Strings Italian Cafe

Very good food good service fast and easy. Reasonable prices for what you get. I had the chicken saltimboca delicious.

Best restaurant in Jackson to eat at. Food is always great and the staff are so friendly

I’ve always liked the food here in the 4 years I have lived in Amador County. My husband and I came here the other night and had good service and good food. I got the baked lasagna and tortellini bake and he got the chicken Alfredo. His food was a little bland and his chicken had a bit of a lemon taste which he wasn’t fond of. Mine was good, the bread and minestrone soup was delicious. We also both got the tiramisu dessert which was delicious. All in all I was very pleased but it was a little expensive. Very nice service.

Let me first say the food was very good, the waitress Michelle was very nice and attentive. The issue we had was with one entrée out of our party of four. My husband ordered the pan fried ravioli (which was really good) but the MEAL had only 6 ravioli and the price was $ 16.99. My meal was also $ 16.99 but I received veggies, spaghetti, and 2 chicken breasts. When my father in law brought it to the managers attention the manager gave some lame excuse about the «all you can eat soup, salad, and bread». That would have been a viable excuse if my massive meal hadn’t had the same deal. $ 16.99 ravioli = $ 2.66 a ravioli. The manager needs some customer service lessons since he wouldn’t take suggestions, offered lame excuses and said condescendingly «well I value your comments».

Limited dining options in Jackson.
Everything we ordered was fine.
Ciopinno was spicy and tasty. Good pieces of shrimp and fish.
Service was good.
Kids get a free entrée on Mondays with all adult meals.
They have a different deal each day.

Sorry, long-​time locals, but Strings is my favorite Italian restaurant in Amador County. Yes, it’s part of a chain, but it’s a northern CA chain confined to cities and counties all around Sacramento. It’s a freestanding building near the highway but in a large shopping center just west of 49 on 88, so there’s tons of parking. And no worries, it’s not an Olive Garden clone. Please, not that.
Besides excellent food well prepared, Strings has a wine list featuring Amador wines. Last time I was there I went with a local friend and she and I split Frutti di Mare and Calamari & Shrimp, which came with salad and bread, and we accompanied it with a bottle of Sobon Old Vine Zin. The room is quiet and pleasant, the service is friendly and attentive, and I like it.

Called ahead as we were a large party of 9. We were sat in the rear of the restaurant where they must not have heat as we wore our coats during the meal. We ordered two artichoke dips as appetizers, for which we got 6 small pieces of bread. Upon delivery, we asked for more as it clearly was not enough to feed our entire party. The server responded kindly but was clear to point out that «it would be added to our bill.» I didn’t speak up but thought, WHAT? You didn’t bring enough to feed everyone and you want to charge me? Then, two in our party requested additional salad dressing… again, «there will be a charge for that.» Lastly, when the meals finally came out, one in our party was served after everyone had already finished, so his wife offered him some of hers while he waited. Upon seeing this, the server reminded us of a fee for shared plates. IT WAS A COUPLE OF BITES, NOT A SHARED PLATE YOU IDIOT. My favorite part of our entire ordeal was when we got the bill. Yes, they charged us for extra bread, and a shared plate, but my favorite part was they included the gratuity. Now I understand why everything was so CRAPPY. Why work hard with a large party, they know they’re going to get the tip anyway.
I really can’t complain too much though. Because we refuse to return, we have found another place, The Pizza Factory. There, we get a 10% discount for a «party size group.» They give us free drinks, and all the salad dressing we need.

We drove all the way from Sacramento to Jackson just to eat some delicious Italian food. We love it here especially when we are in town. The mac and cheese, pizzas, pastas, salads & the bread, everything is amazing. Customer service is great and great servers. We just can’t get enough.

I am Definitely a foodie! But this place was definitely not the experience «everyone» cracks it up to be. Although our waitress Percilla was fabulous, energetic and attentive to what we needed… The chef should be ashamed of himself. Food was Bland, to much sauce and cheese to drown out the «frozen food» taste. Over priced for the quality and effort put into making the dish. The cost of $ 25 a person for cheap frozen tasteless food. Bust! Step your game up LAZY dude in the back or shall i say «chef» not really… ew!

Their portion is small and they post 10% senior Tuesday
discount, but bill full price requiring you ask for it.

We came late, tired, and hungry; left with happy tummies! Nicely done Italian food with distinctive flavorings. Frankly a surprise. Artichoke ravioli, stuffed mushrooms, shrimp scampi appetizer, and a beef short rib/​chorizo dish – everything nicely and tastefully prepared. The server, who also was the manager was friendly, thoughtful, attentive. We’ll be looking forward to returning to sample other things on the extensive menu. A good find for Jackson, irrespective of location.

Very good food. Service was excellent! Had the cheese artichoke ravioli with tomato sauce and Alfredo sauce, nice size portion it was yummy. Bread was good salad was a little garlicky for my taste but my dinner mates liked it a lot. My brother had the Seaford copping and he loved it, couldn’t believe all the goodies in it.

Food is good but they are bad about honoring discounts that are advertised. Today was the second time they wouldn’t accept the Unilocal discount. They also wouldn’t use kids eat free discount (Sunday and Monday) since it was mothers Day. No exclusions were listed so we expected them to be honored but weren’t.

GOOD NEWS: GLUTEN FREE PASTA available at this restaurant. Tell them when you arrive you need gluten free so they can start the water.
Redemption Strings! Wow, amazing dinner, great prices for the quality of entrees, well stocked table condiments and spices, great selection menu, excellent staff all doing their jobs, every table looked happy and the food was excellent and arrived in a reasonable amount of time. The restaurant was well staffed, clean, festive (valentines balloons and glitter hearts) and we all enjoyed our night. We wanted for nothing. Our drinks were refilled regularly, cracked pepper offered, I was asked if I wanted a lemon or not (A+ for that), dessert was offered and I was asked how I wanted it, and our food was warm throughout the meal. That means you kept the plates hot and it was served promptly.
Not only do I recommend Strings to couples and families but I will return more often.
I’m sure someone could have a bad night here but I have a feeling if it’s a current review they may be a little off if they give this place a poor rating. I think it’s worth your time and money to eat here.
Food: Our food was very good and well spiced. Nothing was too salty (salt is a sign off poor ingredients), the pasta was cooked aaldente, the sauces were flavorful and not grossly thick or too thin, the mashed potatoes had remnants of red potato skin showing they use genuine red potatoes and not instant potatoes, the short ribs had a charred skin that was overly salty, my chicken was grilled with genuine char marks, raviolis were the perfect texture with creamy filling and came with 11 – 12 raviolis, our dishes that included mushrooms had a healthy portion of them, the pasta meat sauce was thick with a great flavor of mild peppers and tasted homemade and fresh, the bread was served hot and fresh, and our salad included lots of goodies with a good size portion.
Service: We were checked on so many times I lost count. We were asked very specific questions about how we wanted things, if we wanted lemon in our drinks, if I wanted less ice, how was our meals, did we want dessert, did we want more salad, did we want our olive oil left at the table, and the list goes on. Our waiter was outstanding.
Dear Strings,
Job well done! Thank you for reaching out to me after my first review and caring as much as you did. Thank you for offering gluten free items. My son can’t have wheat and there are very few restaurants he can eat at. He had a great meal and he loved it. My Aunt was thrilled with the selection and our meal was so good we were able to visit and get lost in conversation because we weren’t ever needing to concern ourselves with issues of needing something or not liking our meals. Our meals felt like eating at home which is very rare at a restaurant. Thank you

OMG! The best pasta I have ever. My manager called in our order for out party at work. It arrived hot, organized and delicious. I ordered the Pasta Siena without shrimp because of allergies to shellfish. AMAZING! Excellent bread and salad accompanied the meal. Thank you for a great experience.

Had dinner here last night with family from out of town. Food was good. I ordered the artichoke ravioli and had the salad instead of soup. Flavors were good, and so was our server. My only complaint was although my food was brought to me warm, it was cool within minutes due to the 3 – 4 ceiling fans going at full speed overhead. I’m not sure it was necessary since the place does have AC.

We had been coming here off and on for 3 years. The first visit was great! After that, each visit something has been off. We went yesterday and quite frankly was th e worst meal I’ve ever had. I started with a «Minestrone Soup». The soup itself was oversalted and burnt tatsting. It clearly came from a can or bag. There was no meat in the soup and no minestrone! This was an oversalted veggie soup! Because the last few times when I ordered the Chicken Parmesean it was horrible, I decided to try lasagna. I mean, who can mess up Lasagna right? Strings can. This is NOT a traditional lasagna although the manager tried to assure me it was. It was served in a bowl like a gravy boat only shallower and had few noodles. The ground beef was minced so it basically was hidden in the sauce… ohhh the sauce. Out of a bag/​can. This was not hearty. It was greasy and bland. This was a frozen dish that was placed in the microwave or convection over to get to heat then they put a pound of mozarella on top and nuked it again. How do I know? Because the way the cheese was melted and stuck to the dish. If this was an oven dish, you would be able to get it off #1 and #2 it would not have had an after taste. When questioned about the taste. I told them it was freezer taste… like freezer burn. On the side was fettucine alfredo. The alfredo sauce was lukewarm and simply watery. Anyone who has ordered it knows what I’m talking about. Lasagna should be thick and hearty and firm. Alfredo sauce should be thick and creamy. Minestrone soup should, at a minimum, have minestrone!
Our waitress was graciious and pleaded for us to speak to the manager (I simply wanted to pay and leave). I waited another 5mins for the manager to come over and we discussed it at length. The manager was very nice and gave us a coupon for a free meal. To be honest, I probably will never use it. I explained we didnt want anything free, we just didnt want to come back until the food standards went back to fresher food.
In conclusion, the place was clean and the staff very friendly and accommodating. Howeveer, the food is horrible. Owners, I realize that times are tough and you aren’t getting the business you used to so you cut standards… but um. that’s why you are losing business. You need to cator to locals not tourists. We are the ones here everyday.

It’s no wonder, in a small close-​knit community like we have in Amador County rich with multiple generations of Italian families, that a place like Strings ostensibly seems like a can’t-miss business prospect. It has recently been awarded by tourism sites as well as the local paper sponsored publicly voted list of favorites as best Italian Restaurant. That’s a biggy around here, considering the community’s long standing loyalty with some of the oldest businesses having stayed in the families even until the present. I remember thinking when Strings first opened a few years ago they will make it or break it on the merits of the food and the experience, but without the benefit of… tenure.
The shopping center location makes it very convenient (close to where highways 88 and 49 intersect/​merge) and right off the bat, the appearance from the outside is very clean, meticulously primped, and free of blemish. However (it must be said) it is a rather unromantic rectangular beige shoe box of a building (no outdoor seating) with little to prepare you for anything culturally significant to Italy whatsoever… well, aside from the Italian flag colors wrapping around the shoe box like a ribbon, which has the effect of making it look like something one might find under an Italian giant’s Christmas tree containing 2 fantastically stylish gargantuan dress shoes., and that impression you get is not brilliant… nor will it last very long, because everything is about to improve dramatically .
The moment you enter the door the smells of PROPER Italian cuisine hit you like an avalanche of freshly-​made-​marinara-​sauce-​scented down feathers (only much more pleasant than that image now seems on second thought). Of course, they have traditional Italian pop favorites at the «just right» volume level for relaxed conversation over an eclectic and diverse wine menu. The décor is superbly appointed and in sharp contrast from what one might expect coming in from the parking lot. It is very comfortable and you can tell someone went out of their way to carefully pick the colors and the art and overall style of everything else in sight… and that heavenly aroma permeates the air. The hostess, waitresses, kitchen staff, all VERY professional but not short or cold… How else to say it? Service was as nice and attentive and helpful as could possibly be expected and desired. Not to be outshined, the food was stellar beyond anticipation. Honestly it was the kind of Italian food you would find in a little mom & pop restaurant in North Beach, San Francisco (this is a serious compliment).The salad was served family style (i.e. in one large bowl) along with a basket of fresh bread. Our entrees arrived hot and fresh and beautiful… My calzone was big and meaty enough to feed me for two separate meals and absolutely delicious with such authenticity like the calzones you get in New York City. Actually, even better! We (my date and I) traded samples, She got the salmon which was exquisite as well. She must have been moved by the experience as well because when I asked her opinion of the calzone she did her best New York accent and replied «fuhgeddaboudit!»
I don’t know how the other franchises are doing in the «Strings» constellation of stores throughout the land, .The Jackson store is the only one I’ve been in — though I understand the chain is expanding. When I asked for the salad dressing recipe, my server told me they get it from a common source with the other Strings franchises (for uniformity). So if all of the other Strings restaurants are offering the same menus and same attention to detail, then they’ll be a stock to watch if they go public (but I digress).
So the approach to the store all the way up to the entrance is nothing to remark strongly about plus or minus, but once you’re in it’s just delightful and STAYS that way all the way through… even the bill is easy on the eyes. You just can’t go wrong. My family has added Strings to our «HOT» list of places we love to eat and we WILL be back there soon!

Strings in Jackson, Martell to be exact, is a great place to enjoy a quick, inexpensive lunch or dinner. My family is from Northern Italy so some of the dishes are not as authentic as we would get at home, but everything that I have had a Strings is very good and very enjoyable. I love the Lasagna Pastry, the Mussels are delicious and there are so many dishes to choose from that there is something for everyone. There’s a ‘Specials’ menu with new dishes to try all the time.
Some of the staff has been there since the restaurant opened and are very knowledgeable about the menu. I enjoy trying the specials at the recommendation of my server. It’s always a lot of fun and I have never been disappointed.
Having been a restaurant owner myself and understanding the unexpected challenges that can occur, it makes me smile to see Sharon, the owner, jump in to help out at a moments notice. I’ve been there when you are short staffed or a slow night suddenly turns into an exceptionally busy night after you just sent wait staff home. She also tries to visit the tables when she’s there to say hello and to see how you are enjoying your lunch or dinner.
Strings is a National Restaurant, but unlike other chains, each restaurant is independently owned and the food is freshly prepared. If you’re in hurry, it might not be the right place for you, but if you want good food, a menu with variety, a friendly staff and atmosphere try Strings.

Come on guys — this place has such great potential! Let me help you out: When a customer walks in (hungry) and wants to eat, he expects you will stop chit chatting with your boyfriend on the company phone and acknowledge that he is there.
Okay, Cy and the rest of the male crew: I get it. Your fellow female co-​workers are kind cute. But when my salad bowl, water and bread are gone, and I have been sitting there for 10 minutes since the last time you came by to check on me, I just ask that you pause the game of grab-​ass and feed me. Is that asking too much? There was only one other table that was seated. Please guys, it’s not like it was busy and there must have been 5 wait staff hanging out gossiping about their love life.
So, if you would just step up the customer service and attentiveness a notch, you might just increase business.
Now for the food, I have had better. The pasta seemed bland compared to other Strings I have patronized. You could step up the flavor a bit in some of your dishes. The vegetarian pasta was mostly mushrooms and olives — I thought I was eating a pasta pizza.
All in all this is a quick place to stop in and eat for around $ 12 – 15 per person; personally I only chose it because of the all you can eat salad and bread — that’s jus the mood I was in.