I really wanted to love this place after I passed by and saw the awesome looking food but sadly it was just ok. We ordered a pizza and a salad as we were staying down the street during a busy time. Like someone else who posted here, Denise made it sound like it would take an hour but we were fine with that. It ended up taking less and she called me to come pick it up. When I walked back with the pizza it was barely cooked. The cheese was melted but not brown and the crust was doughy. I had no problem waiting an hour so there was no need to speed up the order if the pizza wasn't going to be cooked. Staff was nice enough and the caesar salad was very good so three stars! read more

Been there, done that!! Again, this is the best Italian restaurant on the central coast!! Been many times and every time, it's fabulous!! Always fantastic service from some wonderful ladies!! Thank you!! read more

Cafe Della Via - The best chicken parm of your life, ever!! Be ready, she's a beast!! - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

Spotted this place on our first night in town and decided to make a reservation for the next day. This was a wise decision as the night we went they were all booked. They don't do same day reservations, so plan ahead. Everything we ordered was amazing. The bruschetta, bread, salad, and my meal which was the eggplant Parmesan were amazing. We topped it off with dessert and that was also so good. My husband got the chicken Marsala which he said was "one of the best things he's tasted in his life". I rarely order eggplant Parmesan but got it at the recommendation of the waitress and was not disappointed. Other reviewers have noted the portion sizes, which I agree with. Make sure you save room for dessert or are ok with leftovers. read more

Cafe Della Via - Eggplant Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

Outstanding authentic Italian food, including pizza and more classic Italian dishes. We really love the cucumber salad as a starter. The flavors here are so amazing! Service is always first rate. If you're not sure what wine to have with your meal, just ask. Food/wine pairings are their specialty. The atmosphere is warm, inviting, and yes! Very Italian! read more

They always do a lovely job! We've tried a lot of items here and all have been great! Love this local gem! Pork sambuca, Chicken Parm, Chicken Piccata, Pizza, Shrimp, all delicious. All of the servers are hardworking and friendly too. read more

My wife and I visit Cayucos frequently and have often talked about dining at Cafe Della Via, and so we were happy when we finally found a good reason to go out, i.e., her birthday. It did not disappoint...here is what we noticed: - We had made a 5:30pm reservation and when we arrived, almost every table was full. That worked for us, though, because we wanted to sit outdoors anyway and they've erected a little fence to keep the outdoor tables separate from passersby. - The menu is pretty broad, with lots to choose from. We started with the Caprese, which was good but pretty ordinary, e.g., grocery store tomatoes, etc., but it's Cayucos after all. We then ordered both the Pizza Arrabiata and Vegetable Lasagna. The Pizza was the stand out homerun, although the lasagna wasn't bad either. The fact that we didn't have a bit of either leftover says something, right? - The wine list is very extensive, and really reasonably priced too. We were planning on having wine back at home after dinner, so we just ordered by the glass...and that list was not super big, but respectable. - Service was good, but a little too overbearing as if they wanted to rush us along a bit. I know that it is an art to provide the right level of attention--not too often, but not too frequent--but our server erred too much on the frequent side which we don't like when we are trying to take our time and leisurely enjoy our dining experience. - The server remembered that I had mentioned my wife's birthday, and brought a scoop of ice cream with a candle after we had finished our meal, which was really nice. Bottom line: Great local restaurant in Cayucos which we'll visit again! read more

See all

I love their pizza. The ice cream is also delicious. we enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was delicious the pizza is definitely the highlight of the menu. The culture of the city is different from most of California so don't expect it to be just a normal random restaurant. But the service is professional, and the food is great so if you are around this town, this will probably be one of your best choices. Thank you read more

Cafe Della Via - Ice cream - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

See all

Had a lovely dinner here during our stay in Cayucos. We shared a Mediterranean Salad, I had a halibut special and my partner had the chicken parmigiana. Everything was fresh, well seasoned and plated well. The owner served us...you can tell she puts her whole self in to this restaurant...you can tell she cares about everything. Showed up on a Saturday night with no reservation but was accommodated at the bar. Met some wonderful local people too. Would definitely recommend if you're spending some time in Cayucos. read more

Amazing fresh food Felt like home cooked from scratch Loved everything we ordered We called in to go order Food was ready in 20 minutes We will be back for aure read more

Long time visitor of Cayucos, and first time visit to this little Italian restaurant with big flavors . Staff was very prompt and friendly. Our party consisted of 6 and waited less than 15min on a busy Saturday evening and staff had no issues providing a high chair for my little one . For as small as this restaurant was, we never once felt crowded and the vibe felt very welcoming and personal. Prices of this place are not for the faint of heart, but with all the carefully plated care and delicious tastes we just experienced...you're definitely getting what you are paying for . Cheers to all the Staff, Chefs and bus boy who helped conclude a wonderful evening reminding me why I enjoy coming back to this town since I was a kid. Ownership...take notice to the backbone of your success and give your staff the praises they deserve They all did wonderful. Cheers read more

See all

Almost gave this place five stars. We made reservations for four, and you definitely need reservations. We were seated promptly and give them water and bread. Our server was Bliss and she was pretty busy. The flooring is cement and both my chair and my girlfriends chair were wobbly. So we told the server and a young man came out right away and fix the problem. But the chairs were not very comfortable and sitting a couple hours is tough when you get older. My husband had a glass of their Syrah and he said it was pretty good and my girlfriend, her husband and myself had a bottle of the rosé excellent. My husband and I shared a Caesar salad and our friends each had a salad. Now the entrées, shrimp risotto, chicken Parmesan, chicken marsala, and chicken piccata. All excellent and we have leftovers. Two of us had the flourless chocolate cake and one had the tiramisu. We all decided we would definitely go back again. We ask that our be separate. Somehow the bottle of wine ended up on our bill. So the server said both of your meals were close. What if I just split it and we said OK. The problem is we paid an extra $22 that we should not have had to pay as it was our friends responsibility. They didn't say anything so we didn't either read more

Cafe Della Via - Shrimp risotto, I had already eaten half plus the broccoli. - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

See all

I've tried many Italian restaurants before and this has become my favorite! We came across this restaurant, by chance, while in Cayucos, visiting for a day. Denise suggested the tiramisu. I was a bit hesitant since I've tried this dessert in many restaurants and it's always been so-so. I literally had to call her back, after closing time, in order to thank her for the suggestion because it is out of this world! I'm hoping that I can replicate this desert at home but I think I will just have to drive down from the Bay Area, just to be able to to order another Tiramisu And enjoy a small slice of heaven! Tanti Aguri Denise! read more

Cafe Della Via - Tiramisu, just getting started. And NO, I will not be sharing! - Italian Near Me - Cayucos, California

Last Friday my wife had a most enjoyable experience at the Cafe With Italian flair. We were warmly greeted by our server Emma and seated with our granddaughter and friend. Nice selection of appetizers and entrees and my wife ordered the Mediterranean Cucumber salad. a generous portion and beautifully presented. I opted for the Chicken Marsala again a very generous portion and really delicious. Service and ambiance could not have better and I highly recommend If you are looking for high quality dining at very reasonable pricing and excellent service that you give Cafe Della Via a try. read more

It's just cozy and down home Italian. Love the eggplant parm on a cold foggy Cayucos evening. The garlic olive oil... you're gonna dip your bread in there and you better hope you partner is doing the same. It's awesome, super garlicy! The pork saltimbocca is very nice as well. Nice wine list. Go to there... you won't be disappointed. read more

Food was delicious. I came in with a party of 8 and everyone loved their meal. Desserts were also fantastic, I would suggest the bread pudding Our waitress was very kind and attentive, and the food came out at a good pace. The atmosphere is also great, I would highly recommend if you are in Cayucos. Best food in town. read more

We live in Cayucos and whenever we have a chance, we make CDV our special dine out place. In fact we're going tonight. Previously we would always order from their excellent wine list (which is really good). Tonight, for reasons I won't go into, we're taking our own wine. It's a nice Mourvèdre we purchased in Washington State. I'm not concerned about the corking fee. I just hope we don't get looked down upon for not purchasing wine from their wine list. We shall see. Update: CDV was perfectly OK with us bringing our own bottle. Corkage was $20. And dinner was wonderful. I had the Chicken Parmesan and my wife had Chicken Marsala. Great food and service. read more

The food was amazing. My husband ordered the fried mozzarella app. It was good but the bread and oil dip was really good! My husband got the lasagna and he enjoyed it and finished it. My girls (7 and 9) got the kids butter penne with Parmesan. They liked jt. I got the chicken Marsala over fettuccine noodles. It was outstanding. If you like Marsala. read more

See all

We generally plan our twice a year getaways in Cayucos around the hours of operation of Cafe Della Via. The meals have been some of the best Italian we've experienced, but have noticed over the last few years that there's been a decline in the level of service and attitude. Regardless, we were greeted by the owner Denise and were told there was a 90 minute wait, worse-case two hour wait at 6:15pm ( not knowing that the she resumed reservations after eliminating them in 2020) and were fine with that. Waiting for a call from her until more than two hours, we showed up at the restaurant at 8:30pm to find at least four tables empty and the owner apparently forgetting to call us when tables became available. She was snotty and unapologetic that she neglected us and we felt so disrespected that we got up and walked out. Never again. Cafe Della Via is closed Sundays Mondays and Tuesdays. That's when we're planning our visits to Cayucos from here on out. And maybe other vacationers should do the same. read more

Local owner very hands on. Consistent menu. The only downside I've seen over many years of being a patron of this restaurant is the portions drastically reduced in size and the price has doubled on some menu options such as the Mediterranean salad. the restaurant used to have a five dollar wine by the class special which is no longer. That is understandable... But the cost of wine by the class has drastically gone up in the poor has shortened. Kind of a bummer... Food cost has risen so there is some to be understood but if you're going to raise the prices, keep your portion sizes the same. Otherwise, great restaurant. read more

I really wanted to give this local restaurant a 5 star because normally the food is excellent; however, I dined there two nights ago and both my husband's and my pasta plates were on the dry side. We both had arrabiata sauces and definitely not enough mixed in our pasta dishes so I requested some more sauce. Well the waitress brings out a bowl of more pasta sauce but not the sauce I asked for which was what our pasta order came with, but marinara sauce. I didn't say anything albeit I was disappointed. The kicker of the night was when the bill came, the restaurant charged us for the extra sauce - the sauce that wasn't even the kind I requested and the sauce I should not have had to request at all had the plate been done right! That struck a last nerve for us and not sure we will remain regulars here anymore after this experience. read more

Absolutely horrible service! The food was mediocre at best and Overpriced for what you get. I would never go to this restaurant again. read more

DO NOT EAT HERE!! They do not have good food or customer service. A group of six of us walked in for a reservation was shown to our table and upon sitting down one of our party guest (me) and sat in a massive puddle of water on the chair. It was so wet I had to go back to our accommodations to change. Another person in our party (the birthday girl) recognized a piece of glass on her chair and didn't say anything just removed it. About 3/4 of the way through our dinner one of the other party guests had to leave after having a couple bites of eggplant parmigiana because it was so bad. Upon receiving the check for the evening we recognize there were were no comps for dessert for birthday girl or anybody at the table. We asked the waitress about this and she said oh I don't know I'll ask the manager and have her come over. The owner/manager came over and explained she understood I sat in water however it was just water and it was an accident. I explained I had to go back to change and she said she's sorry but she wasn't going to comp anything on our ticket. She started going off about how restaurants have been having a hard time and she was already struggling. My husband asked if they would cover my dry cleaning bill for the dress (silk/satin) She said flat out no with a lot of attitude. When we realized she had made her final decision not to do anything we decided to leave a very large tip for the waitress and left. read more

Delicious food, warm and inviting atmosphere, great service... my wife and I LOVE this place. Try the chicken parmesan! Great wine selection too. And say hi to the owner, Denise while you're there... she's great! read more

I love this Italian restaurant on the Central Coast. This was a special birthday dinner. Have reservations. Food, authentic with many special flares. can't say enough about presentation and quality. Wonderful variety of local and Italy and Italian wines. Our meal was perfect, with generous and welcoming service. One draw back (which is why 4 stars instead of 5) is the level of noise in the restaurant. Unless you are a loud group or can shout to your guests, ask to eat outside. It is pretty difficult to have conversation inside. read more

Amazing food. The flourless chocolate cake and the orecchiette pasta were the stars of the night. The family had to have an extra slice of that cake. Thank you for the great dinner Cafe Della Via! read more

Our trip would not be complete until we had dinner here. A must go for us every time we are in town. The chicken piccata and the chicken park are our go tos. So good and highly recommend. read more

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

See all

My favorite Central Coast restaurant, I think it will be yours too. Fabulous food, friendly service, and one of the best wine lists south of Napa. All of the classic Italian dishes are perfectly prepared, the flat iron steak I had most recently was a perfect medium rare and my wife's seafood pasta was perfect! Shout out to Jordan and Jordan who's service made the meal memorable, and of course Denise who's made restaurant ownership an art form. read more

Beautiful set up, so relaxing to enjoy a meal with gorgeous weather , place is so clean. They have limited sitting area , you can make reservations , this place does get packed. The bread was delicious with the oil dipping , Shrimp Alfredo was good , the sauce was delicious the shrimp smell an taste fishy, the noddles were perfect. The shrimp Alfredo is not on the menu you have to ask for it. Alfredo is $16 with shrimp 5pcs $7 with extra sauce $2 Meal $27 Our waitress wasn't that friendly , she can tell when someone is fake , she barely check on us but had no problem going to other tables several times. Ask my friend wanted hers boxes up her left overs , brought me a box so I can box my mind, that was rude. Brought us dessert menu , we declined an waitress got mad, sorry was already full . Less tip maybe . read more

See all

We heard the food was very good, however, we never got to taste it. We had a party of 14 coming from many different directions, some 3+ hours away. The owner changed our reservations from 6:30 to 5:00, which was OK, due to the fact that it is a small restaurant and we would have to be seated at two different tables. 12 of us were seated at 5:00, with 2 of our party just arriving in town. The owner kept pacing back and forth in front of our larger table tapping her watch, saying "they have 6 minutes to get here". After the 6 minutes, she said, "they have 3 minutes to be at the front door". My niece said, "they're finding a parking place, what do you want us to do?". She said, "GET OUT", whoever made the reservation signed a CONTRACT that you would all be here on time". My question is - who signs a CONTRACT for a dinner reservation?!?. All I can say is this is one really unhappy woman - something has gone terribly wrong in her life to treat people this way. Our party of 14 went across the street to LUNADA Garden Bistro and were met by the most gracious owner who welcomed us in and sat us in the most magical garden setting with twinkling lights and delicious food. Absolutely saved the evening - we were celebrating 2 60th birthdays and one 80th birthday and it couldn't be more perfect! read more

Can be very warm inside the restaurant. Also the owner/ manager isn't very friendly and have best experience there when we don't have to deal with her. The food is amazing, always! Food is wonderful but take out is still the best option if you can have enough patience to deal with the owner. She's awful on the phone but better in person. I usually send my husband bc she's more pleasant with males. read more

The food was absolutely amazing! If you are considering going I will say that you will not regret it one bit. The service was impeccable and the staff were very personable. read more

See all

Delicious food, great service, wonderful evening! We have been here several times and have never been disappointed. I'm sure we will return many times in the future! read more

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

See all

Excellent service, they are a quaint restaurant with a nice ambiance. Their Chicken Marsala did not disappoint. It was my first time trying bread pudding and I would definitely have it again. Overall great option read more

Quaint Italian restaurant with excellent service and very good food. We Ordered the seafood pasta and the house pizza. Both were very good. I removed one star for the uneven chairs ( the restaurant has plastic wedges readily available to put under the chair leg) and the slightly too loud music which slowly begins to distract from an otherwise excellent dining experience. read more

Fantastic little spot. Food was superb and service was excellent. Four people and each appetizer and entree was delicious. Highly recommend.

Went here for my wife's birthday. What a delight!! The chicken parm and the clams and linguine were first class. Service was excellent, my only criticism was that on the website, when making the reservation, I mentioned we were going to be celebrating a birthday and they never acknowledged that. Only when my wife mentioned it, they offered her a free dessert. She opted for a complimentary glass of wine instead. But would definitely eat here again and again!! read more

Everything about this restaurant has been great over the years. The food, the friendliness, the wait staff. But $20 minimum wage has shut down family owned restaurants all over the central coast. What a shame. So long. You will be dearly missed. Thank you for our best central coast dining experiences. read more

The sign of an excellent meal is when you wish you could lick the plate clean! Yummy warm bread, delicious shrimp and risotto, scrumptious chicken piccata and fabulous flourless chocolate cake make for a spectacular dinner. Our server was cheery and friendly. When we want great Italian food, this is where we head. read more

They are following safety protocols (masks, sanitized pens, plastic separating customers from staff) and are really friendly. When we've ordered to-go, it has only taken about 20 minutes for the food to be ready. We like the pizzas in particular - pizza cafe della via and pizza lorraine were both very good. On a different night, I got the shrimp with orecchiette, which was solid - a huge portion, several shrimps, pasta al dente, not too creamy or too salty. One night my husband got the flat iron steak, which was terrible - completely overcooked with a weird flavor - we'd recommend sticking with the pizzas and pastas. For salads, I thought the Insalata Della Via was pretty good, the Caprese was just average (the quality of the mozzarella was so-so), and there was something about the Caesar salad dressing that we both didn't like - we like anchovies but there was something off about the dressing. read more

So glad this place is still open. The take out was great. I miss having a glass of wine and enjoying the ambiance of the restaurant. But, the take out was a good alternative. The food was hot and very flavorful. Place is still the best Italian place on the Cental Coast. Will be back soon. read more

See all