Never a bad time... I love Boa. I have been going there for several years now. There is nothing on the menu I haven't tried and I love it all. Now is the time of year to go, the outdoor patio rocks; there is a huge tree and fountain, plenty of shade and has a "back yard garden" feel. If the Patio isn't your style, you need to sit at the bar. The regular bartender is Jorge who is excellent at keeping your drink full and cracking jokes. When i go, usually get a martini (which even at $10 is a bargain base on the quality and volume). If you love wine, Boa wont disappoint, they usually have a good malbec on their specials board. As far as what to eat - Since i normally go during happy hour (most appatizers are 50% off) I get the bruschetta and then the Valentino salad and add salmon. This is a great way to go. The salmon is always fresh and always cooked perfectly. Take a friend, sit at the bar or on the Patio. read more

Have been coming here for years and the food and patio atmosphere are great. Good prices for the quality and quantity; definitely a fabulous place to entertain guests! The cheese plate is by far the best deal you'll find in the Valley. Hidden gem. read more

OK, now I am seriously impressed. The Owner recognized me on my second visit, and bothered to thank me for visiting again. How awesome is that!? Not as awesome as the Tiramisu, which was better than I expected! And huge! For a girl like me, that would be what I would change actually: I need smaller portions. Other than that, I still love this place, and my server was absolutely charming! read more

This is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of wine (or a bottle) on the patio. I can't think of another place I would rather be in Ahwatukee on a nice night. The atmosphere is so relaxing. The food is wonderful. I highly recommend the specials of the day. All of the fish is flown in daily and cooked to perfection! The wine list is very extensive and fairly priced. The butter cake dessert will change your life. If you are in the area, you must stop by! read more

My boyfriend took me to Caffe Boa for my birthday last night. We'd been meaning to go for a while, and I'm glad we finally went. We showed up around 7-7:30 on a Tuesday night, and the indoor dining room is a bit small so we had to wait for a few minutes. The patio outside looks much larger, with pretty lights and foliage, and some heaters for the chilly weather. Our server brought out some french bread with a tasty dip/spread that I later found out to be aioli, which was topped with cracked black pepper and parmesan cheese. Soooo tasty! A unique alternative to so many places that serve their bread with oil/vinegar. We each started with the House Dinner Salad which was maybe the best simple salad I've ever had. Fresh greens, grape tomatoes, thin spears of cucumber and celery, shaved ribbons of carrot, and some other veggies I can't quite recall. The vinaigrette dressing was amazing as well. I ordered the Tortellini Brigantino. Very fresh tasting, wonderfully prepared broccoli which was not overcooked in the slightest. Fresh green peas and a very rich cream sauce, with fresh pepper and cheese as well. My boyfriend got the Kobe Burger special. It was very tender with great flavor, though a little greasy, he felt. Also maybe a bit heavy handed with the blue cheese. It was served with thin, crispy fries. We wanted to share their butter cake for dessert but I was told that the adjoining table had gotten the last piece! Oh, sad day :( We settled on the homemade cannoli, which was still very good. I don't know if the cannoli shells are made in-house, but they were sweeter and more cinnamon-y than most I've had elsewhere. I would like to come back so I can try the butter cake, as well as some of the other tasty-sounding menu items. read more

My husband and I went to Caffe Boa for the second time yesterday. The first time, we were waiting for our to-go sushi order from Sakana next door; so we thought we'd grab an appetizer and a glass of wine while we waited. Thought it was great and the atmosphere was great and figured we'd be coming back often. Last night was different. The first words that we were greeted with were "Where do you want to sit?". Well, hello to you too! When we got to our table we were brought water, but it took about 20 min for someone to come greet us and get our drink order. From this point, the experience was fine. We had a bottle of wine and the Crostini Boa (which the bread should be toasted). We ordered off of the specials for the night. I ordered the beef medallions and my husband had the filet. He ordered it rare, with specific instructions on how it should look. Our order was brought out and our server went back inside. My husband cut into his filet and it was overcooked; medium actually, and when you order it rare, that's REALLY overcooked. My meal was fine. We waited for the server to come back out to ask us how our meal was... and waited... and waited. After 20 min, he finally came back out and asked how everything was. My husband is in the restaurant business and is well aware of how this next part should have gone. My husband told the server his steak was overdone (he only had a bite of it) and the server looked at the steak and said "Yup, that does look overdone. Would you like me to box it up for you?" What?! He should have said, "Yes, that does look overdone. I'm sorry about that, let me get you a new one." When you're paying $40 for a filet entree, and spending almost $200 on a meal and experience, I expect them to get it right, or make it right. We had him box our leftovers and ordered another glass of wine and asked for the check. It was one of very few times that I tipped less than 20%. We won't be going back. read more

A girl friend and I headed here before our trip to shop for a wedding dress - I needed the half bottle of wine we ordered! Was there a happy hour menu? Happy hour prices? We didn't ask, but didn't see anything advertised either. We shared the plate of cheeses, bread, fruit, etc., and it was pretty tasty. Loved the dried figs. We also each ordered the greek (Uro? Oro?) salad, and agreed on the deliciousness of it. I would definitely order that again. Service was a little on the slow side, but we were chatting so much that it was no biggie. I would love to return and try a few more menu items! read more

You will be surprised by the quality of food at Cafe Boa. Set in a little strip mall, you may not expect such a classy bar and restaurant. The service is terrific and the servers will remember you when you come back. They like to make you happy there with the service, but the real happiness comes from the food and wine selections. It is right off of the freeway. It will be worth a stop in. read more

I had heard good things about this restaurant from other people.Im not a fan of huge chain restaurants. I wanted something in Ahwatukee and with a specialized feel. Decided that it was a perfect location for an executive dinner for work. 25 people and they didn't stress about it. Talked to Scott who was so accommodating. He offered to let us use the full menu and not a special "large party" menu. We started with 25 and by the end of the night we were 30!!! The wait staff took care of us like we were the only people in the restaurant. The food was amazing! Everyone raved about it the next day! Caffe BoA Ahwatukee made me look great!! I will definitely be back for more events! THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT EXPERIENCE! read more

Very disappointed in this Phoenix restaurant. I am visiting and my friend suggested we eat there. While the menu is nicely priced, sandwiches make up half of the first page. In small print it states they are not available after 3 or 4. Why take up over a fourth of the menu with something that's not available for dinner? We were there at 6:30, so no sandwich for me. The "specials" which are actually the dinner entrees are listed on a small blackboard on the wall with no prices. I asked about the salmon, and our waiter said "$23". OK...that's more than I want to spend, but there really is NOTHING else that looks appealing to me. (About 1/2 of the menu is pasta, and I don't eat pasta.). So I order the salmon--sauce on the side. The salmon comes--HUGE piece--enough for three meals probably. It is swimming in the sauce. I asked the waiter for another plate and said "I meant 'on the side' for the sauce....not on the plate with salmon on top of it." So he brings me another plate. I eat part of the salmon (which was cooked perfectly, I will add). Then the bill comes--salmon is $24.95. I said to waiter Travis "you told me $23". His response was "I was wrong....I'll fix it on your bill." I said "forget it." When he brought the change, waiter Travis said "next time I'll get it right." I said "there won't be a next time...I don't live here....and I won't be back." Not a good experience as I don't pay $25 for a meal ever--it was way out of my budget. read more

I went here a few nights ago for a work Christmas dinner. It was my first time and most likely my last. Everything was just OK. Our waiter was an older man who acted like he had better things to do all night. Each time he came to the table I always said thank you and he never acknowledged me saying it to him once. The place was PACKED FULL. Like so full that they came to our table and asked if they could take our extra chair (that we had all our purses and presents piled onto). It was also extremely loud in there, you have to lean in to hear what your fellow dining companions are saying to you. The food was alright. I ordered the Voodoo pasta. It sounded like it might have a kick to it. It was very bland and lack luster. Afterward we got dessert. I ordered a brownie. It did not taste like it was fresh baked or even made there. The ice cream they paired it with tasted store bought as well. It was a pretty average place, and not worth the prices they charge there. read more

Had a great dining experience here while on a short trip to Phoenix this past weekend. The patio is pretty with overhead lighting and flowers, even a fountain; a romantic spot for date nights. The food was amazing as was our friendly and knowledgeable server, Allie. She made great recommendations about the menu items at this elegant Italian eatery. I ordered the special blackened salmon with Genovese sauce, like a beurre blanc with capers, lemon and artichoke. Yummy! My husband had the diver scallops over linguine with a cream sauce. Both entrees were prepared well. We had white wine by the glass, Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio with our meal. Did I forget to mention the house sun-dried tomato aioli that comes with bread to start? That was delicious as well. The portions were ample and we were so full we did not have room to sample the highly recommended butter cake. Next time we are in Phoenix we will have to come back and bring some of our friends who live in the area. read more

Ate here two nights with friends and really enjoyed the meals. Had the Sonoma salad which was great with figs and delicious. The voodoo pasta was also really good but a little rich for my tummy. Loved the berry sorbet and my friends raved about the salmon and. Tiramisu dessert. Enjoyed my Chardonnay with dinner. First night, the waitress forgot to bring the bread which was provided on the second night and delicious. The bruschetta was good but would get the asstd one next time. Overall...definitely glad we tried this restaurant. Added plus for dog lovers was that there is an outside eating area which can accommodate your bff. read more

We love this place, and eat here every time we're in town. The prices are reasonable, even on their wine menu. It's nice to have a bottle of Justin, out on the patio. And while the apps are a great addition, I seldom have the room. The meals are delicious, and I love that they're more original than I've found at other places. The wait staff has always been knowledgable and friendly. I, personally, haven't had any service problems here. It's likely more appropriate for an adult crowd. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

Caffe Boa - Italian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

This place is close to my employer and I have been there numerous times. The food is pretty good but I have not had much luck with the service (under staffed in the kitchen and not enough wait staff). I was going to be taking several out of town business guests to dinner. I made reservations and even e-mailed my contact to let them know I expected better service than in the past since I had out of town visitors. Well, we went in for dinner and the service was awful again. I really don't understand why the service is consistently bad. The food is good enough that the owner could get 5 star reviews every time if they spent a little more effort on the service experience. I guess I'll give them a try some time in the future to see if things have changed. If so, I will update the review. read more

This update is for the main reason I came here: BUTTER CAKE I've always loved butter cake because it combines a few of my favorite things besides girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes. Let's start with the presentation: a slab of sexy butter cake, topped with a strawberry, with chocolate and raspberry sauce drizzled all over the plate, and two blackberries and two raspberries to cover the four corners/directions of the plate. Splendid! And then the taste. Lord almighty - the cake part was as delicate and rich as cheesecake, except...BETTER...and more buttery. The crust was thick yet smooth, kind of like bread pudding. Really, it's tough to describe this as nothing can really do this fantastic dessert justice...except by eating it. *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Grade: Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Butter cake while watching Lord of the Rings These are a few of my favorite things read more

Had a girls' lunch here the other day and was pretty impressed with the food and atmosphere. I had the Voodoo Penne and it was amazing!! The bread and olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping sauce was just okay. I actually think Carrabba's has the best bread and dipping sauce around. But anyway, we split of bottle of wine that was delicious. And for dessert, we split the creme brulee and tiramisu. Wasn't crazy about the creme brulee, but then that's not my type of dessert. The tiramisu was incredible! I will definitely return to this restaurant with my hubby for a date night. Hopefully it will be cool enough to sit on the patio as it looked delightful and romantic. read more

So, I walked in for a last minute happy hour celebration and was impressed by the decor. As soon as I walked in I could smell the deliciousness of the food luring me closer to the kitchen. The bartender chats me up, hands me their happy hour menu and begins to make me one of the most delectable and strong Cosmos outside of NYC. The meatballs and brushetta were out-of-this world. I must go back!! read more

Awesome Ambiance. I had a late supper here with a good friend of mine last Friday and the food and the service gets two thumbs up. The live music was stellar. This is a great place to go unwind or on a date. read more

Apparently having a party that took up all the restaurant. No signage. Hostess just said there is no room and could be hours to sit. Bad attitude! Never been here before...never will! Just walked out. Not even an apology. read more

I'm giving two stars because the food was good, the service, however, was not. I get a better greeting at McDonald's. When we entered I felt like I was bothering the hostess. She also was our server. I tried to be friendly and asked what she would recommend... very cold. She spent most of her time talking to her friends at the bar and never came back to see how things were going. I would expect more from a local family owned restaurant. We've been here a few times over the years and I've noticed their yelp ratings have dropped. We won't be back. read more

The staff seemed to be fixated on each other, then attending to their customers. They were even on their phones texting out in the open. Be a little subtle please. The food was alright. The Agnolotti Boa raviolis were overcooked; too chewy. I might give it another try the food again in the future, but not anytime soon. read more

This place is located on the corner of a strip mall. From the outside the 25 yr old strip mall doesn't seem inviting, but the inside and outside areas of the restaurant are actually quite nice. We came here with a party of six on a recommendation from me because I had eaten here twice before and it was very good, although it has been at least a year since I was here. The problems began right away. We had a reservation for the outside patio. When seating we were seated in the far corner of the patio with no lights. Could not read the menu. In addition, it was 60 degrees outside and we asked the waiter to light the rollable heaters. He said only 1 of the 5 they had sitting there had gas in it so most of us were quite cold during the whole meal which makes it hard to enjoy (the one heater just didn't pump much heat). I understand if one of your tanks runs out but 4 of 5 out means you just don't care about it. This place claims an award winning patio but they sit us in the dark without adequate heat and don't offer to move us or tell us before? Unacceptable. The initial ordering went fine and our appetizers came out pretty quickly. The bruschetta, calamari, and table bread were all good. However, it took 40 minutes for our main dish to come after we finished the appetizers. For me this much time between starting to eat and get the main dish ruins the meal. The place was not crowded. After about 20 mins I went into the restaurant/bar area and found the waiter watching basketball on the tv entranced. This always bothers me especially when things are late and our drinks aren't getting refilled, which was the case. Even if he wasn't busy at the time he should be walking around checking on things not watching tv. God, I sound like my father. So, main dishes were mixed reviews. I heard the salmon was great. I had the scallops. They were rubbery and not seared well. I realize that scallops are hard but for a $20 plate I expect better. They were smothered in an Alfredo sauce with pasta. Way too much sauce and too rich for my tastes. I expected a better tasting sauce with more refinement. In taking a poll it was hit or miss whether people liked their meals. Some did, some didn't. Bottom line: one of my pet peeves is expensive restaurants that don't get the basics right or treat you well. This place is at least $30-35 per person and I'd expect them to have the basics figured out. They didn't. read more

What a great family restaurant this is ! From the beginning you come in till the moment you leave you feel yourself really as a guest. Being with a big group (14 persons with a small kid) it appears that is not a problem at all. On a wonderfull patio you feel good in a fast moment. The hostess was very kind and patient and had great advices about the food. Unbelievable how quite it can be on a patio at the Eliot Road. We absolutely. come back an other time. read more

Really wanted to give this place another chance but was again completely disappointed. We ordered Voodoo Penne and Boa Bowtie with gluten substitute. The bowtie came out with just peppers, onions and chicken. When I asked about the other vegetables listed, the waitress told me that they had a big catering order that probably used all the vegetables. Well, I think I should have been told that when I ordered because I certainly would have made another selection. I know she was making this up because my husbands Voodoo Penne had asparagus, and artichoke hearts on his pasta but none on mine. She told me she would check with the kitchen but she never reported anything back to us. Also I ordered a glass of wine at 5:45 and asked if we could still get it at the happy hour price. Happy hour is over at six. She said no problem. But that didn't happen either. I was charged 12.00 for a glass of Chianti. This restaurant is in my neighborhood and we love to give locals our business, but every time I go here, there is some issue with our order. We love the live music but this place really needs to focus on delivering what is on the menu. read more

I think my Husband and I came at a bad time for our first visit...We went on a Friday night, when it was packed and there was some big dinner party out on the patio. Being that it was packed on the inside we were kind of left sitting in the corner of the patio with the dinner party. So it was a little a distracting. I think the restaurant, what little I saw of it, is nice. It's a nice little romantic place, with low lights, and live music. I did see kids there, though, so it can be a good for families, too. The wait staff was very friendly. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the menu, which was helpful as it was our first time there. The food, then, was really excellent. I had the tortellini brigantino which was very tasty. There was also a nice helping of it so there was plenty to take home and I felt I was getting my money's worth. In general, it's not a bad place and I certainly can see why people enjoy it, but it just might be awhile before we visit again. read more

Still sitting on the fence on this place, BUT the owner sent me a Yelp message and encouraged me to stop by and then do an update on my original review. Kudos to him for reading Yelp reviews and listening to customers...we'll see what happens on my next visit. But I give him credit for being involved and listening to yelpers. read more

Good! Very good! Met a friend here for happy hour with my hubby. Got some wine, beer, and the antipasto plate. Was a LOT of food... and very tasty! They allowed us to have the password for their wifi, which was also very nice. I'll be back! read more

Excellent service and the food was top notch. We had the steak medallions, very very tender and the Salmon. Both were high quality.

I took my family here on a Sunday night for a nice dinner out. Personally, I had the bolognese and found it satisfactory. We split a dinner size caesar salad among the three of us and it was still rather large. We all had pastas. In my opinion, they were over-sauced. But, I'm the type of person who likes very little sauce on pasta. Service was good as well. I recommend. read more

I just don't get this place. I know some people like it.....and I've given it more than 1 try.....but it's pretty simple -- the food is not that good. Specifically, the pasta is cooked with a LOT of butter.....and cream sauces, which makes the meal fatty and filling. In addition, the service is just not good. We waited.....and waited. We split a meal and they charged us to do it. I don't recommend this place....and I won't be going back. read more

Went to Caffe Boa last night for dessert with some friends. This was our first time at this restaurant and the 1st impression was great. Very quaint little Italian cafe with nice ambiance. The service was less than impressive. When we said we were just having drink & dessert to our waiter, he gave us an annoyed look & a very drawn out 'ohhhkay'. It was 5 min until we got water then another 5 before we got the drinks we ordered. Our order was taken shortly after the drinks arrived, which was fine. About 15 min later, our waiter comes back to tell us he forgot what we ordered & wanted to make sure he had it right. We re-ordered and 20 min later we had our desserts. The quality of the food we had was very good. The creme brulee was very well prepared. The cannoli was large and in charge, stuffed with yummy filling. The wild berry sorbet was superb & refreshing. The dark choclate brownie w/ ice cream was SUPER rich & more resembled dark chocolate fudge. A+ for the food & atmosphere, but a solid D for the service. read more

We went here for dessert last night and it was delicious! The butter cake lived up the it's reputation. Can't wait to go back for dinner next time. read more

Caffe Boa - Butter cake was delish! - Italian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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The only thing keeping this 5 stars is the price point and service. The service should be better and more attentive. It took the staff did not welcome me, so I just walked to the bar and sat down. Still it took a while to get service The food is great, but about 20-30% overpriced. read more

Food is good. Reasonable prices. Unfortunately staff is not very knowledgeable and are rushing you trough your meal. Plus they allow people to smoke cigars which is incredibly annoying and grosses you out. read more

Went here the other night with some coworkers after work. It was a nice day so we sat out on the patio. I was afraid that since we were close to the road that it would be distracting but they had a fountain outside which drowned out the sound of traffic and was actually quite pleasant. The waiter started us off with some bread with a sun-dried tomato aioli. I really liked that! We ordered the bruschetta which was probably my favorite part of dinner. It had balsamic vinaigrette on the bread and there was a but of a spicy kick to the tomatoes, I enjoyed it. For the main dish I got the agnolotti boa, which was mushroom ravioli in a tomato cream sauce. It was okay, just not impressive. read more

Outstanding food and service. We had a party of 8 And the staff was so accommodating. Each of us ordered a different entree from the filet mignon to the gnocchi. Very generous portions. Everyone walked away happy and full. Bravo! read more

Over the top ratings but quality of food is nothing spectacular! Run of the mill super XL portions suave is loaded with cheese and a cream based sauce and veggies but not much flavor! And this was their most popular pasta ! Calamari with marinara sauce was ok. Just another Italian restaurant . Not worth going back ! read more

We were actually going to eat next door at Sanaka(sp?) but the wait was too long so we decided to pop in to look at their menu. From the outside Caffe Boa looks like a dingy maybe mom and pop type restaurant, but the inside was a different story. Very cute and romantic place. We opt to sit inside since it was a little cold outside. They had live music with a gentleman playing acoustics outside too. It was loud so if you want to talk, ask to sit inside. Next, the food -- we ordered two of their specials - the clams with linguini and blacken salmon, the bow tie pasta, and their lasagna. They gave very large portions and I like that they use expensive ingredients. For example, the bow tie pasta I asked for shrimp instead of chicken and they were colossal shrimps. They were very generous with the clams too. My favorite was the blacken salmon. The jalapeño sauce was to die for! I also really liked their mix veggies with the salmon. It was hearty - they had carrots, brussels sprouts, green beans, onions, asparagus, bell peppers, and broccoli. YUM! The basmati rice that came with it was also delicious and tastes really good with the jalapeño sauce. Only bad thing was our server, who also was the bartender forgot our bread and silverware and we needed to ask another server (this Asian girl), who was SUPER nice. Almost wished she was our server because our server seemed a bit overwhelmed even though he didn't have many tables and one couple at the bar. Overall, good team work because where our server lacked the other people made up for. Even the busser towards the end was very attentive and cleared our plates promptly multiple times. Will be back whenever when we come back into town. read more

The food was pretty tasty. Beef mediallions, ravoli, etc. The service lacked something to be desired though. Took forever to get bread for the table and waters. No nice greeting with a smile. Too crowded. Servers were moving tables around and bumping into my table & chair. It's was over-priced. Not sure it's worth it to go again. read more