Cafe Italia Locked Out
A sign on the door says it all. Restaurateur Scott Jones’ Cafe Italia in Oak Cliff’s Bishop Arts District has been locked out for failure to pay back rent. The original on Lovers Lane still remains open. The Oak Cliff location seemed a hit when it first opened last year but the dining room had seemed pretty empty on my last few visits. It makes you wonder if the booming Bishop Arts has hit maximum restaurant density or perhaps the O.C. crew just didn’t take to Jones’ Tex-Italian fare.
9 Comments to “Cafe Italia Locked Out”
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todd, i have lived in the cliff for three years, tried oak cliff pizza, worst food i have had in years, until i tried cafe italia, a real waste of money
Vitto’s rules!
Not surprised. Some of the worst food I ever tasted.
Then you never had brunch there. Cafe Italia has one of the best brunch menus in town, seriously. Lover’s Lane has a cute little patio to sit on while you dive into Waffles Jubilee (waffles with maple marscapone and cherries, it’s killer) or Breakfast Bruschetta (Tuscan brean smeared with goat cheese, scrambled eggs, sun dried tomatoes and pesto.
They had a poor open due to their own stupidity- all brand new servers, inproperly timed food delivery, gnocci the consistancy of cardboard?
With so many great restaurants in Oak Cliff at the same price point, why waste our time?
Nobody has mentioned yet that the space was extremely unattractive. I went once and felt like I was sitting on a loading dock. The industrial look..lacking any warmth whatsoever doesn’t tend to work as decor for a restaurant. It looked unfinished..or at least as if money ran out before it was decorated.
When I go to Bishop Arts, I wanted Bishop Arts quaint neighborhood feel. Veracruz, Vittos, Hattie’s, Grille 400. Unfortunately, when at Cafe Italia, I was anywhere, (from Oak Lawn to Lovers Lane) except Bishop Arts. I sorta have to agree with W.
In my opinion, the food and atmosphere as fine, it was all about the poor customer service. We gave the place two chances and both times we sat there for 15 minutes or so before we were even given water, let alone see a waiter for another 15 minutes. Look at all the other restaurants in Bishop Arts, they seem to be doing fine. Hope that someone can come in and use the space, to bad the folks that own Cafe Italia do not get it.
Tried it once - exorbitantly expensive and obviously no one with a clue in the kitchen. I tried Oak Cliff Pizza and they’re very nice, but too much cheese and not enough other flavor. Vitto’s gone steadily downhill, but their pizza was still superior last time I had it. When does the pizza place replacing Cosmo Rouge open?