Friends and I eat at Caffe Italia every week sometime 2 times a week. It is that good. This week they served wonderful Burrata raviolis. If anyone knows what Burrata cheese is...you appreciate it being stuffed into a ravioli. These are not your run of the mill raviolis. They are made with homemade dough and as large as ever. The after dinner dessert is the best dessert I have ever had. It is called Affogato. Served in a lovely crystal long stem glass with gelato, a shot of espresso and a fine liqueur. In Italy they serve it as a dessert but you could very easily have it as a before dinner drink. Just delicious. The bartenders are super nice and personable. Giovanni is such a gentleman and served me a straw I requested on a plate. It is details that this restaurant shows in many ways. We all love it there and hope you will as well...ci vediamo li. read more

I will tell you in all sincerity I am a foody I love to eat and try different food. Having said that Tony was nice enough to seat 10 of us in his fabulous new section on the second floor. Bar beautiful. Ambiance excellent. Service top notch. Drinks fabulous. Food only one way to describe it, from Apps to salad to entrees OUTSTANDING A MUST TRY. The only other place I have ever given a 5 to was Cap Grill. Great Company to be in Tony, I may be back for another perfect rack of lamb this weekend. JB read more

We frequent Café Italia because the food and atmosphere are outstanding. Last night was amazing not just because my dish was sooo delicious but our server gave us the best experience we have ever had! Giovanni was filling in at the bar as opposed to waiting on tables. This was our first time meeting him. The service he provided was second to none! Courteous, attentive and very professional! Thank you Giovanni!!! read more

As usual Cafe Italia was wonderful. Brought my cousin for her birthday. We all enjoyed our meals. Our waitress Antonina best ever.

Love the high-end vibe and atmosphere. Cozy. Relaxing. Upscale. And service was attentive and friendly as well. I tried the three-course meal special for $20. Tried the homemade meatballs as my app. They were three medium sized meatballs, which was more than i was expecting for an app. The meatballs were dry and underseasoned. The tomato sauce was too simple -- if I crushed some tomatoes and added salt, that's what it tasted like. It lacked garlic and herbs you come to expect from good sauce. The sauce was pretty disappointing. It needed to be savory, salty, garlicky, but it was just one note of acidic flavor. My entree was chicken parm with linguini. The chicken was cooked and seasoned well, but it was covered in the same tomato sauce. And the pasta was a box pasta covered in the same tomato sauce. The cheesecake wasn't too bad, but nothing special. I prefer the food at Giaccomo's in Melrose, which isn't too far from Caffe Italia, but that's also not saying much. The original Giaccomo's in the North End, in my opinion, is significantly different and better than the Melrose location as far as the food quality and taste is concerned. Anyways, overall, it wasn't bad, especially for the price. But other entrees I've tried from my friend's at the table indicated to me that the quality and flavor were pretty much the same, special or not. We'll probably come back again since we live close by, but it's not the kind of food you crave to come back. read more

This was one of the best Italian restaurants I've been to in a while. we were a party of eight with a reservation. We were promptly seated and were attended by our wait staff shortly after. Overall, the service was great. The waitress was friendly and attentive. We ordered a few different appetizers. The calamari was very good as well as the meatballs. For entrees, the braised short ribs, haddock florentine, and a fusilli special with shrimp and sausage in a pesto sauce were all big hits. We all gave the restaurant 4+ rating and would definitely come back. read more

We chose Caffe Italia for a rehearsal dinner for my son and daughter in laws wedding, I cannot say enough about the venue. Vinny helped with it all and it was perfect. The waitstaff was excellent, they were so accommodating and friendly. I would not think twice about having a function here again. The food was excellent as usual. read more

The food is adequate but out of the Italian places in the area this place is a last resort. The service can be decent but had terrible service last two times I have been here. The bartender/server (think his name is Vin or Vinny) seems completely disinterested. Not filling water or giving a menu until asked. Constantly sitting at the bar with his chin on his fist. This was an ok place at one time, but due to the poor service and the food declining we decided to take a long break from this place. To make things worse Vinnie, wrote back to me to tell me how great he is and he is a half owner. Be insinuated that my review was off base and assured me he works hard. I am sure he works hard but my guess is he must be the son of the owner as the children of owners do not always realize what it takes to build a businesses reputation and keep it. I do not know this to be the case here, but as a small business owner I felt the tone from his reply. I am local, for me this place is lagging in service compared to the other local Italian food establishments. If ge was the least bit contrite and asked I would have removed the review. Truth be told that would have been a gift but after receiving his response, I completely stand by this review. Going out to eat is supposed to feel special, not a burden on a "co-owner". I go out for good food and excellent services, that is a minimum. read more

Looking for good, moderately priced, local meal, my wife and I stopped at Caffe Italia with my in-laws. The place did not disappoint. My mother-in-law and I got the veal parm, my father-in-law the bolognese, and my wife the gnocchi. Caffe Italia offers generous portions at reasonable prices ($20 +/-) per plate. The veal was delicious, but I must say the bolognese looked the best. My father-in-law described it as "unbelievable". The atmosphere is a great, particularly if you get a spot right next to the windows on a nice day. I highly recommend Caffe Italia for a great meal in downtown Marblehead. read more

My family and I went here last night for my mom's birthday. We had a great time. The restaurant is adorable. There's a nice bar in the back where people were having dinner. The drinks were great. We had a very friendly server that was attentive and knowledgable. For appetizers we got the Scallops Amaretto which was really tasty. There were three big scollops with lots of seasoning and amaretto sauce. We also got the Shrimp Grand Marnier. This was my favorite! It also came with three large lightly battered shrimp in an awesome grand marnier sauce! Very flavorful. For entrees, I got the Chicken Contadina. It had three nice sized chicken breasts in a tomato sauce with roasted red peppers, onions and pancetta. Perfectly cooked. I got it with a side of asparagus. Which was cooked perfectly!! My dad got the Seafood Risotto and added calamari to it. It was soooo good! Huge! He loved it. My sister got the Shrimp Fra Diavolo. Very spicy, which we love! The shrimp in the fra diavolo were huge! My mom got the Veal Vincenzo with a side of fusilli. Also very good! The service was great here. We were not rushed during our meals but felt that if we needed to be done sooner that would not have been a problem either. They bring nice bread to the table with oil and seasoning to make your own oil dipping sauce. Overall, great experience. I would recommend giving it a try! read more

Beautiful interior, friendly service and delicious food and drinks. Cafe Italia is 5 stars all around. Our recent visit was for drinks and desert - the espresso and creamsicle martinis were both exactly what we needed. Chilled to perfection and not too sweet. The creme brûlée was life changing. Try out this beautiful quant spot! read more

Caffe Italia - Italian Near Me - Wakefield, Massachusetts

Great food and drinks and service. I go here about once a month Always been great. The calamari is always good. read more

Great place to have some authentic Italian food. Seeing this place several times when I go to walk my dog, Alway crowed. So I am interested in trying this little restaurant which is about 5 min walk from my house. Awesome food and environment. Will definitely come again! read more

Was another Monday night with the guys this time only 2 others. Didn't know what to expect but when I say this place exceeded my expectations that would be an understatement. Place is a little small so I would imagine you would be wise to make reservations for the weekends or other busy times we were there on a Monday and place was really picking up and after eating dinner there it's no wonder. First our appetizers we got Chefs Antipasto and Eggplant Rollatini which were delicious and we also ordered 3 other appetizers to come out with entrees 1 guy wanted the Broccoli Rabe and myself and another ordered side of meatballs. For entrees 1 got the Seafood Risotto he got the Rabe to eat with that and myself and other friend both got the Parpadelle Bolognese and we added the side meatballs right into it and it was phenomenal such a big portion. Both of us who got that were thrilled as was guy with Seafood Risotto. Now comes the price we go out every Monday night and hop around a bit different places but so far all things considered food quality and price this was right up there. Definitely worth a try especially for a family looking for great food at a great price. Service was also excellent read more

See all

Came here on a Saturday night with a group of 8. We made reservations and was sat within 15 minutes. It is a little place, tastefully decorated, with plenty of off street parking right outside of Wakefield center. Our waiter Dominick was great and really made the experience. We ordered multiple bottles of wine, a few apps for the table to share, entrees - mostly from the specials, lemoncello and a few desserts. The bill came just short of $500. I found this place expensive and the food just ok. I had the chicken limone -the chicken was perfectly cooked and it was a huge portion but didn't have too much flavor. Others were happy with their meals. The menu is extensive but pretty standard italian fare. The chocolate gelato was pretty good. Not sure I would go back since I think there are better options, but it would work in a pinch. read more

Tonight was the second time I have been to Caffe Italia. The first time I ate there in December the food was fantastic. Something happened in the kitchen between Dec and April. The service has not changed a bit, excellent. The atmosphere is nice and relaxed. So what happened to the food? Lord knowns but my guess is they have a new chef. The veal was absolutely awful. It tasted like cardboard. The dish came with two overdone bland potato. I tasted my wife's pasta dish. Not as bad as my dish but a close second. The tomato sauce was terrible. Give this place a pass. read more

Had a phenomenal event in their upstairs room last evening! The food and service were above expectation. The two servers who ran the show went above and beyond. Hands down excellent! read more

At Caffe Italia Wakefield delivering a car and an amazing dish was waitin for me all so Fresh , def need to try it the seafood was grilled on screwers n the veggies were cooked perfect . Must try - Everyone is so helpful and knowledgeable about the food and specially regarding their significant wine list and to compliment your meal then call n make a reservation just and you will not b be read more

Just left Cafe Italia in Wakefield. Best Italian food I have had in the Boston area, including the North End. The fried Calamari had a light batter. They were tender and not greasy! Absolutely delicious. So was the sausage, broccoli rabbi and beans. The chicken and mushroom risotto exceeded my expectations for this item! I was with friends visiting from Italy. They gave it 5 stars as well! Moderately priced for the amount and quality of the meals. Will definitely be back soon ! read more

Friendly staff, fair price, bland food with a nice presentation. You can tell they try hard and think they do a good job. They will not rush you, we were there 3 hours. Calamari was some of the best I have ever had. Very tender Great dinner rolls. Crisp and chewy.(but seriously who serves warm rolls with ice cold butter, complete bush league) Entrees were on the whole poor. Veal parm was MOOSHY and bland. How the hell can frying breadcrumb wrapped veal result in moosh. And no flavor. Defies the odds Salt your food heavily, it helps some. Ravioli's weren't bad, but were frozen from a bag.,, but again they were 12 dollars so what can you expect. Chicken Marsala was bland according to my sister in law, but she is a difficult person. My cousin loves coming here. Everyone loved the canolli but me, and I was the only one sober by that point. I thought it was fine.I will say being sober at a table of buzzed people did make me want to rip my skin off. Never ever going back. read more

This place came highly recommend and did not disappoint. Food was top of the line , drinks were awesome and our server was a super nice Guy Appetizer was a eggplant in pesto sauce . A generous amount of Stacked eggplant covered in just the right amount of pesto sauce so you get the flavor with out being over whelmed. Dinner i had short ribs over risotto as good as any place i have ever had them ( and about $5 cheaper) Wife had chicken breast stuffed with prosciutto and spinach in a wine sauce delicious . They gave 2 big pieces of chicken stuffed good will be finishing that off for lunch tomm. This place is as good as anywhere in the city highly recommend read more

The rolls they serve are pizza dough rolls. Drop some butter on those babies and it is like heaven. Carb overloaded at this place. Went in at 4pm on a weekday to have some 1ine. Walked out (waddled) full as a pig on slop night. I don't even know what that means, but hopefully it makes sense. I didn't fit in my pants for 3 weeks. Service was a little 'off'. But I'm beginning to expect that more and more in MA, everywhere we go. read more

I was surprised to see another Italian restaurant open in Wakefield. This one is good. The Rigatoni Norma was very good. Also, there was a special, rib-eye with mashed potatoes and onion rings, risky to sway away from the theme but worth it. excellent dinner rolls. Looking forward to going back. read more

Delicious!!!! The service was VERY slow, and I am probably one of the most impatient people on the planet, but the food was well worth the wait. Even with the wait, I still give it a 5 because of the nice ambience, amazing food and good wines. Bon appetito!!! read more

Caffe Italia - My husband's amazing risotto - Italian Near Me - Wakefield, Massachusetts

See all

Unexpected Great dinner. This location has previously housed less than exciting eateries. The dinning area is a little crowded, but still very relaxing. There is obvious skill and imagination in the kitchen. Park at the bank. read more

My wife and I have been twice (first time was back in March during Lent so we both had pasta dishes with no meat which were both excellent, I had clams over homemade Parpadelle pasta & she had pasta Tagliatelli Primavera) and last night (5/5/16) we returned to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary and both had yet another excellent meal! I got a special which was Lamb Shank over homemade Parpadelle Pasta & she got Chicken Nancy and we also got Fried Calamari for our appetizer! Whoever is making the parpadelle really knows what they are doing!! Both times we also had the pleasure of having Giovanni as our waiter ( he is very good, pleasant, personable and very professional) and we enjoyed our dinner so much last night that I think we will be returning again on May 24th which we will be celebrating my 52nd birthday so we definitely bring our two adult age kids with us so they can try Caffe Italia! Restaurant is very nicely decorated, wait staff are very professional and attentive and the food is just divine! I'm a huge fan now and will spread the word to all my family and friends! read more

Ate here recently and the food is exceptional, staff accommodating and polite. Prices reasonable and I was surprised by the gorgeous upstairs new restaurant overflow/function space with gorgeous bar and large banquette seating along the back wall, large windows, gorgeous leather chairs, soft lighting. My only critique would be to address the glassed in stairwell leading upstairs as uninviting. It was winter so drab weather but update of fresh carpeting, flowers, string lights would make more pleasant start to the visit. I would highly recommend visiting to view the new space for functions and would definitely return to host an event. read more

Just moved to the area and Cafe Italia is in walking distance from our house. The bolognese was amazing. We did take out and got that and a pizza. We weren't fans of the pizza (there was a strange seasoning in the sauce we couldn't figure out) but everything else was amazing/the taste was just our preference. Will be back soon! read more

Overall, the atmosphere and food were above average. The food is higher priced compared to other local restaurants but they make up for it in customer experience and quality. One problem was there was a wait and we had no where to actually wait. The bar was full so we stood in the entryway and opened and closed doors for customers. Once served, our food was very good and brought timely. The gnocchi and pizza were standouts. Once our order was placed, we only saw our waitress twice. Once to deliver the food and another to deliver the check. Which is strange, since our service is usually very good here. Especially after purchasing two bottles of wine for the table. So maybe it was just an off night. read more

Four of us went everyone enjoyed it but me My fusilli, chicken and broccoli rabe was not as good as it should of been. To much water in the bowl diluted the flavor. I will go back again and try another dish. Service was great. Maybe just a bad night for me. read more

Such a great first time experience here! Was recommended by several friends so my boyfriend and I celebrated our anniversary here. I called that day before they opened and made a reservation. We were seated promptly when we arrived and everything was perfect. The server was phenomenal and the food was to die for. All very reasonably priced too, will absolutely return again! read more

This is my favorite local Italian restuarant. The specials on Monday through Wednesday are a great value.

I live right in Wakefield and love this place. We have our favorites in the North End but this is the place we go when we want a consistently great meal. The food is great, the service is excellent, and they will let you go "off menu" to make food for the kids. Thier red sauce is awesome and oddly enough, even though it's not a French restaurant, I LOVE their Crème Brule. The only con is I wish the menu was a bit larger and had a little more variety. It's also a little pricey. But I can live with all that if what I get is great. read more

This is one of my all time favorite places in the area. I used to go here when they were in East Boston and was so happy when they moved to Wakefield because it is closer to me:) The restaurant has a nice atmosphere/decor with a small bar area in the back. My go-to dish is the fussili with chicken and broccoli rapi. But, if for some reason I don't order it for my meal, I usually ask them for an order to take home so I can have it for lunch the next day! The eggplant rolatini appetizer is also wonderful! But check it out for yourself. You won't regret it. read more

Food was excellent. Way under staffed. A few times we wondered if our waitress went home.

The food here is just awful!! I don't understand why anyone eats here! My husband and I both tossed out our meals tonight and ate tuna from a can instead. Chicken Parmesan and Veal Parmesan tasted old and bad, and there was barely any pasta on the side. The calamari was so rubbery I gave up on trying to chew it and spit it out. We will never eat here again! read more

I'm amazed that anyone would have something bad to say about Caffe Italia (a competitor maybe??) I +1, have dinner here as often as we can. We had an every Thursday schedule going, but with the holidays, etc. it's more like every other week with the occasional takeout. All of their salads are amazing, the salmon, meatballs, or any of their pizzas and entrees are fantastic. If a special they have that night sounds like something you might like, you won't be disappointed!! And, you DON'T have to pay an extra $3 for their pasta!! Vinny, and the rest of the staff have done whatever it takes to suit our dinning needs, very accommodating, and gracious. We often recommend Caffe Italia to friends and family, and now also to you! read more

One of our favorite spots There short rib entree with parmesan risotto is unbelievable ( my favorite ) great pasta dishes and always different seafood specials. Service is very friendly and and they have a great wine list Promise you won't be disappointed read more

Save your money. I ate there the other night and it was one of the worst meals I've ever had, complete with atrocious service. I was a regular patron of the Caffe Italia in East Boston and was so sad when it closed. Then I was thrilled to discover they reopened in Wakefield. Despite the waitress' proclamation that it was the same owner and the same chef, I simply cannot believe it. The quality of the food in no way resembled that of the old place in East Boston. My companion and I were seated and by the time the waitress arrived, we had already decided on our dinners, so we ordered drinks and dinner at the same time. Cocktail arrived, took a couple of sips, it tasted awful. Can't describe it, just awful. I called her over, apologized politely and explained that it just tasted off, could the bartender make me another one. She took it away, brought another one (or perhaps it was the same drink, who knows??!), same awful taste. Again I apologized (even though it's not MY fault you have a terrible bartender!) and just asked for a glass of wine instead. Now I have become the "problem" guest, judging by her less-than-pleased attitude. The Caesar salad was excellent, and then my meal arrived. It was one of the few dishes that remained from the original East Boston menu, but there the resemblance ended. The dish was fettucine, broccoli rabe, sundried tomatoes, and sausage. Overcooked rabe and definitely NOT Italian sausage -- tasted more like turkey sausage to me. Just terrible. The final flourish: she asked us if we wanted coffee or dessert. A few minutes later, she comes over and takes the billfold. "Is this all set?" NO, we haven't even looked at it. ("Here's your hat, what's your hurry?") I always tip 20%, but this service didn't even warrant 15%. I will NEVER go back here again! read more

I went lastnight. We were seated promptly. The atmosphere inside the restaurant is lovely. Nice looking, smaller bar, as well. The service was quick, but did not feel rushed. The food was AMAZING. I had the lobster raviolis and my counterpart had the steak. We had calamari for an appetizer and the chocolate mouse for dessert. The waitress helped us to choose our meals, and neither of us were disappointed. read more