Cambria's Bistro — Restaurant in Wadsworth

FOOD: I’m sorry to say the food was not good. Two people in our party had the lasagna and both dishes were luke-warm at best. The description boasts sausage in the sauce, but it was barely detectable and gave the sauce a came-from-a-jar-like taste. One of us had the fish…I think it was flounder? It was just okay and looked like the stuff you’d buy already breaded and frozen, ready to pop in the oven and heat up. The dish was described as “with hush puppies“ but there were literally two hush puppies on the plate. I had the chicken picatta. It arrived in a bowl literally sitting in an unappetizing pool of oil. I tipped my dish over a bread plate to pour off the oil, and then stuck a piece of bread in to soak up the rest. I did not eat the bread. Despite the Exxon Valdez situation, the chicken actually tasted really good, was moist and flavorful. The “risotto” it came with should definitely not be called risotto. While it had a nice flavor, it was the mushiest & most over-cooked risotto I’ve ever had in my life. I understand that most restaurants that serve risotto cannot cook it to order to ensure that classic al dente texture, but this was really more of a mashed-rice situation than anything else. It was unrecognizable as risotto. The ricotta bruschetta appetizer was very delicious.

Coincidentally, While we were eating, two coworkers happened to come in to try it for the first time as well. The following day, I asked them about their experience. They said, “we won’t be back. Maybe for drinks, but we won’t eat dinner there again.” They also had a poor food experience.

SERVICE: very nice server. Slow service though.

ATMOSPHERE: very loud. Please invest in sound baffles.

OVERALL: Cambrian’s tries to be an Italian restaurant, but the food is just not up to par. I don’t know if they cut corners by using a lot of GFS-type pre-made ingredients/food or what, but that’s the vibe we got and it’s just not great. Cambrian’s is more of an American restaurant that serves Italian food. It feels like it’s having a bit of an identity crisis, as its menu is a mixed bag of American and Italian. I would recommend skipping the “Italian entrees” and just go there for appetizers and drinks.

In response to the owner, we didn’t speak up because the food wasn’t so bad that we didn’t eat it. It was definitely edible, just mediocre. Though if I had gotten the cold lasagna, I would have said something, but my husband never sends food back. That is his prerogative. The problems I described weren’t something that could be easily fixed either. A poorly constructed dish, previously frozen food, not-so-great sauce….these are not kitchen mistakes. These are fundamental problems with the dish and/or ingredients. Plus, the service was already slow, so it didn’t seem worth it to speak up and potentially wait longer for new food. This is an honest review. Quite frankly, I find the owners response, defensive and offputting. I definitely won’t be back now.

And yes, I know the name is Cambria’s, however, sometimes AutoCorrect happens. I suppose there are folks in this world who have never been affected by autocorrect, but I have never met them.

Finally, I will not continue to support a business whose owners post signs spewing hate in their front yard....

Updated review:

We tried this place again a few days ago, and ugh we were so disappointed! Our server was a space cadet it took her 45 minutes to even get us salads! I had to ask for refills on our drinks multiple times, and we never got our water refilled. I went in to get our own condiments because our server was no where to be seen. I felt like I was working there. They weren't even that busy, the place was maybe 60 percent full. And that marinara sauce is still super sweet and inedible. The chicken saltambaca was pretty good. The problem was that it took nearly 90 minutes for it to show up, by that point nothing was going to make up for the wait. I'm thinking that most of the reviews of this place are done by friends of the owners, because this place is simply not good, we will not be back.

Original review (mosy of my opinions from this visit have changed):

This place has a lot of potential. The staff is all really kind and efficient. Most of my table liked their dishes, however I did not. I got the lasagna, the pasta, meat, and cheeses were all fine, my issue was the sauce. I know some people like a touch of sugar in their sauce, but this was ridiculous. It was so sweet it would have tasted better on ice cream than pasta, I'm being dead serious here. My recommendation is to not get their marinara sauce, it's really bad. I didn't complain because I was in a large group that all liked their dishes. The chicken picata that two others got in my group was excellent. To the owner, who is a really nice person, please put way less sugar in the sauce. I really want to try your lasagna again but not with that sauce! I do recommend this place, hopefully they will tweak the sauce recipe...

My husband and I had high hopes this would be a new Italian spot for us, but our bar is pretty darn high having lived near a Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives favorite for years in NY. Unfortunately, we are still on the hunt for our next Italian go to. The atmosphere was generally good, hardwood floors, brick walls, interesting photos, good music. What was odd was there was a TV by the bar that was on and it just didn't fit in. I know, TV/bar, okay... but seemed out of place. But honestly not a huge detractor since I couldn't hear it and it wasn't tuned to anything political. The staff was great, super friendly, attentive. We were seated promptly and our server came over within 2 minutes (a good metric). Now the food... I had a ceasar salad. The dressing was nontraditional (no anchovies that I could taste, fine by me) and was crisp and tasty. The croutons were not homemade, but that really isn't a surprise, and they were still yummy. I got the chicken piccata, my husband got the lasagna. The piccata was caper heavy, lemon light, backwards to how I prefer it. And I know it should be just parsley but I swear to the high heavens I tasted oregano. It wasn't bad, just not great and I wouldn't order it again. The lasagna was wetter than our style too. Some people love all the sauce and ricotta cheese, but there was so much of it when we left my husband joked that it was almost like a stew. Granted, it was flavorful (I tasted it) and he did eat almost all of it (generous portion). Just saying not our style. So, it was a miss for us. We may or may not be back. It's like a half hour drive, so probably only if friends...