Why did it take me 17 years before I tried this place? Amazing place. From anti pasta, bread with oil, soup, main course, service....fantastic. Best dinner I've had in years and I dine out 3 times per week. They give you so much food and the quality? Perfect! Closest thing to eating in Italy. Probably better. Will be back soon. read more

We've enjoyed Caterina's excellent Italian food for many years. Favorite menu items include Sophie's Choice, Straw & Hay, Orzatti con Gamberetti, Lasagna, and of course the Friday fish fry (pan fried perch!). Last week, I tried the asparagus penne pasta special, and it was delectable. Truthfully, I would recommend any of their pasta dishes, as they really know how to prepare it al dente. Service is consistently great - friendly and professional, with the timing of the meal just right (no main dish served while you're still on the salad, for example). It's an excellent value on wonderfully prepared food, especially when you consider the size of the entrée portions and the fact that salad and bread is included. On our last couple of visits, however, we've noticed little things that aren't being kept up in the dining room (dust in the corners, crumpled up paper placemats that looked sloppy, etc.). Little things that hopefully don't indicate anything else is slipping . . . we still love the food at Caterina's and hope to enjoy going there for a long time to come. read more

Made last minute reservations for two on a Saturday and this was the only place we could get into on such short notice. Although the place was indeed packed, the service was superb and everything we ordered was so so good! We can't wait to return to try more menu offerings! read more

I had dinner alone on a Thursday when the Packers played at 7pm. The restaurant was packed with early diners. They gave me a booth and the service was wonderful. She gave me a basket of bread and an appetizer plate with cheese, several sausages and a garbanzo bean salad. I had a special of penne, fresh tomatoes and asparagus, and shrimp...delicious! Prices are reasonable and if I lived in Milwaukee I would eat there once a week! Thank you for a great dinner! Xoxo read more

We had been there several times and enjoyed the food and service. However, we were extremely upset during our last dinner there. It took 20 minutes to get a drink, the waitress was completely rude and told the owner we were only ordering one dinner (we hadn't even finished ordering!), and the owner had the nerve to tell us we were not allowed to order one dinner! If our friends weren't there, I would have walked out. Will definitely not be returning there! read more

I fell in love with this place the first (of many, hopefully!) visit. We came here on a whim after a multi-day bike ride. It was one of those days when you just can't get enough calories and I was craving something delicious and filling. We found Caterina's on Yelp and tried it out based on other reviews. This is everything a great Italian restaurant should be! You can sense the authenticity when you walk in the door, from the atmosphere, to the smells, to the service staff. You could tell a lot of the patrons were regulars, which is Italian for "family". The meal began with some delicious antipasti, and bread with dipping oil and the freshest parmigiana cheese I have ever tasted! What have I been eating all my life up until this point?! The waitress was personable, knowledgable, and just did everything right. She knew the specials without hesitation, she could answer questions about the menu, and she kept our water glasses full. The food was delicious, and again, authentic. The menu was broad- it had standards like pasta and marinara, chicken breasts, lasagna, etc. I got linguine and steamed mussels, not something you find at that ugly step child Olive Garden! Everything was delicious and I could not wait to finish the leftovers the next day. I would highly recommend this place, as a nice night out or a great date location. The prices were average, but when you factor in the complimentary antipasti, salad, and bread, along with great service, it is worth it! read more

We hadn't been here in years , so we were really looking forward to the evening celebrating our anniversary. Disappointed. Ordered Veal and the breading was soggy and not cooked, but the veal was okay. My husband ordered Veal Marsala and found it to be a bit sour. I also had a cup of soup that was supposed to be Chicken Pastina, but was mostly celery. But the most disappointing was how they rushed us out. I didn't finish the veal, and hoped to fill up with bread, but when I turned around for a sec it was gone. I was still drinking my wine when a bus boy came then and took everything else in front of me - placemats, silverware, etc. even when I said I wasn't done. I mentioned this when the waitress came with our check, but she blew it off. One and done. We won't be back. Not worth $100. read more

Great food, excellent service, very cozy and kind of "old school"...what's not to like??

This is by far the best Italian Restaurant on Milwaukee's west side. Tony the owner will more than likely greet you at the door, his son is usually behind the bar. Don't see your favorite Italian dish on the menu ? Tony will go in back and make it for you ! Caterina is Tony's wife. Great people, great food, upscale pricing but worth every penny ! read more

The best Italian food in the city! warm bread with the garlic in the olive oil is good enough to make a meal. Salads are fresh and flavorful, service was super Nice place to bring company. read more

Cute little place, almost like going over to Grandma's house for dinner. Very charming and inviting with a framiliar menu. Nothing real exciting for a vegetarian... just a couple pasta dishes w/not the freshest veggies. Salads are good as is the home made bread. read more

My husband and I live near Caterina's we passed it alot and never thought about stopping. This was a date night and we shared the crab legs & filet they were both AMAZING plates! The house soup was good and my husband enjoyed his salad. We had a bottle of wine and the antipasta was a nice touch. The bread was very good too! We really look forward to having another date night at Caterina's! read more

Lunch here was great! Everything was prepared fresh, the service was superb, the original owner (his son is the present owner) came over and talked to us. Very nice feel to this place. The specific foods we ordered were a tomato/anchovy salad (excellent-fresh, generous serving), and chopped liver and onions in a pasta. Believe it or not, the liver and onions was really good! I don't usually eat meat, but I had a taste of this, and it was superb. A friend of mine has been going here for many years and recommended dinner of grilled octopus, for which you have to call a day ahead to order. Highly recommend. read more

Glad I went out of my way to enjoy a good meal here. Good, friendly service. Food was very good. Lots of regular locals flowing in and out - everybody knew everybody. I would definitely go again. Tuesday night special was Spedini or any veal dish for $19.99 - a very good deal. Antipasti was good - nice way to start the evening. read more

Went here off a recommendation from someone in an area and was not disappointed in the slightest! This place is an amazing restaurant. Service was absolutely phenomenal, food was very reasonably priced and delicious. A perfect restaurant for any occasion, very much looking forward to my next visit here. read more

Excellent Veal and Lamb and the chicken liver pasta is superb. They can cook Italian at Caterina's.

Caterina's gets a solid 4 star rating from moi. I had been meaning to get here for years, literally, and finally found myself looking for a place to have dinner on the southside. It's a little bit old school in decor, but the menu is diverse and not just your traditional Italian fare. There were about 6 different specials as well. Our waitress was a sweetie and we left her a tip above and beyond the normal 20%. Loved the free antipasto plate, the bread, and the overall experience. It may be another ten years before I am looking to have dinner in this part of town, but if I do - I'll be back. read more

Excellent food and service - even for a 2 PM lunch.

Classic reasonably priced Italian food served with sweetness in a cozy clean setting. Perfection!

My overall opinion of Caterina's was it was just okay. My husband and I went here for dinner on Valentine's Day. We had a reservation so we were seated upon arrival. The restaurant is small and cozy and has a nice ambience. Our server provided us with bread and a complimentary antipasto plate, both were good. My husband asked the server what were the specialities she replied veal, pasta, and seafood. This was not very helpful as that's probably 3/4 of the menu. The shells on the menu stated that they were filled with ground beef, this bothered me a little bit. Italians I know don't fill shells with ground beef, but okay maybe some peeps like that sort of thing. I ordered the spendini which was okay. I tasted more bread crumbs than anything. My husband had the veal which he also though was just okay. I had a glass of Chianti and our bill was $77. $77 is too much for me for okay. I would potentially give this place another try if I had a recommendation of something better to order, but in the meantime there is only so much time and many other restaurants to try. read more

The food is good and they have a decent selection but it's very overpriced. The inside of the building is nice and much different than what you'd expect from the outside. read more

Grear service and food was good. The fresh whitefish was excellent. Overall a good place, was a little pricey

Great food and customer service!! A little pricey, but great for a birthday or special outing.

Went with the husband for a nice quiet dinner. And boy, talk about quiet! We arrived just before 6 and the place with totally dead. Usually I don't mind when a place isn't busy but it seemed like we were being watched by their staff of 6-8 with no customers. We ordered right away mozzarella marinara, I had the frutti de mare the husband had a scallop dish. The antipasto plate was nice salami, mortadella, and pepperoni served with parmesan cheese and warm bread. They also brought out garlic olive oil. The bread and olive oil were excellent, and the antipasto plate a nice touch. The mozzarella marinara was not hot, actually barely warm. It came out and it wasn't even melty! I feel like that defeated the purpose of ordering that dish. We both opted for the soup which was a chicken soup with veg. which was pretty good and full of flavor. When our dishes came out I was pleasant greeted with a giant plate of linguine and tons of seafood. My husband's plate seemed tiny compared to mine even though his was pricier. (we both got seafood dishes, each over $30) Not that I was going to complain about it cause I had plenty of food, but the waitress forgot to bring my side of pasta the dish came with. All and all the food was nothing spectacular, we both left quite full and I had leftovers. It was very overpriced for what it was, I will say that they had excellent service that evening. read more

Went at dinner time, saw the great reviews- very disappointing. Food was mediocre, service was less attentive than Olive Garden: for the price I expected a lot better food and service. read more

This place is amazing!!! The food is fantastic and the atmosphere is really cozy and intimate. When you come here, make sure you are HUNGRY! All dinners come with bread, olive oil with a ridiculous amount of fresh garlic for dipping, an antipasti platter, and soup or salad. The food is always very good and our waitress was very sweet and prompt. Make sure you ask about the specials too--they always have 5 or 6 additional specials, so if you dont see something on the menu you want, they have more options! Love this place, so much! read more

Food was good. But its very cramped in there. Clasterphobic people will freak out

I've been here numerous times the food and staff are second to none. Tony the owner/bartender and his dad couldn't be better people. If you haven't been there you need to go!!! read more

I came here with my friend for dinner and it was fantastic! The escargot was phenomenal and the spiedini was amazing! Definitely a first date/anniversary kind of place. read more

We had the WORST dinner EVER! The pasta with asparagus and tomatoes had no flavor and the wine tasted rancid. We added scallops to the dish, which were done perfectly, but again, NO flavor. Not even a hint of salt or pepper on the scallops. Our server stated that most people say they use too much garlic/spice. It was the hubby's birthday and we've always wanted to try Caterina's. We live in the area and have never gotten around to eating here, and we will NEVER go back. Not only did the food have lack flavor, the conversation with the "regular" bar people and bartender was offensive. The talked about how The Black Lives Matter protesters should be used as a speed bump! Made me sick!! Employees should be more careful, you never know who hears what your saying. Thanks for taking 1/2 off our dinners, but that wasn't enough to get the bad taste out of our mouths. read more

Good food with some tasty chicken noodle soup, but the service just plain sucked. We waited about 15 minutes between every course for the next one and at the end we had to tell the water server that we'd like our food boxed since our server hadn't stopped by since dropping off our food 30 minutes ago. During our meal they have a small bowl of cheese to add to your meal. There was a hair in our cheese. We showed the waiter and she did apologize, bit kind of looked at us as if it was our fault (neither of us have that color hair that was there). In the end she offered a free dessert or coffee. We thought the restaurant would be great, but it was kind of a disappointment. Food was okay - service was not, and really needs some work. 2 stars for food but none for service. read more

I loved the ambiance/decore of the place but the server kept dropping the plates on my hands as I tried to move the utensils for her, because if i didn't they would be under my plate.. it was awkward... the antipasto was good.. the wine was good.. the soup and bread were good.. but then it came to the entrees... :( the taste just was not there. I love Italian food, but the flavors missed the mark by a long shot. I got rigatoni bolognese.. so red meat sauce with veal and pancetta.. I was hoping notes of the pancetta would stand out, but they did not.. it almost had a funky taste and no salt.. maybe if the meat was browned more it would have brought out more flavor.. I feel like they skipped using the pancetta... they need to try using salt sometime... But its still better than De Marinis on their best day. read more

Went here last night. Restaurant is small but has a little charm. I agree with past reviewers comments on the bar patrons/conversation. I get that everyone has their opinion, but in such a small space and the unpredictability of people, it should be common sense to discuss more neutral topics of conversation. We did not like the complimentary antipasto tray but enjoyed the parmesan cheese and garlic oil they serve with the bread. Very skimpy on the salad, it was gone in 5 bites. I do recommend trying the parmesan peppercorn dressing. Our entrees were decent, not delicious but good enough to take home leftovers. Tiramisu was tasty. Our server was very nice, she was engaging and knowledgeable. Although she was a bit pushy with the specials and what we should order. The only downside is it's a tad pricey. Our bill came down to about $50 for one drink, 2 entrees and dessert. It's very rare for my husband I to both enjoy a sit down restaurant and to return again. We will return in the future but will make it very occasional, due to price. read more

Best service we've had at a restaurant in the Milwaukee area, from the hostess, the bartender, and especially our waitress!!

Service was a little slow but my steak made up for it!! Yum!! Everyone was pleased with their food!!

This is one of my boyfriend and I favorite "date night" places to go. It's so cute and cozy inside. Very intimate. The food is absolutely phenomenal every time we've been and the service is just outstanding. We've had the same server a few times (wish I remembered her name!) and she is just the best. Always right on point and so friendly! So glad we found this spot! We will continue coming back again and again! read more

My favorite Italian food!!! Seriously the food is amazing. I love the food, people and drinks. It is a true family feast. See you soon!

I love the layman's Italian Restaurants that have dotted this country for years. They always bring a sense of old world Hospitality to the dining experience. An over the top loud atmosphere always adds the the fun. Where this dining event went wrong is with the food and the value we walked away with. I always expect to pay a bit more when eating American Italian. Pasta is cheap and the other ingredients rarely add up to the price requested on the menu. Pounded veal and chicken dishes again, are usually pushing the price stratosphere and here they most definitely made it to the top of the jet-stream. I might have turned a blind eye to the final bill if the flavors, cooking technique and food quality lived up to the $$$. But I peeked... The saving grace was the server. She knows her stuff when it comes to what was served, so she represented well. I just wish what she served us could have been on par with her spiel and demeanor. read more

Had reservations for my parents wedding anniversary, but when they got there they ignored us and told us they would get back to us and to just take a seat. They proceeded to seat several other groups in front of us. When we asked what happened to our reservations they told us "patience was a virtue". It's safe to say we aren't going back to this restuarant. And have fun trying to park in their parking lot. Don't waste your time. read more

I have been to this restaurant a few times with my girlfriend. The environment was warm and intimate, and we enjoyed a delicious meal in a private booth. The host, bartender, and servers were very friendly and inviting. The drinks were very well made, and the food was outstanding. I highly recommend Caterina's to anyone looking to enjoy an excellent dining experience. read more