Cafe Roma

Food is great. Owners are awesome. Service is great. They run an awesome business. They deliver as well, so it is very convenient. It is just a little noisy in there.

I’ve eaten here twice and got pasta both times. The first time was in the summer for lunch and everything was absolutely phenomenal. The pasta was al dente and perfect. The second time was for dinner and I was only sort of impressed. The service was slow and the pasta was overcooked and mushy.
Good food overall but in my two experiences it’s been hit or miss.

I absolutely love this place. The soup is outstanding. Do try the Green Thai Curry. I highly recommend it. You really can’t go wrong with anything on the menu. It’s all delicious. They even have revolution brewery beer! It’s a great place.

Nice atmosphere especially for in an office building. Salad della casa with avocado and shrimp with house basaltic dressing was very good — I love avocado and shrimp and this was a good one.
Service was good but we did get here before the lunch crowd.

I was super excited about this place!
Came here with my dad & younger sister before my dad leaves out of town.
Plus we needed some bonding time together. :)
The place is cute, I like the option of sitting outside.
Presentation of food — ⁹⁄₁₀
We ordered the Mergherita Pizza 18″ & the Penne Rustica.
The pizza: ⁷⁄₁₀ — NOT enough cheese. Seriously tasted like straight up Tomato Purée… WAAAY too much tomato, and not even cheese to even out the flavor. However, it is unique & the fresh basil was nice.
Pasta: ⁷⁄₁₀ — GREAT, new flavor. The sauce was seriously extremely watery??? If the sauce was a tad bit thicker it would be DELICIOUS. Reducing the sauce would be a great option however, it’s not bad watery. Just the flavor would definitely hit home run if it was thicker.
Anyway; the atmosphere is nice. Nice servers. Good place to try! May or may not be back for the quick pasta.

Loved this place!
Very nice atmosphere and the smell in there was incredible! Our waitress, Makenzie, was really nice and came back frequently to check on how our food was, as well as refilling our drinks frequently.
Would definitely come again, can’t wait!

Excellence in Italian sauces can be found at Café Roma, the spaghetti with spicy red sauce and crumbled sausage was simply delicous. Great warm atmosphere and friendly staff made for a great meal.

Great food. Very comfortable intimate environment. Their soups are hearty on cold days like these.

What an unexpected treat this place was! I live in the area and have seen the signs but could never figure out where the place was. Went for lunch with girlfriends and it was awesome! We all ordered sandwiches or wraps and everything at the table looked delicious. I had the eggplant parm sandwich and it was so good. Thick slices of eggplant in a tasty marinara on a soft roll. The side salad had a fantastic light dressing. Others ordered wraps which were wrapped in pizza skins which was such a neat twist. Can’t wait to go back and try more stuff!

I took my wife and kids here the other day for the first time. The atmosphere was great. I appreciate that although you are in an office building, it is not stuffy inside. We heard upbeat music on the radio which was quite refreshing. It’s pretty tiring hearing Nino Rota at every Italian restaurant you go to. The waitress was kind to our family and was attentive to us. The food was outstanding. We all had the fettuccine alfredo. My wife also had the Curry soup, which was delicious. We look forward to this restaurant being our go-​to Italian joint.

Very nice and warm place. Staff is very attentive. The lunch menu is super! Everything is super tasty and looks like very good quality. Looking forward to coming here for dinner! Highly recommend it!

Who would have known that a little gem was hidden among the towering sky scrapers of The City in The Suburbs. Have been here several tons. Always busy and always delicious. Can be a little more than I like to spend on a daily lunch, but the food is worth it!

The food is good for a suburban café, but service is very poor. Every time we decide to place an order for take out, the girl on the phone is complaining how busy they are, lack of knowledge on menu, having an attitude… For the reason we rarely order from there and more often from Panera Bread.

The first time I went here I was hooked. I love their salad dressing. White balsamic vinegrette (awesome) is the dressing on the house salad. Great; pizza, soup, vodka sauce/​pasta (add italian sausage), bruscetta, meatballs. Lunch & dinner prices are very reasonable.

Café Roma is so unassuming and a hidden gem tucked away in a business park. How lucky if you work near!
The adorable Café has indoor and outdoor seating. Food is always pleasing and for getting some fresh food at the right price, I’ve been here more than once.
Go Roma!

Great place we found only by Unilocal reviews. Wouldn’t have known it was there otherwise. Hidden back in an office park, they do a good job of guiding you back to it from Randall Road with small marker signs.
The portions were quite large and the pasta was terrific! I had the gnocchi and Thai spice soup. I highly recommend them both! Staff was also very friendly and accommodating.

This is tucked away in an office park. By the location we assume mostly a lunch business but not sure. It was busy for lunch for sure
I had the spicy Italian sausage sandwich and salad. The dressing was good oil and vinegar with a hint of raspberry. I think
The sausage was a little over cooked for my taste but was tasty. The bun was soggy with the juices of the peppers tomatoes and onions. This is fine with me but note that a knife and fork are much better than your hands for this one

I have been going here for lunch since it opened. Food is always fantastic. Service can be spotty. They have experimented with a few different styles of serving — counter order, order at the table etc. Seems like they are getting it down but need more «polish». One example: I do not like my flatware placed on a bare table when it is going to be in my mouth. When taking away my salad plate the waitress grabbed my fork with her hand and sat it on the table for me to use for my next course. She then acted very put out when I asked for new, clean flatware. This and a few other wait staff issues keep me from giving more stars. But the food really is great!

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this little café. We came for lunch — the hours are irregular, definitely double check the hours before heading to Café Roma.
I ordered a side Caesar salad, one of the specials, a gnocchi in an incredible vodka cream sauce $ the tiramisu. I also sampled the home made chicken noodle soup, which was nice, but not anything to get excited about.
The biggest let down was the tiramisu. Some pieces were way too wet and then others tasted a little dry, and overall I found the coffee flavor a little overwhelming.
On to the good parts of the meal, the gnocchi were okay; they’re pretty huge and the consistency was t as pillowy and light as I would have liked but the sauce was definitely a very redeeming factor. You can also add protein for an up charge. All entrees are arced with a nice slice of cheesy garlic bread — what could be bad about that?
The salad was also really nice and fresh tasting. And I also ordered ice tea which was served with lemon and a sprig of mint; the garnish made the beverage feel surprisingly fancy for a mid-​day iced tea in the dead of winter. :)
Recommended if you’re in the area & crave a good Italian meal.

I have worked in the same building as Café Roma, lovingly dubbed in my office as «The Roma,» for a few years now, but I have never taken the time to write a proper review.
Shame on me.
The Roma is simple, unassumingly located on the bottom floor of an Elgin office building. Open for lunch on weekdays and dinner on Thursdays and Fridays, Roma’s demand might outweigh the supply. What do I love about the Roma? I love taking a break to grab lunch from Roma, where I am always greeted with a smile from one of the employees, all of whom seem proud of the cuisine they serve. On a regular weekday, I try to keep it simple and order one of the daily soups.
This is no ordinary soup. Chef Frank and his staff manage to turn ordinary soups like cream of mushroom and broccoli cheddar into masterpieces. Green and red Thai curries, Thai noodle soup, and vegetarian chili are departures from the Café’s Italian menu but it is a welcome and delicious surprise. The soups are reasonably priced to include a piece of the Roma’s dangerously addicting garlic bread and a house or Caesar salad.
When I’m looking for something a more generously sized, my go to is the Eggplant Parmesan. Unlike any other version of this traditional Italian dish, the eggplant is presented in thick cutlets, crunchy and flavorful, with a side of tasty pasta. I also have loved anything that comes with the Café’s vodka sauce.
The food is phenomenal– fresh ingredients, deliberate and exact flavors, and innovative renditions of world classics– and I would rank the Café’s offerings among the best in the Chicago area. My only sincere grievance is that the Café isn’t open everyday of the week and weekend for lunch and dinner. The food is worth the wait, if you go when it’s busy, but the staff’s commitment and pride in Café Roma makes it even more enjoyable. The ambiance is intimate and warm. Don’t miss this hidden treasure!