Caffe Gelato
90 E Main St, Newark, DE, 19711
Caffe Gelato Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Newark for healthy meals suggestion.
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Visit below restaurant in Newark for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
90 E Main St
Newark, DE, 19711 - Phone (302) 738-5811
- Website https://www.caffegelato.net
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :10:00 am - 9:00pm
- Mon : 10:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Dinner
Parking : Street, Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Intimate
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Italian Cuisine
The immense popularity of Italian cuisine globally isn't unknown. You can find an Italian Pizzeria around every corner of almost every city in the United States. Not to forget that in every house, people enjoy mac and cheese as comfort food. But it would be wrong to believe that Italian food starts with pizza and ends with good pasta as this Mediterranean country has much more to offer other than these two dishes. In Italian Cuisine, there is a high use of fresh tomatoes, all kinds of herbs, great quality of cheese, all types of meat, seafood and fresh handmade pasta. Many find it hard to believe that Italians have been making noodles long back.
Italian and Greek cuisines are always mistaken to be same, but they are poles apart. The primary difference between the two cuisines is the use of cheese in most of the Italian dishes. Italians love to cultivate their own cheese and process them as per their food requirement. It is believed that some cheese is so expensive that cheese producers secure them in lockers.
If you are bored eating the same old pasta or pizza, you can try some of the authentic Italian dishes like Risotto, Polenta, Ribollita, Lasagna, Fiorentina Steak, Bottarga, Ossobuco, Carbonara, Focaccia, Arancini and Supplì. Another item which Italians love to relish every morning is a good cup of Italian Coffee. Once you taste a freshly brewed cup of Italian Coffee, you might not visit Starbucks ever again. Authentic Italian food is made with heart and soul, so go find a restaurant where you can relish Italian cuisine in your city.
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John P.
Caffé Gelato is amazing! I can not believe there is only one review currently. I have eaten here numerous times and it has been exceptional each time. It is dead center in the middle of a college town. So noise and crowds can occur, but the food and staff are worth it. The owner is a University of Delaware graduate who decided to put his business degree immediately to use. They have a nice private room downstairs if you want to have a small get together. I would recommend reservations just to be safe. They have really enticing beer and wine dinners several times of the year. I haven't made it to one yet, but I will.
(5)Van O.
Imaginative menu offerings, excellent preparation, superb presentation and superior service make Caffe Gellato a preferred destination. Oh, and I should add, they prepared our Thanksgiving feast. It lived up to the restaurant experience in every way. The only thing missing was the smiling attentive wait staff. The food was delicious. And the gellato selection is thrilling.
(5)Nicole C.
I am a fan of Caffe Gelato, the food is good and they have nice brunch specials. The service can be hit or miss, as they do get quite busy. However, the past THREE times my friends and I have eaten here we have been charged $1 more than is listed on the menu for each entree. When it is brought to the server's attention, they don't even hesitate to fix it, like they know it is wrong and they hope the customer doesn't catch on. Good food but if you go here CHECK YOUR BILL!!
(4)Fair R.
We tried from appetizer, main dish, wine, and desert. Our conclusion is everything was over priced and tasted really bad. The pasta was soggy and tasteless, the lamb steak was over cooked. The gelato was the worse gelato was even worse. Go to the Christina mall, you will have much better gelato.Totally disappointed. Would rather eat at applebee. I have no idea why some people can give more than a star.
(1)E. J. J.
I enjoy the special events this restaurant provides, such as Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra night. The food was good but not what I had hoped for considering the price... I assume that is high because of all the dishes they break in the kitchen. The wine and beer list is lengthy and provides for a good amount of choices.
(3)Meghan F.
I went to Cafe Gelato for lunch and had a really nice meal. I have eaten dinner here before but not for many years, so this review is for lunch and gelato only. The interior of the restaurant is always very nice; somewhat formal but not the type of place you have to dress up for. There is a newer area with a long bar for wine that looks very classy. The service is always great, whether dining or just grabbing gelato. Our server was friendly and attentive. I had the turkey panini that came with a side of potatoes and a some salad greens. My sandwich was tasty and had a loooot of turkey on it. I only ended up eating half so I could save room for gelato! For dessert I had the gelato 'sampler' where you can choose 4 kinds of gelato. I have eaten gelato here a million times and it never disappoints. Bacio is my favorite! They obviously have a large wine selection but they also have a fairly good beer menu. They have craft beer in bottles. I was happy to see some of the less common Dogfish brews on the menu! Overall, Cafe Gelato is a great place for a nice lunch and gelato. The prices are on par with all of the other "fancy" restaurants on Main St and the service is good.
(4)George W.
My wife and I go back to this restuarant maybe once every six months. Over the last couple of years I have notice food and service degrading. This is so disappointing because this should be a great local restuarant. Our last visit the service was poor. I ordered a glass of wine with dinner and got a glass with lip smudges all over it. We both ordered Chicken dishes and both of our meals came out tough. We ended up not finishing. I have even emailed the owner in the past to tell him about a bad experience and never received a reply. I've spent my last dollar at this location.
(1)Michael N.
I will echo some of the recent reviews in saying the food was pretty mediocre. I went with the french toast and for the price they were pretty underwhelming. Just a few floppy pieces of regular bread. The eggs were not great either. The wife went with a wrap and she said it was ok but again nothing special. It was also overpriced for really sub par breakfast fare. On the flip side, the service was nice and the girl was pretty attentive. This wasn't enough to overcome the food quality or the prices.
(2)Danielle S.
My boyfriend and I are staying at a nearby bed and breakfast and thankfully we were recommended this restaurant! The atmosphere was so cute and they sat us in a booth where we sat next to eachother which was very intimate. They had a special on Wednesday BOGO special entrees. I got the seared tuna and my boyfriend got a prosciutto wrapped filet minion. Both were outstanding. We also got the lobster gnocchi as an appetizer which was so fresh and delicious. Their wine selection was very impressive and the staff was very good with helping chose them and even offered samples when I couldn't decide. We ended with gelato samples which was by far the best gelato I've had. The staff were very friendly. Overall great experience, I can't wait to be back in town again.
(5)Jim K.
Pasta made on premises - delicious! Don't let the name fool you. They have a full, fine dining restaurant. Got to them via Yelp on March, 2015. Place is very nice, located right on the main street in Newark. A lot of young college kids work there. Our waitress was very nice. I had the Lobster gnocchi appetizer - best gnocchi I've ever had and I've had a lot! Light as balloons in a blush sauce with a generous amount of lobster meat. Next time I might have that as an entree. The only thing that might stop me was my entree, their shrimp and crab meat capellini. Again in a light blush sauce. Delicious. My wife ordered their tenderloin tortellini. I tried one - home run. She really enjoyed them. Of course when you eat at a place that gelato in its name you have to have some for desert. I had the coconut and my wife the crem broulee. The coconut was delicious. I'm not a fan of crem broulee but my wife is and she liked hers so much that she ordered a second one. I've never, ever seen her do that. Give this place a try. You won't be disappointed.
(5)Pedro L.
The food was very bad. I ordered the medium lamb but it was overcooked. I could grill it better by myself. It is also very expensive. Cheap ingredients, NOT WORTH THE PRICE. DO NOT GO!
(1)Miguel G.
The food is no good. It wasn't burnt or undercooked or anything major but for a plate that costs over 30 bucks this wasn't good. And the rest of the people that dined with me agreed. We had better food at other places for half the price. Oh and the gelatos... Go to another place. You're missing nothing
(2)Kwame G.
It's my first experience at this restaurant and the food was excellent...especially the calamari.
(5)TJ C.
Children's Cooking Class I recently took my five year old daughter to the Children's Cooking Class (ages 5-12) at Caffe Gelato and she had a blast. Anastasia and the rest of the team did a fantastic job of catering to the each child. My daughter had a great time and talks about her experience as a "Super Star Chef" at dinner time. They divided the kids up into three groups of approx. eight and they circulated through stations where they got to learn about all the ingredients they were learning to prepare. We left with a bag full of ingredients, recipes and a coupon to a gelato cone. If your child has an interested in cooking, I highly recommend this activity. We're looking forward to the winter session.
(5)John G.
Very impressed with the food, though I wish the menu was a little expanded. None the less, I had the frutee de mar and it was delicious, pasta cooked right as well as the seafood with a really flavorful white wine sauce. My wife had the caprese panini with sweet potato fries, it looked really good, and I actually used a piece to dip in the sauce. I wish u could have real bread instead of the stick they give you. That would be my complaint, but again, the food was really good! The gelato was good, not great, but I will try other flavors to compare!
(4)Sporadic W.
My Dad and I did our own version of a food tour down Main Street yesterday and stopped in for some gelato, which my Dad has never had before. We were able to try about a half dozen choices before deciding. The staff not impatient and never made us feel rushed in making a selection. The first we tried was Pumpkin Creme Brûlée, which neither of us were a fan of because the pumpkin flavor wasn't as strong.. It was more the Creme brûlée with a pumpkin accent. Then we tried the chocolate mocha, which my Dad enjoyed but I didn't because I'm not a fan of coffee. We tried peanut butter chocolate which was good, it tasted like real peanut butter chocolate cups.. Not as sweet as the Reese's with the refined sugars, so that one was pretty good. I also tried peach which had a very fresh taste and flavor to it, but it was a little too summery for getting into Autumn Season and the month of October. We finally settled on hazelnut, which was surprisingly, sweet but not too sweet, smooth, rich and creamy!!! I've never eaten a full meal here, prices are a little steep for my budget, but it is upscale fashioned, decorated very nicely and also has a really nice full bar. Reading the menu, it does sound fantastic with homemade pastas and freshly cooked to order dishes, unlike mass consumption restaurants. This is definitely a specialty restaurant and they have their own niche cut out for them and fan base following. From the atmosphere it would be great for family gatherings, formal dinners, entertaining business clientele, or a romantic date with your significant other.
(3)Tanya C.
I came for a meeting at UDel and it was catered by this place. The seafood pasta was just okay and the noodles were overdone. The veggie sandwich I had was super bland. The only plus was the gelato which was really tasty. The cups and spoons were also super cute.
(3)Todd T.
I read some negative reviews on here but I'm also a business owner and understand the difficulties of consistency. My experience as a first time visitor was actually very good. I'll say the server could have been more personable but the restaurant was full of people when we left (got their early) and all 4 dishes we ordered were excellent. I ate with friends/locals and its a very popular place amongst the locals for sure. If you want a bargain, go to Outback or similar chain. Your steak will be a little chewy, your desert will not be house made and you won't be supporting local small business that started from nothing. My meal? I had the filet and it was excellent. The mashed potatoes and carrots were great. The bananas foster dessert was actually real house made bananas foster with great gelato to go with it. The atmosphere is nice and somewhere I will return to dine again.
(5)Alicia K.
We've had various occasions at Caffe Gelato including 2 surprise birthday parties and plenty of dinners out. ALL experiences have been fantastic. The food is always high quality and cooked to perfection. The owner is simply wonderful in dealing with customers and ensuring everything comes out just as you wish. 5 stars for Caffe Gelato!!!
(5)Stephen S.
Cafe gelato always seems to disappoint. We tried again this evening, based on recent reviews and luck didn't turn our way. The bread was squishy focaccia, probably from a store, served with a garlic olive oil that we were mixed on. We shared a small basic salad, and luckily the arugula with quality balsamic stood for itself, as did the box croutons that I piled up on the side of the plate relegated to watch the meal by themselves. On the bright side, the pasta was fresh and good. On the bad side the sauces they were served in were not great, which kind of ruins pasta for me. Mine was sweet and required a healthy pour of salt to bring it to life. My parter was pleased with the ravioli, but struggling through the meal to try and identify why it was bad. In both cases the sauce was either poorly prepared or badly matched to the core of the dish (nicely grilled salmon for me, tasty cheese ravioli for her). But for the prices, we were pushed into the pasta. The meat dishes were all greater than $20, so it seemed the best option. And that's why this only gets two stars. You can't charge NYC prices in Newark, while serving Vineland style food. Thank goodness for the wine and the gelato, which was pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately the bill was $72 for two, so we shan't be returning.
(2)Jason L.
We did the two lunches and a pint of gelato to go. We had the basil pesto panini and the smoked salmon panini. It was good and the lunch came with a salad and roasted potatoes. Such a good value and the gelato was so good. The only thing we could complain about was that it took a long time for them to prepare the food maybe about 30 minutes
(4)Mark K.
Great food for a special occasion! Good wine list and, of course, great gelato. Expensive
(5)Diane K.
Kudos to Caffe Gelato! My family's most recent visit there was this week to celebrate my husband's birthday. As in past visits, the food was superb. My husband and I gave our daughter a surprise 21st birthday party at Caffe Gelato three years ago, and Ryan German (the owner) was extremely professional and accommodating. Last year, it was my turn to be surprised with a birthday party at Caffe Gelato! We have also ordered their Thanksgiving catered dinner, and it was delicious. Last year, we attended a wedding at Bella Vista, and the reception was catered by Caffe Gelato. They did a marvelous job keeping the food always on the buffet without being obtrusive to the guests. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for an up-scale place to dine or to cater an event.
(5)Marisa P.
I went here with some friends and while the food was good, it was really overpriced. I paid almost $30 on a chicken dish that, while it was tasty, was not good enough to be so expensive. The 4 of us ended up having water and splitting a salad and 2 entrees (side note: the portions aren't big enough to split) and each got dessert and our bill came to over $80. The one thing that was really excellent, however, was the gelato. I got the bananas foster gelato and it was delicious. The portion itself was huge, so that I would recommend splitting. Overall, I was a little disappointed because it was so overpriced that it was hard to enjoy ourselves, but the dessert was great. I think from now on, if we ever go back, it'll be for the desserts:)
(3)Summer B.
I visited a friend here and we came here for dinner. It was parent's weekend so most other restaurants were booked up. We were seated right away behind the hostess's booth. A waiter came quickly and took our drink orders. We got a bottle of Bella Sera, which was crisp and delightful after a long day of traveling. For appetizers, we ordered the Lobster Gnocchi. This place must get fresh seafood because the lobster was so fresh and flavorful. The lobster meat had a very rich taste and had a perfect amount of power of the gnocchi and vegetables. I ordered the lump crab and shrimp capellini and my friend ordered the beef tip tortellini. Both were absolutely amazing, especially paired with the wine. The only complaint I have is the time between when we got our appetizers and dinner. It was definitely longer than a typical wait time, but the restaurant was completely full because of the parent's weekend so it was somewhat expected. It was a bit pricey but for a special occasion I would say it was worth it. Since it was mostly families in there, I'm guessing that college students wouldn't typically pick this place because it is a bit expensive for a college budget. The experience was overall well, but I'm not sure if I would go back because I don't frequently visit this town and I would love to try the other restaurants on Main St to compare.
(3)Virginia D.
Excellent selection of Gelato! Caramel cashew crunch, vanilla bean, and peanut butter are my favs. Wonderful staff! Free samples to help you decide from a plethora of flavors. I will definitely return and possibly check out their dinner selections. Yum!
(4)Cliff C.
In short, great food, nice selection, but they have to train the wait staff.
(4)Dhruv S.
Very pricey for gelato, their potions dont really increase in volume with their prices
(1)Stephanie T.
So - the gelato is great, I will give them that. Everything else....not so much. We started off with the calamari and bruschetta - pretty standard dishes in an Italian restaurant. They failed both. The calamari was tasteless - the breading was beyond bland. The bruschetta was a mess as well. It was like salsa on pita chips. Ick. I went for a "homemade" pasta dish with shrimp and scallops. The pasta was nothing to write home about and the cream sauce was tasteless. Comparable to a dish at Olive Garden - but double the price. Salted Carmel gelato - amazing. Only reason they got 3 stars!
(3)Jill N.
Caffe Gelato catered our office party and everything was terrific! Good food, excellent service and positive energy. I definitely recommend Caffe Gelato.
(5)Diana D.
I find the food to be mediocre at best. I've had both the pasta with clams/mussels and the crab pasta. Neither had much flavor and there was a very small amount of crab in the crab pasta. I grew up in an Italian family near Manahttan. I've eaten plenty of Italian food in my day and the food at Cafe Gelato is just not good. I've been there several times hoping it would get better. It doesn't. In addition it is loud and the tables are close together. And, like many of the other reviewers have said the service is slow/lacking. In my opinion it is over priced and not worth going to again. For the price you pay the quality is just not there. I wanted it to succeed as the owner is a nice guy. Now...the gelato is good. Last night, they served it to me almost completely melted but it was still tasty. Save your time and money and go somewhere else.
(2)Guinevere N.
Established restaurant with no hesitation re: fancy new flavors. My family and I went for lunch on a weekday; it was not busy and the waiter was attentive. The soups we tried (french onion and pasta e fagioli) were delicious as well as the enormous caesar salad my sister conquered. The bruschetta is the kind of food that makes you want to chuck bricks through fast food windows. The roast turkey panini was in want of a richer, spicier mustard while the prosciutto and fig was a little too heavy on both of the titular ingredients, which should have been more of a garnish to a caprese or other panini. Gelato, however, covers a multitude of sins.
(4)Addison B.
Absolutely exquisite. I came into it knowing it was going to be expensive and was ready for it, so the meal itself was delicious. Great service, and nice atmosphere. Even were very easy about holding on to my credit card when I forgot it.
(5)Micaela L.
The chicken-pest-mozarella panini is perfect. I don't like the sides very much, but mostly because the panini was filling enough on its own. It looks very formal, but the lunch paninis are decently priced. Anything else seems too expensive for a lunch.
(4)Lena S.
Love this place!!!, homemade Gelato, great atmosphere, delicious entrees. Only poor points are sometimes the service seems a little underwhelming and its a once in a ahile venue due to prices, but then again you get what you pay for.
(4)J G.
Meh... Probably nice for the area but good only if you like cream sauces and some form of pork in your dishes. We've been more than once and the dishes are inconsistent (gloppy pasta both times, etc.). On most recent visit (busy Friday night), host was curt but server was friendly and provided complimentary amuse bouche since kitchen backed up. The gelatos ARE very very good, Get it to go and skip the meal.
(2)Angela P.
My husband and I went in on Monday, 10/6 for our anniversary. A younger girl approached our table and said "Would you like drinks?" and offered no hello and didn't introduce herself. She brought our drinks and asked if we were ready to order. Never asked if we'd been there before, if we had questions on the menu or if we'd seen the daily specials. We ordered the calamari appetizer, Lump Crab & Shrimp Capellini and the Monte e Mare. All of the food was tasty with generous portions so much so that we couldn't finish. We asked to take the food home and the "server" brought us boxes to transfer our food, which normally wouldn't be a problem but we were seated at a very small 2 top table with someone seated right next to us. The "server" asked if we wanted dessert and I asked about the Peach Cobbler dessert and she replied "Oh, yeah, we ran out of that a while ago" so we requested our check. As it turns out, my husband had stopped by Caffe Gelato the afternoon of our anniversary to inquire about reservations and spoke with our "server". This girl was nothing more than an order taker and certainly not a server who did anything to enhance our dining experience. She had no personality whatsoever and really turned us off. We won't be back anytime soon.
(1)Chris C.
ABYSMAL SERVICE! DON'T GO HERE! The service on a Monday night was abysmal. (Understand when you read this, that the price of an entrée in the $30+ dollar range.) 1. Multiple hosts. Asked for a booth in a 75% empty restaurant. Took 4 minutes to get seated because they had few booths to begin with and needed to bus an open one. 2. Took 10 minutes for server to come to table after we were seated. Had to go ask hostess to get a server. 3. Server finally cam but didn't apologize for late greeting. Took our drink and food orders. 4. Took 5 minutes to get our drinks. 5. Salad came promptly but Entrees took a long time. 6. Salad ok, bread ok, food pretty good but not great. 7. Server didn't check back to see if our food was good until I was over half way done with my meal. That is unacceptable attention. 8. After we completed dinner, waited again. I tracked my server down with a hand waive when I saw him. 9. Asked him for a box. And he wrapped up the food with a lot of liquid in "just" a box. I then had to ask for a bag which should have been implied with just a little common sense. 10. I gave him my credit card. He carried in his hand while stopping to talk to another server a table down from me. 11. Finally got my card back. He got much better tip than he deserved. When you pay $30+ dollars for an entrée, you expect not only great food (food was passable to good, but not great), but you also expect at least good service. SERVICE WAS ABYSMAL!! DON'T GO THERE!
(1)Hannah S.
This place was delicious. I'd heard about it from a great friend of mine and we went to eat there the last night of my visit to the east coast. Beautiful decor, romantic booths for two, excellent wine selection and delicious selection of gelato. I had a house salad, and the pistachio crusted chicken with a dill sauce. Was very happy with my selection. My friend had the lamb chops which were equally tasty (and i'm not big on eating lamb). Would definitely go back for their unique spin on italian food.
(4)Kara T.
Brunch - oh yeah! As a Newark local, I can't believe it took me so many years to make it out to Sunday brunch at Caffee Gelato. Why did I wait so long? It was so hard to choose - several types of eggs Benedict, crepes (sweet or savory), omelettes, French toast, and interesting specials. We settled on Eggs Mignon (Eggs Benedict with filet on the side and roast potatoes - fabulous! There were a few other variations including one with crab cakes). After pondering the crepe and French toast selections (several to choose from), we also got the creme brulee French toast with berry sauce, also excellent. It had a wonderful vanilla cream whipped something or other on top that went really well with the tang of the berries. Would have liked a bit more berry sauce, but it was all around fantastic. Other pluses * The coffee (regular or decaf) is always good at Caffe Gelato. Wish the cups were larger so I wouldn't have to flag down the server for refills, but minor point. *Small side salad - served with the eggs and French toast - amazing balsalmic dressing (the way I like it, on the side, so the greens aren't over-coated). A great touch to the meal. *Scrambled eggs provided with the French toast - great to have a full breakfast *Gelato parfait - all meals seemed to come with a generous scoop of vanilla gelato covered with a nice berry sauce (with whole berries mixed in) and granola. *Friendly and welcoming wait staff that were nice about answering our questions *They understand college town brunch hours: serving until 3pm! We were afraid we'd be too late when we arrived at 1:30 and appreciate the extended brunch hours. Minor improvements would be more attentive removal of dirty dishes. We had a small table and lots of dished and felt our server could have removed some as she passed by our table (no sign of a bus person and one empty table looked like it has dirty dishes sitting on it a while). It seemed to take a while to get our food despite only a few tables of customers (but there was some sort of event in the back room that may have slowed the kitchen down). We weren't starving so that was OK but could be an issue with hungry kids. I thoroughly enjoyed all the food - it made my day. Will be back - there are so many things I want to try!
(4)Victor E.
Front of the house: This is the reason I had to knock one star off. Most of the time when you walk in this place there will be absolutely no one to great you, especially on a busy day. If there is a dedicated hostess and front of the house manager you would not know it. Worst front of the house I have ever seen. No room to wait ....and believe me you will wait (even though there are many open tables)....and people saying excuse me too often. Restaurant just has a horrible cramped layout. Front manager has known to be slightly rude and inept at times. Servers: This is the reason I had to take another star off. Service staff is not rude by any means but just inept. Pacing of food is really bad and complex meals (many courses ordered) will result in forgotten food. Always sitting there waiting...sometimes you will even think your server has died. It is not easy navigating through that cramped space but when you do not see your server from the time you order until the time you pay things are bad. Other people bring out food, and I hope you drink only water because good luck staying refilled on anything else. Atmosphere: As mentioned before this place is cramped. When I say cramped I mean you are squished at tiny tables with barely enough room for plates touching the person seated next to you with hunched in shoulders. A trip to the bathroom could take forever unless you are sitting right next to it. Decor however is not bad. Very loud, cheerful atmosphere. You can feel the fluster in the air. Food: This is where this place shines and is the reason I gave it so many stars despite it all. If you are willing to put up with everything previously mentioned then you will actually enjoy a good meal here. It is not cheap by any means but not crazy expensive either...average meal maybe $25-30. I think it is worth it depending on how bad you want good tasting and different Italian food. I have had calamari which was not bad. Steak and pork meals cooked well with original flair. Nothing to be blown away by but great unique taste. Dessert is best part with many flavors of Italian gelato and other good things. Overall, this is not a bad place to eat on a slow week day. Maybe steer clear of peak hours and holidays. If you don't mind the negatives then the positives will shine through and you might really enjoy the food. If you are very picky then this place is not for you.
(3)Izzat A.
First, the place is decorated fairly nicely. Not the most upscale but it sets a good intimate mood. The service was subpar. Slow and very little communication. Food was very very average. Appetizer we got the Bruschetta, which was okay but very small. i got a Basil Pesto Chicken sandwich which was pretty good and fiance got the Mediterranean pasta which was alright. The pasta was very fresh. Prices were definitely much more than they should be. $18 for some pasta? I wouldn't recommend this place and definitely will not come back.
(2)Wende B.
I was visiting from out of town and was looking for something to do and saw that there would be a Wine dinner nearby where I was staying. I love food and wine so it was a no brainer. What a blast! The food was excellent, the wine was delicious and the staff were friendly and helpful. What I liked most about this place was the atmosphere. The booths were comfortable, the music levels were perfect and it was warm and inviting. Great wine list and talented chef. The owner was also on hand and came by to see how we were enjoying our night. Great personal touch! I'll be back again for sure!
(5)Amy C.
When we first came in, they told us it would be a 20-minute wait, despite two tables in plain sight being open. We were starving so we chose to go elsewhere. The manager quickly chased after us and told us to stay and that he had a cozy romantic booth for us. It was cute and romantic though not so cozy.. the shell shape made me feel like I had a hunchback. Now for the food, the first batch of bread cold. Second batch warm and SO much better. The lobster bisque soup was delicious--just what I needed to tide me over for dinner. The wine was even better--had a big glass of a California Pinot Noir that was delicious. Dinner--I had the lump crab and seafood spaghetti. The sauce was creamy. The BF thought it was a bit too fishy, but I didn't at all. The crab was fresh as was the shrimp and the sauce wasn't too heavy either though the dish was filling. The BF got the chicken dish; it was OK. He wishes he got pasta. For dessert, the salted caramel and stracciatella gelatos mixed together--to die for. It was definitely fancy Italian food, no basic pasta dishes here, so the prices were a bit higher than we expected, but it was very tasty, nice dinner.
(3)Paul H.
Joining the three star crowd on this one (though I have had some excellent four star lunches there over the years - the chicken pesto focaccia is especially tasty.) We like Tuesday nights as it's half-price wine night, though given the quality of the food, it's still pretty pricey. The food is good - just not drop dead amazing. They have a nice wine list, but given that much of the wait staff consists of starving college students, you're better off making and educated guess than asking for advice from the server. (Have broken that rule a couple times, and regretted it.) But the ambiance is pleasant (if not a bit noisy) and the wait staff is typically attentive. A good place for a dependable meal amidst a limited number of choices.
(3)Gwynedd D.
We went on one of those special, reserve-ahead evenings, a beer-tasting and dinner with dishes matched to the particular beer being served. A nice idea, and three of us opted in (no coupon, full fare) to try out this gourmet experience. The restaurant is on Main Street and is a space that had been more or less cobbled together, so it can be loud and crowded downstairs and we were shoved into a back space somewhere that felt like it had been a converted closet. Claustrophobic. As to loud and crowded, I'm given to understand many people find that environment pleasing for dining. I'm one who is the opposite; I like a well-appointed space with no loud music and hushed conversation. Cellphone talkers and loud drunks, stay out. But I'm weird that way. The food was good, the beer was great, until the main course eventually and slowly showed up, chicken, which was served to me raw. Yep. Raw. And the service was harried (they were over booked for sure) and by the time I could get the waiter's attention to the raw food, it was one of those situations where the evening is winding down and waiting for one person's refired entree while the rest of the table has dined is not really a polite option. It was getting to be time to go, so I turned down the replacement idea. We were not comped for the potentially lethal raw poultry portion of the meal--in fact, the apology was pretty much gratuitous. The rest of the meal was hit or miss--I'm familiar with "haute cuisine" (lessons overseas, extensive travel in other countries) so I do have maybe higher standards, but I also go by taste and it was ok, nothing to get excited over. Maybe a bit overly ambitious. Subsequently, I've had hors d'oeuvres created and served by Cafe G followed by a banquet at a very large event. The canapes were excellent and clever--not too complicated but exquisitely prepared. (The steak cube with parmesan crisp was particularly good.) The catered dinner was pedestrian but acceptable, The hot trays were, predictably, not hot enough and of course the entrees were the lukewarm I have come to associate with all American food. The banquet was served out to a huge crowd with an excellent layout--good logistics, efficient service for large numbers, excellent management. Conclusion; you may well get a great meal here, if they are on their game. And for a catered event, I would DEFINITELY recommend them.
(3)Kristen D.
I have never loved a pasta dish more than the Frutti di Mare that I ordered from here. Plentiful seafood, sauce was light and perfect (I loooove garlic), and I cleaned the very large portion from my plate, despite my typically small-sized stomach. We also had them cater one of our lunch meetings, and I was a little disappointed in their sandwich selections. They were, however, very very accommodating for our group and the delivery time (especially since we changed the time about 3 times the day before and the day of the meeting). Plus, gelato was included in the catering order! Not bad at all. I have been craving Caffe Gelato since I ate here back in February and am dying to get back to eat there again. Hopefully work will send me back soon!
(5)Eric B.
I was in Newark on business and ate here based on a recommendation in one of the hotel brochures. It was the highlight of my trip. From the outside, it doesn't look like much, nestled in to the heart of the local campustown main drag, but the oversized banner touting its Wine Spectator awards hints that there may be more than meets the eye, and they are correct. The design of the restaurant is modest in comparison to the quality of the food; the entryway evokes an old school ice cream parlor with a large counter top cooler to the left, displaying the wide variety of house made gelatos - more on those later. Beyond the entryway to the right is the bar area, and to the left is a seating area with a mix of booths and tables in a comfortable, family style restaurant decor that does not quite prepare you for the quality of food to come, which is high. I was pleased to hear that they had Bulliet Rye at the bar, which makes a fine earthy Manhattan. There was also an excellent and affordable Amarone on the wine list, and it complemented our dishes beautifully. I started with the longneck clams in white wine broth, and they were juicy, meaty, and tender. However, the star was definitely the main course - the ten ounce pan seared bone-in veal chop, wrapped in prosciutto, coated with cheese and served with a red wine reduction on top of roasted fingerling potatoes and asparagus, was, as they say, to die for. Indeed, the presentation elicited gasps of delight from myself and my companion, and the taste did not disappoint - each bite was juicy and tender, coated in the salt and fat of the cheese and prosciutto. Hands down the best veal I have ever had. I'm wistful for it as I type this review. For dessert, I had two scoops of gelato - mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough. They were light, creamy, and delicious. Indeed, the mint chocolate chip was the best I've ever had. Its a shame I'll likely never be in Newark for a return visit, but don't let that stop you from enjoying some unbelievable Italian cuisine. If I were ever to find myself in Philadelphia, I'd be tempted to road trip it on down to Caffe Gelato.
(4)Madeline D.
I love to plan a girls night here because gelato and wine are guaranteed! The rest is the cherry on top at this place. Great salads that come in entree or appetizer size, which is what I prefer. Butternut squash soup is good, but a little sweet. I pass on the bread (its not that great) and go for an amazing dessert. Last night I had the warm chocolate truffle cake with raspberries and vanilla bean gelato. I am still smiling:) Staff is awesome and parking is easy. They use to send postcards for a free entree on your birthday. Not sure if this is still happening.
(4)Rachel G.
I don't know why I didn't listen to the poor reviews on here. I've lived in Newark for about 8 years and have been to just about every place on main street except for Caffe Gelato and my curiosity got the best of me. So I took my parent for what I was hoping would be a nice Sunday brunch...unfortunately it was not so nice. Everything from being greeted to receiving our drinks and then waiting for our entrees took way too long. (Not to mention our server had the personality of a brick wall.) My father had the Creme Brulee french toast and he was not thrilled at all. My mother had the seafood crepes and I had the chicken crepes. My mother's food and I both came out extremely cold. After waiting so long for the entrees we just assumed that the crepes had been sitting around for a while while they were making the french toast. This was literally the first time in my life I ever sent an entree back. The restaurant is small so noises carry, and we could hear the beeping and slamming of a microwave coming from the kitchen. I'm not complaining about it being microwaved, I didn't expect a whole new meal..but I'm sorry, reheated scrambled eggs and crepes just don't taste very good...at all. Call me crazy but I'm a server at a restaurant and when something goes wrong with a table, especially when food is sent back to the kitchen...I let my manager know so they can go out and schmooze the table and make sure everyone is happy. That didn't happen here. Oh well. So basically the combination of poor food and poor service means I will never return to this restaurant. Especially when there are so many other restaurants in the area to choose from.
(1)Justin S.
One way to determine if the food is good at a restaurant: have the veal. If it's on point, there's a good chance everything else is delicious. At Caffe Gelato, I'm sorry to say, the veal was just plain bad. It was overcooked and tough. I certainly did not appreciate paying that much for such crappy veal. Sure the place looks nice, but to overcharge for food that comes out better at a chain is robbery. My partner had a filet and they overcooked that too. Is this just a Delaware thing? Rare = medium, medium = well-done... I would love for someone to recommend a place where meat comes out the proper temperature. On another note, we had a reservation on a Thursday evening, and the hostess made us go to the bar and wait for them to prepare the table. I asked why we had to wait if we had a reservation and got quite the attitude from the hostess. I don't mind waiting IF it was busy. But to wait 10 minutes when the place was far from busy (saw maybe 7 or 8 open tables!), was ridiculous if you ask me. Usually you make a reservation so you don't have to wait. Our server was definitely not the best either. He forgot about us a few times. They need to charge less for the quality you're actually getting and have less attitude.
(2)Kevin D.
One of my favorite places to go when I'm looking to go somewhere nice. The service can be hit or miss (lots of college kids on wait staff), but the food is always top notch. The desserts are just amazing. Lunch or Dinner, if your willing to pay a few extra for something nice, you can't go wrong by coming here.
(4)Benjamin A.
I took my wife here for here birthday. Seating was quick, and the servers were friendly. The restaurant itself is very tastefully decorated, and the atmosphere unmistakeably upscale. The seating can be a bit tight, and the floor plan doesn't help. If you are a wine lover, this is your restaurant. You will not find a better restaurant for wine in Northern Delaware, and I am not a wine person. They have a staggering wine selection that will please any pallet. Sadly, I bumbled my way through the menu, ordering the French onion soup and having the veal cut for dinner. The soup was... oniony, and the veal was, well, what the hell was I thinking, I don't like veal! My wife, however, was very pleased with her dinner, and we split a hazelnut gelato for dessert, which was superb. All in all, not my favorite restaurant, but they're definitely a top notch restaurant in terms of fine dining on Delaware's restaurant scene.
(4)Lauren W.
Arrived around 7:30 on a Saturday night. The hostess seemed a bit frazzled and there appeared to be a lot of reservations, something Ken & I didn't make, so I can understand her being overwhelmed. She took a while to acknowledge us but the wait was only 15 min or so. So we went to the bar to wait...And wait. we. did. We were completely ignored for at least 7-10 min. No one made eye contact with us; no one so much as said "I'll be right with you." Frankly, the vibe I got was rude from the whole bar experience. Thank goodness a nice female customer who was nearby told the bartender (who , for the record, wasn't that busy & there were 2 of them) that we were there first when he acknowledged her and not us. I thanked her kindly for this gesture and couldn't help but think that she noticed my boyfriend and I standing there without being helped from several feet away, yet the bartender didn't?? Hmm. Well, the glass of cabernet I waited for 10 minutes for was wonderful. So I'll forgive the initial neglect by the staff, I suppose. For dinner I had the spinach salad (which was "eh") and for my entree I had the pasta primavera. You can add chicken, shrimp or salmon and also they have whole wheat and gluten free pasta. I opted for whole wheat pasta and salmon. It was ok, but the fish was a bit overcooked. Kendog had a ceasar salad (a perk at cafe g is they add sundried tomatoes-yum) and for his entree he got the crab& shrimp cappellini. He described it as quote "not bad." I could've used some parm cheese but our waitress, while very sweet, rarely checked on us. I wonder if we were to return on a less busy night whether our experience would've been better. 2.5 stars for overall mediocre food and service during this particualar visit to Caffe G. I am rather irritated typing this review bc the food was well overpriced considering the quality on this night. Also, I had a glass of Prosecco that tasted flat. I find that when I go here, the atmosphere is typically the highlight of the experience, while the food is hit or miss depending on the day and time.
(2)James S.
In short we were there 10 minutes before we had our drink order taken, and then another 10 minutes till our waiter showed up with drinks. Then another 50 minutes to get our entrees. The food was good but they had plenty of bus boys and runners but not enough wait staff.
(2)Mirna S.
Cafe Gelato-Never disappointing !!
(5)Chris C.
What a great day for some outside dining! Stopped in here around 5 on a Friday for dinner. Got seated right away at a nice table outside. Everything was clean & neat, not to mention classier than I anticipated. Started with a side of the Pancetta roasted brussel sprouts as an appetizer. I have these a lot at another place & love them. These definitely tasted fresher but I prefer this dish with mushrooms mixed in. Also had a small seared tuna app coated in poppy seeds with a shredded carrot garnish with an apple cider reduction sauce which was pretty good. I should also note the free bread was clearly fresh baked and the softest I've ever had. For my entree I had the Sea salt seared scallops which came with maple glazed whole mini carrots and a vegetable risotto. The scallops were HUGE and absolutely delicious! I even mopped up the sauce with my bread to the point my dish was spotless. The carrots were really good too, cooked just right and the maple glaze wasn't too under or overstated. The risotto was good as well but I'm not much for risotto in general so I can't really speak to that. My friend had the salmon pasta special which had sun dried tomatoes, snow peas & artichokes in it. The pasta was clearly fresh and hand made & all of the flavors blended very well together. Apparently it was a hit with her because she couldn't stop talking about it :-) For desert I had mascapone cheesecake with cashew crust & mango sauce drizzled over it. Our server was very accommodating & let me have a scoop of the white chocolate macadamia gelato with it since I couldn't decide between the two. The cheesecake was fantastic and the gelato was ridiculous, easily the best I've had, it even had whole macadamia nuts in it! My friend had the dark chocolate raspberry tart with almonds & vanilla whipped cream... it was so rich it shoulda pulled up to the table in a Bentley. All in all the meal was fantastic, one of the best I've had and I eat out more than I care to admit. I'll definitely come back again, hoping to make it to the Victory beer dinner coming up :-)
(5)Samantha L.
How is the place getting good reviews? Went to celebrate a birthday. The service was appalling, the owner was rude and is now harassing people via email who give him negative reviews. Horrific. Run the other way. Edit - Is it a coincidence that the most recent negative reviews are being filtered?
(1)Katie-Rose N.
If you're looking for a typical large-portion Italian meal, you're not going to particularly like it here. I'm used to eating Italian cuisine, and while the food is good, it's not good ENOUGH for the price. That being said, the gelato is delicious, and I've never gone for brunch!
(3)Tiffany A.
I will out myself now: I am a Groupon junkie. Like, I probably need to see someone about this, but I haven't found any good LivingSocial deals on therapists lately. And, the Fella and I Groupon most of our dates (whaddup, budget ballin'!) and look for places that we might otherwise not have found. We like a bit of adventure and I like to root for the underdog, so a classy-fied, bonafied - but unable to achieve greater than three stars on yelp- gelato establishment in NewArk seemed right up our alley. My love of the big, green G and the creamier, yummier G had me shelling out the cash. On this lovely sunny, Sunday, the Fella, my two year old BabyBoss, and I headed to brunch. The deal: For $19, you Grouponed two of the largest Mimosas I have EVER seen, two amuse bouche (Today was a seared salmon with raspberry coulis on a wheel of orange that the Fella proclaimed "perfect."), and two brunch entrees of your choosing. In our case, the choosing was for Raspberry French Toast (me) and Eggs Mignon (him). Was thrilled with the mimosas and, again, the Fella was more than down with the chef's sampling o'salmon. He was also quite happy with his poached eggs with filet mignon tips. Goooo, Caffe G! But, now I'm gonna throw in an asterisk.. *A word on my entree: It was GOOD. That' really all I can say about it. It was good. Not great, not amazing, not even REALLY good. Just good. It was billed as "Three pieces of Texas toast dipped in a raspberry infused créme brulée batter, toasted and served with a warm vanilla custard" on the menu. Ooohkay. I got quite a bit of tasty french toast with a drizzle of raspberry coulis, and a squirt of vanilla culinary sauce. (Like, the kind you purchase in the bottle to decorate dessert plates, for any of you also in the industry.) Ouch. Not a speck of custard to be found. And no berry-infusion, either, fo sho. Also, my scrambled eggs were lukewarm and very VERY plain. Again, GOOD, overall, but totally not what I expected. But, wait. Didn't I mention there were three of us? That the toddler was in tow? Did you forget about what she was eating? No problem! So did they! At least, that's all I can assume. Sigh. 10 full minutes after our food came out, the Fella flagged down the waiter and asked where BabyBoss' food was. She'd ordered the pizza and carrots. He responded, "Pizza takes longer to cook, so it'll be out soon." Wait, what? Pizza takes longer than filet? Erm. And, um, why not mention this random, bizarre, only-while-in-Caffe-G fact when you brought out OUR food? Or, y'know, fire the food in the correct order so your hungriest patrons with the poorest impulse control and loudest volume voices don't wait while their adults chow down?? No? Luckily, BabyBoss is pretty chill at restaurants and was quite happy eating most of my eggs while she waited another seven or so minutes. Her pizza, when it arrived, was pretty good. Predictably, though, she was quite full on my scrambled by that point and, so, we boxed it all up to go. The gelato: ZOMG. Worth any of the preceding hassle. Yum! The service was otherwise not terrible and our waiter was friendly, though quite confusing ("We'll have mocha cappuccino gelato to share." "As a dessert or as gelato?" What?? There was a lot of this.) The rest of the staff, however, was extremely polite and professional and downright welcoming. The place itself is pretty cool, very clean and relaxing and fun and a bit eclectic with interesting lighting and random art for sale. Sadly, I had to go with three stars as well. The Groupon deal WAS awesome, and we definitely will try Caffe Gelato again. Maybe for dinner, even. But more likely, though, we'll just get the gelato and stroll.
(3)Shelly C.
The boyfriend and I went here w another couple for lunch over the weekend. BF was tickled pink about the fiat on the menu lol might of had a shot if it was a convertible. We also witnessed an older couple experiencing the date package-how romantic and creative! I know I know, get to the food already lol. We decided to share the bruschetta and calamari appetizers. Bruschetta was ok-perhaps a tad vinagery. I loved the pecarino cheese on top of select pieces but each piece of bruschetta really deserved to wear a crown of cheese. Calamari was also ok with the sauce being the real stand out. Both the Peachalicious and Gelato Cosmos are sweet fruity must tries-if I had to pick 1 I would say the Gelato Cosmo wins. Had the waitress been more on the ball I may of indulged in a 3rd cocktail. For lunch I ordered the crab and shrimp w/ basil chiffonade and capellini pasta. I hated the crab in this dish, but otherwise it was good. The boyfriend ordered beef tips w/ tortellini pasta in an alfredo sauce and he felt it was under-seasoned but the steak was well cooked. Our friends both ordered paninis and seemed to enjoy them. Our big winner was the creme brulee gelato w/ toffee pieces only made more decadent w/ the bruleed banana split aka the bananas foster dessert-yum!!! Lastly want to mention the free truffle offer (see picture) we were all wowed that we actually got a decorated plate of truffles. I would say CG is definately worth the trip for the gelato.
(3)Danny P.
I'd rather go to Olive Garden over this place. I would never go to Olive Garden... Do not go here: I was referred to this restaurant by a friend and colleague. I was expecting an ordinary italian restaurant. Boy was I wrong. First, the place is decorated fairly well. Not the best quality but it sets a good intimate mood. The service was friendly but not as polite as a nice neighborhood italian restaurant. I think of Italian food, I think very friendly and family-like. Then the food came. I was horrified. The salad we got was talked up to be good. It came drenched in a dressing that tastes like the Hidden Valley Italian dressing you get from your local grocery. We ordered a ravioli and seabass for our entrees. The ravioli and its squash came still frozen. It was horrendous. The seabass was not very fresh. Really reminded me of the fish you can get from Golden Corral. I'd rather go to Olive Garden over this place. Do not go here.
(1)Tatyana K.
Should I say bad service, because we received no service at all? After being seated we sat there for about 15 min and noone approached us. Meanwhile my boyfriend tried to take a sip of water and realized both his water and wine glasses were dirty. The wait staff seemed to avoid eye contact. We got up and walked out. Once again, unnoticed.... Will never come back. Its a shame, I heard the food there is really good...
(1)Marshal H.
Awesome! Had lemon curd gelato, which I think is a seasonal flavor, but it was the best gelato I've ever had. They should seriously consider adding it all the time. The dining room is nice. It feels upscale but not pretentious. It's like a relaxed high end where you feel comfortable and the wait staff was super nice and accommodating. I'm personally not a huge fan of Italian food and tend to avoid ordering pasta so I got rack of lamb which was really great but someone else got pappardelle with artichoke and sun dried tomato and tasting it made me seriously reconsider my hesitation towards pasta. I could have eaten an entire plate of it and then more.
(5)David G.
Horrible. Come back here for a cone after you've had a nice meal elsewhere. My daughter's chicken fingers were by far the best dish anyone had. The salad was apparently ok too. $100 later and nobody else enjoyed their meal.
(1)John P.
Caffé Gelato is amazing! I can not believe there is only one review currently. I have eaten here numerous times and it has been exceptional each time. It is dead center in the middle of a college town. So noise and crowds can occur, but the food and staff are worth it. The owner is a University of Delaware graduate who decided to put his business degree immediately to use. They have a nice private room downstairs if you want to have a small get together. I would recommend reservations just to be safe. They have really enticing beer and wine dinners several times of the year. I haven't made it to one yet, but I will.
(5)Van O.
Imaginative menu offerings, excellent preparation, superb presentation and superior service make Caffe Gellato a preferred destination. Oh, and I should add, they prepared our Thanksgiving feast. It lived up to the restaurant experience in every way. The only thing missing was the smiling attentive wait staff. The food was delicious. And the gellato selection is thrilling.
(5)Fair R.
We tried from appetizer, main dish, wine, and desert. Our conclusion is everything was over priced and tasted really bad. The pasta was soggy and tasteless, the lamb steak was over cooked. The gelato was the worse gelato was even worse. Go to the Christina mall, you will have much better gelato.Totally disappointed. Would rather eat at applebee. I have no idea why some people can give more than a star.
(1)E. J. J.
I enjoy the special events this restaurant provides, such as Johnny Cash or Frank Sinatra night. The food was good but not what I had hoped for considering the price... I assume that is high because of all the dishes they break in the kitchen. The wine and beer list is lengthy and provides for a good amount of choices.
(3)Nicole C.
I am a fan of Caffe Gelato, the food is good and they have nice brunch specials. The service can be hit or miss, as they do get quite busy. However, the past THREE times my friends and I have eaten here we have been charged $1 more than is listed on the menu for each entree. When it is brought to the server's attention, they don't even hesitate to fix it, like they know it is wrong and they hope the customer doesn't catch on. Good food but if you go here CHECK YOUR BILL!!
(4)Sam F.
Atmosphere: excellent Wait staff: excellent Food: excellent The girl I was with: smokin' Perfect evening. To top off the pasta,(1/2 price pasta night) the gelato was exquisite and made me feel happy. Way to go caffe ice cream, you did it.
(5)Ellishia T.
I really hate posting bad reviews, but this restaurant gave me one bad experience. I should have known not to eat here when there was no one eating in the place on a weekend afternoon at a place that serves brunch, but the menu items sounded good so I wanted to give it a try. Our brunch items came and everything looked great, then j took a bite of my potatoes. Supposed to be prepared like breakfast home fries I assume, instead they were barely cooked through, tough, and bland. What a let down about the home fries, but we left because there were shells in our eggs. Sorry Cafe Gelato, I wanted to like you but I can't.
(1)Meghan F.
I went to Cafe Gelato for lunch and had a really nice meal. I have eaten dinner here before but not for many years, so this review is for lunch and gelato only. The interior of the restaurant is always very nice; somewhat formal but not the type of place you have to dress up for. There is a newer area with a long bar for wine that looks very classy. The service is always great, whether dining or just grabbing gelato. Our server was friendly and attentive. I had the turkey panini that came with a side of potatoes and a some salad greens. My sandwich was tasty and had a loooot of turkey on it. I only ended up eating half so I could save room for gelato! For dessert I had the gelato 'sampler' where you can choose 4 kinds of gelato. I have eaten gelato here a million times and it never disappoints. Bacio is my favorite! They obviously have a large wine selection but they also have a fairly good beer menu. They have craft beer in bottles. I was happy to see some of the less common Dogfish brews on the menu! Overall, Cafe Gelato is a great place for a nice lunch and gelato. The prices are on par with all of the other "fancy" restaurants on Main St and the service is good.
(4)George W.
My wife and I go back to this restuarant maybe once every six months. Over the last couple of years I have notice food and service degrading. This is so disappointing because this should be a great local restuarant. Our last visit the service was poor. I ordered a glass of wine with dinner and got a glass with lip smudges all over it. We both ordered Chicken dishes and both of our meals came out tough. We ended up not finishing. I have even emailed the owner in the past to tell him about a bad experience and never received a reply. I've spent my last dollar at this location.
(1)Michael N.
I will echo some of the recent reviews in saying the food was pretty mediocre. I went with the french toast and for the price they were pretty underwhelming. Just a few floppy pieces of regular bread. The eggs were not great either. The wife went with a wrap and she said it was ok but again nothing special. It was also overpriced for really sub par breakfast fare. On the flip side, the service was nice and the girl was pretty attentive. This wasn't enough to overcome the food quality or the prices.
(2)Danielle S.
My boyfriend and I are staying at a nearby bed and breakfast and thankfully we were recommended this restaurant! The atmosphere was so cute and they sat us in a booth where we sat next to eachother which was very intimate. They had a special on Wednesday BOGO special entrees. I got the seared tuna and my boyfriend got a prosciutto wrapped filet minion. Both were outstanding. We also got the lobster gnocchi as an appetizer which was so fresh and delicious. Their wine selection was very impressive and the staff was very good with helping chose them and even offered samples when I couldn't decide. We ended with gelato samples which was by far the best gelato I've had. The staff were very friendly. Overall great experience, I can't wait to be back in town again.
(5)Jim K.
Pasta made on premises - delicious! Don't let the name fool you. They have a full, fine dining restaurant. Got to them via Yelp on March, 2015. Place is very nice, located right on the main street in Newark. A lot of young college kids work there. Our waitress was very nice. I had the Lobster gnocchi appetizer - best gnocchi I've ever had and I've had a lot! Light as balloons in a blush sauce with a generous amount of lobster meat. Next time I might have that as an entree. The only thing that might stop me was my entree, their shrimp and crab meat capellini. Again in a light blush sauce. Delicious. My wife ordered their tenderloin tortellini. I tried one - home run. She really enjoyed them. Of course when you eat at a place that gelato in its name you have to have some for desert. I had the coconut and my wife the crem broulee. The coconut was delicious. I'm not a fan of crem broulee but my wife is and she liked hers so much that she ordered a second one. I've never, ever seen her do that. Give this place a try. You won't be disappointed.
(5)Pedro L.
The food was very bad. I ordered the medium lamb but it was overcooked. I could grill it better by myself. It is also very expensive. Cheap ingredients, NOT WORTH THE PRICE. DO NOT GO!
(1)Miguel G.
The food is no good. It wasn't burnt or undercooked or anything major but for a plate that costs over 30 bucks this wasn't good. And the rest of the people that dined with me agreed. We had better food at other places for half the price. Oh and the gelatos... Go to another place. You're missing nothing
(2)Kwame G.
It's my first experience at this restaurant and the food was excellent...especially the calamari.
(5)TJ C.
Children's Cooking Class I recently took my five year old daughter to the Children's Cooking Class (ages 5-12) at Caffe Gelato and she had a blast. Anastasia and the rest of the team did a fantastic job of catering to the each child. My daughter had a great time and talks about her experience as a "Super Star Chef" at dinner time. They divided the kids up into three groups of approx. eight and they circulated through stations where they got to learn about all the ingredients they were learning to prepare. We left with a bag full of ingredients, recipes and a coupon to a gelato cone. If your child has an interested in cooking, I highly recommend this activity. We're looking forward to the winter session.
(5)John G.
Very impressed with the food, though I wish the menu was a little expanded. None the less, I had the frutee de mar and it was delicious, pasta cooked right as well as the seafood with a really flavorful white wine sauce. My wife had the caprese panini with sweet potato fries, it looked really good, and I actually used a piece to dip in the sauce. I wish u could have real bread instead of the stick they give you. That would be my complaint, but again, the food was really good! The gelato was good, not great, but I will try other flavors to compare!
(4)Sporadic W.
My Dad and I did our own version of a food tour down Main Street yesterday and stopped in for some gelato, which my Dad has never had before. We were able to try about a half dozen choices before deciding. The staff not impatient and never made us feel rushed in making a selection. The first we tried was Pumpkin Creme Brûlée, which neither of us were a fan of because the pumpkin flavor wasn't as strong.. It was more the Creme brûlée with a pumpkin accent. Then we tried the chocolate mocha, which my Dad enjoyed but I didn't because I'm not a fan of coffee. We tried peanut butter chocolate which was good, it tasted like real peanut butter chocolate cups.. Not as sweet as the Reese's with the refined sugars, so that one was pretty good. I also tried peach which had a very fresh taste and flavor to it, but it was a little too summery for getting into Autumn Season and the month of October. We finally settled on hazelnut, which was surprisingly, sweet but not too sweet, smooth, rich and creamy!!! I've never eaten a full meal here, prices are a little steep for my budget, but it is upscale fashioned, decorated very nicely and also has a really nice full bar. Reading the menu, it does sound fantastic with homemade pastas and freshly cooked to order dishes, unlike mass consumption restaurants. This is definitely a specialty restaurant and they have their own niche cut out for them and fan base following. From the atmosphere it would be great for family gatherings, formal dinners, entertaining business clientele, or a romantic date with your significant other.
(3)Tanya C.
I came for a meeting at UDel and it was catered by this place. The seafood pasta was just okay and the noodles were overdone. The veggie sandwich I had was super bland. The only plus was the gelato which was really tasty. The cups and spoons were also super cute.
(3)Todd T.
I read some negative reviews on here but I'm also a business owner and understand the difficulties of consistency. My experience as a first time visitor was actually very good. I'll say the server could have been more personable but the restaurant was full of people when we left (got their early) and all 4 dishes we ordered were excellent. I ate with friends/locals and its a very popular place amongst the locals for sure. If you want a bargain, go to Outback or similar chain. Your steak will be a little chewy, your desert will not be house made and you won't be supporting local small business that started from nothing. My meal? I had the filet and it was excellent. The mashed potatoes and carrots were great. The bananas foster dessert was actually real house made bananas foster with great gelato to go with it. The atmosphere is nice and somewhere I will return to dine again.
(5)Alicia K.
We've had various occasions at Caffe Gelato including 2 surprise birthday parties and plenty of dinners out. ALL experiences have been fantastic. The food is always high quality and cooked to perfection. The owner is simply wonderful in dealing with customers and ensuring everything comes out just as you wish. 5 stars for Caffe Gelato!!!
(5)Stephen S.
Cafe gelato always seems to disappoint. We tried again this evening, based on recent reviews and luck didn't turn our way. The bread was squishy focaccia, probably from a store, served with a garlic olive oil that we were mixed on. We shared a small basic salad, and luckily the arugula with quality balsamic stood for itself, as did the box croutons that I piled up on the side of the plate relegated to watch the meal by themselves. On the bright side, the pasta was fresh and good. On the bad side the sauces they were served in were not great, which kind of ruins pasta for me. Mine was sweet and required a healthy pour of salt to bring it to life. My parter was pleased with the ravioli, but struggling through the meal to try and identify why it was bad. In both cases the sauce was either poorly prepared or badly matched to the core of the dish (nicely grilled salmon for me, tasty cheese ravioli for her). But for the prices, we were pushed into the pasta. The meat dishes were all greater than $20, so it seemed the best option. And that's why this only gets two stars. You can't charge NYC prices in Newark, while serving Vineland style food. Thank goodness for the wine and the gelato, which was pretty enjoyable. Unfortunately the bill was $72 for two, so we shan't be returning.
(2)Jason L.
We did the two lunches and a pint of gelato to go. We had the basil pesto panini and the smoked salmon panini. It was good and the lunch came with a salad and roasted potatoes. Such a good value and the gelato was so good. The only thing we could complain about was that it took a long time for them to prepare the food maybe about 30 minutes
(4)Mark K.
Great food for a special occasion! Good wine list and, of course, great gelato. Expensive
(5)Diane K.
Kudos to Caffe Gelato! My family's most recent visit there was this week to celebrate my husband's birthday. As in past visits, the food was superb. My husband and I gave our daughter a surprise 21st birthday party at Caffe Gelato three years ago, and Ryan German (the owner) was extremely professional and accommodating. Last year, it was my turn to be surprised with a birthday party at Caffe Gelato! We have also ordered their Thanksgiving catered dinner, and it was delicious. Last year, we attended a wedding at Bella Vista, and the reception was catered by Caffe Gelato. They did a marvelous job keeping the food always on the buffet without being obtrusive to the guests. I would highly recommend this restaurant if you are looking for an up-scale place to dine or to cater an event.
(5)Marisa P.
I went here with some friends and while the food was good, it was really overpriced. I paid almost $30 on a chicken dish that, while it was tasty, was not good enough to be so expensive. The 4 of us ended up having water and splitting a salad and 2 entrees (side note: the portions aren't big enough to split) and each got dessert and our bill came to over $80. The one thing that was really excellent, however, was the gelato. I got the bananas foster gelato and it was delicious. The portion itself was huge, so that I would recommend splitting. Overall, I was a little disappointed because it was so overpriced that it was hard to enjoy ourselves, but the dessert was great. I think from now on, if we ever go back, it'll be for the desserts:)
(3)Summer B.
I visited a friend here and we came here for dinner. It was parent's weekend so most other restaurants were booked up. We were seated right away behind the hostess's booth. A waiter came quickly and took our drink orders. We got a bottle of Bella Sera, which was crisp and delightful after a long day of traveling. For appetizers, we ordered the Lobster Gnocchi. This place must get fresh seafood because the lobster was so fresh and flavorful. The lobster meat had a very rich taste and had a perfect amount of power of the gnocchi and vegetables. I ordered the lump crab and shrimp capellini and my friend ordered the beef tip tortellini. Both were absolutely amazing, especially paired with the wine. The only complaint I have is the time between when we got our appetizers and dinner. It was definitely longer than a typical wait time, but the restaurant was completely full because of the parent's weekend so it was somewhat expected. It was a bit pricey but for a special occasion I would say it was worth it. Since it was mostly families in there, I'm guessing that college students wouldn't typically pick this place because it is a bit expensive for a college budget. The experience was overall well, but I'm not sure if I would go back because I don't frequently visit this town and I would love to try the other restaurants on Main St to compare.
(3)Virginia D.
Excellent selection of Gelato! Caramel cashew crunch, vanilla bean, and peanut butter are my favs. Wonderful staff! Free samples to help you decide from a plethora of flavors. I will definitely return and possibly check out their dinner selections. Yum!
(4)Cliff C.
In short, great food, nice selection, but they have to train the wait staff.
(4)Dhruv S.
Very pricey for gelato, their potions dont really increase in volume with their prices
(1)Stephanie T.
So - the gelato is great, I will give them that. Everything else....not so much. We started off with the calamari and bruschetta - pretty standard dishes in an Italian restaurant. They failed both. The calamari was tasteless - the breading was beyond bland. The bruschetta was a mess as well. It was like salsa on pita chips. Ick. I went for a "homemade" pasta dish with shrimp and scallops. The pasta was nothing to write home about and the cream sauce was tasteless. Comparable to a dish at Olive Garden - but double the price. Salted Carmel gelato - amazing. Only reason they got 3 stars!
(3)Jill N.
Caffe Gelato catered our office party and everything was terrific! Good food, excellent service and positive energy. I definitely recommend Caffe Gelato.
(5)Diana D.
I find the food to be mediocre at best. I've had both the pasta with clams/mussels and the crab pasta. Neither had much flavor and there was a very small amount of crab in the crab pasta. I grew up in an Italian family near Manahttan. I've eaten plenty of Italian food in my day and the food at Cafe Gelato is just not good. I've been there several times hoping it would get better. It doesn't. In addition it is loud and the tables are close together. And, like many of the other reviewers have said the service is slow/lacking. In my opinion it is over priced and not worth going to again. For the price you pay the quality is just not there. I wanted it to succeed as the owner is a nice guy. Now...the gelato is good. Last night, they served it to me almost completely melted but it was still tasty. Save your time and money and go somewhere else.
(2)Guinevere N.
Established restaurant with no hesitation re: fancy new flavors. My family and I went for lunch on a weekday; it was not busy and the waiter was attentive. The soups we tried (french onion and pasta e fagioli) were delicious as well as the enormous caesar salad my sister conquered. The bruschetta is the kind of food that makes you want to chuck bricks through fast food windows. The roast turkey panini was in want of a richer, spicier mustard while the prosciutto and fig was a little too heavy on both of the titular ingredients, which should have been more of a garnish to a caprese or other panini. Gelato, however, covers a multitude of sins.
(4)Addison B.
Absolutely exquisite. I came into it knowing it was going to be expensive and was ready for it, so the meal itself was delicious. Great service, and nice atmosphere. Even were very easy about holding on to my credit card when I forgot it.
(5)Micaela L.
The chicken-pest-mozarella panini is perfect. I don't like the sides very much, but mostly because the panini was filling enough on its own. It looks very formal, but the lunch paninis are decently priced. Anything else seems too expensive for a lunch.
(4)Lena S.
Love this place!!!, homemade Gelato, great atmosphere, delicious entrees. Only poor points are sometimes the service seems a little underwhelming and its a once in a ahile venue due to prices, but then again you get what you pay for.
(4)Angela P.
My husband and I went in on Monday, 10/6 for our anniversary. A younger girl approached our table and said "Would you like drinks?" and offered no hello and didn't introduce herself. She brought our drinks and asked if we were ready to order. Never asked if we'd been there before, if we had questions on the menu or if we'd seen the daily specials. We ordered the calamari appetizer, Lump Crab & Shrimp Capellini and the Monte e Mare. All of the food was tasty with generous portions so much so that we couldn't finish. We asked to take the food home and the "server" brought us boxes to transfer our food, which normally wouldn't be a problem but we were seated at a very small 2 top table with someone seated right next to us. The "server" asked if we wanted dessert and I asked about the Peach Cobbler dessert and she replied "Oh, yeah, we ran out of that a while ago" so we requested our check. As it turns out, my husband had stopped by Caffe Gelato the afternoon of our anniversary to inquire about reservations and spoke with our "server". This girl was nothing more than an order taker and certainly not a server who did anything to enhance our dining experience. She had no personality whatsoever and really turned us off. We won't be back anytime soon.
(1)Chris C.
ABYSMAL SERVICE! DON'T GO HERE! The service on a Monday night was abysmal. (Understand when you read this, that the price of an entrée in the $30+ dollar range.) 1. Multiple hosts. Asked for a booth in a 75% empty restaurant. Took 4 minutes to get seated because they had few booths to begin with and needed to bus an open one. 2. Took 10 minutes for server to come to table after we were seated. Had to go ask hostess to get a server. 3. Server finally cam but didn't apologize for late greeting. Took our drink and food orders. 4. Took 5 minutes to get our drinks. 5. Salad came promptly but Entrees took a long time. 6. Salad ok, bread ok, food pretty good but not great. 7. Server didn't check back to see if our food was good until I was over half way done with my meal. That is unacceptable attention. 8. After we completed dinner, waited again. I tracked my server down with a hand waive when I saw him. 9. Asked him for a box. And he wrapped up the food with a lot of liquid in "just" a box. I then had to ask for a bag which should have been implied with just a little common sense. 10. I gave him my credit card. He carried in his hand while stopping to talk to another server a table down from me. 11. Finally got my card back. He got much better tip than he deserved. When you pay $30+ dollars for an entrée, you expect not only great food (food was passable to good, but not great), but you also expect at least good service. SERVICE WAS ABYSMAL!! DON'T GO THERE!
(1)Kara T.
Brunch - oh yeah! As a Newark local, I can't believe it took me so many years to make it out to Sunday brunch at Caffee Gelato. Why did I wait so long? It was so hard to choose - several types of eggs Benedict, crepes (sweet or savory), omelettes, French toast, and interesting specials. We settled on Eggs Mignon (Eggs Benedict with filet on the side and roast potatoes - fabulous! There were a few other variations including one with crab cakes). After pondering the crepe and French toast selections (several to choose from), we also got the creme brulee French toast with berry sauce, also excellent. It had a wonderful vanilla cream whipped something or other on top that went really well with the tang of the berries. Would have liked a bit more berry sauce, but it was all around fantastic. Other pluses * The coffee (regular or decaf) is always good at Caffe Gelato. Wish the cups were larger so I wouldn't have to flag down the server for refills, but minor point. *Small side salad - served with the eggs and French toast - amazing balsalmic dressing (the way I like it, on the side, so the greens aren't over-coated). A great touch to the meal. *Scrambled eggs provided with the French toast - great to have a full breakfast *Gelato parfait - all meals seemed to come with a generous scoop of vanilla gelato covered with a nice berry sauce (with whole berries mixed in) and granola. *Friendly and welcoming wait staff that were nice about answering our questions *They understand college town brunch hours: serving until 3pm! We were afraid we'd be too late when we arrived at 1:30 and appreciate the extended brunch hours. Minor improvements would be more attentive removal of dirty dishes. We had a small table and lots of dished and felt our server could have removed some as she passed by our table (no sign of a bus person and one empty table looked like it has dirty dishes sitting on it a while). It seemed to take a while to get our food despite only a few tables of customers (but there was some sort of event in the back room that may have slowed the kitchen down). We weren't starving so that was OK but could be an issue with hungry kids. I thoroughly enjoyed all the food - it made my day. Will be back - there are so many things I want to try!
(4)Sam F.
Atmosphere: excellent Wait staff: excellent Food: excellent The girl I was with: smokin' Perfect evening. To top off the pasta,(1/2 price pasta night) the gelato was exquisite and made me feel happy. Way to go caffe ice cream, you did it.
(5)Ellishia T.
I really hate posting bad reviews, but this restaurant gave me one bad experience. I should have known not to eat here when there was no one eating in the place on a weekend afternoon at a place that serves brunch, but the menu items sounded good so I wanted to give it a try. Our brunch items came and everything looked great, then j took a bite of my potatoes. Supposed to be prepared like breakfast home fries I assume, instead they were barely cooked through, tough, and bland. What a let down about the home fries, but we left because there were shells in our eggs. Sorry Cafe Gelato, I wanted to like you but I can't.
(1)Lou H.
This is my favorite place to eat with my wife on Main St. The new homemade pasta is very good. My wife always gets the pasta primavera and is very happy with it. Recently they added a brussels sprouts side dish, which seems a little weird, but is really great. I saw a few reviews about issues with the service, but we eat here several times per month and have a consistently good experience. When things go wrong, they do make them right which thankfully doesn't happen very often. I had my company holiday party here for about 40 people and that went very well too. Overall, great place (and the gelato is awesome too).
(5)Shannon H.
Caffe Gelato quickly became my new favorite place for a delicious, indulgent meal when I went out with a few of my girlfriends for a celebratory end-of-classes dinner last week. We were lucky that it was a beautiful evening and were able to sit out on the porch, which was so nice to be able to enjoy the evening and people watch on Main Street. The hostess was very friendly when we walked in and sat us right away. And a few seconds after there was someone there with water who told us our waitress would be right out. Our server, Brea, was very nice and attentive, constantly making sure that we were comfortable and everything was prepared to our liking. I have no complaints from the staff there; as far as I saw there were no mistakes and everything was explained and presented very professionally. Our server also sent us a little complementary amuse of mini crab cakes right before the appetizers; unexpected, but very much appreciated. Now on to the best part, the food. Since we were celebrating, we went all out. We ordered four appetizers, four entrees, and four desserts with coffee/tea. The appetizers were so delicious. We had the calamari (which was nice and crispy with a nice, sweet tomato marinara sauce on the side), the roasted vegetable and ricotta stuffed ravioli (that was served in the most delicious sauce), the fig jam flat bread (crispy and sweet and an instant favorite), and the Prince Edward Island mussels (definitely a must-order appetizer). We had the mussels, calamari, and ravioli first, and the flat bread came out a few minutes afterwards, but it was no problem at all because our server let us know beforehand that the flat bread takes a little longer to cook, and we had plenty of food on the table anyway. In between the apps and the entrees we had Caffe Gelato's homemade foccacia bread- and dipping it in the left over sauce from the mussels and the ravioli was the absolute best idea. On to the entrees... We had the rack of lamb, the pepper crusted tuna, the special rib eye, and the tenderloin tip tortellini. Of course we all had to try everyone's entree, so I'm able to say that everything was exquisite. The best part was that they all came with different sides too so every plate wasn't the same. The rack of lamb was tender and juicy, and cooked to perfection. The tortellini was homemade stuffed with ricotta and goat cheese and served with beef tenderloin tips with mushrooms and spinach in a creamy sauce, which was a dream for a cheese lover like myself. The rib eye was perfectly cooked and there was enough to go around. And finally, my entree, the tuna flaked just as it should, and the pepper crust gave it just the right kick. It was served over red rice and and a bed of fresh greens. The plating and presentation of it all was gorgeous and we almost didn't want to eat it, but of course we couldn't resist. We were getting so full that we took the left overs home to enjoy the next day (and they made some great left overs!). Now the desserts. Again, we each got something different, and everything was decadent and a great way to top off the meal. We had to sit for a little bit and just digest before we waddled our way back home. I was absolutely satisfied with our meal and our overall experience. The food was absolutely amazing and the service was friendly and she wasn't trying to rush us at all. I would definitely recommend this place for any occasion where you and your party is looking for a more up-scale fulfilling meal. Oh, I forgot to mention that the owner came around and personally checked on us and introduced himself, and made sure we were enjoying ourselves. The four of us had a wonderful experience and we would love to get the chance to treat ourselves again!
(5)Soufiane L.
Before I get into in the details of this amazing meal, I have to say that this was one of the best meals I've ever had...anywhere!! We were a party of 4. We were first greeted very warmly, and it automatically felt like it was going to be a great experience. Our waiter arrived quickly and offered some great specials. But we decided to ask the chefs to surprise us with a few amuse courses and we were not disappointed. 1st plate Ricotta Gnudi-Sorrell & Leek, with shaved Fontina 2nd plate Cutter Poached scallops with Micro arugula, porcini soy consomme topped with black sea salt 3rd plate Garlic & Herb marinated lamb with truffle & manchego risotto chanterelle aire we were told that these small plates were part of The Chef's table menu. They were outstandingly delicious Then we proceeded to order our entrees, I ordered the Monte e Mare which is their version of Surf & Turf. It was well balanced and delicious. it was a pasta dish with ample amount of seafood. Clams, mussels, shrimp. The filet mignon was cooked to perfection. 2 of my guests ordered the lump crab & Shrimp capellini and my 3rd guest ordered the Frutti Di Mare pasta. They were very delighted with the flavors and quality of their dishes, and described it as one of their favorite meals. Our waiter was very knowledgeable, and a pleasure to interact with. Although I've been only been to Caffe Gelato for casual lunches in the past, I have to say that now it has become one of my favorite destinations for fine dining also. Overall, beautiful setting, Impeccable service, Great wine list, and outstanding food.
(5)Ji Won K.
....ordered a vanilla gelato to go in a cup-- it was "meh" to say the least--nothing to write home about. The place looks like it serves good salad though--maybe next time I'll try their salad.
(2)Christina H.
I decided to give them another chance, and this time I was happily surprised. The hostess and waitress were very friendly, the food came out quickly and was delicious, and they even brought us free mini-crab cakes while we waited. I don't think they knew I was the person who wrote the bad review before because it was under my boyfriend's name, so I don't think they were just going above and beyond to make it up to us. Well done Caffe Gelato. Hopefully this customer service improvement is here to stay.
(4)Frank C.
Went for brunch this weekend. My eggs were good but my wife's french toast, although advertised as "raspberry creme brulee" was really nothing more than very average french toast with some weird sauce on the top. The people there are nice and the service was good. We will probably go back and give it another shot.
(3)Aaliyah P.
For some reason everytime I eat here my experience gets worse. Dined here when I live in Newark and loved the romantic atmosphere and decor. ( live in Newark 6 years ago) decor still the same and menu options are still the same. We were down for wine and dine and figured we would use our groupon. Made reservation for early dinner . Were usually late eaters but boozin on an empty stomach is a sure fire way to ruin the mood. Were sat in a corner booth. Our server wasn't bad but she wasn't great either. She was meh... Everything took forever . Wine / beer from the bar 15 min WTF ! Bread another 10. I can only assume that the kitchen was backed up. I started with cesar salad; dressing bland no flavor whatsoever had to doctor it up w/ salt and pepper. Came with sun dried tomatoes weird but whatev. Chris tried the crisy polenta w/ shortribs he said if was yummy I cut a small piece of the polenta not tainted by the beef and the crust was crisp while the center was creamy. Apps went quick since we were starved. I opted for the special pasta in a spicy sauce with olives, roasted red peppers and mussels. If was just not satisfying at all. I took a few bites and just ate the mussels which were actually really good. Chris opted for the crab and shrimp pasta which is always a hit. I ended up eating a few bites of his. We boxed up leftovers he agreed to eat mine for dinner one day during the week. I was irrated with that meal and we opted to get dessert elsewhere. Pros- good wine list, they validate, crab pasta cons- sllllllooooooowwwww service, mediocre specials
(3)Miriam B.
Cute little Italian restaurant in the heart of a college town. I was driving through Delaware on my way to NYC when we chose to have dinner at this Italian spot. They even have a violinist. We had a beautiful cheese plate with a large assortment of imported French varieties along with a bit of raspberries, strawberries, apples, grapes, blueberries, honey and fresh baked bread. Our entrees were a bit disappointing though. I had the lamb chops( usually my fav type of meat). They tasted like a pound of salt had been put on top of them. My husbands dish was far better. Cornish hen stuffed with squash and sausage stuffing. Our dessert was truly the highlight of the meal. Everyone should come here for their gelato it's amazing. I had the banana's foster dessert. It contained banana's foster with banana gelato, carmel sauce, walnuts and whipped cream. Yummy. Although I didn't care too much for my entree my starter and dessert were strong. I will return.
(3)Rick B.
I have upped my rating to 4 stars, for the simple reason that everything on the menu is delicious, the wine list is excellent, and the bartender knows how to make a Negroni. The atmosphere is still a lacking, but I have never had a meal I didn't enjoy. Keep up the good work, Ryan!
(4)Lisa C.
Long wait for food and when it arrived, it was sub-par. Pork tenderloin was overcooked and salty and the accompanying risotto, congealed. Husband had fruit de mare which was bland and had the tiniest pieces of overcooked calamari I've ever seen...won't go back.
(2)Yingbo W.
Went with a party of about 30 to a company dinner party at Caffe Gelato. Of course we had a reservation so you'd think the staff would be prepared since they knew we were coming but they were not! The service was horribly slow and unorganized. It took half an hour of waiting around before the whole party was seated because they did not have the tables ready. 30 people standing around at the entrance really ruined the atmosphere for other diners. The owner should know better than to not leave empty tables in anticipation of a large party. I think the dinner was suppose to be a 7 course meal but my table got skipped one course because the waiters forgot. Some tables got a course while others were skipped. Out of the 7 courses, the only course that we had a choice in was the entree. It took about an hour before the waiter got around to taking orders for the entree from my table and even then he forgot to mention a selection from the 4 available entrees. After another hour of waiting, the entrees finally started to come out. I would think the entrees would come out faster since that was the ONLY thing out of the 7 courses that they actually had to cook. Furthermore, since we had only 4 entree choices, the kitchen should've already known to start preparing for some of them. Perhaps the kitchen was understaffed but they knew before hand a large party was coming! So after 1 hour of waiting for the food to come out and being hungry (since we wharfed down the other courses in 20 minutes), I was severely disappointed when my main course finally came out. For my entree, I got a pistachio topped chicken breast of some sort. The pistachios were a nice touch but the chicken was very bland and dry. It was on top of some kind of cream sauce but that added barely any flavor to the chicken. There was a bland side of cous cous and veggies. I did not pay for this dinner party but I'd imagine if you were to order any entree on the menu, it would cost around $20 to $30. For that kind of price, I'd expect better tasting chicken and better sides! Someone at the table got salmon with sweet potatoes and I thought that was descent but the cut of fish was way too small for the price (probably 6 oz). Another thing I thought was silly was out of the 7 courses, 1 course is a drop and I mean a DROP (the amount that would fit in a sample cup) of lemon gelato to cleanse your palate before the entree. That should not be counted as a course because there was barely any food! The other courses were bread with olive oil, salad, fried calimari, meat and cheese platter (which my table didn't even get), and a tiny ramekin of hazelnut gelato for dessert. The hazelnut gelato was good but that was the only thing that stood out of the 7 course meal. Also, I want to mention that our dinner party took up half the restaurant worth of tables. We were divided down the middle by a divider from other diners and on the right size, there was only ONE single-occupant restroom. Since we were separated by the divider, I do not know if there was another restroom on the other side. Regardless, 1 bathroom for more than 30 people is silly. At one point, there was a queue of 3 people waiting for the restroom. In short, do not bring big parties to caffe gelato. Do not go for their 7 course meal since it won't really be 7 courses. The food is only so-so for what you pay. The restaurant tends to overbook itself so on busy nights prepare for bad service.
(3)J F.
This is my boyfriend and I of 5 years' most FAVORITE place to dine so far-we have spent most of our anniversaries or end of finals in undergrad at UD here, or our families took us here, or we ate here with fellow students and even some of our old professors. I have heard the owner isn't very nice, but they definitely knew what they were doing when they expanded the restaurant a couple years back. A bunch of our fellow students now work here as alumni. Sometimes you get a server with a bit of 'tude but most of the time they're just plain cool and are really classy and know what they're doing. We sometimes stop in for gelato if we get a chance. This just has such a romantic vibe, and I love seeing how different types of people all come together while dining as guests here. Simply lovely!
(5)CrabCake W.
Never again! Been here twice, the first time was extremely frantic- they were overbooked for sure. Not enough hostesses, wait staff, and apparently kitchen help too.Service was slooooooooooowww as frozen molasses and the food was average. It tasted like it was a frozen TV dinner that was warmed up. Decided to give them another chance when friends were in town. Sat outside, they extended their outdoor seating area to the alley between the restaurant and the M&T Bank next door. Bad idea. Did not like sitting in a friggin alley with trash, broken glass, cigarette butts all around, and teenage kids cutting thru the area as a short cut. And the noise and exhaust fumes from the Main St traffic did not create any ambience at all. Our server would disappear for long stretches, forgot our drink order 3 times, the food was again sub-par, I dont know how this place stays open. I'd rather go to Capriotti's and get a sub, at least I know it'll be good !!!
(1)Dominic M.
Recently stopped in on a visit to UD. Ordered the short-rib polenta! Delicious!! I love the new bar and decor. Well done Ryan! For an entree, try the spinach salad with a salmon fillet. :-)
(5)Thomas K.
The best restaurant in Newark, without a doubt! I've only been to Caffe Gelato once, but the experience was great enough for me to give it five stars. Everything, from the food, atmosphere, service, etc. was excellent. I arrived at the restaurant with a party of 7, and they were quick to accommodate a large group. We ordered several appetizers, all of which were great, but I have to highlight the antipasti and calamari for special acclaim. The food on both of these dishes were probably the best I've had. When entrees are concerned, Caffe Gelato has an extensive permanent menu, as well as a large offering of specials. The entrees are very expensive, around $25, but they are high quality. I tried the ribeye (from the specials menu) and it was delicious. Everyone else at my table said that their food was great. The final part of the meal was, of course, the gelato, which lived up to expectations. I haven't had a lot of gelato, but I can say that this gelato was very tasty. Again, the same sentiment was heard around the table. If there's a drawback to Caffe Gelato, it's the price. Including appetizers, entrees, and dessert, the bill for 7 people was $260. Even so, I'd say that $45 per person (including tip) is a fair price to pay for the quality of food here. I definitely recommend this place.
(5)Diane T.
I'm bumping up my rating for two reasons. First - A year after I wrote my original review, I ate here again when my parents held their 50th wedding anniversary party at Caffe Gelato. This has been their favorite restaurant in the area, so it was the logical choice for their party. I have to say that the staff did a fabulous job with a group of about fifty people! I'm sure my mother also expended some effort to coordinate the function with them, but the staff did shine that night. The party started with a cocktail hour with an open bar and hors d'oeuvres carried on trays through the crowd by the CG staff. Dinner was a sit-down function and my parents had pre-arranged the menu choices with the restaurant. The food I had was delicious and from the way the crowd sounded, I think everyone was in agreement. I'm sure my folks spent some significant $$ on this party (I drank my fair share of cocktail beverages!), but I'm sure they'd agree that it was money well-spent. Their party was a total success. It was fun. It was well-catered. The drinks were well-made. The food was excellent. The staff were professional. Second- I recently received a message through Yelp from the owner of Caffe Gelato who stated that he appreciated my candid review and uses it in staff meetings when discussing service. I appreciated his comments to me. I always find it heartening when someone can look at a review and, rather than being put off by it, uses it as a tool for improvement. I agree with my folks that Caffe Gelato is a nice spot for dinner and lunch and it sounds like the staff are committed to making that good first impression.
(4)Steve H.
I always enjoy my meals at this restaurant. The food is original and tasty. They have great wines and gelato too!
(5)Lori H.
Had a family brunch in a private dining area following a Hooding Ceremony at the University of Delaware at Cafe Gelato. The service was wonderful and the food good. Will definitely visit again!
(4)Steve S.
Pretty much what you would want in a restaurant in L.A., sans the people from L.A. I ordered the veal chop medium rare and it was incredible. Had some salted caramel gelato and was equally impressed. I would be back for more if I didn't live on the left coast.
(5)Jim P.
Chelsea and I stopped in for a gelato and a stroll down Main Street, after a nice dinner elsewhere. Their gelato was much better years ago. Whatever it is they're using now (mix ?) is gloppy, fatty, greasy, and essentially uninteresting. Their flavors were all creamy mocha, caramel, cookie crumb, peanut butter concoctions. If that were what I wanted, I'd have gone next door to TCBY. I think there were three fruit flavors - peach, strawberry, and a mixed berry - eh. Chelsea ordered hers in a cone, which was stale and nasty. Yuk. This place aint no Capogiro, that's for sure - capogirogelato.com -. Capogiro as set the bar, now its Caffe Gelato's turn to chin it.
(2)Jamie S.
I honestly don't understand the poor reviews. This is one of my favorite Newark restaurants and has been for 7+ years! Their food is phenomenal; I've never had a bad meal here! I've been for brunch, lunch, dinner, and just for gelato. The gelato is fresh and tasty; great flavors! Their special event fixed priced dinners are always romantic and worth the price. And their food is always outstanding. Their paninis are creative and delicious and come with a side of yummy roasted potatoes and fresh greens (or sub for the awesome sweet potato fries)! I LOVE their creme brûlée French toast! In addition to their regular menu, they have daily specials. The service is always outstanding! They're very accommodating. I celebrated my birthday here and they let my friends bring in an outside cake, plus they held it up front for us (to keep it a surprise from me), plus they cut it up and served it and then packed it up for us to take home. They're also accommodating if you want to deviate from the menu a bit. They also gave us a complimentary appetizer. They'll validate your parking too. I truly love Cafe Gelato and I'd encourage people to give it a try!
(5)Stephen E.
I dined here on 1/6/2012. The decor and live violinist made for a pleasant experience. The food is excellent. If you have not been or have not been in a while, I strongly suggest you stop by. Quite a while back I had a less than positive experience due a waiter's error. Ryan resolved the problem to my complete satisfaction. Should you have a less than excellent experience, I strongly recommend speaking to Ryan about it. I think you'll be pleased with the results.
(5)Christie K.
This review is JUST about the gelato! The gelato case is the first thing you see when you walk into the restaurant. This is the best gelato on main street, but overall, it's just okay. The flavors are standard and nothing really stands out. The hazelnut is good, but the other flavors are unmemorable and kind of bland.
(3)Katy P.
I started going to Cafe Gelato in 2005 as a freshman at UDEL with my family, it was always a great place to take my parents and showcase Newark. Gelato is one of the only restaurants in Newark that truly boasts a comprehensive wine list as well as a genuinely upscale dining menu that features seasonal specialties. Still to this day Gelato is the place that I choose to go back to. Their expansion of the bar and dining room looks great and you are always welcomed by the owner. The Gelato is to die for so be sure to leave room if possible!
(5)Joe T.
This was a mediocre meal - I debated between 2 and 3 stars, so think of this as a 2+ star rating. My wife has received their "free dinner on your birthday" postcard promotion (basically $20 off your bill) for a couple of years - so we decided to try it this year. I started with the appetizer size Classic Caesar salad, my wife had the appetizer size Dawson salad. The Caesar did not have an adequate amount of dressing and the julienne sun dried tomatoes was hardly "classic" and added a spongy texture to what is usually a crunchy salad. My wife indicated that the Dawson salad was ok but she really couldn't find or taste the feta. For entrees we had the Pan Roasted Salmon and the special homemade ravioli which was a chicken and goat cheese ravioli the evening we dined. We both tasted both entrees and we had about the same opinions on both. The server suggested a medium preperation for the salmon so that it wouldn't be too dry or too rare - it tasted too dry. The salmon is served with mashed sweet potatoes, toasted almonds, and truffled micro greens - a combination that resulted in an unusual (not in a good sense) flavor profile and texture. Definitely not a dish I would order again or recommend. The ravioli was undercooked and doughy, the chicken stuffing dry and the goat cheese missing in action. On the up side the server was professional and attentive. the restaurant has a nice decor, we sat in a nice booth, and its always nice to visit main street of a college town. But, we won't be using the "free birthday dinner" coupon next year.
(2)Anne M.
Had a reservation for a party of 3 for 7pm on a Sat night. It's been a while since I've been here and the decor is much more upscale than I remembered, which was a plus. Had to change the reservation to 7:15 at the last minute but had no problems doing so (thanks, Open Table!). Walked in and remembered the entryway being slightly awkward last time, and that hasn't changed. The hostess stand was swallowed up due to the amount of people milling around, waiting for either a) a table or b) gelato to go. Very cluttered and disorganized. We were seated promptly (when we finally got the hostess's attention) and waited. and waited. and waited. Finally, some water. Waited some more. Flagged down a server and asked if he was taking care of us. He seemed surprised no one came over yet. A few moments later, our waitress came by and apologized for the "who-is-our-server" mixup and was great for the rest of the night- efficient, prompt, and totally left us alone to talk, which is exactly what we wanted. For dinner we had the fusilli with crab and shrimp (good, very generous seafood portions), the steak (also good), and the frutti di mare, which was also good. Not bad, not the best. But good. For dessert we had gelato (I had peanut butter and chocolate hazlenut- hazlenut was much better than the pb). For three soups, three entrees, and three desserts plus two glasses of wine set us back $112, not including tip. Ultimate question- would I go back? Maybe. There was nothing spectacular about dinner, and there are plenty of spectacular places out there.
(3)Nicole E.
Gelato is my favorite!! And love that the owner worked so hard to make such an amazing place. The food isn't anything exciting, but this is certainly the place to stop for your ice cream after dinner!
(4)Harvey M.
Wonderful service, quality food, professional presentation, classy bar, extensive wine list, and freshly made gelato
(5)Kyle M.
This restaurant was A+. It was decently priced, and had decent decor. Instant seating, and very little wait till we got service. First of all their special beer was my favorite beer in the whole world: Sam Adam's Cream Stout - so perhaps this review will be a bit biased just based on the fact that they had my favorite beer... I got a small starter salad which was delicious and had the perfect assortment of olives and artichokes. I then had the fruitti de mar and the seafood was fresh and delicious, unlike some of the other restaurants in the area (mid atlantic area). The dessert was decent - the Strawberry Gelato reminded me of my favorite gelato place in Venice. The Coconut wasn't coconutty enough for me - I actually think they might've mixed it up with vanilla, but just the same very yummy. The Tiramisu that my cousin had was a bit too espresso-y but still very yummy.
(4)Carie R.
I have to say that I had one of my all time favorite meals here. Not only the food was amazing, but the service was flawless. Our table shared a few plates that were beautifully prepared and served, and they we all ordered entrees. Every bite made you look forward to the next one. The wine selection was excellent, and the food was creative and delicious. I highly recommend Caffe Gelato for an unforgettable dining experience, or even a casual lunch. I will, definitely, be back.
(5)Jay K.
CaffeGelato is an amazing restaurant in the heart of downtown Newark. It started out as a place to get delicious Gelato and transformed into one of the best restaurants in Newark. Tonight I had two really tasty and satisfying dishes. I had a Manhatten Clam Chowder that had a peppery broth and was loaded with chunks of clams. It was so delicious I had to sop up any remaining broth with the bread that was served to the table. I also had pulled short ribs over polenta in an equally tasty gravy. I was afraid to order short ribs although I am a big fan of the braised beef because short ribs can be very fatty. Bad for the waist, bad for the heart. These chunks of well cooked beef were without any of the fat that I had feared so many times when I gazed upon that menu selection. It was really good! The whole plate was just fantastic. I will order this same dish from now on. When I find something I really like I stay with it. In fact I have been married for 37 happy years.
(5)Jenna H.
I went to Caffe Gelato when I was visiting UD & other prospective colleges. So, yes, it was "a few" YEARS ago, but I still remember the awesome salad I had, great gelato, & friendly staff--I didn't notice any pretention (what I do remember is a lot of sampling!) & my snob radar is pretty acute. If you needed any more incentive, the owner got some type of "Hunk/Guy of the Month" accolade from Cosmo--after one meal I remembered the restaurant when I saw that article a year or two later. So if you're ever in the area (which is probably unlikely ;-) give it a shot!
(4)Musin Y.
I would say that the most noticable feature of this restaurant is how self congratulatory it is. Wow, aren't we so unique because we sell gelato to you silly country bumpkins? The food is pretty average and while the gelato is good, it's not too memorable.
(3)