Cafe Italia

Don't believe those negative or neutral comment, this place is AWESOME.
I was concern because people only give this lovely place 3 stars in general, but looking through the comments, eventhough the one that give it 3 star , they are full of complimentary.
I Had lobster ravioli and ask for alfredo sauce instead of original sauce.
I actually asked for extra sauce and the result come out exceed my expectation. ( with no extra cost )
The pasta itseld was good, and the sauce was perfect !!!
The vinega was homemade and it go great with the salad.
Friendly service and openly to comments.
Recommended!!!

I really liked this place. It's not the fanciest in the world, but the food was really yummy and the staff was really friendly.

I went solo (cause my American Airline points were about to expire, and they are on the dining plan...) plus, no one wanted to go with me they were all "tired"... whatevs... anyways - I have a seat at the bar and had a glass of wine along with a ravioli dish. It came with a salad, bread, a sausage and meatball.

It was super cheesy and really good. Not too much food either - sounds like a lot, but I didn't regret eating it all, so its a good thing. Flavorful sauce, the bread was warm and fresh. Salad was meh, but I didn't come for the salad... I came for pasta and points - and will be back for more!

I hate writing low reviews but I'm curious how this place stays open! Stumbled here after a happy hour at jaleo and finding out that the pizza place on the corner had shut down. Salad and service are the only thing saving this from a 1-star review. The salad was fresh, the bread was warm, but the pastas, no one at my table finished their plate. I had the gnocchi and it was a bit rough, I felt like it may not have even have been housemade :(

3 stars is as good as you can give this place.

Pros
In the neighborhood

Cons
Bad service
Mediocre food
Expensive for the experience.

I started yelping- as I drink/eat my meal.. just to ensure that I do not forget anything! I would like to start by saying how much I love their coca cola!!!!! I know that's a rare thing to state! Some people assume all cokes are the same, but they are not!!! Okay back to the food!!

Their house salad is a decent size, I got the Italian dressing which is different from any other Italian I've tasted, this being said in a good way!! And the good is great too ( which it was warmer to soften the butter a little)

Ordered the chicken parm with the pink sauce ( i don't like red on its own) which I would've read the description a little more because it comes with penne and I prefer fettuccine. Penne are definitely cooked al dente but it's really really good!!!!!!!!!!! Definitely give this place 5 stars the atmosphere is really cute and cozy, definitely a first date or any date type of atmosphere . It's also great for family and friends !!!! If I didn't live in Massachusetts this would definitely be my Italian spot!!!

Wow! We were heading to a different restaurant, and stumbled on this gem! Unbelievable, neighborhood Italian eatery with a mom/pop feel through and through. They even have small plaques all over the walls of the regulars from nearly 40 years of operation.

I went with my family, and thanks to a roach in a restaurant nearby, we ended up checking this out as the alternative.

We were warmly greeted, and could sit just about anywhere. Having two kids with you that are about 2 hours overdue for food was going to be a challenge, but this restaurant delivered.

First out, soft homemade Italian bread. My wife and I had Minestrone soup. Amazing depth to the broth, and the vegetables were perfectly done and plentiful. One of the best Minestrone soups I've had!

We ordered Spaghetti Bolognese for my wife and 9 year old big eater of a daughter. We added a meatball. I had a the Pasta Carbonara. It was all homemade noodles, with well cooked bacon and onions and a light Parmesan sauce. My son had what a six year old has...chicken fingers and fries. He doesn't have a love of food yet like the rest of the family.

Everything was amazing. The only reason we didn't have dessert? We were too stuffed! The kids didn't want chocolate cake - you know they were full!

I would definitely go back to this little gem if in Crystal City again, in fact, we may go out of our way to do so! I would invite anyone to eat here that wants old school Italian, done from scratch, in a setting that gives you a neighborhood feel.

The clam linguine with white sauce (15$) was pretty awful. It was incredibly salty, to the point where I couldn't finish the dish; the clams were nearly inedible because of this. The white sauce is basically butter, instead of standard white sauce. At that price point, it's definitely not worth the visit.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie...that's amore. Okay, so I didn't order a big pizza pie; however, the spaghetti here is one of the most authentic I've tasted.

I came here during lunch since my friend had a Living Social/Groupon voucher (don't remember which one). No line, no wait. I ordered the 3 course lunch special for $12.95. You choose an appetizer of soup or salad, a pasta dish (endless but dine in only) and a dessert. I chose the lobster bisque soup, the spaghetti Bolognese and a cannoli for dessert.

Lobster bisque - wasn't a fan of it, it was like a creamy, cheesy tomato soup...not sure where the lobster was.

Spaghetti Bolognese - I loved it, it was delicious, full of flavor and taste so homemade.

Cannoli - it's small but fresh. Crust was crispy and honestly, it was just enough for me.

My friend ordered a pepperoni pizza for lunch...I didn't taste it but by the look of it, I wouldn't order it.

Going to try this place for dinner and see how it is. It's so hard to find an authentic Italian meal around this area.

Found this place via Google and decided to give it a try. Staff was very courteous and we were seated promptly. Food was awesome and service made sure we were tended to for every need. Great experience thanks!

Had wanted to go to Portofino across the street, but it was late by the one we got checked in to our hotel so we came here instead. Cute little place on the short strip of bars and restaurants here.

My husband got the spaghetti bolognese and I got the butternut squash ravioli with shrimp. He loved his, but I found the sauce the ravioli were in to be too rich for how sweet and rich the raviolis themselves were. And there was a ton of sauce.

The salad was nice, we liked the dressing, but the bread could've been toasted - it felt very plain.

We shared a half carafe of the chianti, which was plenty for us, and decided to grab dessert from 7-eleven as our waiter seemed to forget us towards the end.

Would've ended there, except my stomach hurt so bad from the sauce I had trouble sleeping that night.

Overall: the ravioli were good, but perhaps in a buttery sage sauce or something less heavy. Not sure we'll be back.