Cafe Gia Ristorante — Restaurant in Baltimore

Update 02/18:

Came back here for Valentine's and the service and food are still top notch. I had arranged to get flowers on our table prior to our arrival; however, they weren't there when we got there so I asked Ms. Gia about it. She had someone run across the street, get flowers, and surprise my date. Simply fantastic, a true gem in Baltimore.

P.S. The Gnocchi dishes here are so good! So I went to Cafe Gia for the first time after trying over and over to get in-- there's always a wait here (and for good reason)! From the outside, Cafe Gia draws you in with its eccentric yet welcoming wall décor and murals. Once you step inside, you're invited to a small yet intimate space bustling with Italian hospitality, smells and fragrances of balsamic dressing and bursting fresh basil and pesto. The restaurant has 2 floors and has recently expanded into a bar in the back area of the restaurant. Though I was not lucky enough to get a seat upstairs, the downstairs seating area is more than adequate. Tables are pretty close together so the noise level can get high, but Cafe Gia just has a great vibe to it. Service is excellent as well and the food is some of the best you can get in Baltimore's Little Italy. I tried the Bruschetta antipasti and Chicken Fiorentina as my first entree. The Bruschetta was excellent, as the bread wasn't soggy and the tomatoes were perfectly ripe with a flavory hint of balsamic vinegar. The chicken in my entree was buttery good and melted in my mouth, alongside the side of green beans and giant potato wedges-- simply fantastic. Service was great as well, with all waiters being extremely accommodating. I'd recommend trying the Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon red wine with the chicken entree.

Prices are reasonable for the quality of the food and portions are pretty good compared to other Italian restaurants in the area.

A welcoming, quality Italian experience enveloped with a warm ambiance makes for the perfect go-to restaurant in Baltimore's hearty...

I have never before left a review of anything, but I felt compelled to after my experience in this restaurant. Whilst ordering, I explained to the waiter that I cannot eat onion as I am intolerant to it, and I asked him whether the linguini pomodoro (that came with the salmon dish) contained any onion. He didn’t go and check in the kitchen, but said that he didn’t think that it did. I didn’t exactly feel reassured by his answer but I decided to trust him. When the dish finally arrived (after a long 45min wait), I had a few very cautious mouthfuls of the pasta and was convinced that it contained onion. When I, once again, asked the same waiter if it contained onion he confirmed that it did.

I was obviously not happy with this, so I asked to speak to the manager. An elderly woman (who I assume might have been the owner) came over, and after I explained the situation she gave no apology nor seemed the slightest bit concerned by the negligence towards my dietary requirement. She just said that she’d take $2 off (of the $28 dish I had ordered). I said I wasn’t happy with this and when I suggested taking half of the dish off of the bill instead she actually laughed, said there’s no way that’s happening, and walked off to the kitchen.

After the bill was paid (with only $6 taken off), the waiter came over and apologised, which I appreciated. I was however incredibly unimpressed by the RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL attitude of the elderly woman, who did not reappear from the kitchen.

The food that I was able to eat was tasty, but nothing special, and not worth the money. I would not return to this restaurant. And I’m keeping my fingers crossed in the hope that the amount of onion that I did end up eating does not make me ill during the final day...

It is such a cozy and quaint spot. I felt like Calogero in a Bronx Tale. The spot itself is a vibe.

The food. The food reminds me that spaghetti (aka noodles) and all it's derivations was stolen from China and imported to Italy. Where in Italy they took what was a staple in Asian cuisine from Japan, to Thailand and beyond and turned it into a blander, less soulful version of itself.

So! For Italian food it was good. Turns out that I just don't like Italian food. But then again I've had some really great Italian food ij all places Graz, Austria and Dublin Ireland. As well as NYC and Chicago. 3 out of 5 stars on the food. It was decent. It was adequate. It was Italian food.

Now here's the thing about taking my 2 year old and my 21 year old nephew to dinner, it tweaks my cultural sensitivities. To which I must remember that it's still East Baltimore. Turns out East Baltimore is still it's segregated self. And so, while the staff was pleasant, cordial really, it felt forced. Like an underpaid actor reading lines from a script they do not like.

That left an after taste in my mouth. And for $140 for dinner with my babies, next time I'll just go have pasta in it's original form and go have Ramen or Thai. Cause the Thai restaurants always greet me and my minions with warmth. And it turns out the thing that makes a meal great, is the company you consume it with.

3.5 out of 5 stars.

Enjoy...