How often have you been to a restaurant claiming they use family recipes that were passed down from generation to generation to prepare their culinary delights? I am convinced after lunch at Café Italia (http://www.cafeitaliarestaurantva.com/) located in Crystal City at 519 South 23rd Street Arlington, VA, they are definitely serving up Italian favorites prepared from old family recipes.
Prior to going to any restaurant, I check their website so I can view the menu, decide what to order, and get an idea of cost. After looking at the website for Café Italia, I knew a trip to this Italian eatery was in my future, not because of the all you can eat weekday lunch buffet or the weekend brunch. To be honest, they had me with the overall menu selections but the reasonable prices was the clincher. In addition to the expected Italian appetizers, pizza, and entrées, the menu at Café Italia also features omelette's, salads, and sandwiches served on bread made in-house served with soup.
While viewing the menu online (http://www.cafeitaliarestaurantva.com/Menu.html), the pasta platter caught my eye and I knew this was the entrée I was going to order. More often than not, restaurants offer appetizer samplers, but the opportunity rarely exists to order a platter with samples of featured entrées. The pasta platter not only includes meat cannelloni, manicotti florentine and meat lasagna baked in a tomato cream sauce, but also comes with fresh baked bread and a house salad. Of the three, the manicotti florentine was my favorite, with the lasagna coming in second, followed by the meat cannelloni in a distant third because the sauce was a bit too salty for my palate. Overall, I was quite pleased with my lunch, which cost less than $20.00 for an appetizer, entrée, and beverage. Still not tempted, Café Italia also features live music on Mondays and Wednesdays evenings to accompany your culinary enjoyment.
Despite being located on a street lined with a variety of eateries, including two other Italian restaurants, Café Italia has done a wonderful job providing a cozy dining atmosphere in a neighborhood surrounded by hotels, businesses, and residences. Not only will you get your monies worth in food and ambiance, but Sylvia and staff circulate through restaurant making sure their customer's culinary needs are met.
Café Italia Ristorante
519 S 23rd Street
Arlington, VA 22202
http://www.cafeitaliarestaurantva.com/index.html
Comments
Are all of your reviews going to be positive? Because so far you have no reviewed a single decent or authentic Italian restaurant in D.C. Have you ever heard of Tosca? Or Al Tiramisu? Or Obelisk?
No, all of my reviews will not be positive. In fact if I have a bad meal or receive bad service then I will gladly pass that information on and include it information in the review. There are numerous decent and/or authentic Italian restaurants in the metro area as you well know, and it is almost impossible to attend them all. Thank you for your feedback, reading the reviews, and I welcome all recommendations on D.C. Italian restaurants.
I have visited Cafe Italia after reading you sreview, is really a great place and delicious food, I'm glad you put it out for us. It's traditional Italian food, good family ambience. Great honest review
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