Cafe Fiore

Great atmosphere! The wine and food are to die for, it’s one of my favorite places.

Celebrated our friends Leap Year Birthday here tonight and dinner and service was excellent! I had the pesto pasta, husband had the lamb shank, friends had the risotto and pizza and all were delicious! Looking forward to going back!

I came to Café Fiore with a large group of 14. We were in town for the Mountains 2 Beach Marathon event. We came here for our pre-​race dinner. We had made reservations far in advance. They had a table for ready for us in time. The place was rather busy, there wasn’t empty table in the joint. That being said, it took them an extremely long time to take our order. Once they did, we waited for nearly an hour and 20 minutes for our food to arrive. In that time, we waited for someone, anyone to come to our table, check on us, bring us water, bring us bread, and at the very least apologize for the delay and let us know how much longer it would take. After about 45 minutes, we started to grow impatient. Finally, the staff brought us some bread, refilled our drinks and let us know that the food would be out. I understand that the kitchen was slammed, but they should have checked on us without being prompted. Once the food came out, all was well. Everyone enjoyed what they ordered. I decided to go with the Risotto Con Pollo E Funghi with a glass of cab. It was absolutely delicious and the perfect pre-​race meal. I was absolutely pleased with my order. I would’ve loved to give Café Fiore a higher rating, but the staff did a terrible job waiting on us and the delay in getting our food was just unacceptable.

Went here on a Saturday night. The place was pretty crowded at 6pm, but we were seated immediately in the spot I’d requested when I reserved on Open Table. Service was friendly and prompt, and we were checked on just often enough.
Best of all — the food! We split the calamari appetizer (which also includes tempura zucchini), the ribeye steak with creamed corn and asparagus, and the mushroom chicken risotto. Every bite was perfection. Desserts were amazing, too — we had the trio of a tiny flourless chocolate cake, small bowl of butterscotch panna cotta, and pistachio gelato. It’s perfect for sharing. They even lit a sparkler for the birthday boy!
Entire experience = A+++

Have my last meal with my family before headed back to new York City. So the place was clean the food was good and a great time with my family. Some times that is all that matters a great time with family and some good food and good service.

Prior to a recent visit we hadn’t been to this restaurant in years — like about 10 years — and were almost surprised to find that it still existed. Well not only is it still around but it’s better than I remembered it — a real rarity in today’s fast-​changing restaurant scene.
The bar is hopping and if you sit there the happy hour deals are terrific. If you choose to sit at one of their comfortable booths, as we did, you’ll enjoy excellent service and a much more varied menu. We had a pizza with pesto and chicken that was baked just right and one of their tap beers that was fresh and properly poured. Other diners joining us had salads and appetizers that looked appealing and, given the clean plates that were quickly swept up when we were all done, tasty as well.
There are a few restaurants in this part of downtown Ventura that used to be a gastronomic ghost town. This one has hung in there and thrived. We’d recommend it to anyone in the area looking for a solid Italian meal in a delightful atmosphere with good service. Street parking is available and easy to use with pay-​on-​the-​spot credit card machines.

One of the best bartenders in Ventura is Keto. He takes pride in providing great service and awesome drinks!

Been here countless times over the last ten years and considered it one of the better restaurants in Ventura. But the last time we came in, it occurred to me that this place isn’t that great.
We ordered the crab cakes, three half-​golfballs of crabmeat and yummy filler over a heap of coleslaw for $ 16, the $ 22 grilled salmon (an unimpressive and undercooked filet that comprised 25% of the dish, 75% being overcrowded with a green salad), and $ 18 seafood linguini, which was pretty good with a mix of so-​so mussels, clams, calamari, and four plump shrimps, though the pasta could have been more al dente. Forgoing the $ 18 cocktails this time, we opted for two cappuccinos, which brought our total bill to $ 70 + tip.
Our waitress was nice, and they do bring this terrific tapenade with bread, some of which resembles strips of Sicilian pizza. And while the décor remains dark and dramatic, the atmosphere is cheapened by the sounds of really lame music. I mean, I’m talking Phil Collins ‘80s crap. If someone finds a better DJ, we may come back, but for now, there are no plans to shell out more money at this tired old joint.

Excellent pasta here. The service was top notch and, with a 20% first time Unilocal visitor discount, I couldn’t resist. If you’re looking for a good eatery in the Ventura area, you definitely need to give this place a check, especially for lunch. The prices are reasonable for what feels like a rather upscale establishment.

Thank You Café Fiore and staff for opening early just for us two girls to have lunch! My friend and I found ourselves hungry in Ventura for something made with love. We walked into Café Fiore and the Owner Maria took amazing care of us! They weren’t even open for another 45 mins and she welcomed us! The food was AMAZING! And the Service superb. Thank You Again Café Fiore for everything!!!

We had high hopes for this place, it looked pretty cool & they had a nice band playing. But we ordered drinks and they were by far the worst drinks we had ever had, they were straight alcohol with no flavor, then waiting 20 minutes and no one coming around we just started to drink them so we could leave. We waiting for our bill quite awhile also. So its just frustrating to pay $ 10 a drink and it to be horrible.

The atmosphere, food and service are all wonderful. Whenever my wife and I go on a «real date» we go to Café Fiore.

We came here for our anniversary last Saturday, and although we didn’t make reservations we were seated. The hostess made sure we knew we were to be out promptly at 7pm for another party.
Our waitress was sweet but disappeared throughout most our meal.
I ordered the scallops and mussels in white wine sauce and enjoyed it. Unfortunately my husband ordered the special that was offered (steak and potatoes sort of dish). It was bland and overcooked, my husband ordered medium rare and it was well done with the season lumped in the middle. When we received our check it was a $ 40 steak… I was just surprised that it was so expensive as a special and was so badly cooked.
The drinks were fantastic and thank goodness for that. I recommend the espresso martini if you find yourself here.

We had a spectacular supper at Café Fiore last night. The food could not have been better and all in our party were in agreement about that. Unfortunately, however, the service was another matter. We were shocked to see a server who ran – literally RAN – the dishes from the kitchen to the tables. He ran the entire time we were there. This same server (I don’t think he took orders – maybe he was a server’s assistant?) also broke a wine glass at a nearby table. His service was so abrupt and muscular that he even knocked over a glass of water onto my daughter and me. Mistakes can happen and would normally not be a big deal, but he never looked up, never apologized. He did try to fix it with many cloth napkins. My leather skirt was drenched, though, and we ended up having to sit on napkins the rest of the evening. I told that server he needed to slow down. His super-​speed was enough to make you anxious just watching him – not a pleasant atmosphere in one of Ventura’s top restaurants.
Throughout the evening our actual server – the one who took our order – was also abrupt and heavy-​handed. When I told him about the water spill – in order to get more napkins – he proceeded to talk over me. He was VERY intent on getting the cheese grated on our food and moving on as quickly as possible, it seemed. I had to actually make him stop and listen to me or he would have dashed off and not heard what I was saying. Yes, the restaurant was packed. But that is no excuse to not listen to customers. We’ve dined there before – Café Fiore is always packed. The chefs do a magnificent job and we have no qualms about paying the price for such beautifully prepared food. But the service was the opposite of the food. By the time we left, we felt we had been man-​handled. I’ve had more attentive, pleasant service at taquerias. (Taqueria Tepatitlan on the Avenue is an example – their service is magnificent.)
Lastly, back to the water spill incident – if the server had looked us in the eyes and apologized, we would have felt differently. If our main server had listened and not just rushed around, we would have felt differently. At any other fine dining establishment, the servers would have noticed and taken care of us. The offer of a free dessert would have been pleasant and would have made us feel cared for.
My experience with Café Fiore is of fabulous food, and ham-​fisted, uncaring service. This might work for now. But over time, diners will seek more a more pleasant atmosphere, such as at Lure, where the food is also spectacular, but the service is equal to it.

I thought that this restaurant had a very nice ambiance and warm comfortable setting to enjoy a meal. They have an inside patio area that is nice. The food was pretty good. They have a number of good appetizers that are great to share. The entrees were pretty good but flavors were a bit lacking.

Oh baby, you had me at «Martini Bar» on the big sign outside. ;) You hooked me, reeled me in with Sinatra playing, and put me in your net with the BASIL WRAPPED/​BLUE CHEESE STUFFED olives in my martini!
So I was just wandering up the downtown sidewalks in search of a libation after my drive up. And there was that sign across the street. I made a B-​line for the door. Fiore House Martini immediately caught my eye. (Belvedere vodka) What is this «wrapped» olive you speak of? Oh yes my friends… to die for. Crazy, new to me, not to be forgotten, basil leaf wrapped olives. $ 12.
I also ordered a pizza shortly after sipping, in delight, my cocktail. CALABRESE: (awesome)Tomato sauce, mozzarella & spicy salami for $ 15. I ate ½ and took ½ back to my hotel room for 2 a.m. ! It was the best pizza I have had in a while. The crust/​dough was perfect, and the sauce was unique and delicious. The spicy salami — who does that? What a great change from pepperoni. :)
Local patrons were friendly, as were the bartenders. The place was very nice, clean, and roomy. My bill wasn’t too bad. And I would absolutely make this my first stop next time I am in Ventura. Cheers!

Came here for Happy Hour and ended up having dinner as well. Johnathan, the Bartender, was very accommodating and willing to make the Martini the way we wanted and with a smile. The food was great, nice ambience, and the staff very nice and prompt. Couldn’t say much about the food as I may have had one too many Martinis.
I do agree, as with the many other Unilocalers, this is the place to go for Happy Hour.

I stopped in here with a group on Friday night to have dinner. They must have been booked up for the holidays because even though we had a reservation, our party was split up into three booths instead of seated together at a single table. It made socialization awkward and frustrating. On top of that service was pretty bad. The first time a server came to my table (the three tables seemed to have three different servers as well), I placed my drink order, my friend placed his, and then he tried to say something else, but the server had immediately turned and left the table before my friend could finish.
Eventually our table had five people at it and as we talked about the restaurant everyone but me had been there before and ALL FOUR other people had bad things to say about the service. My friend recounted one visit where his food took two hours to arrive. Other guests kept checking their watches because they only had an hour and a half before they had to leave, and knew that was going to be pushing it for Café Fiore.
After hearing their horror stories, I thought our service was much better than that, though still way below what I would expect from a nice place like this. Drinks were not refilled, servers ran away from our table before guests could finish saying what they wanted, and the food was pricey on top of it all. If I come here again it will only be for the social aspect and I’ll eat before I arrive so I can just settle with a small salad or something.
My friend ordered one of their pizzas and I will say it looked like a very good deal — it was a very big pizza (for one person) and wasn’t too expensive either. He took half of it home it was so big. It would have been perfect for two people to share.

We decided to have lunch here while on our mini vaca in California and it was A-​okay! But even better with a 20% off check in offer for lunchtime! What a steal!
I tried the Chicken & Spinach Ravioli served with fresh cherry tomatoes and it was the perfect portion for lunch! I will admit, I was a little surprised when the sauce had a soupy consistency but the flavor was there and the pasta was cooked perfectly so no problem. I also liked the fresh mozzarella served on top. But I do think I would have enjoyed it more if the sauce was creamier.
My boyfriend had the Pastrami Sandwich and it was a pretty generous portion! I love that it came with chips and a salad instead of just the regular fries. There was a thick chunk of meat and the bread was nice and toasty so that’s an A.
Would come back here again for lunch if I was in the area :)

I have been to Fiore many times over the years. This last visit was spectacular. My main reason for visiting is the martini, but their happy hour menu had me trying the food. The bar seating is quite comfortable. The servers are always friendly. The olive tapenade is sinfully delicious.
If you are in the area, check this place out. I don’t go for the full on meal, but a snack and drink at the bar is a must do when I am in Ventura.