This was my first time dining at Cafe Toscano. I have to say, I was extremely impressed! Be warned, the portions are HUGE so sharing is completely an option. The bread and dipping sauce was delicious and flavorful, and each entree comes with a salad as well. I had the chicken Parmesan, which was as good as it was large and the restaurant was flexible enough to allow me to order penne with Alfredo sauce as my side. The service was great, the food was tasty, and we will certainly be returning.
Review Source:Pleasant surprise, especially regarding the food. Â Dipping oil was heavily amended w/ herbs, spices and cheese...and that can be good or bad. Â But the chicken Marsala was tender and tasty, wine selection respectable, and atmosphere (patio) and service were pleasant. Â Quality fare at a reasonable price.
Review Source:Came here with my best friend and his parents for a celebratory dinner. Â It's situated back from the road, in a little plaza, so be attentive! Â I passed it up the first time I drove by.
The service was just alright, the waitress didn't seem that interested in serving us, but it was also around 7 pm on a weeknight. Â Overall, she did an okay job. Â She wasn't unfriendly, but it wasn't an over-the-top experience, either. Â Didn't make or break our visit.
The dipping oil for the bread was amazing, apparently they are somewhat famous for it. Â I could have been happy eating bread alone that night. Â The Goat Cheese Trio appetizer was really good (an eggplant dish), and the Caprese salad was pretty standard -- it's hard to go wrong with that one, although the mozzarella and tomatoes were just a little wet. Â I think I was the only one completely happy with my entree -- the shrimp and artichoke cappelini. Â Both my best friend and his mom had to ask for extra sauce, and my friend's dad's lobster ravioli actually came with a lot more sauce than he preferred. Â
The dessert was the best part, probably. Â I couldn't decide between the creme brulee or the peach gelato, so our server let me have both on the same plate (although I didn't end up paying, so I'm not really sure if she charged us for one dessert or two). Â They were both pretty delicious, but if you have to pick one, go for the creme brulee. Â I have yet to find a gelato here in Cleveland that tastes like gelato and not ice cream.
I'd probably go back if invited, but stick to what I've already ordered.
Second time here, this time for lunch. We were met with some fresh rolls and oil, cheese herb dip. always a good start for me. We ordered a chicken parm panini and the cob salad. The chicken parm sandwich was good, however the fries were not so good. "Shoe-string" ala Mc Donalds and they were cold. The Tuscan Cobb salad was amazing, however the 10 ingredients in the salad were in their own partition. In a bowl that hardly fits the huge salad made tossing it an impossible task. That being said this salad was a quality salad well presented,
Had dinner here last time and was a much better experience. We will return.
We were exhausted one night after a show at the IX center and decided to pop in and give this a pre-Valentine's Day try. Â The hostess seemed a little shocked that we didn't have a reservation, but did accommodate us... probably due to the fact that the area was getting pounded with snow and she expected cancellations. Â It is a very small restaurant so I think expecting reservations was more a necessity than trying to be snobby.
 We got a decent table by the kitchen and immediately enjoyed the warm atmosphere.  Our waiter left a little to be desired, but the other waitstaff totally took over for him where needed; bringing us more bread or refilling our drinks.
 The bread.  Oh my God, it is so delicious.  The olive oil with Parmesan blend is SO delicious, it makes my mouth water thinking about it.  The salad had some of the best house dressing ever. Â
 I ordered the lobster ravioli a la vodka and it was great.  My husband's veal parmigiana was GIGANTIC.  We were both stuffed by the time the meal was over but still took a piece of tiramisu home and that was excellent. Â
 The kitchen got behind while we were there and we definitely waited an absurd amount of time for our food, but they had several large tables and we could see them working and they were sweating their balls off.
 This was an extremely expensive meal, but it was definitely delicious.  It is a great treat every now and then or a very nice place to take family or a client.
Cafe Toscano is officially on the list of places that I will be going at least once a year. Â Out of all the Italian places we have been in the Cleveland area from Little Italy to Giovanni's in Beachwood, Cafe Toscano is in the conversation for best Italian food in Cleveland.
We tried the crusted Arancini appetizer which was really great. Â It was like a ball of rice and mozzarella cheese breaded, fried, and topped with a Pomodoro sauce and more cheese shavings. Â I am not doing the description much justice. Â Be warned though, it is a heavy appetizer that could leave you full before you order the main dish.
That also reminds me. Toscano isn't for diners in a hurry, which is great. Â They were in no rush to take our entree order, preferring to give us our drinks, get the appetizers ordered and take our time eating those before delivering the soup (me) and salad (wife.) Â The pace of the meal was just right between the courses.
For the main course, I decided to keep it simple after the heavy appetizer. I got their spaghetti and handmade meatballs. Â The pasta tasted really really fresh, the sauce was good, and the meatball was really good. Â My wife had the lobster ravioli served alla vodka with shrimp and scallops. Â I don't do seafood, but it all looked great. Â The vodka was thick and full of spices.
We didn't stay for dessert on this visit, but I am sure we will sometime in the future. Â
Anyway, I give this place a rave review. Â The service was great. Â The atmosphere was great. Â The buildout of this restaurant with the dark woods and stone walls is classy and modern. Â If I had one small complaint it is that this place was a bit loud. Â Then again, it was really busy on a Thursday night, so that says something positive anyway. Â
Above all, the food was great. Â It tasted really really fresh, and despite my ordering the most boring dish on their menu (which was still tasty,) they have a lot of very inspired dishes on the menu.
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