Caffe Torino — Restaurant in Oro Valley

Caffe Torino is excellent! My wife and I have dined in the restaurant several times but it’s been several months since and we recently got a carryout order that was equally outstanding. I usually get the chicken piccata because it’s such an excellent preparation, with delicious sauce and perfectly tender chicken and really an excellent piccata preparation, but this time I went with the chicken Taleggio and don’t regret it a bit. This one has mushrooms and cheese, but not like a marsala. It’s its own dish and an excellent one. Got plenty of pasta as well so the portion size on carryout is nothing to sneeze at - I really like that.

My wife got the rigatoni alla panna, rich and delicious, but not too heavy. Another winner. When you die in the restaurant, you also get excellent bread and outstanding service. My carryout service experience was very good as our dining service experiences. Daniela is warm and welcoming, and I don’t know the bartender‘s name, but she was really excellent handling my carryout order.

Even the salads are delicious. I can’t get over how great the dressing is (the House dressing).

We will continue to patronize Caffe Torino .

(Previous review)

First time visit and we were very pleased! Yes, it was a Tuesday night, so it helps that the wine promotion is that night and makes this place even more likable, but I would have loved the food on any night of the week. I have to say, I was not expecting SUCH a delicious piccata. I substituted the chicken (DELICIOUS red bird chicken, by the way) for the veal but that sauce was one of the best piccata preparations I’ve had ANYWHERE. And that includes New York City. And Boston. And Chicago. I’m just saying.

And the service was warm, friendly, and helpful. Added to the great food.

And they EASILY accommodated gluten-free diners, because my wife has a gluten allergy, and not only did they easily accommodate it, but I tasted her pasta dish and it was outstanding! And you usually end that sentence with “…for gluten-free pasta” but NOT in the case of Caffe Torino. Oro Valley. Our server, Maggie, was really great. Quick to acknowledge, warm greeting, helpful menu navigation, friendly personality, checked on us periodically.

So it was a lot of fun and we’d definitely...

The outdoor patio was packed at Cafe Torino on La Canada and the service EXTREMELY slow. It was the weekend of the Cologuard Classic 2020 | PGA TOUR Champions tournament. Is that an excuse for extremely SLOW service? Partially, but not totally.

It was a pleasant winter Tucson evening with outdoor patio heaters making the seating comfortable. The interior of the restaurant was also filled to capacity.

Our server was polite (when she finally arrived) but there was little explanation or apology for being slow on the uptake taking our order --- nor was there an apology for the extremely delayed delivery of our meal.

I ordered the veal special of the evening -- which was average at best. There was lots of food on the plate--- which could be considered a positive. If it had been served more promptly I might consider rating the meal higher. But not much higher considering the price of the meals. With a bottle of wine the bill was just over $100 --- which I considered somewhat expensive for two meals and a bottle of wine.....and slow service!

Much to my surprise there was not a manager on duty to speak to after I finished the meal. Had the server apologized, or offered some kind of compensation for our delayed service (say a small desert or reduction of the bill) ) I might not have written such a scathing review. I would have felt they were sincerely trying to make amends.

There Is little positive praise I can write about this place. I felt alienated by my dining experience.. I was just face in the large crowd to be shuffled in and out of this feeding trough.

My date represented Café Torino as one of the best Italian restaurants in town. I just can't agree. I will...

I have enjoyed eating at Caffe Torino for more than 10 years, but no more. Last night our party of 7 arrived. No one seated us, but we saw a table reserved for 7 and assumed it was ours. Then we began our wait. We quickly received water, but no one took a drink order for 40 minutes. Finally, we placed an order for 3 glasses of wine and two beers. Quickly, one glass of wine was delivered—but it was for the table next to us, which was clear much later when that table inquired where their glass of wine was. Another 30 minutes went by, when one member of our table chased down the waitress for our drinks and food orders. Then we waited another half hour plus for food, which was cold when it arrived. When I asked to speak to the manager, the waitress said “there is no manager tonight.” When I asked who was in charge, she admitted that it was her and was not just defensive, but argumentative. I was asking for some relief to the bill due to our long wait, and she offered free dessert, which by that time we were uninterested in. She finally took off one drink/each of the 5 who had alcohol and gave one dessert to the couple who did not have alcohol. We left exactly 2 hours and 20 minutes after arrival. I might add that there were empty tables when we arrived and no line when we left. Worst service ever....