Caffe Roma — Restaurant in Beverly Hills

Where do I begin? First of all, I never write reviews, but this experience put such a damper on our entire evening following our visit that I felt obligated to write this in hopes that other people’s evenings would not be ruined. I really wanted my experience to be positive here because the ambiance was wonderful and the drinks were solid. The problematic part was the service. We sat down at the bar and waited to be greeted. After a few minutes, a distracted and disgruntled (for no apparent reason, seeing as the place wasn’t very busy) bartender came over, stood in front of us, and very rudely asked what we wanted. Keep in mind, he had not greeted us or given us menus. We kindly asked for menus and, after he handed them over, he came back less than a minute later again asking what we wanted. We felt very pressured to make a quick decision—but why? This should have been a relaxed, laid back experience. He gave us attitude as we ordered and actually walked away while we were ordering. Apparently he really had somewhere to be because he was rushing us the entire time. Later, we asked for our check when we were finishing our drinks (after one round because we couldn’t stand to have another drink with this guy behind the bar). We paid but didn’t necessarily intend to leave instantly (since we were still finishing our drinks). He came back and moved my husband’s wallet off of the receipt and took the receipt. Why you would not wait until we are getting up to leave to grab that, I will never know...or at least until we shut the book and move it over for him to grab. He then had the nerve to stand directly in front of us and start talking to people he seemed to know who had just walked in. He said, “Don’t worry, they’re leaving,” as he pointed at us. And we were STILL finishing our drinks at this point. He proceeded to stand there in front of us and he just stared at us. It was so uncomfortable that my sister asked if he needed something. He said “no” and then said “bye” very rudely as he walked to the other end of the bar.

Moral of the story: this bartender gave us so much attitude for absolutely no apparent reason. I work in food service as a manager and let me tell you, that sort of behavior should NEVER slide for any employee. That is NOT customer service. For this reason, I would never come back to this establishment or recommend it, even though the drinks were good and the food looked great (didn’t eat dinner there)! Very...

Caffe Roma is right in the middle of the famous Canon St. In Beverly Hills. Friday night is very lively with an eclectic crowd of regulars, celebs and tourists. They have a full bar and DJ, as well as large dining areas in and outside in the enclosed outdoor courtyard. I arrived there early but enjoyed the atmosphere and music so much I chilled out for an extra few hours.

My main server and head waiter Jesse Sanchez(told me he's been there since they opened 38 years ago)provided outstanding, personable and flawless service. He was assisted by Adam who was also excellent.

I hadn't eaten all day so I ate alot starting with the Gamberi Salad(huge succulent shrimp) in fresh and healthy spinach leaves and topped with very large, creamy avocado slices.

The Summerland, Santa Barbara white wine suggested by Jesse was perfect with my linguini entree which was also a winner.

The dessert of peach and lemon sorbetto was also one of the best desserts I've had in awhile.

I am a coffee fiend and my espressos and cappuccinos were as good as, if not better than most top coffee bistros.

I had the pleasure of meeting the Manager, Davide Giliberti(real Italian)who was running the place very smoothly considering the large crowd in the demanding BH market.

The Staff is all well dressed​(shout out to Mr. Giliberti) and my courtyard table amply heated by a nice electric flame.

Overall, I am really impressed with Caffe Roma and this is now my go to restaurant in Beverly Hills for the best Italian cuisine in a stylish, classy and entertaining atmosphere.

Bonus: The fine art portrait photography of celebrities is some of the best I've seen anywhere.

Well...

2023:

Been there many many times. Sadly, on yesterday's visit with friends, both services as food were mediocre at best. We were four - and while the waiter took the order for my wife's Aperol Spritz he did, for whatever reason, no drink order from the rest of us.

Then, my friend's entree came before her starter. His response was rather meh.

I had the grilled Octopus, and the arugula was ... not eatable. As I said, we have been there many many times, and this was their weakest performance, I am afraid. Other than that, I can recommend the place. Make sure you check out their Happy Hour menu - good all Sunday :-)'

2020: Went with a group of four - no reservation and got seated - as requested outdoors - right away. The food was delicious - in their price range (Pizza $22, bill for four $150 for entrees only, no alcoholic beverages) I did not expect to be charged for the bread - and would expect fresh parmesan​ cheese with the asparagus risotto at $24.

However, the did not have the asparagus risotto on the menu, the waiter went out of his way to make her happy - and our friends (the wife of a huge German pop star​) and her son really loved the place - and they have seen a lot of places.

Food: five star Ambience: 4-5 Service: 5 Location: 5

Would I go again: absolutely.

Would I do a 30+ min detour just to go? Maybe. The bread charge put me off a bit. To avoid any misunderstanding: I saw them charging $3 per during their happy hour. As they sell their food for VERY attractive prices at the bar/ lounge for happy hour, I totally understand that the bread is extra, just not in the restaurant at this...