Cafe Spaghetti is Chef Sal Lamboglia’s ode to the neighborhood Italian restaurant. Along with Cafe Spaghetti, the chef also has Swoony, Sal Tang, and Bar Ferdinando nearby. Aside from great neighborhood reviews, it also has a lush backyard garden. We made a reservation for 2 just 30 minutes before arriving at 6 PM. We were initially seated inside of the restaurant, but we decided to ask to be seated in the backyard.
Ambiance & Service
The interior of the restaurant feels very tight, so the allure will be the backyard. The backyard is quite roomy, and even in the summer time, there’s air conditioning circulating to make it just right.
When we asked to be moved to the backyard, they mentioned we’d have to finish in about 1 hour 15 minutes. Since we already knew what to order, I told the host that it’s up to the kitchen to bring out the food quick. Nevertheless, we ended up eating everything within 35 minutes easily.
Food
The Ronchi di Cialla “Schioppettino Rinera” ($16) came from the Friuli region, Italy 2023. The flavor profile was quite pleasant with cherry and raspberry flavors, peppers, herbs, and earthy notes. It was very nice to drink standalone or with food.
The Burrata Cremosa ($21) came with fire-roasted peppers, garlic oil, and focaccia. The burrata was quite fantastic and tasted well balanced.
The Little Neck Clams ($17) came with Calabrian chili butter and breadcrumbs. The Calabrian chili oil and breadcrumbs were very decadent. I wish the clams were a little larger, but the flavors were all pretty good.
The Parmigiano-crusted pork chop ($33) came with brown butter, lemon, spinach, and beans. The parmigiano crust was not super flavorful, but the pork chop was cooked nicely with the brown butter. It had a good combination of fat and beans.
The Orecchiette ($25) came with salsiccia and broccoli rabe. Salsiccia is basically sausage made from pork and scraps of pancetta. The orecchiette pasta was cooked perfectly al dente with a nice chew to it. The pork flavors were mild but also pretty good. I think pairing this with the pork chop probably did not provide the best contrast of flavors. If I had to do it again, I’d probably go with a red sauce to counter balance the brown butter with the pork chop. Otherwise as a standalone, the pasta dish was great.
Overall Impression
Cafe Spaghetti was actually pretty good, and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to try a neighborhood Italian restaurant without all the ridiculous reservations and wait time. The food may not be bougie, but it feels like it’s a straight shooter with just a little bit of elevated cooking styles.
Yelp & Google Jabs
Wine: my husband asked for a glass of red wine, and was served bad wine. Straight vinegar. To the waitresses defense, he did try it and said “it’s good”, but was also eating the salad while taking a sip so he didn’t know if it was bad or not. It wasn’t until I took a sip and borderline choked on it.
This Yelper’s husband might want to consider resetting their palette with water before trying a glass of wine. I don’t know how someone would find drinking wine to be vinegary to be normal.
It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. I had the vodka pasta with a chicken cutlet and the seafood pasta option. Both lacked flavor and depth that I was looking for in a good pasta. My entire party also agreed that the food was just ok.
I’ve never understood the fascination with vodka sauce. It’s just overly creamy to me and the tomatoes are drowned out by the cream and parmesan. I very much judge anyone who orders vodka sauce to not able to discern flavor.
Revisions
- Aug 28, 2026 - Initial revision.