Cafe Fiore has delicious Italian food! A more unique menu than your average American Italian restaurant. They make their own pasta fresh using ITALIAN FLOUR. So if you are normally gluten sensitive, you MIGHT not have an issue with their pasta. They also offer corn based gluten free pasta, too. The focaccia bread is fresh and is served with the most amazing garlicky tomato-olive tapenade. I could make a meal of just that, but don't do it! You'd miss out on tender fried calamari and fresh veggie appetizer or the delectable beef carpaccio with arugula. The Caesar salad dressing is so good that I wished I hadn't shared one! I ordered a flat noodle with pork sausage. I don't remember the name, but OMG, get this! I'm actually drooling now while I think about it! The service is friendly and prompt. Every day and most nights the sister owners Anna and Maria are there greeting everyone and keeping everybody happy! Ambiance is warm and cozy. Some evenings they have jazz bands or other nice entertainment. We sat inside but they also have a "treehouse" patio that is great for parties and an outside patio for smaller groups. Don't miss this gem in downtown Ventura. Parking garage directly behind the restaurant is free parking. read more

Cafe Fiore - Not a great picture of my husband, but a good picture of a great steak! - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

Service Made a reservation for outside table, confirmed our reservation at the front and sat us inside. Took 20 minutes for a server to greet us, finished our plates and drinks without server asking us if we wanted another drink or dessert. Ambiance Sat at a table with over grown landscape, had to move our table to have a conversation without drooping down plants in our face. Food Average Italian food with high price, will not return. read more

Such a shame how bad service can ruin your perception of a business. I'm posting this because I think management should be aware of their employees and being a veteran service industry employee myself, I feel the need to speak up here. I'll keep it short, but I came here with my husband and family for a special occasion and our server made our experience pretty unwelcoming and not enjoyable. After waiting upwards of 10 minutes to be greeted by anyone, our server came over to take orders and didn't acknowledge how long we'd waited. When we asked about a pasta on the menu she replied condescendingly to my family member that she had no idea what that pasta was and we ended up having to google it for an answer because she would not help us. I ordered a drink when our appetizers came out and had to ask where it was after I was finishing my entree. Again, no acknowledgement of the abnormal wait time for our normal asks as a restaurant patron. Overall, we were treated like a nuisance and felt as if we were being bothersome to our server. If we do come back, we will only sit at the bar. read more

I visited Cafe Fiore with a friend at his suggestion and I was glad I went. We both ordered the same thing (Linguine ai Frutti di Mare) and it was delicious. Our server made sure we had everything and made recommendations for dessert. The restaurant wasn't big but it was comfortable. I'll definitely come back here if I'm in the area. read more

We've been coming to Cafe Fiore for years and we've always loved this beautiful local gem, but the last few times weve come we've thought, "Is it our imagination or is this place getting even better?" It is! We don't know what's changed but everything is getting steadily even better than it's always been: the food is so very fresh and homemade and so well-done. The atmosphere continues to feel warm and inviting and we always feel like family coming in. Our server Cindy provided impeccable service tonight like everyone here always does. We feel so fortunate to have Cafe Fiore here locally. Food, service, cocktails: amazing! Definitely recommend this local gem. read more

Ambiance for happy hour was very cool. Drinks and happy hour food awesome! Dinner ambiance was pretty good. Wasn't too impressed with my dinner nor was my wife. With that said I'm very picky with my Italian food because I'm Italian. Portions were good. I will go back for happy hour 100%. read more

Superb lasagna. Baked to total perfection. Oozing cheese and sauce. Will be back. So so good. read more

Cafe Fiore - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

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Just okay! The first thing is that the parking is very very difficult. The parking structure was full and we tried to find some street parking and finally found some but the meter was broken so we had to risk getting a ticket. We went with some friends and the ambience is great, but the service was very slow and unattended. We had to wave down our waiter several times to get water, ask to order, refills and our check. And there was just two other groups so it was a very slow night. I don't know why we had to wave our waiter down for every single thing we needed! The food was just OK. We've been to some very amazing Italian restaurants so our expectations were high. Everything felt very heavy and greasy. In fact when I took our leftovers home the next day I pulled them out of the fridge and there was an entire layer of orange grease on the pasta so I ended up throwing it out instead of heating it up for lunch the next day. Not sure we will be back. read more

The food is absolutely delicious. Everything tastes very authentic Italian. Great friendly and fast service. Ambiance is cozy. The restaurant is nicely and warmly decorated. It's a great place to meet friends and family. read more

Service? What service? If sitting at a half empty bar (yes I know they handle drink orders from the restaurant as well but that wasn't all that busy either) for 10 minutes while 3 bartenders ignore you is what you call service, then you'll like this place. They had plenty of time to chat amongst themselves and with what I assume were a few regulars, but couldn't be bothered to even acknowledge my presence let alone actually ask what I'd like to drink. It's sad. I used to like this place. The food and table service are typically solid, but the bar needs work and some people who actually try and serve drinks to ALL those sitting around the bar, which really is not that large. Good news is that there are plenty of good alternatives within a few blocks walk. I'll be frequenting them in the future. read more

Romantic ambiance, live music on some evenings, the food and drinks have always been excellent! Great place for business wine & dine dinner meetings, personal dates, family dinners & group events. read more

My wife and I were in the area and wanted Italian food. Decided to give this a try and were blown away by the quality of the food! We will definitely be back ASAP! read more

The food was great. I'm not going to lie the service is a little slow but it compensated with the quality of the food. The servers are super nice though. It's great local place we definitely be back. We loved the atmosphere how Mellow it is. read more

My server "Amy" was competent, polite and amazingly helpful & knowledgeable with the meal options. Definitely going there again! read more

Wasn't impressed with the food. Ambiance was spot on. Unfortunately very mediocre food. The risotto was like steamed rice and the fettuccine had zero flavor. The gnocchi was good. Wished it was better. Went with a party of 7 and no one really liked their dishes. read more

The food was mediocre at best, the service took a while for them to even come up to us, and the entire vibe was a little off. They said they didn't have any good seating, and then a woman walked in there and started to harass us to buy these neon dyed flowers. In general there weren't many sit down restaurants in the area, and all i can say is that i would much rather get something from a take out place and eat at home than eat at this restaurant read more

Crap. Food is awful and service is worse. They didn't even offer a discount for their filthy mussels and clams. read more

Cafe Fiore - I suggested this was dirt but the server corrected me and said it was sand. - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

Staff is amazing and accommodating! Sunday afternoon I had a party of 13 and needed a last minute Plan B. I called Cafe Fiore and Lola set me up with a private dining room that was perfect for our 90th Birthday Celebration! The ambiance was impressive and felt like Old World Italian with vintage accents and lush fabrics. We were put in good hands with Emma who patiently took care of us and made excellent recommendations. We started with their signature bread and dip and ordered bruschetta for the table. Everyone enjoyed their meals and food was hot and came out in a timely manner. I loved my Butternut Squash Tortellacci with a lovely sage scented cream sauce and would order again! Other dishes including Lasagna, short rib hamburger, minestrone soup, salmon salad, fettuccine ragu, Margherita pizza, ravioli with chicken and spinach in a fresh tomato basil sauce were hits as well. Emma helped with recommendations for dessert and we landed on 3 dessert sampler platters and cannolis to share around the table and the birthday boy was presented a festive dish of ice cream bedecked with a Sparkler. Highly recommend Cafe Fiore for groups or even a romantic dinner for 2. Thank you for saving the day and accommodating our party! read more

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The food was good - it's usually good and I really like the ambiance of Cafe Fiore. The issue is the service and it's only the waiters - the host/hostess and buss boy/girl are fine. But the waiters are so rude. You have to ask several times to get anything. I especially love the "manager" watching their phone while folding napkins. I'm sure that's motivating. Overall the food is good - but the service needs to improve. read more

Very good food the service was awesome I had the best glass of wine. I was very disappointed In the fact that I am a yelper, and they denied me the discount that they have on ad see picture give them five stars because they are a very good restaurant and the service was awesome Disappointed in the on duty manager that denied the discount read more

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This is hands down my favorite restaurant. The pasta is always fresh, the drinks are fantastic, and the staff truly make the experience special. I absolutely love this place and have been coming here for years. The tree house has ambiance too. read more

Food was not good. Left it untouched. Ordered the lasagna and the noodles were super overcooked and it was more like cheese soup than lasagna. No flavor, just mush. It felt like eating glue. Service was mid--not bad, not exceptional, just okay. We did have to wait a while to be helped to get the check after we were ready to leave. The busser acknowledged us before our server since we were waiting so long. It was not busy. The staff were all polite though when they did interact with us. My partner got sick from his dish. The dishes were also broken and partially dirty. Wouldn't recommend. read more

Great food. Johnny is a nice guy but horrible server. Please Johnny work on your service. Been here a handful times and he happens to be our server and the worst service. Check in with your table sometimes. read more

Took my daughter on a daddy daughter date and Fiore did NOT disappoint! Everything ordered was amazing, even the bread and tapenade delivered to the table at the beginning of the meal! read more

The food wasn't bad but our dishes were so salty, I'm not sure if it was a one time thing just that night but it was our first time and that experience is enough to make us not go again. I had the minestrone soup and it tasted salty and my main dish, pasta al forno, was also salty. My boyfriend got the lasagna and he agreed with the saltiness. I drank a lot of water the rest of the night going into the next morning. The food wasn't bad like disgusting tasting just the sodium felt through the roof for us. read more

Great vibes, great food. Yves was a fantastic waiter. He was super helpful and friendly, couldn't ask for better service. Thank you Yves and thanks you Cafe Fiore!! read more

It's so sad to see the nosedive that is happening to this place. It used to be so delicious and consistent. Took my friend out for his birthday a few weeks ago, he had never been. We ordered the Venturini to start (pancetta wrapped jumbo prawns with Balsamic glaze and spinach over polenta). I've had it before and it was delicious; I hyped it to my friend as a "must try". It came out without the glaze, absolutely tasteless. I asked a server passing by if we could get the glaze that was missing. 6-10 minutes goes by and she brings out a ramekin of hardened glaze! What am I supposed to do with that?! It should have been offered to remake it but we didn't even touch it. So disappointing. What was more disappointing is that while this was happening, we could see our server sitting by the expo food window eating his dinner. He sees his tables food ready, grabs it and runs it out without washing his hands! So disgusting! Why would any restaurant allow their staff to eat so close to the kitchen?! Once I saw it, I couldn't stop looking and it made me lose my appetite. Spaghetti and meatballs comes out... sauce with absolutely no flavor, meatballs incredibly bland and apparently store bought/frozen. The only thing I can say that was great and has always been consistent is the dessert. The cheesecake is outstanding but I don't think I'll be back unless I have only a sweet tooth. read more

Had a lovely lunch Friday afternoon. We brought our German Shepherd and she was welcomed by staff on outside patio. I have to say food was fantastic and service by Cody was impeccable. Can't wait to go back....we are planning to try everything on menu from appetizers to their delightful desserts. read more

This was the first time dining here but not the first time stopping by. The previous time, we stopped by but during both visit, it was pretty quiet. May have been during the quiet pass time so we gave it a pass as well. But to actually stopped in for dinner, it was great. Saturday night with no reservations and pretty much every restaurant was at least a 45 min wait. We came by to actually look at the menu while waiting for a table Somewhere else. Good thing we stopped by. Menu looked really good and there was a couple of tables open. Outside dining like everywhere else with a covered canopy. Plus it was cold so the sat us next to a heater. The men was pretty impressive. Basically everything looked appetizing as we were hungry. First off, the bread and duping sauce they brought out, wow. It was like a salsa dip that was incredible. We started off with the calamari. Did not know that it was also served with fried broccoli and leeks I believe. Good combo of fried calamari and the veggie served with the warm marina sauce. Dinner was great, the pasta was amazing. Fresh and home made. The seafood pasta had it all, mussels, clams, scallops and shrimp. The steak and mushrooms pastas was incredible as well. Sliced steak served in a creamy sauce with mushrooms. Both meals was incredible. The flavors were great. To finish off, we checked in on yelp and dessert was offered with two entrees. We went with the warm bread pudding. Of course, amazing. Served with fruit and drizzled with caramel sauce. Overall, glad we stopped by for dinner. Food was great. Service was amazing. Plus, with everything in LA closed for dining, it was nice to be out for a meal. read more

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Love the butternut squash here and also the lasagna. The bread is outstanding and so is everything on the menu. Nice wine list as well. Good simple Italian restaurant read more

My friends and I had late dinner on Sat. 6/28. I've dined here in the past and recommended to my friends because the food was good. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed with my Oso Buco meal. The meat was not tender if anything a bit hard. I asked for angel hair pasta with marina sauce instead of the Risoto. The sauce tasted like it came out of a can. Lack flavor and there were chunks of tomatoes unlike a typical marina sauce. Very disappointed read more

Just do yourself the favor and get the lasagna. It's to die for. If not, then the steak with mash and creamed corn. Those are my to-go-to's! You can got wrong with either. Everything else on the menu is pretty much the same as anywhere else. But they have a phenomenal happy hour!!! read more

Cafe Fiore - After we were done with the happy hour menu - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

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Didn't like the pizza. Crust was very flat and dense. Not light and airy. More like a cracker crust. Spicy sausage on the pizza was quite good but having avocados so large took away some of the overall flavor. The salad and burrata tray was quite good. I had a beautiful wine, Red Blend, Beckmen, "Cuvee Le Bec", Santa Ynez Valley, 2020. This was $60 a bottle and just superb! Yes it's higher priced compared to a wine store but splitting the cost with a friend made it worth it. read more

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We tried their lavender martinis, which were super strong and good! Ravioli was okay, nothing special but I loved the bread that came with it. read more

Cafe Fiore - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

We had an excellent time at Cafe Fiore! Stopped by looking for a bar seat- great service and the food was so good! Tried the artichoke frito with arugula yum! And the butter nut squash raviolis. Both so delicious and completely different. We were so full no room for dessert . Seemed like there were lots of locals there too-always a good sign. read more

Bit of an uneven experience for our first time trying Cafe Fiore. Since I love Italian food more than Dear Hubby does, were I to suggest going back, he might nix the idea. We gave it a go during their happy hour last Sunday afternoon. They quoted a wait for a table, so I put our name in and we hung out in front of the restaurant. They didn't have any kind of paging system or texting, so we were tethered to them. The whole time we were cooling our heels, a tall two-top under an umbrella in their makeshift extended patio area on California Street was vacant. A group of three was ahead of us, but they wouldn't have fit the small table. They were seated at a different location, and still that table was open. The hostess didn't seem to have good control of the situation was the impression I got. I was getting antsy about it, and it was warm standing in the sun. Just as I went to ask the hostess about that table, she connected with me and said they had a place for us on their side patio and it should be shaded. Well, it was only semi-shaded. DH had to go back to the car to get his hat. The side patio had an old world charm to it with bright containers of flowers against yellow walls. It all looked well-seasoned, like it had been in place for years. We ordered several dishes to sample from the happy hour menu. The runner who brought them was on a speed mission - he would drop them and be gone in an instant. If we wanted anything else, or had any questions, too bad for us. As it happened, the mini meatballs with marinara over mashed potatoes had a delicious flavor, but the dish was barely warm. Our server didn't check on us for quite some time. When I offered that info to tell the kitchen, she thanked me and said she would, but didn't apologize for the lack of properly prepared food. Their wedge salad with dates and delicious bleu cheese dressing was definite hit with both of us. A value choice at $5 on the HH menu, too. DH ordered the lamb slider. I had a small sampling of the meat, which was quite tasty, and plentiful on the bun. The best dish was the fried calamari with tempura vegetables. Perfectly-prepared calamari offered a delicate flavor on their own. A very generous portion of house-made marinara sauce came along for dipping. Broccoli was the only vegetable representing that part of the dish. Not quite fully cooked, that wasn't as satisfying as the calamari. DH ordered a Peroni draft beer, and I tried one of their mocktails. It wasn't quite what I expected, and was a small portion for $8. I would stick with water in the future. Our server was very pleasant, but had too many tables. She didn't have any time to spend with us, other than the bare minimum. Having her check in after the dishes were served would have been preferred, and helpful. I heard several other tables ask the busboy for the server as they were ready to pay the bill. We asked to see the dessert menu, but decided to pass as $10 to $12 for a sweet treat seemed too much after an uneven dining experience. Recognizing that these aren't normal times by a long shot, and most restaurants that are still open are trying their best, I did enjoy some of the items we ordered. It was just a rough go on certain aspects of the meal. read more

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This beautiful place is easily missed but it's definitely worth the finding it. Interior is spacious. Service is always quick for us and the waitresses and waiters are the friendliest. Depending on what you order this place is pretty light yet filling. Not too little and definitely not too much. I've never had a bad meal here. It's quite a charming place. I've posted reviews as well to Instagram and TikTok as @battygonebatty. read more

It was great that we were seated right away. Make reservations if you can. It was a busy Saturday night & the restaurant was packed. Our waitress was good but seemed very busy with other tables. My husband ordered a beer & it prob took about 20 min for him to get it. She kept informing us that it will be served shortly. A must try: calamari. We had a few servers checking in on us; refilling our glasses. When we asked if we could get more bread, another server said sure but we charge $3. What?!!! We never got to finish our bread bc it was taken before our meal was over. Their service seemed fast & felt like they wanted to finish their job. Tiramisu was heaven but don't get the cannoli. Tasted too heavy & dense. read more

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Great atmosphere and beautifully decorated. Popped in on a busy night, and luckily got seating right next to the fireplace. Came in for a quick drink, but ended up staying to enjoy a couple bottles of Daou. It was the evening of the Winter Wine Walk,so the staff were very busy, yet pleasant. Can't wait to come back to try some food options. read more

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Was really looking forward to this dinner while we were spending a weekend with extended family at the beach. We even got the private room. Sadly that is where the good vibes stopped. Our waitress either didn't care about us, forgot us or was slammed. Either way we were ignored often. Cocktails took 25 minutes. Water and other drinks were never refilled. I had the osso buco, my wife had the roasted lamb (stinco). My meal was bland. Her lamb wasn't cooked long enough. My mom's special pasta with asparagus and crab wasn't great. Place looked good, smelled good, but did not deliver. read more

Cafe Fiore - Stinco - Italian Near Me - Ventura, California

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