Great food -service and ambiance So relaxing -will definitely be back again Food was amazing read more

My favourite Italian restaurant in Ottawa! It has the warmest and most comforting ambiance, the staff is amazing, and nothing beats their meatballs. I love going back and it is always so delicious. read more

Trattoria Caffe Italia - a plate of pasta - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

Saturday night we were riding and thought we would stop and eat a good Italian meal. The food was good and our waitress was excellent. We eat, we pay and we leave a good tip. All in all, 300$ with wine a drink for two people is bit expensive but it seems to be in the norms. We are in the parking lot behind the restaurant and the Manager/Owner not sure yields at us and the parking attendant that we parked in his parking but didn't eat at his place. Remember, yelling from the rooftop terrace at us in the parking lot. So after spending 300$ in his restaurant, tipping the waitress a good tip, we get yield at like we had just stole something. There are plenty of restaurants in Ottawa where I can spend 200$-400$ ... so ... you can be sure that I will not spend my hard earn money there again. Instead of thank you for choosing my restaurant this guy yells at his customers that he just saw pay from the roof top like we are thieves. Way to make people feel good about being welcomed and we feel good about spending that much money. There are so many other restaurants, i don't need this kind of abuse. read more

We had a relatively large group here for lunch (15 people), and I was very impressed with the service; it was prompt and efficient, giving everyone time to decide what to get. The food all came out at the same time for everyone with the help of 2 or 3 servers; the orders were correct and the food was tasty and they catered to special food needs; and at the end the right bills were received by the right people. The downer for me was the alcoholic beverages: one colleague and I shared a 1/2 litre of sangria and shared the bill; my half of that was $18.00. Yikes! Another colleague ordered a white wine spritzer and the first glass they brought out seemed a bit off. At least it was exchanged without too much bother. Overall, the experience was good. I would probably go back for the food. I like that they offered 2 dishes that you could order that they would donate money to hungry youth in Ottawa. read more

Trattoria Caffe Italia - This Penne dish also helps feed hungry youth in Ottawa!! - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Great food very time, and I mean every time we go or have take out. It's become a once a week for us, and the only Italian food our kids enjoy read more

Horrible experience Called ahead to reserve a table for two, one of whom uses a wheelchair, AND EXPRESSLY STATED THAT WE NEEDED TO SIT SIDE BY SIDE IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE FED. The person taking the reservation assured us we would be accommodated but when we arrived at 7:30 pm as reserved we were informed no such arrangement was made. A weak attempt to seat us had me in between the kitchen and bathroom sticking out like a sore thumb. The person I spoke with claimed to be the manager made no effort to adjust his listening skills to accommodate my speech impediment. We left immediately and I felt disgusted. Clearly this restaurant has no intension of accommodating persons with disabilities. I shall be sharing my experience through out my disability network. read more

It's a beautiful restaurant. On July 14, 2021, I was a contestant in the Yuk Yuk's standup comedy contest on the rooftop patio. The food everyone was eating looked delicious. And the patio was beautiful, with romantic lights hanging. And I won first place - So it's a lucky place! read more

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Traditional Italian trattoria, great pasta, Caesar salad, friendly service. We'll be back.

We went tonight to the Trattoria cafe and we were not impressed. Our server was extremely slow and seemed overwhelmed. The restaurant was also quite warm and everyone was uncomfortable as a result. Our food was hit & miss. The Caesar salad to start was excellent & the deep fried zucchini was just okay. It took a full hour to receive our main courses which was unnecessarily long given the amount of people present. The chicken Parmesan was delicious and the meat sauce was very good as well. The shrimp however was bland and flavourless. I'll be back again at some point, but I'm in no rush. read more

Trattoria Caffe Italia - Shrimp - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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the staff were nice but the pizza I had was utterly atrocious, overcooked crusts and dough centre. literally worse than a supermarket frozen pizza, and was also very expensive. the tables were too small and the place was uncomfortably hot read more

Family. Friends. Food. Good freaking food. Wine. How about people who know wine and enjoy the best wine in the world? Ambiance. Experience Little Italy in Ottawa. Meet people who treat their staff like Gold and their friends like they are family. Just took home a rare veal chop with broiled vegetables. Threw them into the cast iron for 2 minutes with a bit of butter while sipping my Amrone. OUTSTANDING. Dave, Kim, Finlay and Sulley read more

When you're greeted by the restaurant owner and not just a pretty face in a slinky dress, you know you're at a restaurant that is going to put some time and care into your dining experience, and that's what you get at Trattoria Caffe Italia. Delicious food with a personal touch. I've been to this restaurant only twice, but each time was a very pleasant and delish dining experience. Once on a weeknight when it was quite quiet; the lighting low and the the mood relaxed, then again a year or so later on a Friday night when patron spirits were a little higher (read: drunker) and the live accordion music came a little more fast and furious. The service was excellent both times and the food came quickly, even when the place was packed. Their Fettuccine Alfredo was to die for - the best I've had in this city so far. My husband can vouch for the Spaghetti and Meatballs. Portions are very generous. You can order a half order for $2.00 less, but why would you! The rest of that Alfredo reheated the next day with a little milk stirred in? Fagetaboutit. Some items could use a little sprucing up, especially for the price. The garlic bread was a little small and disappointing. And fresh shredded Parmesan would be a welcome substitute for the supplied shaker of the grocery-store variety. All in all, a great Italian experience with an amazingly fleshed out wine selection, right in the heart of Ottawa's Little Italy. You can see why the majority of their clientele is brought there by word of mouth. Be sure to get the tartufo to finish off your meal - a ball of dark chocolate gelato the size of a baby's fist with a very rich and creamy vanilla gelato inside, dusted with cocoa. Seriously, if I could have brought that ice cream home to meet the folks before it melted, I would have. I would have made an honest woman outta that tartufo. read more

Trattoria Caffe Italia - Italian Near Me - Ottawa, Ontario

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Awesome atmosphere, great Italian food and great traditional service... Best of the best!!!photos

Bad food. Bad service. Only redeemable part of the evening was the comedy, which I don't think they do anymore.

Went here with my boyfriend & his family, because they came here 10 years ago and absolutely loved the service and food. Gotta say when I came, 10 years later lol, it actually was amazing and they weren't joking. If you're a picky eater like me - order the JUMBO SHRIMP al PESTO. It's simple, with the shrimp, and the basil cream sauce. Nothing too complicated. Simple yet delicious. The amount you receive are pretty good, and for $28 its very worth it. The atmosphere is quite nice too, the servers are very nice, and do talk to you which helps make you feel "more at home." It's also pretty upscale and classy, so you feel quite...luxurious. read more

Food was okay but for whatever reason the Valentine's Day menu offers only regular items at over double the price any other day which is frankly a ridiculous concept. Imagine charging 80$+ tax for 3 pieces of bruschetta and a chicken breast with vegetables. The food is priced accordingly any other day but it's a scam to markup your food prices by over 100% and offer nothing new. read more

In search of a covered patio during a rainy day during Covid. My wife had cabin fever and wanted to go out. We ate here about 10 years ago when visiting from the maritimes and had a good time. During early Covid we had been here a year ago on the upper deck and we're disappointed then, but suggestions from local Italianos prompted us to try it again especially with the covered lower patio. Our favourite Italian restaurants are closed without patios. The wait staff here were rookies. Forgivable, but then the temperature of the food and the tempo of service were unsatisfactory. The bread was stale. The cocktail had alcohol but was otherwise poorly prepared and presented. The extensive wine list has reasonable was often sold out, and the extremely expensive choices (up to $8000.00) were possibly just included for flare. The food pairing with that caliber of vintage would be impossible by the quality of food we experienced. The upper patio has been leased to a comedy club so loud voices with jokes and profanity were the soundtrack to our evening. Overall we have given the requisite second chance to this establishment but we're now done. read more

This establishment has been around for three decades and there's a good reason why. The service is excellent and so is the food. I have never been disappointed. My favourite dishes are the Tortellini ai Funghi and the Spaghetti alla Carbonara. The desserts are all to die for too. They are very accommodating and have even taken requests on several occasions for items that are no longer on the menu. read more

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Always delicious. One of our favourite restaurants. The staff and owner are always amazing. We picked up lunch today and were very very happy with the meal and service. Thank you Trattoria Cafe we are Looking forward to when your dining room is open again. read more

Should have listened to the realistic reviews...i would NOT go back ..we are from out of town and drove out of our way for some so called to rave for italian food (according to the 5* reviews)..gnocchi with white sauce (4$ extra) was VERY bland while my wife's penne was over spiced so and so. ... Some reviews say the desserts are to look foward to but we didn't want to chance after the meal. Tipped the waitress, paid the bill and went elsewhere for coffee and dessert. i probably should have written this review after my son reheats the take out ...but it would not be a fair review since he eats ANYTHING and all is GOOD.. read more

Our hotel staff highly recommended Trattoria cafe on a recent visit to Ottawa. We were warmly greeted when entering and promptly seated in a very nice dining room. Our server was very polite and attentive. Food and presentation was excellent. We didn't have any wine but the selection looked extensive and high quality. We will definitely return again. read more

I had lunch at the Trattoria Caffe Italia on Friday, August 19th. We started off with bread warmed and brought to our table shortly after we sat down. We then ordered an appetizer Caesar Salad for both of us. The salad was awesome, just the right amount of dressing/garlicy without being overpowering. Our main courses were excellent as well, I had the rigatoni with chicken in a rose sauce and my lunchmate had chicken with a lemon sauce. Everything was hot and tasty. I have a big appetite and can tell you that i did not leave the table hungry. We finished off the meal with creme brule for my friend and i had a mixed berry slice of cake. Our server Sophia was wonderful, swinging by promptly when required but was not intrusive. The bathrooms were clean and our water glasses were kept full, [pet peeve of mine when i have to flag down a server]. Sophia was very knowledgeable when it came to the wine list making suggestions till we settled on a pinot grigio. Although this was my first visit it definitely won't be my last. Highly recommend this establishment, Give it a try! read more

We were visiting from out of town and read that this place had good food. We went out of our way to find it and to find parking for it and it was just alright. Ambience was kind of boring and service was poor. It wasn't busy and three waitresses were working of whom only one was helpful. Food took a while to prepare and there was only one other table of people there. Food has good flavour but it wasn't so special for all the effort it took us to get there. If it's convenient then eat here, if not don't worry you're not missing out. read more

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I had the fettuccini alfredo friday night and was appalled that this restaurant can claim to be italian. I've worked in the restaurant industry for over 6 years now in a variety of different levels of cuisine and this has to be the worst alfredo sauce I have ever tasted. The food had less taste to it than a sidekicks meal bought from loblaws. As someone in the boh side of the industry, it's sad that themed restaurants can't provide adequate food, never mind this being almost fraudulent to call it italian. On top of this, I watched a man, who I was told is the owner, berate a server to the point of her being in tears! this is not acceptable behaviour for anyone let alone a massively overweight man yelling and using his size for intimidation over a woman who is just trying to do her job. I overheard the entire conversation and was disgusted with this as a whole. read more

Ordered fettuccine. Awful. A glob of lukewarm pasta. I asked for mushrooms. There were 6 pieces of sliced mushroom! The sauce was totally tasteless. Definitely would not recommend read more

Inside is very cute, nicely decorated and surprisingly spacious. Bruschetta, antipasto, and calamari were delicious. Our main entree consisted of pasta, veal marsala, and some sides of potatoes, sauteed kale, and parsnips. All were cooked perfectly and seasoned well. Despite the fact that we were a huge group of people, we didn't have to wait long for our food. Servers were friendly and attentive and were always around to pour us more water and wine. My only complaint is parking. They do have a parking lot for customers but it was packed when we arrived so we had to park several blocks away on a side street that only offered one hour parking. However, this is to be expected given that it is located in the heart of Little Italy. I would most certainly return. read more

Service was friendly but extremely slow, but I'm willing to cut them some slack as we were a group of 12. Food was good although the portions could be bigger. Generally in the $15-$20 price range. They serve some good coffee so I ended up getting 2 cups. read more

Fabulous experience!! A coworker insisted we go here on our first trip to Ottawa this week. A wonderful recommendation. The food, wine, atmosphere and company of the staff were all top notch. Dom, one of owners, gave us a tour of their extensive wine cellar (one of the most unique in the area) and made great recommendations. The homemade pasta is made in-house by Dom's sister, we had basil linguine with shrimp and the best lasagna I have ever tasted. I recommend setting the menu aside and letting Sue pick for you. She's been there over 20 years and is a real pro. End the night with a little grappa, perfect to warm you up on a chilly Ottawa evening. My only regret is only ordering one dessert. Thanks again Dom and Sue, can't way to see you again when we return. read more

Food is just OK, nothing special given the area. The prices are a tad high for what is offered. Service was slow on a slower day, but the staff was very nice and welcoming. Oddly shaped dining room, huge sprawling bar but this results in all the tables being placed at the wall in an L-shape, causing tables to be a bit too close to each other. Great decor though. read more

Paid my first visit to Trattoria Caffe Italia on the 14th of July for a friends birthday party. The Restaurant is nice, the noise level was acceptable and we were seated quickly. Service I found however was a little slow, this could simply have been due to the size of the party we were in, but they did seem a little slow getting the very extensive wine list out to us (we had to ask twice). Once we ordered however, the food came out fairly quickly and was served nice and hot. Was it the best food I have ever eaten? No, but it was very good. Living in the west end it would take something special to get me all the way down to Preston Street. This restaurant I think might get me back...fresh homemade pasta does make a difference. So overall, definitely worth a visit. The only problem I would have is the lack of parking. You just get very used to ample free parking in Kanata... read more

I've been to Trattoria Caffe Italia several times and I'd say the restaurant is okay, nothing to get too excited over. Also, I would recommend coming on Fridays and weekends, when the restaurant is more packed. They have a musician playing the accordion, and the noise adds to the great ambience. That being said, I always found the food be fairly average for the price you pay. I always get the chicken parmigiana and it never disappoints, but I never leave thinking wow that was good. What I will say is that you have to get the tiramisu, simply the best I've ever had! The service can be hit or miss. Usually they are friendly, spends the time to chat a bit and pays attention to filling your glass, providing pepper and parmesan, etc. basically everything you would expect from a place like this. But I have had a time where the server didn't bother asking how we were or how the food was, and didn't even bother to offer cheese... Overall, I would say give it a try but IMHO it's not worth the price. read more

Awful management. They had promised my group of 24 a private dining room, and then on the day of, tried to seat us at a public table. The manager basically said he never promised that, insinuated that we were lying, and encouraged us to accept the table he'd chosen. We did not accept, and thankfully were able to find another restaurant that could accommodate us. We will never return to Trattoria Caffe Italia, and encourage you to find a more enjoyable meal elsewhere. read more

I'll give them two stars because the lasagna was pretty tasty - but the rest of the experience wasn't. My girlfriend and I stood at the door for a good 5 minutes before we even saw anyone that worked there to seat us. Then we sat at our table for 15 minutes while the only 2 servers dealt with there other tables. The place wasn't busy - maybe 12 tables, and we got there at 8pm on a Monday night so we weren't expecting sucha bad experience. Just as I was contemplating leaving the bus boy came over and gave us water said he would try and find us a server? 5minutes later he came back asking if anyone had come by...there was only TWO servers in the whole place and neither of them even made eye contact long enough to apologize or say they're busy they'll be over as soon as they can. So he took our orders - my 'bloody Caesar' that he made (im assuming since there was no bartender on) was delicious! Then about 10 minutes later our 'server' brought our lasagnas. I asked about the appetizers we ordered and she said the bus boy didn't tell her. And then 2 minutes later when she came back with parm she buried the bus boy blaming him again :( no tact! I'm sorry but having served for many years - you DONT blame the poor bus boy who was trying to help you (and Us). Anyways - the lasagna was good - waaaay too much sauce in the bowl, hid the pasta but it tasted good. It's a shame because I've lived in Ottawa all my life and have driven by the red sign many times - finally tried it but with all the other restaurants around. Id rather go somewhere where the servers and staff have some degree of customer service, we didn't feel welcome- we won't be back :( read more

Not what I was expecting from an authentic Italian restaurant. The meatballs were packed too hard. I asked the waiter three times for garlic bread and then got then when I was nearly finished the spaghetti. I will try again in the distant future. read more

Great experience! Staff was welcoming and friendly throughout our experience. The meatballs were mouthwatering and the margarita pizza was fresh, and delicious. Great food! The business had a very authentic Italian vibe. Highly recommend! read more

We ate there tonight and it was wonderful. There was a slight misunderstanding with our reservation and while we weren't concerned about getting a table (it was half full) the gentleman at the front was a bit upset. It was obvious he was a little pissed because someone wasn't doing their job. (I do want to point out that I booked online and the mistake could easily have been mine) We were seated quickly and at a nice table. Service was good but not fabulous. However, the lady serving us was very kind and friendly. I think that she was just very busy as the restaurant was pretty full for a Monday night. We had three apps. The antipasto plate, the calamari and the fried smelts. They were excellent. My husband, who is normally a little grossed out at the thought of eating whole fish enjoyed the smelts. I LOVED them. Our mains consisted of the fet carbonara and the fet pescato. Both excellent. Our daughter had a chef salad with chicken and it was presented nicely. We shared a half litre of wine and finished off the meal with a single espresso and tiramisu. Delicious. The entire meal, before tip came to $143.00 This might seem like an expensive meal but if you consider that there were three apps, alcohol and dessert it was good value for our money. We would definitely return. read more

LOVE this place. Have eaten in and ordered out multiple times. The food is amazing, the service is great and the atmosphere is perfect. You get a very "homecooked Italian" feel from the place, as if you expect your grandma to be in the kitchen making your food. They give huge portions (of course...they are Italian after all) and it is very fairly priced. I may have to order there tonight after writing this. All I can think about is their garlic bread now! read more

I had a dinner on a weekday and happy with the overall experience. I was greeted by owner/manager and promptly got seated. Waitress is polite and friendly. Food is delicious and reasonably priced. read more

Wonderful service, family owned, personal & professional touch to each client, and amazing food! A great authentic Italian eatery in "Little Italy"!! I Love it and will come again soon from NYC! read more

The best family-run Italian restaurant in Ottawa. The Eggplant Parmigiana is the best in the city. Fantastic wine list.