. I tried the Garlic Shrimp with Risotto. It was so good. And as I mentioned in my previous review, the amount of protein (in this case, shrimp) is always generous. I hate ordering shrimp dishes usually because 9 out of 10 times the shrimp is either under-sized or there are too few. Not the case here. This dish is an absolute 10 out of 10. My wife had the 4-onion soup. It was outstanding. All the flavors worked really well together and not too over-powering on the onion flavor. Really nice. The wine - as usual - a great recommendation from the owner. And as I've mentioned before, I love getting a recommendation and being able to trust that the server or owner isn't just picking the most expensive bottle to boost a check average. I think it was around $25 a bottle - very reasonable and paired great with the risotto. We love to come to Cafe Della Via every time we're in town. And usually more than once. If you come to Cayucos and want a really nice dinner experience, give it a try. Oh, and save room for dessert. The tiramisu was awesome. I'm happy to say that since my last review (2 years ago), this place has only gotten better. And that's hard to find. read more

The best way I can describe my meal is "awkward". We initially could not identify who our server was, because every waitress in the place kept checking in and asking us the same questions. Too many servers on a weeknight, all trying to appear busy. Finally we ordered from whom I assumed to be the owner, and had the wrong appetizer brought to us by another server, who then worked to correct it, just as a third girl brought out our actual correct order. I also think my date and my steaks got switched because I ordered my meat much more rare than he likes his, which was bleeding on his plate. My date and I have both worked and served in restaurants before and we could feel that tense "uh oh, the owner is here," feeling among the servers. She was a little intense... Throwback to my own crazy ex-bosses. The food was good, once we got all our wires uncrossed. read more

My lovely Bride and I visited Cafe Della Via on Sunday, September 6, 2015. It was a spur of the moment decision, so I called ahead and left a message on the restaurant's phone, and just to make sure they got my reservation request, I also sent a reservation request through Yelp. Not sure which worked first, but Cafe Della Via called us back just before we drove into Cayucos. How cool is that!? Anyway, it was good that I called ahead because they were really busy a week ago on Sunday and we were seated a little earlier than we had planned, but it worked out just fine. I really appreciated the awesome customer service. Food wise, my Wife ordered the Shrimp Carbonara and I selected the special of the day which was Pan Seared Scallops with a balsamic glaze, risotto, and baby purple carrots. While we were waiting for our main entree, we enjoyed a Caprese Salad appetizer with warm ciabatta bread with olive oil and crushed garlic. For desert we selected their Tiramisu and coffee. Each course was delicious. Combine this with the excellent level of attentiveness of the staff, and our evening meal was everything we hoped that it would be. After dinner, we were treated to an amazing sunset. We'll be going back! The taste and dining experience is well worth the price of the meal and the drive from the central valley - especially when it is HOT! Cheers & Happy Dining. read more

Great, friendly service. Good wine selection. Outstanding food. I highly recommend the Chicken Marsala with mashed potatoes. We were in Cayucos a week and this is the only restaurant we visited more than once! read more

There a million different Italian restaurants, most of which are mediocre. It makes sense. Italian is hard to do excellent but also hard to mess up. Surprisingly, this small Italian spot in a beach town exceeds where many others have failed. We started out with the fried cheese which wasn't your normal cheese stick. It was delicious and a must order. We followed it up with the pizza arribiata and the chicken parm. While both dishes exceeded expectations, saying just that wouldn't do them justice. First, the chicken portion was clearly from so cal and had had some augmentation. It was the biggest breast i had ever seen. It also had the perfect balance of breading to meat. And the pizza was a must - the Gorgonzola pulled everything together. Who knew you could find little Italy in central California? read more

The food was okay. I had vegetable lasagna and it was burnt on the bottom layers. I've had it before here and has been amazing, but this visit was not like that. This is not the kind of place to come by yourself. If you sit at the bar and are just looking for a good meal then prepare to be ignored. I was able to sit at the bar right away but getting attention to order anything was a nightmare. After I had ordered my entree, they brought out bread and olive oil but then forgot to bring out balsamic vinegar. They never did bring it out, but thankfully the bread is good enough to eat on its own. When my vegetable lasagna was brought out I began to eat it, and half way through let me know they came and asked me if I wanted any Parmesan or cracked pepper on it. This was a excellent case of too little too late as I was not exactly shoveling my food into my mouth with great prejudice. when my meal was finished I waited for 15 minutes in order to get someones attention at which point I just handed them my credit card. After several more minutes they brought back the card and told me that they were having problems with their register and that the meal was on them. I really appreciated this kind gesture as I felt more or less ignored the entire meal. Do not think that I am the kind of person that expects attention all the time from restaurant servers, I actually quite like it when they do the essential functions but not too much more than that. Overall the food is good, the atmosphere is nice and warm, but this place suffers from a lack of attention to single diners. I will still come here in the future as I really like the food. read more

I was in Cayucos for one night. I found this gem of a place on Yelp. I was solo, arrived about 5:30 on Thursday September 17. Was seated right away by the friendly hostess even though I had no reservations. Sean was my server and told me about the specials. All of which sounded great. Sean gave outstanding service throughout my visit. All of the staff was great. Friendly and professional. The actually seemed to like their jobs!! Pleasant to see for sure. This place is very nice inside. Small however. I would say reservations would be the way to go. Place filled up quickly. A sign of good food!! And the food, amazing. Really good Italian food here. Other Yelpers are spot on! I started with the fried Mozzarella!! Bursting with great flavor. I seriously thought about ordering a 2nd one. I had a pizza with Marinera, artichoke hearts, olives , sun dried tomatoes, and chicken. Loved it. Finished with homemade cheesecake and very good coffee!! Overall a fine dining experience I savored. They earned this 5 star review. I will return here with my wife ASAP!! Highly recommend. read more

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I NEVER give five star ratings, but this meal was SO good. Hubby and I started with a Caesar salad, which the waiter split into two plates for us without us even asking! Also the garlic bread. Delish. For my entrée I had the garlic shrimp risotto. It was perfection! Have you ever tried to make risotto? I have, and now I realize I have failed miserably at it my entire life. These grains were separate, distinct, tender yet with a bit of bite (al dente). Prawns were perfectly cooked. Parmesan cheese gave a nutty, savory touch to the entire thing. It was heaven. Hubby got some sort of seafood pasta, which he liked. I didn't try it though, I was too intent on devouring my meal. For dessert we split a cheesecake. It was very good. Lighter than I was expecting, much less dense than a new York style cheesecake, but that is not a bad thing. House chardonnay was five bucks a glass. Very good deal. We will be back! read more

I have lived in New York, West LA and Westlake Village. This is the best Italian food anywhere with large portions! Delicious! We come up here and this is the Go To place for take out dinner read more

I'm so tired of people on yelp. The 24 hour before reservation policy is that way because it is a small and very popular place so it gets full most nights. Call sooner and you will get a reservation no problem. The food is outstanding. I've had the chicken and eggplant parm, the pork saltimboca, flat iron steak, and antipasti salad and everything is super good. Wine list is also very diverse and reasonably priced. Denise is always very friendly as is her service staff. A go to spot for my friends and I and never has disappointed. read more

Just had a wonderful dinner experience here. Wife loved her shrimp with risotto and my pork saltimbocca was awesome. Staff was very pleasant and personable. Atmosphere was very enjoyable. This will be a regular stop, on every future visit. read more

Interesting vibe that I couldn't quite pin, but it was a good place with decent service. The best service was from the "helper" who wasn't our server but refilled our drinks, bread, etc. We shared a veggie lasagna which was good. Not awesome, but good. We also shared a salad that was tasty. The bread was good and the garlic butter dip was an interesting twist I've never seen... and a bit to garlicky for us. We asked for balsamic to dip our bread in and it was one of the best balsamics we've had. We ordered a kids pizza to split for our sons and figured it would be just enough... it was easily a 12" pizza and I can't see how anyone who we would consider a "kid" could manage to stuff all that food down their gullet! Maybe your 16 yr old track star who is calorie loading after his daily marathon. The pizza was tasty. Overall a nice place with good food. read more

The food was absolutely delicious. I had the Pork Saltimbocca, and my wife had their Chicken Piccata, so we shared a little bit and I can vouch for both dishes. Both were very well put together, tasted fresh, and were great paired with a glass of wine. It was busy near the end of their hours on a Friday night, but we didn't have to wait too long for a table, and were able to walk along the beach to kill time, instead of being stuck at the restaurant, which was fantastic. I'd definitely recommend, and go back next time I visit. read more

With all the excellent reviews Cafe Della Via has, it hardly seems necessary to say it again, but our dining experience at this Cafe exceeded all of our expectations. The food was incredible. The ambiance was soft and warm. The staff was efficient and, again, provided nice touches which exceeded my expectations. For example, my take home food was in a bio-happy container, clearly labeled by content and date. Our server even gave us some extra bread for the road along with some manifico garlic dipping sauce. Our meal was leisurely and we felt as though we were truly valued customers, or even friends. We started our meal with Caprese: a circle of sliced tomatoes topped with slices of Italian mozzarella (which in much tastier than plain old mozz) with greens in the center of the arrangement; the whole thing drizzled with a vinaigrette which was the perfect way to start our meal. I had flatiron steak with mashed potatoes, broccoli and a mushroom sauce. Again, every particle of my being was overjoyed with the meal. We finished with a dessert - and that would be my only very tiniest teeny whine: there was TOO much to eat! I was a happy, drowsy, satisfied diner looking forward to my next visit to Cayucos. This was the highlight of my visit to the town other than the antique fair! read more

Chicken Parmesan was 5 stars. Bread and dipping sauce fantastic! Don't miss out on this place! read more

Who woulda thought...in the sleepy surf town of Cayucos....molto delizioso! We've vacationed in Cayucos for 10 years and always walked right by....this year we tried the culinary adventure! And we were sooo happy! My sons, whose palate is not so wide LOVED their garlic bread and pepperoni pizza. My wife and I totally enjoyed the eggplant parmasean! Loud, Italian and on the coast....what more could you want! Try it, you'll love it! read more

Pulled in here because we couldn't wait to get to San Luis Obispo to eat. We're glad we did. We had the Shrimp Tortellini and the fresh local Sea-bass Special. Wow! The Sea-bass was absolutely amazing. The Tortellini was very good too. It is a cozy place and smells so inviting. The servers are exceptional and friendly. The kitchen knows what it is doing and does it extremely well and very timely. Finally, the prices are very reasonable. They don't reflect you're in a resort town. You'll want to try this place if you're in Cayucos. read more

Amazing place!! Really enjoyed the pizza and chicken parmesan. Too bad we were on vacation, because we'd love to make this place our go-to Italian restaurant! read more

I cannot stop thinking about my dinner here! We had fried mozzarella ( a special and I wish it was on the menu everyday) portobello ravioli ( also a special and I wish it was on the menu everyday) , flat iron steak and tiramisu. Everything was amazing!! Our server was super nice as well. Decor was relaxing and felt homey. Kinda bummed we didn't check the place out sooner, this is my new to go to Italian restaurant! read more

You may look but you will not find a better Trattoria.... So many choices that will become your favorites instantly. The only you can save your self from looking silly is to bring you whole family and pass one of each of the amazing selection..... Don't try and do yourself.... My favorite is the pizza Cafe Della Via, and always the spaghetti and meatballs! Garlic bread is made with real garlic and aged parmesan! Just fantastic!!!!! read more

I've been here a few times and while the service is hit and miss, the food is excellent. I simply can't argue with any component of this place and it is definitely one of my favorites in Cayucos. I'll definitely return. For those wondering, the 5th star is for service and this place simply doesn't have that locked in yet. It's just really inconsistent. read more

Our server Kelsey was great . The food however not so. Our wine was suppose to be a 2010 Pinot , we we're given a 2012. My husband could have prepared the meal better... I had shrimp and tortellini no flavor . The veal was over cooked, the artichoke hearts were directly from a jar. We were looking forward to a amazing meal. Disappointed . The garlic olive oil we still taste the next morning :( read more

Denise and her team provide wonderful service in a friendly, casual atmosphere. Regular customers are treated like royalty. The food is just great. "Must Have" appetizers include the stuffed portobello mushroom cap (they make it vegetarian for me) , the panko crusted fried mozzarella cheese with marinara and the bruschetta. The bread served with chopped garlic sauce is addicting. The Caeser salad is awesome--great dressing, homemade croutons and delicious anchovies. My partner likes the antipasto salad. The farmer's market tomato salad is light, fresh and delicious. For main courses, I love the pasta primavera, pasta del mare and the vegetable lasagna. and eggplant parmigiana (also available as an appetizer) My meat eating partner (I cheat sometimes) loves the flat iron steak with creamy mushroom sauce and the chicken parmesan. Try Denise's homemade Sangria--her own secret recipe and it's the best Sangria I've ever had. If you manage to have room for dessert, try the molten chocolate cake, it has a delicious creamy topping and is perfect with some good red wine. We love this place. We go every weekend. Try it...You will not be disappointed read more

This is our Saturday night place when we're in Cayucos and they always remember us when we walk in. Fridays & Saturdays are usually crazy busy so I highly recommend reservations. This past Saturday we split a Caesar Salad while sipping on glasses of Morgan Chardonnay and people watching. I decided on Vegetable Lasagne while TMIML enjoyed the Risotto with Garlic Shrimp. Both were perfectly prepared and delicious. The Carlson Cab Franc we selected paired perfectly with both of our choices. Cafe Della Via has a great selection of wines with many being from the local area. The owner is wonderful and usually stops by each table to check on things while her staff is very friendly and attentive. It does get very busy on the weekends and you may wait a little but the evening will be worth it. read more

Cafe Della Via - Vegetable Lasagne paired with a Carlson Cab Franc. - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

Place was awesome. Took my fiancé there for a dinner on our road trip. Portions were good and food was amazing. read more

Cafe Della Via - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

Really great place in Cayucos! We had some pizza which was great and enjoyed some wine from their extensive list. Prices were incredibly fair on the wines. Denise, the owner, was a lot of fun to meet and is doing a great job with this fun little cafe! read more

Impossibly delicious pasta dishes. Make a reservation or else you'll wait but SO worth the wait. Fun atmosphere- cool decor.

We love dining here, but this trip to Cayuco, we had our small dog with us. Unfortunately Cafe Della Via does not have any outside dining, so we ordered our diners to go. Block and half walk from our hotel. Hubby loves Chicken Marsala and this did not disappoint him...he ate every single bite! I had the Shrimp Carbonara and honestly, it was one of the best dishes I've had. Tri-color cheese tortellini in this garlicy creamy sauce with peas and the shrimp. It was so good. And a huge serving....I can eat, but with this, half was saved for the next day. read more

Cafe Della Via - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

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