Da Vinci Caffe

03/06/10

Far away from Italian

by ASG79 at Citysearch

I cannot believe where all the good reviews come from! Starting with the wine list (you can get most of the bottles at Publix), following with the bread (nothing to do with Italian bread) and finishing with the food ( a big joke), the whole experience is painful to the wallet and to my rights as a customer.

The server had absolutely no idea about any of the wines. Not only he did not know the difference between a Chianti and a Rosso di Montalcino, but he did not know a single name of a bottle of wine. When he was asked about wine he came around the table to stare at the wine list I was holding and tried to read the name of a wine to then say it was a "great wine". He insisted on serving the "best Italian food in town" but when asked about different items of the menu, he did not know how to explain any of them. When asked about the "spices" on the mussels, he replied saying it had pepper and olive oil spices. Imagine.

The mussels were completely dried out, overcooked, old and with no flavor. The shells were breaking apart of how old and reheated they were.

The "lighted breaded veal della madonna" was not veal but palomilla steak, tripled breaded, dried, with penne pasta that not only was not al dente but it also had some tomato sauce that tasted like can tomato sauce. They forgot the salad that was supposed to come on top. When we mentioned it\, they came back with it, but it had such a strong rosemary flavor that was inedible.

This has been by far the worse experience in Miami. I have lived here for 4 years, tried hundreds of restaurants, tried many restaurants in NYC, LA, Chicago, San Francisco and being from Europe, many many restaurants in Italy, France, Spain and even Greece. This restaurant is a joke and I am ashamed I went there with my partner and gave it a try, wasting our time and money. Do yourself a favor, go to Fratelli Milano, Cantina 27 or Fratelli la Bufala, and you will find and love authentic and real Italian food, just like the one you can have in Italy.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Everything

01/16/10

"Great food and wonderful service! I LOVE this place!"

by Guido B at Citysearch

I enjoyed a lovely dinner here with my girlfriend. The cuisine was excellent. It was the best ravioli di vitello outside of Italia, and the best veal chops in town, and a fantastic wine list very extend at reasonable price . We had a romantic table and our server Oreste was spectacular. I'll highly recommend Caffe Da Vinci for its authentic Italian food, atmosphere and service.

• Pros: The best Italian Restaurant in Bal Harbour,

02/07/09

Authentic Italian food!

by joannassf at Citysearch

Delicious food, good service and warm neighborhood feeling! My family loves going to Caffe Da Vinci!

• Pros: The food
• Cons: The decor

05/07/08

IN THIS PLACE IS ALL ABOUT YOU.

by JORGETRONCOSO at Citysearch

THEY TRIED TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE TO MAKE YOU FEEL AT HOME. BEST VEAL CHOP!. EXCELLENT SERVICE. CHANGES, SUBSTITUTIONS, HALF ORDERS, EVERYTHING GOES.

• Pros: NON
• Cons: ROMANTIC, GREAT GRILLED ITEMS.

08/13/07

OUR FIRST DATE.....3 YEARS AGO

by atlantic22 at Citysearch

THIS IS OUR 3RD. ANNIVERSARY. WE MET AT DAVINCI'S 3 YEARS AGO. WE LOVE THEIR CHEF'S SPECIALS AND THE ROMANTIC DECOR.

• Pros: VERY ROMANTIC-VERY GOOD SERVICE.