We had an amazing meal. Best eggplant parm we've ever eaten. Mushroom ravioli and desserts were delicious. Top notch service. We will definitely be dining here again. read more

Had heard great reviews about this place so was looking forward to having dinner and celebrating my daughters birthday. My first impression was heavily marred by an unpleasant odor (Urine). The staff was having their challenges as it took them quite some time to bring menus and take our drink order. The service recovered to some degree but the recommendations and the food itself failed to live up to its billing. The chefs specialty, the lasagna was decent but the beef inside was rather plain and lacked any real flavor. The lobster ravioli was very good ( cause for the stars) but the veal was overcooked thus rubbery. The amaretto tiramisu was EXCELLENT. sorry to hear it was not made in house. The wine selection was varied but to say 'overpriced' is an understatement. Overall the food did not live up to the hype and overpriced. read more

This was amazing, I will def be back! Had the Sea Bass special and it was fabulous! Will be back, the staff was amazing too!!

Very overpriced with subpar food. Olive Garden is by far better. Service was good, but the food was bland and not a lot on the plate. $12+ for coffee w/bailey's. Watery bland sauces. Definitely not worth the prices. $115 for two for dinner. read more

We save La Cava for special occasions. Although it's a one hour drive from home, the quality of food and great service make the drive worth it. Tonight we ate: a tasty starter of 5 slices of baguette topped with an Italian cream cheese and honey (pricey at $10), lobster ravioli and the salmon (with jerk seasoning). I didn't see any saffron in the ravioli sauce and it was without crab topping or tomatoes as described on the menu (The reason I didn't rate this 5 stars). Everything tasted excellent; we haven't had any of these as good elsewhere. Unfortunately the source of the jerk seasoning is a secret but it is far better than any we have had (or purchased) elsewhere. For dessert we chose the crime brulee cheesecake and a chocolate/pear torte. The serving size/slices seemed small for the price and didn't have a garnish as usual but tasted so good. The online menu is not accurate as it changes daily along with the numerous features. read more

Service was slow; food was adequate; ambiance was nice. I feel the hype was a bit overrated for this restaurant, but everyone was nice

the worst Italian food ever! to salty, over sauced, and over priced we came a long way to try this place so very disappointed ! try any pizza around the corner would be much better!!!!! I would go to Olive garden any day before this place and save money!!!!!! read more

Being from California, I need to put preconceived ideas aside. It was easy here at La Cava. Limited on pasta dishes however full on flavor. Well be back, nice ambiance and easy parking. Great for an anniversary or special meal. read more

La Cava Restaurant - From beginning to end. - Italian Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

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Atmosphere very nice. A little slow on service but I think that's how they want it. Cocktail Drinks ok, not amazing, just missing it. Bread is very good.Smoked salmon excellent, water melon salad very good. Steaks were very fatty, not worth the price. Tuna was tasteless. Italian dishes and sauce very good. Desserts just ok. I would try it again but just go for the Italian dishes. Can't judge a place just once. I don't recommend bringing young children there. read more

Fantastic! I have been in town on business twice over the past couple months and this has been our dinner choice each trip. Service is excellent. The space is unique and beautiful. The food is well sourced, high quality and spot on. Will be back! read more

This place is the hidden gem of Salisbury. Used to be an old church turned into a high end Italian restaurant. Menu specials change daily with service that is top notch. The chef one tome made me a custom dish from items on the menu, they will go out of their way to make you happy. If you leave here hungry it's your fault! read more

OnFridsy night only one other table occupied.Menu very limited.Price was ridiculous antra did not include sides which were $6,95 plus over $25.00 for anything else on menu. Since only one other couple was there.I assume the place has changed from past experience.I am sorry for change because the ambiance and popularity has changed for the worse. read more

Visited La Cava to celebrate our Anniversary. Really enjoyed the ambience of the room visually, but the music was too loud and we could not even have a conversation easily. Heard more from the loud table next to us. Service was friendly, but a little inattentive at times. In regards to the food, it was tasty but nothing to get overly excited about. I chose the Porchetta and it was nothing I could not have prepared at home. On the verge of being dry and over seasoned. Side of Purple Potatoes was different and seemingly tasteless. My wife selected the Orecchiette with a tomato based sauce and sausage. It was very palatable and was definitively better than my choice. Overall we loved the Old World feel with the stunning stained glass and the original features of the building intact. Overall I would give it a 3.5, but the charm of the place nudged me to a 4. A bit pricey, but I would return and try something else from the menu. read more

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We dined there last evening. The food was wonderful as was the ambiance. The staff is courteous and friendly the menu varied. The wine selection is extensive. I will stop in every time I'm in town. read more

This restaurant did NOT live up to the price point for the food. We went for Valentine's day looking for a nice restaurant. My entree was cold. I sent it back just to have it brought out cold again. My boyfriend's meal had undercooked noodles. Not al dente. Undercooked. He is Italian. He knows the difference. We had to purchase a very expensive salad separately from the meal. The dressing was so salty and strong I could hardly eat it. The wine was overpriced in relation to the value. The thing that struck me most odd...I didn't expect to listen to Duran Duran while eating at what is supposed to be a fine Italian Restaurant. I would not recommend this place and I will never go again. Way too much money for what you get. read more

Talk about a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde experience. Our first time visiting La Cava was amazing - wonderful food and amazing service. We returned tonight with my parents who have recently relocated to the area after having bragged about what a great experience we had previously. Yikes! 1. It was a busy night, with all tables occupied. We were seated near the front and given a sad little plate of bread as soon as we sat down. We were asked what we wanted to drink without having been shown a wine list - it's clear this is a restaurant for regulars. It took ten minutes to flag the server down again to put in our drink orders. 2. We were not given a menu for 40 minutes. The server makes this big deal about presenting the menu and providing a verbal listing of the specials, but the "show" isn't needed. He was essentially reading them off of a list and there are so many, I'd much rather have it written down. Besides that, it took us FORTY MINUTES to receive a menu. We should have left then. 3. The food quality was off tonight. The veal picatta was cloyingly lemony, and the pasta special was dramatically undercooked - not al dente, undercooked. And at the price point, it was a pathetic plate of food. 4. The server never returned to check on us. We had to flag down one of the expediters to refill our waters. Just really poor. It appears others in the room were accustomed to a two-hour experience to have an overpriced salad and entree. Perhaps the fact that we are not well known meant we received poor service. In any case, it's the last time we'll be visiting La Cava. It is not only disappointing because the experience was so poor, but also because we had such a positive first experience. We drove 40 minutes to be mightily disappointed. YEMV. read more

I Really like this place. The food is delicious and the staff is attentive and knowledgeable. Yes--it is expensive, but worth it. I remember talking to some one who doesn't necessarily have an appreciation for the finer things and she was horrified and hated the place because they put oil on the table for the bread instead of butter...that being said---I highly recommend the Calamari Fritti and the La Cava Salmon. Oh and they mix a mean vodka cranberry as well ;-) read more

La Cava Restaurant - Italian Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

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If you want a unique dining experience in Salisbury than this is the place! The old church facade & interior make it a great location. Something new every night but menu mainstays are available as well. Fully stocked bar with signature cocktails is a great feature. Good yet simple wine list pairs well with the menu. Definitely take time to get an item from the dessert cart! The staff are incredibly friendly, knowledgeable, and professional. This is not a fast dining restaurant, so expect it to go slow and actually enjoy your time; definitely recommend taking friends and have a great meal! read more

Excellent food, wonderful ambiance. Beautiful stained glass windows. Ate here for our anniversary-didn't have reservations but no problem getting a table. Great staff-very courteous & attentive, but not overbearing. Very pleased. read more

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Ate here alone last nite on business but what a great find via Yelp!!! Italian from the Tuscany region in an old church Fantastic dishes some so different I have never had before Owner and chef is a great guy Great service And very reasonable prices Great for couples have to bring my wife here!! read more

La Cava is high-end Italian cuisine located in an old church. I found both the food and service to be outstanding. It exceeded my expectations, and is definitely worth a try if you're in the area. read more

Loved it! We ordered all specials and they were perfect, sorry I cannot remember the names. As soon as the food came the phone was put away and not thought about until the next day. The pasta was done to perfection. The imported Mozzarella cheese app was simply amazing and the best I ever had. The building was incredible. The service, Impeccable. I am already looking forward to returning. This is simply a hidden gem in Salisbury. read more

This is the third time dining at La Cava since moving to NC. Very disappointing. There was a temporary limited menu on printed paper with 5 or 6 choices for entrees and two of them were pasta and a NY Strip Steak was the choice for beef . There were only 5 raviolis for lobster ravioli meal so the men that ordered it left hungry. We wanted a souffle that was on the menu and was told that "we don't have all of the ingredients to make it." This restaurant is consider one of the fine dining restaurants in the area. It was not up to the quality of a fine restaurant Saturday night. read more

Amazing, incredible food. Atmosphere was incredible and service was top notch. Love the venue with the older aesthetic. Parking was easy. It was a great time when I went and I have not had proper Italian food before, until I came here. read more

We dined at La Cava for an intimate birthday celebration. The food was exceptional. For the Antipasti (appetizer) we couldn't decide on one dish, so we chose the meat, cheese, and pickled vegetable sampler AND the cheese stuffed dates. This combination was terrific together, with the sweet, salty, and savory playing well off each other. Next we got different salads, my husband got the watermelon salad, which he liked...but he is not big on Bleu cheese, so he wouldn't say he LOVED it. I got a Caprese salad...it was tasty! For the main course, I chose the Mustard/white wine glazed pork chops (they were HUGE) that came with grilled/roasted sumner veggies...Devine! My husband enjoyed the handmade ravioli with a spectacular vodka red sauce (which is his new favorite, by the way)....see the photos I added. Then desert...wow! Again, we chose two different dessets...the Tiramisu cake and an amaretto cheesecake. Both of these were Heavenly! We finished the evening with coffees, relaxing together. All of this (yes, it was a TON of food for just the two of us) AND a gorgeous sunset, viewed through the stain glass windows of the historic church. For us, this was probably a "once in a lifetime" meal, as the quality of the food was equally reflected by the menu prices. All I can say...IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! read more

La Cava Restaurant - Delicious pork chops in a mustard white wine sauce with grilled squash, zucchini, and roasted potatoes. - Italian Near Me - Salisbury, North Carolina

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We dined here for our anniversary, and had a lovely time. The venue is intimate, and if you're there for sunset, the light coming through the stained glass window is beautiful. The food was delicious, the service was superb, and the chef came to our table to check how we liked our meal. The price was in line with the quality and presentation of the food, the service and the overall experience. read more

I visit Salisbury 3x per year. Every time I dine at LaCava. Always great. The chef creations are awesome. Tonight, clams casino and spaghetti with homemade all beef meatballs. Glass of Pino Noir. Ahh. Jealous? read more

Well, everything started off great. Food was great. Atmosphere great. Two huge things for me at the end ruined my entire experiance. 1. They did not take American Express, I find that to be very low class. If I could not flop down my Platinum Amex and pay for my meal, SAD! At a place that is trying to be so classy, I find that sub standard. If you want to run with the big dogs then you have to take amex...period. 2. They gave my kids some buttery pasta and when I got my bill they charged me $19!!!!!!! $19 for my kids buttery noodles??!! Completely insane I am fuming. I just left the restaurant 30 min ago and I will never be back. Food was amazing but they screwed me and when I asked the waitress about it and they said "well we don't have kids meals". Unacceptable... If you want to be in business for a long time and have people waiting outside to eat you must make every effort to not just make great food but treat people right. Do not charge them $19 for buttery noodles!! read more

From ambiance to service to food, La Cava was absolutely wonderful! The delicious desserts served as our main course on my first visit to this early Salisbury church turned Italian restaurant~ my date surprised me by ordering ALL eight offerings from the dessert cart (yes! a girl's dream date - I absolutely agree). We sampled tartufata (his favorite), frutta di bosca (with perfect berries including raspberries, strawberries and currants), torta della nonna (a lemon confection that was my favorite), two kinds of profiterole, tiramisu, chantilly napoleon and a chocolate fondant cake. Every bite was magnificent, none overly rich or heavy, but included buttery, flaky pastry, smooth creme fillings and heavenly chocolate to name a few! Every single one of the wait staff were friendly, knowledgeable and very attentive and made our visit so much more enjoyable - they really seemed to love their job, making suggestions from the menu and offering personalized care of each table and were a joy to interact with! The church's design, glorious stained glass windows and interior architecture offer a romantic setting for a date and would be fantastic for a special celebration with a group as well. We decided to sample two appetizers after making our way through the desserts and enjoyed the calamari and escargot (my first time) and both were delicious! The escargot was served prepared with garlic, butter, cheese and herbs and was wonderful and the calamari was tender with just the right amount of breading! I cannot say enough wonderful things about this restaurant and I wouldn't have changed a thing about this visit! La Cava does not disappoint in atmosphere, service and of course delicious food! read more

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This is such a neat spot in Salisbury! The fact that it is in an old church makes it such a unique dining spot. This is the type of restaurant that is heavy on daily specials, you kind of have to head in to see what awesomeness they are serving up that night. We started off with the tuna carpaccio and it was delicious. Fresh and perfectly seasoned. We also started with the table Caesar salad. They wheel over a station and make the dressing from scratch right in front of you. It's neat to see and tastes delicious! The main dishes definitely skew Italian which seems to be their specialty, but it is not the only type of food they serve. Everyone at the table was happy with their dishes and once the dishes came there was not too much conversation to be had. We were all too focused on the food! I love a good old fashion dessert tray, wheeled up to the table. It basically 100% tempts you and how can you say no once you see all those tasty tasty treats. Beware of that tray if you are trying to skip dessert! read more

Most folks around town find this place to be a little pricey. For me it is a once or twice a year place. Took someone special for valentines day and thought the place was great. The food was excellent and the service was great. Place used to be a church and the interior is beautiful. THe servers all know the menu by heart and can describe the dishes for those who don't know what something is. The desert cart was sinful!! read more

I've been to La Cava twice in the past 6 weeks. YES it's prob. the best restaurant in Salisbury! HOWEVER, they have PLENTY OF ROOM TO IMPROVE considering the cost! Visit 1. I went on a Thursday at 8:40 and "Lights on Nobody's home." Yes, literally ... I do mean it. The lights were on, the music was playing, cars were in the lot yet no one was in the dining room, it was surreal. I stood there a good 10 minutes and started to wonder?? Could this be one of those situations one reads about or sees on 20/20 (?) they got robbed and all the staff and customers are tied up in the freezer out back??? Hold the press ...what IF the robbery is still going on ??? MAYBE I should very V E R Y quietly back my way out of the front door (face forward) and run like hell to MY get away car! However, alas... No not me, instead I decided to go-see what's goin' on? I walked toward the kitchen and Loudly and Firmly said "HELLO" and then...Someone (presumably a server?) came out of the back and said, "Oh Hi., were closed". Their was no, "sorry" or anything said that would remotely want me to go back again and fyi: The hours say open till 10 pm. Ok, thanks, my bad! Catch Ya another night! and yes I left thinking tied up in the freezer would have been more acceptable! Visit 2. As IF experience #1 hadn't been the tip-off the service is sub-par and lax (Ha, get a hammer!)... Generally speaking most (not all) of the staff were friendly BUT again for the cost EXTREMELY unprofessional! How so?? 1. The person who told me the specials was obviously having a difficult time remembering them.. AND DIDN'T. 2. Virtually every person who worked in the restaurant approached my table yet not one had any idea a co-worker had already been to the table for the same thing = I was asked the same question twice by different staff REPEATEDLY ...which got Old Fast! Needless to say it took the relaxed quiet enjoyment out of the experience but I suppose was somewhat comical (dark comedy). While mentioning relaxed, I found the staff speaking loudly and drinking wine at the bar annoying! 3. I learned from the person who finally took my order about a special that was not mentioned to me ONLY because I inquired about another guest I noticed eating it. It was a whole fish being grossly filleted table-side by an inexperienced server, but it was not on the menu nor mentioned as a special hence I asked. Yes, I ordered the special (the unmentioned whole fish) but made a critical mistake asking the person who took my order if the chef would filet the fish for me (having seen the mess made table-side). I ended up getting an almost ridiculously comical small portion in comparison to the person who had theirs done table-side by their server. One wonders if that was a message from the chef . Whether it was or not or not I didn't like it, the portion that is! The taste of the fish was OK, like many things in life from a distance, it looked better than it was. Well IF you've read this far here are the reasons you must try La Cava: 1. THE SPACE is beautiful, the architecture of the restored church is special and not seen often in this venue. The food is very good but overpriced & the portions are ridiculously small even by French standards!... 2. THE DESSERTS are a must try. I suggest go be a sinner (if your Christian), have an appetizer, a glass of wine and dessert in a converted church and perhaps burn in hell for doing so BUT by avoiding an entree & a bottle of wine your pocket won't be on fire for something that YES, I personally think, is worth the experience of seeing, JUST ONCE! For the non-Christians its fun to go see what others enjoyed in a house of worship! read more

Fantastic service and food! The atmosphere is amazing as well

My wife and I do not recommend this restaurant due to the cost. The food, atmosphere, and service are well above average, but the simple spinach salad was not worth the $21.00; other prices were similar. We recommend that you eat somewhere else and then make a donation to your church or favorite charity, but don't line the pockets of the owners of this place. read more

We chose all our options from the specials as they sounded great and were. Started with burrata on crostini which was really good. Asparagus ravioli was perfectly al dente with a tangy lemon cream sauce. Pork chop was very juicy with a great crust. Butter was a bit heavy, but still a good compliment with the veggies that were better than expected. Wine options were better that expected in a small town, low volume place. Consistent with other reviews, prices were higher than you might expect given the location, but reasonable for the food quality. The church setting is great. Was a bonus to be able to sit through the light transition from dusk to night. read more

Great place! Authentic Italian and on the higher price side in Salisbury. Great special occasion option. Dinner is an event not just a meal. read more

I order veal parm with a spicy sauce on my pasta. This is not on the menu, be at they will make it for you and it is excellent. Why they dropped one of their best meals from the menu makes no sense to me or any of those of us who frequent the place. Service is slow..but you can move them along if you push them. Steaks are very good too. A little pricey as everything is ala carte. read more

Best food in Salisbury hands down. The food is delicious and the staff is very attentive to your needs. The owner/chef is Italian and knows how to source and prepare good authentic food. I highly recommend the Mussels fra diavolo, spinich salad with bacon dressing, watermelon salad, Scallop special and Veal Saltimboca as well as the awesome deserts. Wine list is broad enough to meet any requirement. My wife and I dine here often and all of our experiences have been the kind to make you want to come back again... read more

We ended up at this place because Mambo Grill was packed and had a wait. This place ended up pretty good. I'm not an Italian food expert but the food and special at least sounded authentic. They had a typical menu breaking it down by proteins and had quite an extensive list of specials, I think about 7 different specials. I went with 3 other people for dinner and we all ordered specials. Food was excellent and the serving size was perfect, not too big. There were only 2 people serving but they managed pretty well even though it was on a Wednesday night and 75% of the restaurant was fool. Definitely on the "fancier" side for Salisbury but a great place to check out for dinner. read more

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One of the very few "special occasion" restaurants in Salisbury. Excellent service always!