Sapore Italiano — Restaurant in West Cape May

After reading so many terrible reviews I’m shocked this place is as busy as it was. First timer… had several bad dining experiences in the past 24 hours figured this place would end all that. Called 7:50pm asked to make reservations the host said they can’t take any reservations past 8:00 pm. Then she put me on hold for twice As long as I was on with her. I called back no answer. We were close so we arrived and walked right in and sat down. Ordered a bottle of water, and two appetizers. Clams in garlic and white wine and fried calamari. The clams were smaller then a dime and tasted like tap water with butter and some slices of garlic on the shells thrown ontop. Bread came out later so we couldn’t even dip. (Not that I wanted to) the calamari was mushy and barely warm almost Like rubber bands. The soup was a potato shrimp but had clams in it. That was actually decent. (Nothing had flavor) now for the good part. We sat down at 8:06 we ordered by 8:12. We ordered the chicken parm… and the special which was flounder with shrimp. (Which was tasty) we got our food 75 minutes later. The couple next to me was complaining of their food being so salty they couldn’t eat it, where as ours didn’t have much flavor. The waiter places the chicken parm on the table and says “how do you like” I said well I don’t like bugs in my food. There was a large fly in my food ontop. Not sure how he didn’t see it. He picks the plate back up and says “what you don’t want “ I said no I don’t eat bugs. He places the dish back down on the table… I said sir please take the dish. He comes back and says we will make you a new one in 6 minutes or less. I said wait, I waited 75 minutes for a dish you’ll remake in 6 minutes ? He brings out the dish while I was attempting to use the single person restroom. He comes back out with the same damn dish as before without the bug. I remember seeing two other black things that I thought were also bugs but probably dirt or pepper who the he’ll knows. I said sir it’s the same dish without the bug. At this point we haven’t had a meal in days because another cape may restaurant failed us. The managed came over and attempted to give me multiple excuses and stories which didn’t add up. At that point I didn’t want to hear it. The flounder dish was hardly touched because with all the commotion at the table and me not having my food it ended up getting cold. Two bites in the waitress angrily takes the flounder dish and smashes it onto the chicken parm plate and left with it. Still charged us for the flounder tho. The kicker is she must’ve known I knew it was the same dish, otherwise what poorly managed restaurant would gladly throw away two dinners without at least offering us to take it home for possibly someone else to eat? Polite staff but trying to put my dish down after seeing the insect in it was just a terrible idea. I wish I snapped a photo. Disgusted. And then to charge me for the second meal that we took two bites from? I advise...

This is a difficult review to leave. Being locals who frequent restaurants in our areas, we love finding hidden gems, and celebrating favorites of others. This place is underwhelming with overwhelming prices.

Not quite priced as "fine dining" (but just under), Sapore is very difficult to get a reservation for after 5pm because it's so sought after. Situated in a historic home, inside seating is stuffy, but well sat with room to maneuver around the chairs and tables in the front rooms. Outdoor seating lovely and I wish I had selected to sit there.

The menu is underwhelming. Had I done more research I would have selected the gnocchi, as I discovered too late it is hand made in the restaurant. Remarkably, the cost for one of the two gnocchi dishes is $23.95, and the price of the chicken piccata is $24.95. The rack of lamb is $32.95. This is why I went with chicken piccata and lamb, rather than a bowl of gnocchi. Pricing just seemed way off.

Chicken piccata was very oily and the pasta was bland. Chicken was tender. One of the water fillers filled my glass over my plate and accidentally drained some water from her pitcher into my plate, making my dinner even more watered down and bland. She apologized empathically and I felt terribly for her, but it didn't change the amount we paid.

The rack of lamb looked underwelming but was tasty and tender. I had order envy, but not envious enough to want to come back for it again.

The dessert menu is extensive but only two things are made here: tirimisu and creme brulee. We tried the creme burlee, again, just a thin layer and underwhelming.

Service was slow for attention: water filling, plate collecting, bread basket filling, bringing the check... our table could have turned over a full 15 minutes before we acrually received the bill.

For these prices I would have expected: "The chef got up at 2am and was at the fish market selecting tonight's perfect specials and dinners. Our vegetables are selected from local farm to table vendors and growers, picked fresh every day. Many of our desserts aren't made in house, but the Nonnas at the best 5 bakeries prepared today's desserts just for the day, so everything is fresh and made by experts with all local goods."

Instead we got: "Here is the paper with the specials. The branzino is pretty good." And everything felt Acme purchased and blah... which again, is fine, if mediocre and slightly over priced for what is actually being served is on the docket for your night.

Other local spots are VERY expensive, but you get a fine dining experience... or not expensive at all, and the food is...

A Disappointing Valentine’s Day Dinner

My wife and I were excited to try a new restaurant in Cape May to celebrate Valentine’s Day, as we often dine in town. Unfortunately, this experience fell short of expectations.

We were seated and immediately greeted by our waitress, Olga. She opened our wine and began reading the specials to me, even though my wife had just stepped away. I found it odd, but not a big deal. After my wife returned, we had a quick toast and then began to look over the menu. Olga returned shortly after, asking if we were ready to order. We were still deciding, so we told her we needed more time. She came back soon after, telling us, “I have to take your order now, I’m getting busy.” We ordered a Burrata appetizer, Pasta Bolognese, and Branzino.

The Burrata came out, but unfortunately, it wasn’t fresh, and it was lacking in flavor. We were also left without bread or fresh pepper. We ate most of the Burrata before asking for both, and when Olga brought the bread, she also set the pepper grinder on the table without a word. It wasn’t a huge deal, but it definitely felt rushed and impersonal.

For the main course, I had the Branzino special, which was served over cappellini with crabmeat and capers. It was pretty good, but my wife ordered the Bolognese, and after one bite, I could tell she wasn’t happy with it. I tried it myself, and I actually had to spit it out—it was terrible. It tasted overly sweet, almost like bad canned dog food. I ended up splitting my Branzino with her, and we were both left hungry. We finished our meal and waited a long time before Olga came back to check on us. She apologized when we told her about the Bolognese, but we were disappointed that she didn’t check in sooner.

The service was lackluster, and the food, aside from my Branzino, was disappointing. For a place that claims to be “fine dining,” it didn’t live up to the hype. The bread was stale, the Bolognese inedible, and the overall experience felt rushed.

While Olga did have the Bolognese taken off the bill, we still tipped based on the full amount. There are so many great restaurants in Cape May, and unfortunately, this one won’t be added to our list...