Thought had already reviewed this restaurant. We had been there at least four times since it opened a couple years ago. The salads are one of the best parts and the lobster ravioli are sublime, but pricey. Otherwise, they have combination plates that are very reasonable and no more than what you'd pay it somewhere like the chain Olive Garden. I love the ambience -- it's in an "improving" part of town but once you step inside, it's charming. read more

We were in Bowling Green to visit Beech Bend and we wanted some Italian food. We saw Cafe Italia was highly rated on both Google and Yelp, so we decided to come here. I started with a soup, while my brother started with a salad. They were served with these garlic rolls, which were absolutely delicious to eat both alone and with the soup. Then came time for the entrees. I got the Sausage and Pepper Parmigiana, while my brother got the Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken. My Sausage and Pepper Parmigiana had a delicious mix of flavor and spice which I enjoyed every bite of, while my brother enjoyed his Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken. Additionally, we had thought from looking online that this would be one of our pricier meals out, but Cafe Italia actually ended up being a great value, as our meals included a soup or salad and rolls, and the portions were so generous, I needed to pack some of my entree away to eat in the morning. In short, we wholeheartly recommend Cafe Italia, both because the food is excellent but also because the portions are so large they are an excellent value. We are glad we chose to go here and would definitely come back here if in the area again. read more

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Cafe Italia has quickly become one of my favorite restaurants in Bowling Green. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere is warm, welcoming, and perfect for a date night or dinner with family and friends. The food is absolutely outstanding--everything tastes fresh, homemade, and full of flavor. The portions are generous, and you can tell they take pride in every dish they serve. The homemade bread and pasta are worth the visit alone! The service was just as impressive. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and made us feel genuinely appreciated as customers. read more

Café Italia - Lobster Ravioli - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

Had a scrumptious lunch at Cafe Italia! The daily special of Creamy Stuffed Tuscan Rigatoni was amazing. The sauce was delicious and the plate was well balanced with sun dried tomato, chicken and perfectly cooked pasta. Portions are large. The bread was fresh and hot. I'd prefer a richer and deeper minestrone, which was the only item not stellar. Service was warm and helpful read more

Café Italia - Creamy Tuscan Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

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You know it's pretty disheartening when you get charged an extra four dollars for the dinner portion when the app let you order a lunch portion and then you don't even get the dessert that you paid eight dollars for and there's no utensils to eat it with. And that's after it took a few minutes to even find my order and made me feel like you didn't even get my order. Food is fine, but the bad service and hassle really make it hard to enjoy. read more

Insane local food! We stopped in on a road trip and I wish I could go weekly!!!!!!!! Insane pasta and homemade desserts!

Excellent food and service. Very tasty! The soft rolls are super and go well with the spaghetti. Chicken Parmesan was VERY good. read more

Café Italia - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

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We visit here often. They have fantastic service, great food, and always smile. They know us the moment we walk in. They have the Best tomato basil soup in town. The place is appropriately adorned, and the service is top-notch. read more

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Just an outstanding dinner!! First off, our waitress was so sweet and attentive. She offered menu suggestions, checked in on us frequently but not too much. The rolls were some of the best I have ever had. Minestrone soup was yummy. We loved that you could add spice to any of the pastas on a scale of 1-10. We chose 6 and it was the perfect heat for us and enhanced the flavor. Both pasta dishes we tried were delicious. The ambience is more casual and they do not serve alcohol at this time. We had a great experience and will definitely be back! Prices were very reasonable. read more

Café Italia - Eggplant Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

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When we first walked in, it looked very cozy, but it smelled delicious. A young girl who seemed very disinterested seated us but then this awesome waitress came over. I think she said she was from Rhode Island. She was super nice super friendly told us all the food specials how delicious the food was there Etcc. My husband ordered an Italian beer, my daughter had a Coke zero and I had a glass of Riunite. We ordered a cheesy garlic bread and bruschetta for appetizers. Both were super delicious. The waitress also brought over garlic knots for our table homemade. For a meal I had the red sauce linguine with clams, my husband got the chicken camperelli, and my daughter got manicotti with a side of meatballs. All the meals came with your choice of soup or salad. The salads were either a garden salad or a Caesar salad. my daughter and I chose a Caesar salad. My husband chose the soup which I tasted and was super delicious and you could tell it was homemade and fresh. Let me tell you if you go here you will not be disappointed! I noticed as we were eating some other people started pouring in and it was starting to get busy and I noticed the other waitresses and waiters just went over. Asked what they'd like to drink and nobody but our waitress told anybody the specials?? I'm so glad we got her!!! We will definitely be back and oh yeah, I'm an Italian from New York and the food is very authentic and I'm also a chef. We ended up taking food home and we also ordered desserts to go. I had the Italian cream cake, my daughter had the tiramisu and my husband had the lemon cake. The Italian cream cake was delicious, the tiramisu you get a huge piece and it was very good. The lemon cake tasted delicious but you got a very small piece of that. All in all we will definitely be back. Hopefully we'll always get the same waitress and the food is so amazing. I'm telling you people this is an Italian restaurant the best one in bowling Green I would have to say. read more

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I have been to this restaurant four times, but after this experience, I will absolutely never return. If I could give zero stars, I would. I ordered what the menu claimed was "sautéed" chicken. What actually arrived was a pale, rubbery, completely unseared piece of poultry floating in liquid that tasted exactly like the chicken straight out of a can of Campbell's soup. When I expressed my disappointment, the manager and waitress both told me I was wrong, never apologized, and never offered to do anything to remedy it other than make a scene in their own restaurant. The manager or cashier lady actually marched over to my table and verbally attacked me. She was truly unhinged and rude. In a bizarre attempt to defend the dish, she aggressively shoved her phone in my face to show me a picture of a brown cardboard poultry box to "prove" the chicken was "fresh," claiming they even skin the chicken themselves in-house. Well, I looked up the box she showed me. It was a Koch Foods box of pre-skinned, water-injected chicken breasts. So not only was the chicken boiled to death, but her story about them skinning it themselves was a complete, fabricated lie. To top it all off, in a wildly passive-aggressive move, they never even removed the terrible, uneaten chicken from the table--they just left it sitting there to stare at us for the rest of the meal. The food was awful, but being lied to and aggressively confronted at my own table over it was completely unacceptable. Save your money and go somewhere that actually knows how to cook and doesn't treat their customers with such unhinged hostility. read more

Service is great! The food is excellent! I've been coming here for awhile now and it's always good.

The food was delicious snd service impeccable. I started with the Mussels Marinara, plate contained at least 15 mussels prepared in a savory sauce. For my mine course I choose the Sausage and Pepper Parmigana. It was fabulous. read more

We traveled to Bowling Green because of the Corvette Caravan. We love trying off-the-beaten-path restaurants, and we were so glad to try this Italian restaurant. The fresh pasta and well-crafted sauces were delicious. I got the Eggplant Rotini with four different kinds of cheese and a side of spaghetti with a mixture of alfredo & marinara sauce. It also came with salad or soup. I got the side salad with their in-house tomato vinaigrette. My husband got the sampler platter. It was hard to tell what was what (maybe plate it on a larger plate), but it was all yummy. Plus, he got the tomato bisque soup, which was very yummy! Plus, a slice of lemon cake to go. The tables were black with white (high-quality plastic) tablecloths. There was a good mixture of tables and chairs, so you didn't feel cramped. Nice Italian music was softly playing in the background, and there was plenty of natural light. Service was excellent!! Please skip Olive Garden and go here! read more

Café Italia - Partial meal of eggplant rotini with side of spaghetti - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

There's not currently, and I don't think there's ever been, a better Italian restaurant in Bowling Green. Staff is super friendly, and the atmosphere is nice enough for a special event and casual enough to grab a quick lunch. You'll want to eat everything, but beware because the dishes look small but they're super filling. read more

Food exceeded our expectations. Ate every bit of the Caesar salad. Sausage Arabiata was very satisfying. It is spicy, just so you won't be surprised. Nice portion; I couldn't finish it and I'm a big eater. Pasta Primavera was likewise enjoyable and plentiful. Rolls directly out of the oven were top-notch. Very good tomato basil soup. Lots of staff, all of whom were friendly and really seemed to like their jobs. Highly recommend. read more

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I had lasagna and tomato basil soup and husband had spaghetti and salad with italian dressing. Both our meals were amazing. Plenty of parking. Ambiance is nice and quiet. Service was quick. read more

Skeptical on our arrival as to whether I was going to be let down by another Italian restaurant in Bowling Green. Happy to say we were not disappointed. The food was excellent, the service was excellent and the ambience was cozy and we were able to hear one another with a full restaurant. We ordered calamari and mussels for apps that were prepared just right with great sauces. The main dishes of seafood and pasta with mine being fra diavolo which was nice and spicy but not too hot, perfectly prepared. The desserts were Tiamisu made there that was out of this world and the portion size was big, must have. We plan to return soon with friends. read more

Café Italia - Seafood dish - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

good Italian food, reasonable price, very friendly service, nice setting. Stuffed mushrooms were probably the best thing I had during our visit. The house sauce and house tomato vinaigrette are good, very good bread. read more

Service is great atmosphere nice The name is Café, but it would be a nice café but definitely can dress casual if needed or nice The only thing I wish they had was oil and vinegar and a plate to dip your bread read more

My husband and I recently discovered this gem and ate there twice in one week, trying different dishes. The food tastes as authentic as I've had in years, not since I lived in Chicago and made the restaurant rounds with my 100% Italian best friend. Service is courteous and attentive. I won't say that's rare in Bowling Green, but more elevated restaurant service is and Cafe Italia has this quality. Can't wait to return! read more

Waiters and waitresses are attentive. I'm not a huge Italian food eater, so it's hard to rate specifically on the pasta, but the food had decent flavor and the bread was very good. It was certainly a nice place to spend time catching up with a friend. read more

Café Italia - Stuffed Mushrooms - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

Decided to try this place out on Father's Day with my family. There were five of us, yet we were able to get seats immediately. Our server was friendly and took our drink orders as soon as we were seated. The menu is heavy on pasta related dishes, so if that is not your thing, you will be quite limited. We started with an appetizer of calamari. It was not impressive. A few rings and a dipping sauce that was definitely from a jar. Three of us ordered a side salads with our meal, one ordered soup and the fifth ordered salad as her meal. The side salads were also not impressive as they ere just romaine with jarred dressing. I didn't describe the soup as that never arrived and they brought it out in a "to go" cup after the meal as the kitchen never got it prepared. The entrees were completely different, and did their best to make up for the other courses. We had given orders that required the making of three different sauces for our pastas. Each had an excellent flavor. My only issue with my sausage arrabiata was that the sausage was a little overcooked. Not too much, just a little. Everyone else enjoyed their entrees. The canoli afterwards was nothing special, sadly. Based on our experience, each of us agreed that we would return. I will skip the early courses and focus on entrees, as it appears that is what they truly focus on. read more

Very friendly service. Seated quickly. Good verity on the menu. Nice price point. And very tasty. I would like to point out that the meal is tasty and not overdone in olive oil. I do like the place it's nice and cosy. I go when I can. I enjoy this place. read more

Food taken to another table then brought to our table just turned around after being set down and left

This place was amazing I had the mushroom ravioli. We purchased a bottle of a delicious wine made right in Bowling Green Ky . Will definitely be back . read more

Great food! Service was quick during lunch. It's a great atmosphere. Small space but well worth the trip.

My girlfriend ordered the chicken Alfredo and she was very excited to try the food from this place. the chicken was a $5 extra charge which would typically be okay but it came out with a very odd taste with a squishy texture. She claims it was like it was reheated in a microwave or something and just very disliked it. She didn't eat but one piece and we politely asked for it to be taken off since it was very undesirable. the managers reaction was very degrading to my girlfriend explaining that it's her fault for ordering it and insisting there will be not extra charge removed. I would not recommend this place simply because of the very greedy and disrespectful nature of this place. However the lasagna and the fettuccine alfredo were good. read more

First time here and won't be the last. There was 8 of us and we got sat pretty quickly. In inside was nice and comfy. Started with calamari and it was simply breaded relying on the marinara to give it flavor but good. Pros. All the food was hot and fantastic. Chicken parm , pasta sampler, chicken Maximo, spaghetti and meatballs. Meatballs were probably the best I have ever had. Cheese ravioli and cannolis. The cannolis also the best I have ever eaten. You could put their red sauce on a sock and it would be good. All food is made fresh so don't expect the microwaved speed of Olive Garden. Cons. The bread was disappointing . Yes it was fresh and homemade but lacked flavor and was a tough dough. The kids ravioli only came with 2 raviolis so after our 7 year old light eater ate them she was still hungry. Had to order her a second child's plate. If you are in a hurry speed will be a con. Table turn over is not fast at all. Partly because it's all made to order but second because it's still somewhat unorganized. The raviloi was good but very small portions 4 for adult and 2 for kids. If you order these you will leave hungry. Every thing else had larger portions prob because spaghetti noodles is cheap. Over all food was fantastic and will be back soon. read more

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Not authentic Italian in any way. No fresh ingredients. Taste was tolerable. Server was polite but inattentive.

I ate here for the first time a few days ago and it was pretty good. I had the veal parmigiana which was good but in my opinion needed more seasoning. The garlic knots were good as-well, but man the tiramisu was amazing! It's the best I've ever had and I will be back for more. read more

5-30-24 Went to dinner on a Thursday at 6:30 PM and we were seated promptly. We had heard it might be quite busy at peak dining times especially during the weekend. The pleasantly decorated dining room was about 3/4ths full but we were seated immediately and were greeted by a friendly server and her trainee. Service was very good overall. We ordered the Chicken Marsala and Chicken Arabiatta both with Caesar salad as our side. The sauces on both of our dishes tasted great, the spaghetti pasta tasted fresh and was cooked just right. The knotted dinner rolls were nice for a change although once they cooled they did become slightly tough. The Caesar salads were decent, the lettuce was fresh/good and the dressing was served on the side which was a nice choice. The one negative of our meal was the high speed ceiling fans situated over the tables throughout the dining room that created strong and cold downdrafts. We asked that the fan over our table have its speed reduced but staff said they were unable to reach it to change the speed setting. There was one fan across the dining room that was moving at a markedly slower speed so the fans are likely all adjustable. A jacket retrieved from our car mitigated the cold breeze for the most part. Overall the food was quite good and we enjoyed the meal. We look forward to trying more of their food on future visits. read more

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This was our first visit, it was 2pm on a Saturday. Our server Amber was amazing as was the checkin. The place is clean and well decorated. The menu is extensive, prices are reasonable. We had the fettuccine Alfredo with chicken. It was very good, garlicky, which I love. Chicken parm was excellent. Spag and meat sauce on side was okay. Bread was fresh and warm, tasted okay. We are excited to come back and try other items on the menu. So excited to have another family owned, local place, and Italian! read more

Café Italia - Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Some of the best Italian food I've had in a long time! The service was excellent, the vibe is casual but classy and the staff were very welcoming. Highly recommend, perfect for a date night! read more

Just ordered some takeout waiter. Garlic cheese bread, sampler, mushrooms, meatballs and chicken florentine. It was absolutely fire, next level Italian that I could try to make at home but would prob not be as successful!! This local gem is worth supporting! read more

we had an order of chicken Maximo and both very watery and tasted frozen. This is a shame as the first time we went here. We really enjoyed the food, but something has obviously changed. The and we cannot return to this restaurant read more

Food was great, service was excellent and atmosphere was lovely. Enjoyed an excellent caesar salad with anchovies and delicious veal parmesan. read more

Great Italian in Bowling Green! We visited on their "soft open" date, and things went so smoothly, you wouldn't know it. I had their "Seafood Combo" with scallops, shrimp, and mussels in red sauce over linguine, and it was very well executed and delicious. My wife had the lasagne, and she was very impressed as well. The inhouse tiramisu was delicious and the portion was generous. Definitely a great addition to the food scene here! read more

Café Italia - Seafood Combo - Italian Near Me - Bowling Green, Kentucky

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Love it there, outstanding food especially the veal. Just need vino. Look forward to going back again.

Truly authentic Italian food! Great service and very reasonable prices! This was my second time to visit and it did not disappoint!