The Italian Caffè

The Italian Caffe had been on my radar for a while, but I hadn’t been in any particular rush to try it out. When our friends suggested it for dinner I was looking forward to finally giving it a go! After a right faff trying to book a table for four on a Tuesday night — including staff hanging up on us and then apparently not being able to give us the table we were in the middle of booking when they did — I was a bit apprehensive about my visit.
Luckily, on the night the restaurant definitely managed to redeem themselves a bit. It was pretty quiet when we arrived, although it was quite late on a Tuesday night so we were hardly expecting it to be heaving!
We were seated quickly and drinks arrived within a couple of minutes — ideal when you’re gasping for a glass of wine! The drink selection is hardly what you’d call extensive, but they do have a good wine selection and the Pinot Grigio Rosato was lovely.
Being a big fan of tapas, we opted for a selection of small plates between the four of us — if I remember correctly we had about 10 in total and some bread on the side too. This was a pretty decent amount, we did leave a little bit but it was mostly pasta. For a change we opted to stagger our dishes as the table was quite small, which was definitely a good decision.
Particular highlights for me included the chicken amatricianna, duck tagliatelle and veal & pork meatballs. The roast potatoes are also worth a mention as they were delicious!
At first glance, the menu did appear a little bit on the pricier side of the tapas offerings in Glasgow, but we were pleasantly surprised when our bill arrived as it was a lot better than expected — despite numerous rounds!
The service did start to lag towards the end of the evening, but it had been pleasant and timely throughout. I’m in no rush to re-​visit, but I probably would in the future. I’d say it’s a pretty good option if you’re a fan of Italian, and I’ve got my eye on their The Italian Kitchen counterpart too.

Lovely atmosphere in this classy restaurant. Nice food and friendly service. I was slightly disappointed with the Tiramisu desert but I would definitely recommend and return.

Another flight of evening whimsy led me to grab a bite to eat in here with a friend this weekend.
It’s «okay», as far as Italian restaurants in the UK go anyway — we had six plates of food including the scallops which were on special (a tad overcooked, but only a tad), and some oysters Rockefeller (Also fairly yummy, although totally not rockefella as too much cream and not breadcrummy)
A decent bottle of white (they have a good selection here) and we sat at the bar because they were fully booked — we were well looked after but it’s not somewhere I’ll be in that much of a hurry to return to; the price for what you actually get isn’t (in my humble opinion) really making it worth the walk.

Great dinner at The Italian Caffe last night. We had a late lunch and therefore weren’t super hungry for dinner, and the small plates concept was perfect. We each had a starter (Brushetta and Antipasto) followed by 4 plates to share (Scallops, Chicken Skewers, Steak Medallions and a Potato dish). The scallops in risotto really stood out but we were thrilled with every dish. The wine selection was great with a decent variety at reasonable prices. We shared a bottle of Syrah.
Service was good at the start, but a bit slower as they got busier into the night. Overall a very good dinner.

We were in town last Friday afternoon and after a bit of swithering about where to go for dinner, we decided to wander over to Merchant City and see if we could get a table here. It was pretty early (6pm) so we did, thankfully. I’d been here once before probably about 2 or 3 years ago and I remember that I really loved it that time, so I was keen to come back to see how it was.
We decided to go with the pre theatre menu as it is a pretty reasonable £11.95 for 3 small plates (Italian tapas). There is definitely more exciting options on the a la carte menu but a good range on the pre theatre. The wine list is also huge with loads of wines by the glass which is great if one of you is driving. I asked for some more information on the rosé and the waitress was very knowledgeable and helpful which was great — I settled on the pinot grigio rosato which was perfect (£5.50 for a small glass).
For food, I ordered: penne in a rich tomato sugo with fresh chilli and basil, chicken fillet with spicy Sardo in a rich tomato and cream sauce and baby calamari deep fried and served with spicy Siciliana sauce.
The food arrived quickly and Parmesan cheese was generously applied (just the way I like it). I really liked the calamari, it was a generous serve with a nice batter and well cooked. I did come across one piece which was chewy but the rest was really good.
The penne was tasty and flavoursome without being groundbreaking. What was amazing however was the chicken fillet. Wow, this was amazing. It had a really intense, creamy, rich flavour and was one of those dishes you just don’t want to end. I was pretty much licking the plate by the end of it. I told the waitress how much I liked it and she said it is really good with pasta too — damn her, now I really want the recipe! Haha.
The bill came to just over £30 which was pretty good for an early Friday night dinner. The staff were super lovely here, I couldn’t fault their service and how helpful they were.

The style of food is based on an ancient Roman «Pit Stop» from when Centurions would be travelling cross country. So the food is Hearty but in Small Portions (Tapas like)
over 50 wines to choose from, 28 by the glass, Other than that it is only really Peroni that’s on offer. NO Cidre.
I visited for my birthday (¹⁷⁄₀₃), The Atmosphere is low tempo, very relaxing and the staff where very engaging, eager to please and overall a pleasure.
The Italian Caffe delivered on all the usual hallmarks of quality Italian food, Hand made bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, olives, sun dried tomatoes to start. I also had a hand made spicy sausage pizza, along with a serving of rosemary and sea salt potatoes and Steak Medallions.
The Steak medallions, were exactly that, big enough to be worn on a chain. They were Very Well cooked and it was prime cuts of steak. The Potatoes help you not feel so disappointed that the Steak Cost £8.95.
The Hand made pizza was nothing other than amazing, fresh mozzarella, Italian spicy sausage and the tomato base was perfect. Great dish for 1.
For between 2 people you will probably need to buy 4 – 6 plates of food avg cost £5-£7 each to be fully satisfied. Equally the small plates make it a great venue for a business lunch, late Dinner, or those seeking a treat without the guilt.
I thoroughly enjoyed my whole Dinning experience, I will be a repeat customer.

A group of us went to the Italian Caffe by accident as we
thought we’d booked a table at the Italian Kitchen, but we’d managed to get
them mixed up on the website oops. The small plate/​tapas style dishes work
really well and the 3-​dish set menu is good value, but the tables are too small
to fit everything on so our waiter suggested picking one dish as a ‘starter’
then the other two as mains which was a bit clunky. Having said that, it all
tasted good. The fishcakes with spinach and vermouth sauce were the best I’ve
ever had. Top tip when you book, a) make sure you get the right place, and b)
ask them for the largest table they have. Even if there’s just two of you.

having never even heard of this place, i went out for a dinner once and was expecting the usual italian.
its not a big place, its small and cosy! went in and had a booth right next to the wine rick the booth was comfy and roomy
our waiter was straight over for menus and drinks and was such a friendly wee chap!
we ordered 2 bottles of rose wine. i didnt check the price tag as i wasnt paying haha but i heard they were £35 a bottle but it was gorgeous wine. the best ill probably ever taste
the menu was really great such a range of dishes! i opted for a stuffed chicken starter.
and a pasta main.
the starter orders were took and bread and olives came in the mean time. nice touch!
starters arrived within 10 minutes, perfect size. i can honestly say the pesto stuffed chicken was absolutely gorgeous so good i thought about licking the plate!
scrumptious indeed!
mains came about 15mins later which was good as it gave time to digest the food!
pasta and tomato sauce and meatballs.
nom it was also absolutely gorgrous and such a generous potion…
couldnt even consider a desrt but from what i seen of deserts for other people they looked lovely and im not really a desert person!
all in all grogeous food, lovely wee place totally professional and such nice staff definitely a winner for me! totally worth the money!
i’ll be back when someone is paying or i get th emoney to pig out!
go try this wee place!
it’ll be your new favourite italian in no time!
thank me later ;)

Great food and great service, very nice for a meal or lunch…

Over the years I have experienced The Italian Café twice, once for a sunday brunch and the other for…(wait for it) Valentine’s Day 2010 (you may cringe now). While both these expereinces lay a few years apart one thing remained constant, what a brilliant restaurant this is.
Take the décor, you could easily slip this establishment into Soho or Little Italy and satisfy the most grumpiest of Manhattan diners. They dim the lights to perfection at night and the beautiful bronzed mirrors encompassing the green leather booths insure a sense of privacy.
The wine list is perhaps one of the strongest points. They have a bloody brilliant bottle of Chianti on the menu for around 20 pounds. Dont listen to posters who say you can buy a decent bottle in the shops for a 5er, that may be all well and good, but your eating out so you should be prepared to take your wallet with you. Their wines are displayed on a tall and beatifully crafted wooden winerack with a ladder reaching up to the dizzy heights of the ceiling. All very impressive.
Onto the food. Dinner was ace. We started with a seafood platter of oysters, clams, cuttlefish and langoustine amoung other shellfish delights, accompanied with smoked salmon and and lashings of Chianti. We kept the menus throughout and picked and chose as we went along, which the friendly servers didn’t seem to mind. They do have a selection of mains — pastas risottos etc, but it its advisable to go down the extensive tapas route with a taste of more. Perhaps the only down point was the desert, we shared a tiramisu. Nothing special but went down just the same.
A great wee place if you want to treat the one close to you or impress the family with lunch.

LOVE the italian caffe! our favourite place in glasgow. staff are friendly, service fast, food delicious (antipasti mmm… as is daube of beef, mini pizzas, in fact all of it!)
cannot recommend it enough. perfect evening– italian caffe then bar gandolfi for cocktails!

A pricy Italian that is overly formal with its seating arrangements.
There are a few tables near the window, but it’s mainly cramped booths in the centre of the place that at first made me think of The Sopranos but later just made me feel uncomfortable to speak.
My friends recommend the food (it looked phenomenal) but it’s a bit too dear for me being that I am not a big fan of Italian food.
The wine list, I can appreciate, with a small glass in the region of £5.
Pricy, given you can get a bottle of half-​decent wine for the same price, but it is infinitely tastier wine and you’re paying as much for the surroundings as anything else.
That being said, I find the interior a bit awkward.

went to this place with some trepidation, dont really rate italian cuisine, i mean boiled flour, and really dont like olive oil.
however it was a very good experiance, the daube of beef in particular was excellent, as was the home made ice cream with a shot of expresso, the small pizzas could have had more sauce, but overall well worth the money

Now not being a huge fan of Italian fare i have to say this place was excellent.
You can order big plates of pasta but the main idea is to have about 3 dishes and share.
If you are in a group of 4 it would be well worth booking one of the booths as this gives you a bit more elbow room (ask when you ring or you will get a bog standard table).
Although the tables for 2 are wee the staff are great at getting rid of empty dishes so that it is a bit more comfy.
Between us we had the homemade baked bread with olives, 2 of the mini pizzas! Fab! some beef, seafood stew and some mini roast potatoe things.
We left some room for pudding and we were glad we did. The rhubarb crumble takes about 15 minutes to serve but is worth the wait as it was lovely and served with homemade vanilla ice-​cream.
We had a bottle of Prosecco and some mineral water and the bill came to £67. Granted not the cheapest night out but the food was lovely.

From the outside I expected a heavy, leather bound menu based on mains with prices starting in the 20’s. So when a group of us went for lunch on the advice of a resident italian I was pleasantly surprised as the light, tasty portions and the reasonable prices.
This is a bright spot on a corner of Merchant City. The menu is composed of small plates with a number of daily specials. Choices are wide ranging with nice selections of fish and antipasti as well as pizza, pasta and risotto. I ordered chicken livers in a madeira sauce with a wild mushroom pizza. The pizza is really a pizzette, or the smallest pizza I’ve ever seen, but was also the tastiest pizza I’ve ever had. Absolutely amazing. The chicken livers were cooked perfectly and served sizzling with fresh bread. And were again the best I’ve ever had.
Two dishes and a drink came to £10. This was perfect (for me) for lunch, though for dinner 3 plates would be more suitable. Which also is ideal for sharing, tapas style.

Italian tapas? What an excellent idea. This restaurant takes a grazing menu to a whole new level with Italian staples such as pizza, pasta, potato gratin and risotto all in miniature portions. To sample as much of the menu as possible, I recommend ordering around 3 different dishes per person and sharing, that way you get a wee taste of everything. The olives were among the biggest and juiciest I’ve seen and the soufflé was deliciously light and fluffy. Very affordable and a very sociable way to eat, I see a new trend coming on. Take a step back Spain, from now on tapas has a decidedly Italian flavour.