Trattoria Caffè Italia

Four of us went here for dinner recently. Two of us arrived early (we had reservations) and we got seated beside a table that was already occupied (which was odd) since many other tables were empty. The two ladies beside us were quite loud so within minutes we requested a different table. Our friends arrived shortly after and we ordered Caesar salads and calamari as our appetizers which were both delicious. The calamari was nice and crispy and not oily. The salad was plentiful and very tasty. For our meals, our friends ordered the two dishes and they really enjoyed them (spaghetti with meatballs and a chicken dish - can't recall which one), my husband received chicken parmesan instead of veal parmesan which our server addressed promptly and he enjoyed his dish also. I ordered the linguini with seafood in oil and garlic and it was terrible. It was dry, the mussels tasted fishy, the scallops were barely visible and I couldn't see any crab. I did eat the shrimps it came with, they were good.
They offered me either a dessert, a coffee or 1/2 price off; I took the discount since I barely touched my plate.
I so wanted this to be a great experience since I find good italian restaurants in Ottawa are hard to come by (they usually excel in one area but lack in another).
A big shout out to our server Kelly whose service was attentive and very friendly.

Came in for our anniversary. Kelly was amazing! So attentive and answered all our questions. The appetizers were awesome (escargot was to die for) I had the pescatore and was not disappointed, hubby had the carbonara and said it was incredible

I cannot wait to come back!

Delicious food, wonderful friendly service, excellent wine, and a cozy ambience. We will definitely be back! (The spaghetti with homemade meatballs and the pasta carbonara are SO GOOD.)

Horrible experience
Called ahead to reserve a table for two, one of whom uses a wheelchair, AND EXPRESSLY STATED THAT WE NEEDED TO SIT SIDE BY SIDE IN ORDER FOR ME TO BE FED. The person taking the reservation assured us we would be accommodated but when we arrived at 7: 30 pm as reserved we were informed no such arrangement was made. A weak attempt to seat us had me in between the kitchen and bathroom sticking out like a sore thumb. The person I spoke with claimed to be the manager made no effort to adjust his listening skills to accommodate my speech impediment. We left immediately and I felt disgusted. Clearly this restaurant has no intension of accommodating persons with disabilities. I shall be sharing my experience through out my disability network.

If you are a person of color please don't go there the owner Dominic is very racist towards black people!

The previous Italian restaurant I went to in Ottawa for family dinner left us disappointed. This place knocked it out of the park! Thanks for a great evening!

The atmosphere of the restaurant was very authentic to Italy. The staff were very kind.
I had the Fettuccine Al Salmone and it was very tasty. The only complaint I'd say I had was the bread was stale.

I gotta say, Sophia and McKenzie at our table made my night. Caeser salad that every bite was perfect accompanied the famous lasagna. Wonderful old world food with excellent flavors. Not displayed in any fancy waste of time, great food on the plate and wonderful service with a sweet smile.

Overpriced mediocre food! Vibe is nice in the restaurant. Waitress was nice but waiting staff was way too quick at removing your plates before you were done.

Not worth it! Find somewhere else if you can— your wallet will also thank you.

The staff were lovely but the tables were too small and the pizza I had was no better than a frozen pizza

Have been here on three different occasions. Love the ambiance, staff is absolutely amazing and the food if you are looking for some great Italian authentic dishes try it here!

This place is not what it use to be. Our waitress was Maggie, it took her 15 mins to come see us when we first got to the table. No smile, no apology and very cold. We use to love this place but now the food is not the same anymore and Maggie gave us the worst service you can imagine. She never came to see us unless we waved at her. Never going back there again and it’s specially because of Maggie!

The food was ok, it use to be better, I use to love the chicken parmigiana but they changed something to it and it taste more bland now. The restaurant is also a little over priced as well. We had a waitress called Maggie and she was pretty cold with us. When you spend that kind of money and order a bottle of wine, there is a certain minimum service you would expect. It took her over 20min to greed us which is not acceptable. Then barely smiles, very cold with us as if she didn’t feel like being there. We literally had to look for her to get service from her, she was barely there. For a 250$ bill, the service & food did not live up to the expectation. I can see the other bad reviews here and the replies are pretty robotic, simply asking to give them another shot. This really ciments the fact that they truly don’t care anymore like they once did. But it use to be good before, we use to go 3-4 times a year for a couple of years, so I still have hope and might actually give them one last shot in a few months hoping they change a few things around as we do like to support local & family businesses. If it gets better I will definitely update this review as well with all fairness.

One of Ottawas best down home Italian restaurants. We had a group of 10 people that they accommodated easily and provided fantastic service for the entire table. We had antipasto platters to start and then I had the veal parmesan- fabulous and large portion. The owners were awesome and sent us all a lemoncello with our desert & coffees. Yummm

Great place to have dinner! The staff is really nice and kind! The food is incredibly delicious! Definitely worth the money!

We had dinner there yesterday eve, hospitable hosts, delicious truly Italian dishes and I must mention: generous portions. Wide wine list with impressive private import selection. Wines are out of this world.
Menu is extensive.
The food is absolutely amazing – everything we tasted melted in our mouths.
The food is always fantastic and no matter what I order I am always delighted with my meal! Mostly Italian classics, and for their prices it’s 100% worth it. We ended our evening with a wonderful home made, not too sweet, tiramisu. (!)
Do yourself a favor and visit this lovely restaurant. The owner truly cares about your experience. Absolutely the best meal we had in a long time. Highly recommend it. Finally, the ambiance is very welcoming, cozy and charming. Amazing wines, food and service.
This restaurant has left the best impressions!
I recommend it to everyone!
Jo-ann.

It was just perfect. Great staff, very knowledgeable. Helped pair my appetizer with wine and a main course. I stayed for a delicious desert and cappuccino afterwards. Will go back again!

My friend and I thoroughly enjoyed lunch yesterday at Trattoria Caffe Italia. Everything was wonderful: ambiance, food and service. We were pleased to see a number of gluten-free options.
It’s the second time I have been to this charming restaurant since returning to Ottawa three years ago and Trattoria Caffe Italia is definitely a favourite!

We recently went to this restaurant for my Mom's 70th birthday. We were a party of 16. The staff were exceedingly kind and attentive. The atmosphere was lovely. The food was delicious. I definitely recommend! Thank you to the staff for making my Mother's big day that much more special.

An exceptional evening to dine on the rooftop patio tonight! Great food, friendly professional service, and a fine wine list!

The service was excellent and the waiters were very friendly. However, the food was rather bland and there was essentially no flavor in any of the dishes. They were well prepared but nowhere near the quality you’d expect for such prices. Would probably not go again.

Trattoria Caffé on Preston is an experience not to be missed. Easily one of the best restaurants in Ottawa. The food and drinks are outstanding, with an extensive menu. The decor is beautiful. And the staff are so friendly and helpful. You don't want miss this gem

Trattoria Caffé on Preston is an experience not to be missed. Easily one of the best restaurants in Ottawa. The food and drinks are outstanding, with an extensive menu. The decor is beautiful. And the staff are so friendly and helpful. You don't want miss this gem

For years, Trattoria Caffe Italia has been family's go to for special occasions. The Carrozza family and their staff are a class act, and proudly do it right every time with great service, excellent food, and respect for their clients.

Being of Italian heritage, one of the few Italian restaurants I will go to in Ottawa. Authentic Italian food. Great food and service. Family owned. Buonnissimo!
We have been going there for special family occasions for over 10 years.

Six of us had a late graduation celebration lunch. A few of us arrived 30 minutes early and they were able to accommodate us. We had no two appetizers or main courses the same and all meals were fabulous. The service was brilliant. The only sad point was that they were out of crème brûlé.
We'll definitely be back.

We stopped by for a few glasses of wine before a C4 wrestling event. Great staff & wine selection. Will return for dinner for sure!

Ce restaurant est mon favori à Ottawa depuis des années et les 2 frères, qui sont les propriétaires savent comment satisfaire leur clientèle. Plus précisément Dominic, un vrai Gentleman. La nourriture est excellente et de très haute qualité.

I did not enjoy the food here. It is way too expensive for what you get. I ordered the pasta. It was bland and had no taste whatsoever. I also did not ask for it to be gluten free but it was. I assumed that particular item came gluten free so I didn’t complain. When the bill came, they had charged us $8 for substituting gluten free pasta.

My partner got the shrimp jumbo pasta. It was okay. Compared to my food, it has some taste but it wasn’t worth the money.

We paid $100 for dinner. No drinks. Not going back.

Have been here many times over the years and have always enjoyed.
Not this time.food very bland. House salad was mostly lettuce, with 3 pieces of tomato, 1 olive and a few onions (which I had asked to be left off), and almost no dressing. They did bring extra when I asked.
On a positive note, the waitress was fabulous.
Will not be going back.

It's was very delicious, food hot and beautiful. Made rezo for 2 at 8 and asked if I could change it to the patio and the obliged w/o any issues. It was a wonderful time.

Booked a private dinner for my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary in the restaurant’s wine room and were very happy with the entire evening. Maggie was very helpful with everything leading up to the night providing quick responses to questions and complete and accurate information. Menu was easy to arrange and flexible including options for kids in the group. The food was excellent. Service from Sophie and others was superb making sure we were well taken care of. Room was well appointed and gave us a private space to enjoy our night together. Planning and execution was great and the restaurant delivered on all fronts. Thanks so much to everyone at the restaurant who made this a memorable and enjoyable evening.

I celebrated my birthday at Trattoria Caffe Italia. The scallopinni and salmon were both beautifully prepared and delicious. I love the atmosphere and although it was a fairly busy evening, the service was friendly and very attentive to us. I lived in Italy for many years and the food at Trattoria Caffe is authentically Italian. Tip: Check out that wine menu!

Decent dated restaurant. Food and service are good but not great given the pricing. Not bad, just not amazing.

Really disappointed with the new changes since Covid. New chef, I suspect. The ownership is the same.
The prices have all increased by 25%, and the quality has dropped off the map.
To have gnocchi instead of spaghetti with veal is an extra $10! That is outrageous. The zucchini stick app was SIXTEEN DOLLARS!
For two people, with one beer, no wine or dessert, was over $100 before tip. That's insane.
This used to be a favourite haunt. But with prices like that, and the quality lacking, we won't be back any time soon.

Very beautiful and authentic setting.the food was really good and delicious.didnt have a reservation but we where welcomed anyways.service is actually very professional and proficient (you don't see this kind of service now days). Wine menu is a bit overwhelming for a person that drinks wine but is no wine connoisseur. I would have expected and loved if the served bread was homemade or fresh but its not.one less star for the quality of the bread but all in all i will definitely be coming here in the near future and would leave some room to try the desert.

I bring all my friends and family there all the time. The owners Pat and Dominic are wonderful people. They both have a big heart and treat each customer like family. And to all the staff you are doing a fantastic job. I've been going there for 30 years + and my fiance and I will never stop going. Thank you for all these wonderful years and more to come.

Excellent starters and mains, with among the best deep fried smelts in the city. The wait staff know their wines, as shown by how well they helped pick out a glass. Lovely setting for casual or formal dining.

Good food, ambiance and service.

I had the smoked salmon as a starter, pollo principessa as the main, and chocolate cheesecake for dessert.

All really tasty, the roast potatoes in the main were not seasoned which was a shame. The chicken breast, mozzarella and asparagus was pristine. Cheesecake was super delicious, but a small portion.

The service was very good! Good service is hard to come by in Ottawa with most staff being really laid back and uninvolved in making your experience a good one. This wasn't the case at Trattoria, who's staff went above and beyond our expectations and made our friends birthday dinner extra special.

The restaurant is decorated okay, it's a rustic family kind of vibe but a notch higher than family dining.

So why not 5 stars? The price.

With soda, my entire bill came to about $70 which is pretty absurd:/ I understand food prices have increased due to inflation but it felt like quite the price gouge.

It’s a beautiful restaurant. On July 14,2021, I was a contestant in the Yuk Yuk’s standup comedy contest on the rooftop patio. The food everyone was eating looked delicious. And the patio was beautiful, with romantic lights hanging. And I won first place - So it’s a lucky place!

Loved it here. Came with a friend who has been going to the Caffe italia for years. I enjoyed the food and the service was perfecto. The waitresses were awesome like family

Food was good, I had a couple shells in the seafood pasta so I was shocked a couple times while chewing. The service was a bit slow but very friendly staff. I originally booked my reservation for the patio and was seated inside anyways, not sure if I’ll go back. Glad I tried it

Always my favorite place. Great people are what create great atmosphere, food and drink. Took my big brother out for a chill night, some nice wine and apps. The escargot = 5 star with a beautiful red wine picked by Dom. Class act. Music was cool, staff are friendly and happy to be back at it after a long winter and Spring.

Amazing Italian food! Maybe the best I've had in Ottawa! Between our table we had 6 different dishes and all were excellent. Staff were friendly!

Très déçu de la nourriture, je m'attendais à de la bonne cuisine italienne mais la franchement jai deja gouté des repas acheté tout fait congelé meilleurs que ça. Pas vraiment de gout, fromage meme pas rôti, presentation vraiment pas travaillé (ressemble a rien du tout) ambiance Zero etc.il y a des vin a 8 000 $ la bouteille et la sauce des pâtes goute juste la tomate, manque de cohérence! Bref oj a gaspillé 120$ (2 entree et 2 plats principaux) pris 2 bouchées de notre assiette et on a tout jetté. Allez ailleurs.

Ordered a few things for pickup with GetIT Local. Food was amazing! And had a great Negroni before taking my delicious meal home! Looking forward to my next visit.