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    ICCARA Italian Bistro

    3.9 (259 reviews)
    PriceyItalian, Seafood, Salad
    Closed 4:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    ICCARA Italian Bistro Photos

    ICCARA ITALIAN BISTRO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Romantic
    Classy
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Italian seafood salad - barely any octopus
    Mike E.

    This place was rather mid for us. Iccara takes reservations, sells wine, but is also BYOB. It's located in a shopping center that charges for parking after the first thirty minutes. The restaurant will only validate your parking for an additional thirty minutes, unlike the hour they advertise. To clarify, beyond 1 hour, you will have to pay $8/hr. When first seated, there was a plastic cup of some salad dressing on our table. No clue why. The hostess didn't see it so I pointed it out to the person pouring our water. She stared at it like " why are you showing me this?". When she finished pouring the water and was walking away, I asked her to please remove it. Strange start. Our server was very attentive and tried to remedy any issues we faced. This place is bit disjointed. Almost all food lacked seasoning. I had to ask for salt and pepper shakers, olive oil and lemons to season my own seafood salad. The seafood salad was also 90+ % calamari. We found a couple little pieces of octopus. The cacio e pepe hardly had cheese and had almost no pepper. Somewhat ironic. I asked someone for some fresh pepper for it...and barely anything came out of the grinder. Maybe they had a peppercorn shortage. I ordered the mussels in red sauce to be made spicy, but they weren't spicy. Some also didn't taste too fresh. The fried calamari was tasty, though not the biggest portion. This was probably the best item we ordered. We used the capers/olives on it to help season other dishes we were served. Prices here also don't seem to match what you receive. The cacio e pepe and seafood salad both cost $25, but compare the two and it doesn't make sense. See my pictures. Overall, this place has potential, but needs to work on a few things. It's nicely decorated, our server was good, but food lacks seasoning.

    Lobster pasta - squid ink fettucine.
    Colleen D.

    Enjoyed our meal here. Quaint, quiet restaurant. BYOB. Service was very good. Had the portabello mushroom appetizer and the lobster pasta over squid ink fettucine. The lobster pasta was a large portion and very good. 4 of us in our group had it and we all really liked it.

    Special
    Gloria L.

    We booked a reservation here during our trip to Cape May because there weren't many options left for a Saturday night. The restaurant is very fancy on the inside but unfortunately the food was just your typical Italian fare. Nothing about the dishes was exceptional to me, it was all just pretty good Italian food. I was pretty disappointed with my lobster pasta, and didn't think there was enough flavor or sauce.

    Absolutely UNREAL!!!! We just got back from a trip to Italy and this place was nothing short of authentic. From the bread dip being an original recipe from Palermo to the saltimbocca tasting absolutely phenomenal. The only complaint i have is being TOO FULL!!! Shoutout to our waiter Alexander for being so amazing. WE LOVE IT HERE!!!

    Halibut
    Jackie B.

    This place was ok..... service was good, space wasn't too noisy, but crowded..... food was meh..... I had the mixed seafood, and it was in so much "broth?" Felt like a soup. It was easy to get a reservation and now I understand why..... maybe their Italian items are better, but would not recommend the seafood.

    Lasagna
    John B.

    With great restaurants all over Cape May, this one stands out, in the ACME shopping center. BYOB and nice Italian music playing. Service was not rushed as reservation was on early side for dinner and place began filling up. Appetizers and entrees were solid although nothing ordered was too intricate.

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    27 days ago

    Delicious entrees coupled with excellent service. Arancini appetizer was quite good, as was my wife's bisque. We will be back.

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    29 days ago

    Charming BYOB with good food nice ambience and very nice staff. The Cacio Pepe was quite good.

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    1 year ago

    The food, always delicious, Shawn always welcoming and helpful, beautiful restaurant. Another great night at ICcara!

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    1 year ago

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    Ask the Community - ICCARA Italian Bistro

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    I was in the mood for a chicken Caesar wrap so that's what I yelped. It was highlighted in…read moresomeone's review it was the best CCW they've ever had. I had to check out the menu! I saw it was a Greek place, being Greek myself, I was like, perfect. Let's go! My husband and MIL got the falafel pita & I got the gyro pita. We cleaned our plates. The plate came with delicious French fries and a salad. It was exactly the kind of meal I wanted. We all very much enjoyed our lunch. As we were finishing my MIL said I made a great choice. Haha. Very cute place, kept our waters full and the food was great. Only bad thing is the Diet Coke was flat. Other than that, two thumbs up! POLI KALA!

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    GRANA BYOB

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    It was the first trip to Grana for the four of us. The minute we walked in, we retreated so…read morewonderfully, and made to feel at home. Our server, Kit, was exceptional. She explained everything to us about the menu in detail and allowed us to order our different courses at separate times. Never did we feel rushed or neglected. Onto the food: oh my God, what can I say? It was spectacular. The Spanish octopus was extraordinary. The tuna appetizer was a beautiful blend of taste and textures. The buratta melted in your mouth. The pork loin was so tender and delicious and the portion so large that even though we were sharing it, we couldn't finish it. The other entrées, the pork chop and the Seabass looked delicious even though I didn't taste them. While the desserts looked amazing, we were too full to eat anymore. We definitely will be back for another delicious dinner soon.

    We loved last year's restaurant week experience so much we came back this year. Everything was top…read morenotch this year. We have no complaints whatsoever. The menu was even better this time around too. We went for the prix fixe meal. We got: seared crab cake, yellow fin tuna poke, grilled octopus appetizer, rigatoni, Berkshire porkchop, strawberry panacotta, and dark chocolate tart. Everything was extraordinary. That grilled octopus was cooked to perfection. It was the perfect amount of charred without making the inside chewy in the slightest. The meat inside was still very tender. The yellow fin poke was an authentic dish with great portions. The entrees did not disappoint either. That rigatoni and the porkchop were both great main courses. The porkchop was easily my favorite dish of the night. Everything was perfect. The service was speedy, the food was delicious and in great portions. I would highly recommend visiting Grana.

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    Hostess with the mostess!
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    Freda's Cafe

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    I'm conflicted on this one, Freda's was definitely an odd duck. Coming into it, I loved the decor…read moreincluding the stained glass windows. We were seated immediately by our server Flossy who also had very good recommendations on what to order. I followed those recommendations and got the Crab Cakes and the Key Lime Pie Cheesecake. My friend ordered the Seafood Pesto. I loved the Crab Cakes, it went well with the mango sauce and it was a very lump meat crab cake. Might be one of the best crab cakes I've ever had. The key lime cheesecake was very fluffy, airy, with the perfect balance of sweet and citrus. The seafood pesto was just OK in my opinion. I did like the food for the most part. However, the portions are a little on the small side. If it weren't for dessert and Flossy giving me a second dinner roll (another point for service!) I think I would've left still hungry. To be fair, I am considered a big eater and I came in starving. There were a few other questionable choices that prevent me from fully recommending this place. Some may consider the dining room cozy, I found it cramped, especially as it started to fill up with other customers. So this place is likely not going to work with a big party even if it's half full. We were a little surprised when trying to find the restroom too. We were handed a key, and had to go outside and in their back alley on a little treasure hunt to find a door labeled "Locked door". When ordering dessert, I was surprised the dessert menu did not list any prices even though their main menu did. Kind of obnoxious and pretentious if you ask me, but Flossy mentioned they were all $18 and big enough to share. That brings me one other point: pricing. I loved the food, but felt each menu item was twice the price that was appropriate for the portion. All in all, Freda's cafe has good food and great service. But it's held back by portion sizes, pricing, and a few other weird issues.

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    Freda's Cafe
    Brownie sundae and apple crisp.  YUM!
    Brownie sundae and apple crisp. YUM!
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    Lucky Bones Backwater Grille

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    We loved it here and definitely would come back. We searched comprehensively for a special dinner…read moreexperience for our last night in Cape May, and initially we were taken aback because we could not get a reservation before 7pm on a pre-season Tuesday in May. So we went early (no problem being seated around 5:30 or so, but it did seem full an hour later) and were we ever rewarded. Everything was simply perfect, including Vicki, our veteran and down to earth waiter. When we are unsure of things, she provided expert guidance with kindness and wisdom. The mussels appetizer are an experience not to be missed - save the bread for lapping up its saucy juice. My wife loved the pork chop - its huge and she took half home for lunch. I devoured the blackened fish of the day over bok choy. Both simply were outstanding. If/when again in Cape May again, we'd certainly come back. With a reservation!

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    Primal By Mia

    Primal By Mia

    4.4
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    Grabbed one of the last reservations available on a Thursday in late April. Arrived early and…read moreenjoyed a first glass of our Merlot at their bar. They honored our reservation and seated us five minutes early. They started us off with two pieces of their excellent focaccia. The pesto dip was better than the chili oil. The calamari app was excellent - tender rings, chunks of pork belly, shrimp, and a spicy tomato sauce. The artichoke app comprised two long stem hearts, with stems, and a Parmigiano topping. Good but not at the level of the calamari. Next up a composed mixed green salad with generous shaved Parmigiano. Complimentary! The thick slice of halibut was on point. Moist, perfectly cooked. Not an afterthought by any means. The 20 oz. Cowboy cut rib steak was tender and perfectly seasoned but maybe a degree or two past medium rare. The side of grilled vegetables was splendid. And another freebie -- dessert for two -- butter cakes with cream and chocolate crunch. Sort of like a deconstructed tiramisu. Also delicious. Service managed to be friendly and professional. A great experience and a solid value. The ambiance was modern steakhouse. Would have preferred some jazz on the playlist, but no complaints. I would definitely return.

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    Complimentary salad was a nice HELLO!
    Complimentary salad was a nice HELLO!
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    ICCARA Italian Bistro - italian - Updated July 2026

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