Cafe Fontana

I love dining here but the same thing bothers me every time… ordering at the counter and having people stand behind you. The big menu and the special board makes it too difficult to order quickly. They have many people bussing tables so have a couple waitresses also. I agree with the other Unilocaler, if you want another glass of wine you have to go up to the counter and wait in line which isn’t right for a restaurant that sells wine. The restaurant is clean and the food is very good and high in quality. I ordered the italian beef though and it reminded me of Arbys roast beef. The sandwich was delicious though but thought for this place they would have different beef. Definitely stop in, you won’t regret it.

I travel to this area 3 or 4 times a year. My stays are for 1 week each time and we go to this restaurant everyday for lunch. I haven’t been disappointed yet. Every dish I have had has been absolutely delicious. My favorite is having them make me a custom pizza. I get olive oil instead of tomato sauce and then spinach, feta cheese, garlic, and a little bit of mozzarella. Soo good! Very authentic food no matter what you order. I’m glad this place isn’t close to my home cause I’d go there way to often.

I ate lunch here with my 3 children for lunch. It was really nice inside… I was pleasantly surprised. Lots of choose from… we got the sausage pizza, prosciutto pizza and spaghetti. The pizzas were great. The only problem I had which may be big to some was that my pizza did not have prosciutto on it and it was supposed to have arugula on top and had a spring mix salad combo instead. I didn’t realize it until I was thinking about it on the way home. It was so good though. The staff was unbelievably nice. My daughter had fallen off the chair and many staff came to check on her. I would definitely go again.

We ordered the Italian Beef Sandwich at least 4 times and it was excellent. We have also eaten in and each time it has been very good. Asked us if there was anything else they could do, even refilling our drunks. Very friendly. In response to the person that said they were disappointed in pasta being served in a bowl, really? Have been to Italy and they serve pasta in bowls. Ever watch Godfather? They ate pasta in bowls. Sad to think people give bad reviews just because they are served in a different way. I would and will definitely go back here.

I tried to eat here on a Monday evening5/​11/​15, and they were closed to the public for a private party. looking at past reviews I was looking forward to trying it, but didn’t expect them to close it to the public. Oh well.

I’ve only been there once & don’t wish to return. I had not a good experience & nether did any of my family. We all got a form of pasta & we all had extremely dry pasta.

The worst management. It took an hour and a half to get our food. At 45 minutes I started complaining. They said it would be 5 more minutes. It took another 45 for us to get the food. I asked to speak to the manager it took another 30 minutes for him to come out and talk to me. He and the owners son were very rude. Go somewhere else.

Run away. This place has the worst management. I feel sorry for the employees there. Our food took over an hour to come out. When management was confronted they could of cared less. Don’t eat at this place. They don’t care about their employees or customers.

We have been to Café Fontana more times than I could count and we have always loved it! They have a large menu. Everything from panini sandwiches to pizza to salmon and far more.
*Note: you do not walk in and wait to be seated or just go sit down. You order at the counter and they bring your food to you when it’s ready. We didn’t realize this the first time we ate there and sat at our table awhile wondering what was going on.
I have tried something new almost every time I’ve gone and almost every time I am impressed. There were a couple dishes that weren’t stellar but nothing I’ve ever had has been below 3 stars. There are so many choices that it would be hard to say you don’t like anything on the menu. They offer wine, beer, and your standard soda. They also make their own deserts, including gelato and tiramisu (HEAVENLY!).
Prices are very fair at $ 19.00 for two adults and one 6 year old to eat dinner, a little more with desert. The salads are always extremely clean and crisp which is a big deal to me. And their french fries… I don’t know how they make those things but they are the best fries I’ve ever had! Crisp and flavorful!
I’m not sure about the mediocre reviews about this restaurant… we have been dining there since they opened when it was always fairly empty a couple years to now when it’s always busy. It’s nice to see that even though word has gotten out and they are busy so often, they are still very quick to bring the food and clear the dishes. This is by FAR the best place to eat in Pontiac. Seriously, we have tried the other main restaurants and have always felt that we wasted our money and regretted not going to Café Fontana. Go there. Try a panini or a salad or one of their awesome specials. Take a glance at the folks around you and you’ll see happy diners!

I had high hopes for this place but I have tried it 2 times in the last couple months and both meals were awful. The veg soup was just brown salt water. The salad was good but plain and mini in size. The talapia was tasteless except for. a very strong fish not so fresh smell. Very nice wait staff and mostly clean which is worth a star.

This restaurant is a Frankenstein resulting from the unnatural blending of Hardee’s and fine dining.
The menu items are fine dining type items; $ 18 steaks, $ 26 bottles of wine, Potato Crusted Icelandic Cod. Ordering your meal and paying, however, is exactly like Hardee’s, you stand in line to order with a cashier and pay for everything in advance.
If you don’t know exactly want you want you have to stand around awkwardly and stare up at the menu, which is made even more uncomfortable by the fact that the cashiers obviously expect you to know exactly want you want upon entering. So I suppose you should research the menu online and write down you own order ahead of time. That way you won’t annoy the staff by reviewing the menu before you drop $ 50 on dinner.
Want to know a good wine paring? Have questions about menu items? Tough luck for you.
If you decide you want a second glass of wine you have to stop in the middle of your dinner and go stand in line again at the cash register and order it. Decided you want some dessert? Back to the register with you! There is added confusion at the end while you ponder whether you should tip your food runner or not.
Even fantastic food is not worth this insulting and moronic setup, but the food is far from fantastic.
Zero stars cannot be given, but if anything warrants this place actually earning the required minimum one star it is the gelato. If you are stopping by just for that then you will have a fine experience, as the service and décor are appropriate for an ice cream shop.

Ugh, although the service I’ve had there the few times I’ve gone has been great, it’s the food.
The pasta, dry. I mean in Italy, your pasta is not covered, however they really under sauce here. The pizza, instead of a gas fired oven, try a wood fire oven for true Neapolitan pizza. Mine tasted more like digorno. At least the Caprese salad had a good taste.

It’s okay. The owners work hard, but the food, eh. I ordered sausage puttanesca and my pasta had a tablespoon of sausage, tops. My pizza had veggies that were still crunchy-​raw. They can do better.

First, for this to be a «ITALIAN CAFE» as the name suggest, I have enjoyed there southern style Ribs both times I have had them.
For the size of this city, which for restaurants include the Bloomington Normal area, have some of the very best cooked Ribs and sauce that I have enjoyed this side of Memphis, Tn.
Sold as ¼ — ½ — and Full rack, are a good value for the bones received’ price wise.
The ribs here are in the running with 1 other restaurant in downtown Pontiac, but with the scale tipped in this favor, & flavor.
Café Fontana brakes the mold in every other way, it may surprise you to order at the cashier, take a number, then go to a table that you find. I found it different, but relaxing in the long run… Not taking away from the good service that you would want to receive, in a 4**** star restaurant, YOU STILL RECEIVE THAT HERE.
The one small hick-​up today, was when my grandsons Shrimp salad was not heard, and the way handled, was a little disrespectful.
Nothing is 100%, so I give overall CAFE FONTANA on my Birthday today, is,
97%.

This place is a mixed bag to me. They have the kind of menu that would be better suited for a nicer, sit-​down restaurant like Bernardi’s across town. I really don’t even have complaints about the food, it is pretty good and certainly a bit different from most places open at lunch time.
The atmosphere is fairly sterile and ordering this kind of food at the counter with the fill-​your-​own drink setup is just strange to me. I can’t really comment on the service, because you don’t get any. You order at the counter, they set your food down in front of you, and that’s it. The folks I’ve eaten with and I have always been fine with the food, but it really needs to figure out whether it is a cheap lunch joint or a sit-​down restaurant.

Not my cup of tea. I would much rather be waited on at the table, than order at the counter. I also find it odd that your food is then delivered to your table, rather than receiving it at the counter. This is the only place I have ever been served spaghetti and meatballs in a bowl. The spaghetti had been sitting under a heat lamp for far too long, and while still edible, it was the worst spaghetti I have ever been served at any restaurant. I would give this restaurant an even lower rating, but the rest of my family actually enjoyed their pork chops and pizza. I’ll probably never eat here again, but it’s worth a try if you like this fast food/​sit down restaurant hybrid style.

Food is delicious. Order at the counter then they bring it to the table. I’ve sampled each section of the menu. Personal pizzas (one even with prosciutto), paninis, and pasta dishes are all delicious. They also have many different flavors of gelato (free samples!) and also sell coffee, single and double shots of espresso. I’ve suggested Café Fontana as the best place to get vegetarian dishes in Pontiac. Also, I hear they’re moving out near I-​55 where Buster’s used to be near the Super 8!

I’ve eaten there a couple of times when in town for business. Both were lunch. The food was pretty good, but I thought it was pricey for what you got. A sandwich, fries and a soda will set you back about $ 10. Food is ordered at a counter and brought out to your table.

I have eaten lunch here on several different occasions and have always had a great meal. From the Parmesan Crusted Tilapia to the Margherita pizza everything I have tried has been good. They also have a huge selection of gelatos and other desserts as well.