Never had a more dry and tasteless Linguine Mare Monti in my life. Our host was raving about the food at this place. No comparison to Italian restaurants in NY. read more

My siblings took me here for dinner on my birthday. The food and drinks was absolutely delicious! Our waiter was so polite, professional, and knowledgeable. He really was great! We had a nice booth like seating, that made it seem all exclusive like, the way it curved. Very fancy, nice restaurant. I even used valet parking for the first time and that was reasonable priced. All and all I was impressed with the establishment. Forgot to get a picture of my brother's pasta he had and the seating but it was all good. The waiter even brought out some cool dessert with a lite candle on it for my birthday. It was nice! read more

Cafe Napoli - a plate of steak and broccoli - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

See all

Dining alone tonight but wanted to try a new place that I have heard many of my coworkers talk about. I was seated at at table by the window which overlooked the patio. Ordered a dirty martini and was reviewing the drink selection. This was a presentation on an iPad vs a menu and was a very large selection of wines. (Nice touch) Feature dinner presentation was given by the waiter with actual cuts that were on the menu. (Another nice touch) I ordered a Caesar salad and the Bobe in ribeye. The salad was out in a flash and the offer of fresh ground pepper was delivered by a different waiter. I only bring this up because normally it is a course grind. Here, it is a find grind that gives a more consistent taste across the salad. (Yep, nice touch #3) Next out, the cowboy ribeye. Bone in, it think it was 16 oz, with broccoli and small baked potatoes. Cooked to perfection, cut like butter with some kind of pepper rub possibly on it. I can say this, it was fantastic. If I wasn't so full I would have loved to try something off of the selection of deserts but I just couldn't see any of that steak go to waist. As I was paying the waiter asked if he could get my car pulled up from valet. (Nice touch #4). Look forward to coming back. read more

I got there and bar area was reserved for a birthday party (totally fine). After inquiring if there is another area of the bar my party could go to, bouncer told me to get the "f" out of here. Totally inappropriate and no professionalism . I've come here multiple times and never gotten this service. Now I will never come back again. Please don't bring your business here. read more

just had the surf and turf (steak over lobster risotto) and the chilean sea bass. certified GAS. the lobster caprese and truffle fries are sure worth ordering and sharing. no drinks, probably ~ $250 with tip. read more

Amazing food and great service. This is one of the most consistent restaurant I know in STL. Every one is friendly employees and patrons and that makes for a great ambiance. I could eat there everyday!!! read more

Cafe Napoli - Beautiful day. Fall 2019. I took my mother who was visiting from Portugal. - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

We have had 1,000,001 good times here over the years. This is literally the only "nice" bar that you can go to in St. Louis, so we ended up here more times than not by default. Han Is by far the best, and makes the entire place better. read more

service by Alyssa at the bar was amazing. drinks were delicious as was the food. Love the atmosphere of the place and especially loved the blueberry lemon martini read more

Food and drinks were amazing!! We had a large party and the staff was very accommodating.

One of my favorite spots to dine outside. I ordered my usual old fashioned and it was way above most. My entree was the pasta with shrimp and scallops. The portions of seafood and noodles were perfect. i checked out the other patrons' plates and they looked great. read more

I would give less than star review. Restaurant was to crowded to eat inside. Asked for bar seating and was told none was available. Two women walked up and told hostess they was going to the bar and walked in. I was seated with a warm heat lamp. Comfort level was good on patio. Waiter brought 2 glasses of water. My glass was cracked from rim to center of glass. My dinner guest glass had 3 lip stick stains. Waiter and Supervisor of the night after my beckoning removed glasses. Server apologized and asked if we would like a cocktail. I ordered a Millionaire Margarita. I received a glass with low ice no garnishment or salt on rim. Just a straw! The waiter asked to take order after giving a basket of bread with butter. Truly the only thing I liked was the bread and butter. I tipped the waiter and refused to order from the establishment any further. Napoli I will not be back if that was low key your intention. (Not dressed for the Setting) read more

Excellent food! Service was good but it took time - our party was about 10 people but it took quite a while to get the food. Was delicious though! read more

For me, I believe Cafe/Bar Napoli is a solid 4 stars and here's why: 1: Service is very good. However at times can be a bit slow. 2: Food is very good. We had the calamari, smoked salmon with capers, and the toasted raviolis. I especially thought the smoked salmon was very good. 3: Atmosphere was nice. Both inside and outside seating are nice areas. However, the live music was a little too loud. If you haven't been to Napoli in Clayton, check it out. read more

See all

Review is a composite of Saturday night dinner and numerous business dinners. Valet makes parking easy. Service is always spot on perfect and professional. My drink stirrer is always promptly removed after I place it on the table. Fresh silverware with each course. Two personal service hallmarks for me. Veal in any form is my go to and it never disappoints. read more

In St. Louis on business and a group of us had dinner her. Absolutely lovely experience and the food was divine. Formal dining at it best. Thank you for the experience. read more

We never go out to eat in Clayton. But we landed at Cafe Napoli late on a weeknight after a high school event. The place was good enough that we might make the drive to Clayton just to go back. I had the veal saltimboca. It was perfect. Bedside the veal being perfectly cooked, it had a layer of prosciutto on top that was slightly crispy and tender. It was easy to get veal, prosciutto and sauce in every bite. A fantastic dish. My wife got the stack salad and loved it. In addition to tasting great, it looks impressive on the plate. They also have great bread, good wine list, and make great old fashioneds. read more

A must stop if you are in the area. Very good food, large portions, very attentive service. Chef almost always delivers my food which is a cool touch. I always eat in the bar area as I am alone on business travel. I will give it a shot for entertaining as well vs the traditional steakhouse route. read more

Probably the best Italian restaurant in town when it comes to fine dining. Great atmosphere and great service. Best restaurant in Clayton by a mile. Would highly recommend trying their pasta and cocktails. read more

Great choice for local high end Italian. Located near our home in downtown Clayton makes it even better. Mid week escape to catch up. Made a reservation for two using Open Table. Greeted and seated in the bar upon arrival. Tastefully done interior. Upscale but not pretentious. Tony, the owner, stopped by the table as I often see him do. Classic dishes. Wait staff was attentive and spot on. All hands on deck approach to food delivery. Cocktails, a little bread with oil, salads and some excellent Sea Bass atop spinach with a twist. Lingered a while just people watching. During winter the crowds a bit more mature. Open season starts when the weather breaks and the patio opens. Always a great choice. For a quick mid week meal to a special event, Tony seems to consistently delivery the high quality food and ambiance that you'd expect. Kudos. Job well done. read more

Food was fantastic, service even better (thanks Paul)! Tortellini family style was my pick of the bunch, veal parmigiana right behind it.

Excellent meal the other night. Had the seafood pasta, garlicky, a bit of heat, lots of goodies (seafood that is), only small issue was there was little to no sauce to allow my table bread to have a good purpose (I am sure the el-dente linguini soaked it all up making the flavor of the noodles perfect -just like it supposed to be). The sea bass was perfectly cooked, great flavor, succulent, and sweet, again the only peccadillo was that the fish had little sauce and with sea bass for sure you need a bit of flavoring to help the fish really hit its potential. Oh well, minor indeed. Next meal I will ask for more sauce, haha. read more

We came in with a large party on a busy night, without reservations. They were able to seat us after a short wait. The atmosphere is upscale, but relaxed and casual. The staff are very attentive providing excellent service. The kitchen was a bit slow, but it was worth the wait. The food was tasty and well prepared. read more

I went to support this place and it was my first time going. Had an experience that I didn't care for. It was me and 3 of my friends that went and we were seated before two other groups and they were served their food before us. We waited for over an hour to get out food. The lead waiter came over to us to say they were backed up in the kitchen and that they had "high priority " customers. We immediately thought, what does that mean?!? We're all here spending our money. Then after he thought abt it, he returned with some fries, trying to smooth over the blooper he let spill from his mouth. We will NOT be returning or supporting the other restaurants. read more

Excellent food. Nice atmosphere. Service was very attentive, almost too much so. We had a large group and people enjoyed their dishes. read more

Gorgeous, upscale restaurant with delicious food and wine. This was my first experience at Cafe Napoli for a business dinner and I found myself surprised. Because it is attached to a bar, Bar Napoli, I expected a more casual experience. This is certainly a formal restaurant-- glad I overdressed! There were only a few other tables occupied when we arrived at 6pm, and the large windows provided a wonderful ambiance as the sun set. Bread, butter, olive oil, and parmesan were provided. I ordered the 8 oz. filet (came with well-seasoned potatoes and a couple pieces of broccoli) and the Bella Napoli salad. Great Italian salad- good portion size and tasty dressing. The steak was one of the best steaks I've had in a while- cooked perfectly medium rare with a butter sauce glazed over. I was highly impressed with the food. As a table of sales people, we recognized (and could appreciate) our salesman of a server. He knew the menu in and out and was focused on the upsell- the new raw bar, appetizers, family plates, desserts. He was pleasant and quick-witted. An interesting experience was the presentation of the meats. I had never seen this before. Our server presented the uncooked steak and fish options on a platter and explained the flavors and consistencies that we could expect. Overall, my first experience at Cafe Napoli was a great one. However, once the tables around us started filling in, it got incredibly loud. So much that I found myself straining to hear across the table through most of the meal. My suggestion to Cafe Napoli management would be to address the acoustics of the room or maybe just place fewer tables close together. read more

Cafe Napoli's a good venue with a good vibe and plenty of space. The food is pretty decent, and the portions are impressively large. Service was great. Valet parking is available, but there's plenty of street parking as well. read more

Yes. Great Food 100 times in a row. Order anything! Bar tender is great. I have been going here for 20 years.

I would definitely return to eat here! I love the atmosphere inside and outside - the wine was on point, food delicious, and service was great. read more

See all

Food: 5 Stars Service: 5 Stars When we made reservations, we asked to be seated in a more private room if possible. The hostess seated us in a closed off room where we could enjoy each others company, celebrating a co-worker's incredible milestone with the company. The ambiance was classy, while the staff were friendly and prompt. Great first impression. The cocktails were on point and our server recommended a delicious red wine to go with our meals. While I can't speak for everyone else, I can say that my meal as well as my husband's were robust and full of flavor! His steak was juicy and cook to perfection while my scallops melted in my mouth. The entire party left the evening with smiles all around. Will we be back? You bet! Thanks for a great experience! read more

A little history about Cafe Napoli: Cafe Napoli is a family owned restaurant, established in 1989 by Tony and Kathy Pietoso. Quickly becoming a success, they moved the small basement restaurant to a larger location at the corner of Forsyth and Bemiston in the heart of Clayton. In 2003, sons Ande and Kye expanded their family restaurant by adding Bar Napoli, a swank cocktail lounge. A few years later, Napoli Reserve was added onto Bar Napoli allowing for private event space and an additional bar and lounge for the weekends. After years of a flourishing business, Kathy and Tony decided to take their ventures West to Town and Country where they opened their second location, Napoli, managed by Ande. Kye has taken the reigns from his father and is now the front man for the 8,000 square foot establishment in Clayton. Cafe Napoli and Bar Napoli have recently undergone a face lift inside and out. Inside the kitchen, Executive Chef Chip Bates was added to the team, bringing fresh ideas and innovation to the regional Italian specialties. Food: Calamari Fritti - $9.50. Large portion size. Delicious! Bruschetta di Pomodori - $7.50. Fresh ingredients and one of my favorite appetizers here. Caesar salad - $9.50. Was pretty close to the traditional caesar dressing that is made with garlic and anchovies. However, not over powering and tasted smooth. Veal Marsala - $13. De-Lish-Ous! This dish won me over immediately. The meat was tender and cooked to a perfection. The sauce was delicious. Service: Excellent service from our waiter. Attentive to detail, came around and checked on everyone at the table. Ambiance: Upscale and classy. Nice place to take clients or dates. Overall: Be prepared to spend a little more than your average budgeted dinner spot. Prices here are slightly higher, particularly on their wines. Nothing really spectacular, but a good experience overall. read more

Cafe Napoli - Veal - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

In a word: WOW!! We came in for lunch with 3 adults and 3 kids. They were extremely accommodating...made us feel right at home. Our server, Angela, was super kind, attentive, and knowledgeable. We shared the roasted pepper bruschetta and toasted ravioli to start. So delicious!! My daughter and I split the frutti de mare and the tortellini...I honestly can't decide which was better because they were both out of this world!! If you appreciate awesome Italian food, do yourself a favor and don't miss this one!! read more

Cafe Napoli - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

Hands down best dining experience in Saint Louis. Tony and his staff are with out a doubt the most on point customer service experience we have ever had. From the moment we walk in the staff not only remembers my name, they also remember my children's names and everything from our drinks to what we prefer on the side. The food is incredible, the staff is kind and very attentive and Tony is always present making his rounds to say hello and showing his appreciation for your business. From my opinion to my 4 children ages ranging from 20 to 10yrs old...It's not just a fabulous meal it truly is one of the best overall experiences in STL. Can't forget to mention JP and Jerome our awesome servers! read more

Cafe Napoli - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

This place is so overrated. A friend of mine told me Cafe Napoli was excellent and that she goes there almost daily for lunch. She raved about how great the pasta is and suggested we go there since she was going to be in town. She made reservations for 3 people for 7:30pm. It was a Thursday night. Not even a prime day. We got there early around 7:25pm and the place was a mobscene. We informed the hostess of our 7:30 reservation and she told us we'd have to wait a while and that they quote "had way too many reservations tonight." Uh okay. Well we waited. And waited. And damn, it was about 8:00pm and the manager/host/whoever kept giving us excuses. We were ABOUT to leave when they finally seated us. It was really obnoxious. Finally, we sat down and it took them another 10 minutes just to bring the menus, bread, and water. They brought us out two free appetizers as consolation for making us wait so long. Hey, not bad. Well, I tried the toasted ravioli and it was...okay. Not too bad for toasted rav but I am not super crazy about it either, so eh... we also got to try the eggplant parm. It was drowning in cheese and red sauce. The eggplant itself was sliced uber thin and I could barely taste it. It was like just eating straight up melted mozzarella with red sauce. Not really my cup of tea but it was free so I can't complain. The bread was some of the worst bread I have ever had at a restaurant, and that's saying something. I think the worst bread ever was Duff's because it was stale. Well this was 2nd to that, it was really dry and did not taste fresh at all. Also, my friend found a bug floating in her glass of water. Obviously, they replaced it in a hurry....but uh, ewwww! I asked the server if the pasta there was homemade. Nope. It's not homemade. So why did my friend rave about it so much? I guess I had to find out. We ordered our dinners; I decided to get the rigatoni cardinale. It sounded like something I'd really enjoy...pasta, scallops, shrimp, and a creamy wine sauce. Mmm. Well, when our food arrived, it was barely edible. The pasta, first of all, took "al dente" to a whole 'nother level. It was HARD and difficult to chew, at least for me. Maybe it was the type of pasta I ordered, I don't know. My friend's pasta was angel hair and easier to chew. Secondly, it was SO spicy that my tongue and entire mouth was on fire. I couldn't taste a single lick of flavor because my tongue was being assaulted with spice. There was NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING on the description for that item on the menu about spicy. My friend, however, ordered the diavolo or something like that, and it was even spicier than mine. She eats spicy food all of the time and even SHE thought it was too hot to handle. She didn't send hers back but I had to. I just couldn't do it. The server was apologetic and he brought the menu back to me so I could try again. Well, I told him I was terrified to order anything else because that clearly was not marked "spicy" and it came out insanely spicy. He promised me the replacement dish would not be spicy at all. I asked if I could get an alfredo sauce with seafood pasta. He seemed hesitant but then he said that yes, they could do a white creamy sauce with clams. OK sounds good. Welllll, about 8 minutes later I got my food but it was the exact dish I had ordered before. Not white sauce. I asked him what was up with that and he said they just wanted to "give it a second try" without the spices. Err, okay then. (Later on, I realized there wasn't a single white sauce dish on the menu yet my friend insisted she had had several white garlic sauces for lunch.) Odd. Anyway, I tried my dish the 2nd time around and it was SO SO SO much better. The pasta was still hard though, and the seafood seemed a little too overcooked, but the sauce had a great flavor, now that I could actually taste it. But really, the best part of the entire meal was the glass of pinot noir I ordered, which they gave to me for free, by the way, which was really nice of them. I really did appreciate how kind they were and how they tried very hard to fix all of the mistakes and bad stuff that was happening, but this is not going to bring me back. Too many things went wrong all at once and just getting into the restaurant was a huge pain. I doubt I will ever come back to this place, even if it didn't cost me anything, and I mean that. My suggestions: - Better management/training needed, especially for reservations. I'd hate to see what a Friday or Saturday is like at this place. - More attention to detail. Like how our server tried to bring the check out while I was STILL eating. And no insects in drinking water, old bread, etc... - Better quality ingredients and chefs that don't taint every dish with a pound of red pepper flakes. Pasta that isn't super hard either would be a plus, even homemade pasta would make a world of difference. When you charge upwards of 20 bucks for an entree, it needs to be matching quality. My 2 cents. read more

Cafe Napoli - Rigatoni Cardinale. It was too spicy to bear, I had to send it back and ask for a non spice version. It's not even listed as a s - Italian Near Me - Clayton, Missouri

I've been here way to often in the past few weeks but the Cioppino soup is amazing and I could eat it everyday. I've been taking orders to-go and they are speedy and take it RIGHT out to my car (I don't have to get out of my work from home pajamas). I look forward to eating out her again son! I strongly recommend stopping here any night for great food. read more

I love going to Napoli for drinks and dinner but tonight I did not care for the waiter that was assigned to our table. He was extremely inattentive and clearly was not connecting well with our table. He was often times talking to his apparent regulars at the bar rather than attending to his tables. It was extremely rude and apparent. We were at a four person table and we all ordered the specials and they were fantastic! I personally had the strip steak rare and it came out in a huge portion! It was at least 12 oz if not more. I was extremely impressed also with the fingerling potatoes because they were flavorful and it's extremely rare to do that with potatoes. Yes, because the steak was so large, the side dish portions seemed small. But all in all it was 5 Stars. I had to dock it to a 3 star because of the service (stated above) and also it's hard to move about the bar area because there is limited space and we usually go with older couples that can't move around that well so it was difficult. read more

The staff and management create an incredible atmosphere. They go out of their way to ensure you have a memorable experience. The food, wine options and table service are impeccable. Love the Shrimp Cocktail and Steak selections. Special call out to Charlie for assisting on Olya's Bday event. +60 Attendees and everyone had a fun evening. Olya was smiling the entire evening. HIGHLY RECOMMEND! read more

Love the food at lunch, etc., but the bar experience is really disappointing. Got the worst Old Fashioned I've ever ordered from some dude who walked around drinking from a gallon jug of water. Stick to the lunch meal. Skip the bar. read more

I don't have the right words for how amazing Cafe Napoli was. Our waiter Paul was attentive, kind, and I told him to surprise me with his choice for my dinner and I was amazed. The entire staff was so incredible. We had 5 people and we all got something different: Veal chop both ways, Chilean Sea Bass, surf and turf, and Veal piccata. We started with eggplant parmigiana which was amazing and then the entrees were mouthwatering. We finished with creme brûlée, chocolate tort, tiramisu, and their famous bread pudding. We drove 45 minutes to enjoy this beautiful meal and the entire staff made us feel as if we have been there a 1000 times before. Thank you Café Napoli, you have made some Illinoisans regulars! read more

We were here for a family event and they placed our party in an adjacent room that was only accessible through the street so I can only report on that room and the food we were served. The appetizers of mini meatballs, sauteed peppers bruschetta and prosciutto wrapped asparagus were all very fresh and well seasoned. For dinner the spinach salad with Gorgonzola and nuts was sweet and tart -a perfect balance in the dressing. The vegetarian pasta San Remo had good flavor but was nowhere near spicy enough so we had to ask for crushed red pepper. The grilled filet mignon with mushroom sauce was a tiny bit mealy as if they had used a meat tenderizer that broke down the beef a little too much. The grill flavor on themeat and the mushrooms was great. The bread pudding other reviewers had raved about would have been fantastic if they had heated it. It was cold with some pools of butter that had broken and congealed and some of the bread edges were hard. A shame because it had good flavor. The tiramisu was very good as was the spumoni. The party room had a nice quiet feeling to it with dark walls and soft lighting and a big window looking out to the street. read more

The cocktails and apps were good but we didn't get any further than that. My friends and I came here to celebrate a birthday. We were sat at a high top table on the patio to wait for a dining table. We each ordered one cocktail and some appetizers to share. The hostess ensured us she would seat us as soon as a table became available, which she did. We closed our tabs with the cocktail waitress. However, after being seated at a table on the outdoor patio for a full dinner we were never brought any menus by a waiter/waitress. The hostess was aware we were planning on eating dinner but took no actions to send a server to us. We waited at the dinner table for an hour with empty glasses and plates before deciding to leave. read more