Today was my first dining experience at Cantina Cafe in Middletown. Never knew of this restaurant up Until this weekend! Such a cute place! Felt like you were dining at your Italian families. It's in the basement and loved how it was decorated! When you see the Sopranos.. you already know! We had a family party , therefore it was a family style dinner, ( hard to get pictures). But, many dishes were ordered and passed such as Salad, fresh bread, Antipasto, pasta, calamari, Broccoli Rabe, eggplant parm, Chicken Parm, fish, potatoes! I might be missing something! But service was great , portions were huge. Everyone appeared to have been satisfied with their food. There's really no gluten free options labeled on the menu but they do have gluten pasta, and other options they can suggest as such as fish or chicken. I ordered a separate the Gemelli Cantina GF pasta dish (Chicken, spinach, sautéed with fresh garlic and olive oil). Very tasty! And all portions were huge! Restaurant does have a small lot in the back but fills up fast. Street parking or the public lot is the closest. read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

When our son visits from DC, he wants a family dinner. We have found the perfect place hidden in the basement of a building on Court St in Middletown. Down the stairs and through the door into the dark cavern of a cave in Italy. I swear, we traveled back in time. Checkered tablecloths and dim lighting created ambiance. Food is served "family style" here. That means that one entry will serve 3 people. We over ordered, of course. But the leftovers tasted just as good the next day. Authentic and delicious. See if you can find this hidden gem. read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Ambiance - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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wow. This place is so off the beaten path. It like something out of a 1970's movie. It's an Italian restaurant...and looks just like you would expect it to, from the tablecloths, to the chianti bottles. The servers were friendly and attentive. The food was insane. First, the portions were HUGE, the pricing wasn't too bad for what you got. We had leftovers for DAYS. The chicken parm was the size of my forearm. It's family style, so a big salad, bread and bowl of pasta come to the table, along with your meal. The salad was pre-dressed and absolutely delicious. Everything tasted fresh and homemade. We will absolutely be going back. I'm just sorry that I forgot to take pictures! read more

Food is amazing and huge portions. Chef will make any dish you want. Wait staff is great

Some of the best Italian food I've ever eaten in my life. I am 100% Italian and grew up eating Italian food seven days a week. Plus their portions are amazing. read more

WOW, WOW, WOW!! 10 of us went tonight (12/312025) for dinner and we were NOT disappointed, what a feast we had. The portions were huge and the food was delicious! Our waitress did a wonderful job, hats off to her. We will definitely be back. (If you like different kinds of baskets...just look around!) read more

The ambiance felt like your nonnis basement, very cute and homey. The service was pretty good. They were knowledgeable and helpful explaining the menu. We felt the sauce was delicious and pasta cooked perfectly. The portions were very large so expect leftovers. They discourage sharing but if you wanted to it's an $8 share plate fee. Understandably... it is old school coursing so you really get what you pay for being it feels family style anyhow. Highly recommend. read more

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The food and service was great! I called I a panic after finding out the restaurant I made and confirmed our reservations for a 75th celebration told me they didn't have our reservations at Bella Nolte the owner of Cantina, Tomasso although the restaurant was closed opened the doors for my family for our celebration. I highly recommend Cantina for lunch or dinner, the portions are great and the food authentic Italian cooking. The server Olivia came in early than her shift. She was wonderful. Thank you chef Tomasso & Olivia for making it happen. read more

Good was great and the portions are generous! Great family style dinner atmosphere. Service and food was fantastic!

The food is good. The portions are huge, the warm bread and oil is delicious. The cannoli wonderful. The atmosphere is dated but clean and cozy. The staff is friendly and attentive. read more

The best eggplant parm and chicken parm around! Their portions are huge, and delicious. Super cozy ambiance and perfect for date night or a large group gathering. Wait staff is very friendly, especially Meg- she's a sweetheart. This is the spot to go to if you're looking for Italian in the Middlesex area. read more

The food was excellent. A portions were large. The prices were reasonable, and the staff was incredibly friendly.

So, I was a plus 1 for a friends work Christmas party of ohhhhh 30. These guys weren't ready for this kinda traffic. There were two sizeable parties here on top of the regular bar traffic. Do better. Anywho, on to the ambiance, y'all are on point. This spot is cute. There are baskets all over the lining of the ceiling throughout. The food is authentic and soooooo yummy. I'm very pleased with the quality of food you put out. There's a one man band who plays everything under the roof . He went from country to east listening, to some Italian song. Can you say diverse?? YES! Well done. read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Buffet - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Great Italian menu items in this family restaurant expertly prepared by Chef Tomaso. We enjoyed Chicken Picatta, Pork Chops, Calamari and "the Football" all of which went home for more servings! Great service! Casual ambiance. A must for those with healthy appetites especially during this cold weather! First time won't be your last! Ciao! read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - The Pork Chops with hot peppers and potatoes is a favorite! - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Cantina is an Italian restaurant like no other in Connecticut! It feels like you are legit having dinner at your friend's super Italian grandparents house- and the food definitely adds to that homey authentic touch! Make sure to make a reservation- Cantina is super small but cozy. We've come here several times with groups of 4- 10 and each time was fantastic. Portions are huge so come hungry! Totally recommend finding dishes everyone in your party enjoys so you can share. My favorite dishes are their pork chop special with hot cherry peppers and potatoes and their veal parm. Pork is so difficult to cook without drying it out but at Cantina I have never had better! It is so juicy and flavorful and those potatoes?? Chef's kiss! The veal is so tender too and gigantic- never had better! Prices are SUPER fair! Especially for the amount of food given! Staff works very hard as well! Totally recommend for a truly unique, authentic Italian experience! read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Antipasto! Enough to feed over 10 people easily!! - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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Been coming here for years. It's fantastic, authentic and fresh made food. Come hungry because you will have enough for two days! Make a reservation because they are verrry busy on the weekend. Seating is close and so it can be loud. Staff is friendly, drinks are well poured and the food is great imho. Six of us went a few days ago. We ordered The pork chop special. Two humongous chops with veggies and roasted potatoes. 3 orders of their veal/ eggplant layered with sausage stuffing smothered in sauce. 2 pasta dishes. The pasta entree came in a bowl that was at least six inches deep with 3lbs of pasta. Veal parmigiana All dinners come with yummy warm bread and dipping oil and a family style salad and a bowl of penne with marinara. Of course I will be back. Love this place! read more

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Awesome food and service. Food was made to perfection. Veal Football was phenomenal. Very reasonably priced for the portion size. Took home dinner for the next night read more

Massive amounts of food that is very good . Also went for a wine tasting had a great time . Not fancy like eating dinner in grandmas basement cozy best octopus I ever had read more

Huge portions - share with the extra plate for $8 and save yourself an extra large takeaway container. Salad bread and calamari especially was delicious. Great friendly service in a sweet spot. Plan for time to park. read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Leftovers! 3 entrees and 3 9x12 takeaway pans! - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

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The food was delicious. We got takeout. I've dined in a few times years ago and quite frankly didn't feel overly welcomed by the staff. There isn't really a reception area and I recall the waitress being very indifferent and short with us. I'm thinking it's because they were so busy perhaps. I've read more recent reviews that had a similar experience. We'll see how it goes next time. Will update this review then. read more

Tried this place recently. Not super busy. It's on a side road in Middletown. They were a very friendly staff. The food I would say is good. Think more grandma style Italian food. Def not best Italian in Hartford area but you could do way worse. The apps are good like the fried mozz. It's a strange texture to coating but we enjoyed it. They do give large portions for sure. You will be taking home a lot of food especially if getting pork chops or a parm of any type. They told us salads come with entrees but we did not see any salad with our dinners unfortunately. Dessert menu seems limited. Decor is kinda old school Italian. Looks kinda outdated but I think that's ambiance they go for there. Some of the stuff all over looks just dusty and old. But again maybe that's what they are going for (baskets and artificial grape vines). I would go back but there's quite a few Italian places in CT I would prob pick before returning. Overall not bad. 3 stars. I will say it's best Italian I've had when visiting Middletown. That's not a high bar though. read more

This establishment is racist. The waitress refused to acknowledge us most of the time. They halfway cooked the chicken and made us order everything at once. I do not suggest. The chicken parmigiana was swimming in sauce. The decor is corny, poor lighting read more

I had a hard time deciding which dish to order in this restaurant. Each dish seemed to have so many ingredients in it and I opted for a salad with buffalo mozzarella in it and baked oysters. Both were very good. I had mud pie for dessert which was also very good. My friend had a dish with several different fish in it and a light cream sauce. She loved it. The waitress said that it was the most favorite dish on the menu. Our waitress was excellent. Maybe the next time I go here, I'll be more adventurous. The chef sure is. I went a second time and ordered something will spaghetti There was about a pound of spaghetti and nothing much else in it. It was also very warm inside and one friend couldn't tolerate the heat and went to lay down in her air conditioned car. M read more

I feel like I was just transported to another time and country tonight! From the second you walk down the stairs to Cantina Cafe Ristorante, you know you are in for a magically authentic Italian meal...or should I say feast! This is up there with how Italian family Sunday dinners of the past felt for me. I honestly can not be any happier with everything that happened tonight. Cantina Cafe is a cozy, old-school restaurant offering a wide variety of Sicilian-Italian comfort food. They do this very, very well! From the red and white checkered tablecloths to the baskets hanging from the ceilings, it just embodies that romantic Italian feeling. Let's start with the meals we ordered. First off, you are greeted with a basket of their fresh baked Italian bread with their house dipping oil. Think garlic and red pepper deliciousness! Don't go too crazy with the bread though...you will be tempted because it is so awesome, but I warn you the rest of your meal will depend on this. Next up, came our house salad with a delicious balsamic vinegar. Crisp, simple and fresh. We ordered the Mozzarella Carrozza for an appetizer. Think a fresh, ooey-gooey cheesy, golden breaded brick of mozzarella! Oh, wow! That cheese pull was everything. We ate half of it and knew we were in for some serious eats here. For my meal, I ordered from the special menu that our server told us about. She was awesome by the way! The special is called The Football. It's actually so popular it's a permanent special. It's football shaped ball of veal stuffed with sweet sausage stuffing, eggplant and cheese in a golden sauce. I wish I could remember the real name of the dish, but if you say The Football, they will know what you mean. They subbed out my pasta side for some gnocchi in a marsala sauce. This was so awesome because I was torn between ordering The Football and the Gnocchi Saltimbocca. I really got hooked up with the best of both worlds. Next time the Saltimbocca is on my hit list for sure. Be ready to be amazed if you order The Football! My friend ordered the Chicken Parmigiana and it was also bangin'! Talk about leftovers for the next couple of days! No complaints here though! Our server wrapped up our leftovers for us and while we should have been done, we had a few bites left in us for their fresh, housemade cannoli. Cannolis are by are my favorite dessert in the world and this one was amazing. Ricotta filling, shell and powdered sugar. Total home run! Dine in or take out, if you love Italian, this will be so GOAT for you. Seriously, the greatest of all time! Ciao! P.S. Always save room for the cannoli. read more

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I am a big fan of this place but tonight's dinner was a flop!!! The broccoli rabe looked and tasted like shit. Had it taken off the bill. The chicken was terrible, looked Anemic and was like chewing a filthy dog's rawhide bone. I'm embarrassed to be Italian right now!!! read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Shit chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

Excellent food and service. Highly recommended. We had a holiday party here and the service was top notch for 30 people

This place was very disappointing. Went for my fathers birthday based on a recommendation from a coworker and we will not be back. The food seriously lacked flavor and was not made with care. I ordered the chicken parmigiana and struggled to make it through 3 bites of it because of how soggy it was and the side pasta was served in a red sauce that looked liked it was half water. Our waitress was decent, but that's the only silver lining here. If you're in middletown looking for Italian food there are plenty of places to go before getting stuck here. read more

Like everyone has said the portions are huge. The taste is spot on. I could sit there all day eating the bread and the dip. The family style salad and pasta were a big hit. The service was excellent. I highly recommend trying Cantina, you will not be disappointed read more

I've been to this restaurant several times but I never got the chance to write a review. We just went again tonight and wow was the food fantastic. We got veal parm, pork chops with peppers and potatoes, and pasta. Both entrees were some of the best I've had. The veal was so tender that we were able to cut it with a SPOON. They also did not skimp on the sauce and cheese (as many restaurants typically do). The pork chop was the most tender and juicy pork chop I ever had. We got two huge pork chops covered in grilled potatoes and cherry peppers. The portions were very large and there was plenty to share and bring home. I wish I took pictures but the food was so good I didn't even think of it haha. If you are looking for great homemade Italian food this is the place to go! read more

We were visiting Middleton as a first stop on a New England college tour with our kids and picked this because of the solid reviews. The waitress was nice but didn't warn us the portions were gulttoneous. No lie, one dish could feed 4-5 people and you wouldn't leave hungry. The food comes in ginormous 14in, deep serving bowls and unfortunately, each of us ordered a separate dish. She assumed we were local I suppose and brought us boxes to pack what we didn't eat. There was still food left in the bowls since there was too much to fit into 5 boxes. We were only staying the night and had to throw out all the food and I felt terrible - more for the waste but also it was expensive. The food was fine but the pasta was quite oily and the food a bit mushy and overloaded in overcooked garlic bulbs. I must have had two bulbs in my dish alone The Sicilian salad and bread were very good. The atmosphere seemed promising at first - decorated old school Italian and in a basement, but there was no music so you could hear people at other tables a bit too easily. If the waitress warned us of the portions it would have been better. And it would help if they played music and had waitstaff that didn't seem so tired. read more

I have to update after eating at Cantina again recently. The food is phenomenal. I absolutely love their veal and chicken dishes. Tonight I had the veal Sorrentino (veal cutlet topped with eggplant, prosciutto, marinara sauce, and cheese. Yum!!! The entrees come with a huge side of penne with rose' sauce or marinara sauce. I brought home leftovers that I can eat all week long - no exaggeration. Cantina is one of my favorite places for traditional Italian dishes. You can't go wrong!! read more

Cantina Cafe Ristorante - Veal sorrentino - look how large it is compared to the steak knife! - Italian Near Me - Middletown, Connecticut

My hands down favorite place for the best Italian food EVER. Family style dinners are perfect for a crowd that wants to share a couple meals. Their penne ala vodka is. The. Best. As well as their meatballs, so soft and delicious. Veal Tommy meal is something we get every time, never disappoints. A quaint, family ran and family friendly place with great service and the most delicious food! read more

So great! The portions are huge and the price is worth it. You can definitely share the food with another person and still have leftovers. Everything is sliced in house and the chef is amazing. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for good food at a reasonable price. read more

Bring your appetite! When people say it's "family style" they really do mean that they bring you enough food to feed your family!! This is one of the places we think of first when we want to have a group dinner, and our most recent visit there were about 15 of us. I have always enjoyed the dishes at Cantina. Our most recent visit we got the antipasto platters that were HUGE and layered with meat, olives, peppers, pickled veggies, and cheese. We got 3 entrees (the waiter tried to tell us we might only need 2, but why would we listen? haha we never learn!). Of course, there's bread, and then the entrees. We got the chicken gorgonzola, a pork tenderloin dish with sun-dried tomatoes, celery, capers, and a yummy sauce, and the last was a veal roll that looked a bit like a small meatloaf but I think it was a layered/rolled oval of deliciousness! They bring huge bowls of pasta in sauce and then the entrees. We were all stuffed to our eyebrows and took leftovers home. Recommend for a big group, I have yet to try it as a couple or a group of 4, but listen to your waiter if he tells you you're ordering enough food for 10! read more

We like going to Cantina . Food taste delicious portions are huge you will get leftovers for the next day. The food taste like old school southern Italian cooking. Drinks are tasty. Service is very friendly. Also Cantina make you fill like you in Little Italy . We go there often read more

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The food is awesome unbelievably huge portions for such a great price! The salad is awesome the bread is unbelievably great and the service was awesome! read more

All we can say is AWESOME This place totally rocks. HUMONGOUS PORTIONS. but not only that ~ the quality of the foods is spectacular. Consistently great food and service. Can't say enough about the service, such great people work here. It's not a fancy, high end place, but if you want great Italian food, with top of the line service, this is the place you want to go! read more

If you want leftovers go for it, excellent penne al vodka. Definitely recommend and will return. A salad and bread comes with the meal.

Ridiculously huge portions. Husband enjoyed his chicken parm. My pasta arrived swimming in a flavorless cream sauce with so few pieces of broccoli rabe that I don't think it needed to be listed as an ingredient. More plentiful was the artichoke hearts, yet I had to dig around a box of pasta to find them and they added nothing for flavor or color. Only 3 nameless house wines are offered by the glass for $9- the Cab tasted as you would expect for that price. Atmosphere is lively- fun but loud. I would not go again. read more

Lived in Middletown a little over 2 years, never tried this place. Was told by family that it was very good. Well! My boyfriend and I ordered from there tonight and it was EXCEPTIONAL! The entree was delivered in a catering style tray (that's how big the cutlet of veal was!) It was smothered in mozzarella and delicious tomato sauce. Everything also comes with a pasta and salad on the side which also were amazing! This place is a truly delicious little Italian gem! It should be in Little Italy LOL read more