Cafe Italia Downtown

My wife and I tried this place while in town.
The food and service were spot on. Good portion size and pizza sauce was very well done.
The only negative I saw was their loss of their bar business. Very obvious that they had built around a well decorated bar with the taps and glasses still in place. To the observant diner. It seems obvious this was a loss of license to serve. BYOW sign out front. But being an out of towner. I would not have known where to get some.

Valentine’s Day dinner… Where to go where to go… Reached out to a fellow Unilocaler… Here’s the scoop:
Location: this one is in downtown El Paso right near the new baseball park and the convention center. Nice area, very downtown-​ish. Only downside, no parking. It’s get in where you fit in here. I’m pretty sure I parked illegally, however, alls fair in love and war… And I won this round.
Atmosphere: this place is small, very small. You could go as a party of 4, but I’d suggest just going as a couple. When you do, expect you’ll be sitting rather close to the next guests. But as long as you’re not their to dump someone, or discuss secret government business. It’s fine. This place is trendy, and romantically lit. The décor is just right. It’s pleasant to dine here. Very cozy. Comfortable.
The Food: ok so the food here, bottom line, is delicious. I’m so glad it was recommended! We started with a HUGE appetizer. Like seriously… I could order JUST that appetizer as my meal. We ended up getting a to-​go box just for the app. It didn’t have a name, but more so a list of what’s on it, which was, delicious brick oven baked bread, prosciutto, salami, goat cheese, honey dipped pecans, pears. Wow! Delicious, and plentiful.
My wife ordered the shrimp linguine! It was one of the better pastas I’ve tasted here in El Paso! A must try. A must re-​order when we go back! Comes with Brick oven bread sticks. Amazing sauce and prepared just right.
I had ordered the Quinto. Basically a 5 cheese brick oven pizza. Amazing! Easily big enough to share… But, if you’re up to it, which I was (minus one slice I have to my wife) you COULD eat the entire thing. However, fair warning, if you eat the whole thing, like I did, there will be no room for dessert. Disappointing, as we both wanted to try some, but we literally couldn’t eat anymore. No worries, as there WILL be a next time.
Altogether a very solid find! I can see myself eating here often as I watch a El Paso baseball game right up the road! A must go spot in downtown. Repeat business is for sure. FYI: it’s BYOW… They don’t serve alcohol, but you can bring your own wine. Which is good I suppose (I don’t drink but my wife enjoys a drink with dinner), because you already know they’ll have what you want… Because you brought it lol. Anyways, highly recommended… Das it Mayne

We wanted to try somewhere new on the Valentine’s Day so we decided to try this place.
It was pretty easy to find. It’s right by the baseball stadium. They don’t have a parking lot so you gotta find somewhere to park. They had the «BYOW» sign at the front. I’m not sure if it’s always that way or only tonight.
The place was much smaller than I thought. I wouldn’t recommend you to go there with a group of people.
As soon as we sat, the server came to ask for our drinks and brought them. What I was amazed the most is that we didn’t even wait longer than 5 minutes for our food. You would think its gonna take awhile if you order a pizza, which they bake in the brick oven right?
I ordered the Linguine & Shrimp pasta. It was probably one of the best Alfred pasta I’ve ever had in my life. It was a large portion but I finished eating it all. If you don’t know me you would think its normal but it’s not… This Japanese size stomach can’t usually finish a meal when I eat out. This shows how good it was.
The pizza my husband ordered was so good too. It was fresh out of the oven. Like he had to use a fork to even eat it.
We came in here at 7pm and walked out at 7:39. What a fast service. I’m so satisfied with this restaurant! We are definitely coming back.

My gf is a regular at this place so I was forced to give it a try. LOL Nonetheless, I found it to be really nice. The service was above average and the food was really tasty. My daughter took advantage of the daily special which was 50% pasta. She had the Shrimp Alfredo. It was a large portion and she enjoyed it very much. My gf and I split a pizza and it was more than enough for the two of us. I will definitely recommend this place and you might see me there.

I got the pizza, which was very tasty. Nice fresh ingredients. Surprisingly good.
As I was finishing, the table near me got the calzone… holy cow. It looks amazing. If I ever get back here, I’ll definitely order the calzone.
They were saying is filed with ingredients. Yum
People are friendly. They’re adding more to their menu, so this should help draw some people in.

DELISH! This pizza is so yummy! Everything was perfect. The pizza is perfected using a brick oven not some sort of toaster oven thing. Ambience was nice too. Can’t wait to go back. :)

We came in from out of town and had to try this place. (Due to the proximity to the hotel & great reviews.) First we almost left because they do not have enough seating to accommodate a party of four. A table cleared up as we were looking at the menu for a to-​go order. The food was good, but we have had better. Specifically from brick oven restaurants like Pane Bianco. The ambience was nice, but the service wasn’t great. She was busy associating with what appeared to be her friends sitting behind us. She turned away another group of people, because they could not accommodate a party of five.
Overall, if I lived in El Paso and was on a date and wanted to stuff our face with breads & pasta, Café Italia would be the place.

I’ve been to this location several times and I am always really satisfied. They make their mozzarella on site and they roll their dough to order. Somehow, they’re also extremely fast! The pizza choices are sort of edgy (mushroom and roasted fennel is not your typical pizza topping) and they are delicious. A real treat! The two drawbacks: they tend to close earlier than you’d expect; and they often feel a little under-​staffed. But I love this place and I’ll definitely be back again!

This is madness! I deserve a swift kick in the arse! How could I have never written a review for one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the entire world?!? How could I betray you like this, Café Italia Downtown?
There is only one sensible place to start when reviewing CID and that’s the interior design. CID is in the ever-​evolving Union Plaza district that I am ridiculously obsessed with. But my obsession and love for the Union Plaza was spurred by CID (so you other guys in the Union Plaza that regularly and happily take my money better send a thank-​you card to CID). Walking along San Antonio, CID looks narrow… only a glass door that allows you to look into a rather cozy place. Cozy is not a word I’d use to describe anywhere else in the Union Plaza.
Don’t pass it by, whatever you do… DON’T PASS IT BY! That’ll be the biggest mistake you ever make. I am always completely captivated by the ceiling. It’s a flowing wood design that looks seemingly impossible. Images of a piano and the ocean circle in my head as I stare. It’s calming and it sets the mood of the atmosphere… pleasant, charming, filled with smiles and laughter. There’s an inner warmth that CID has with it’s brick oven. Everything is so thought out and wonderful.
There is limited seating at CID, but luckily, I’ve never been turned away. The tables are big enough for a group of four, but I’ve seen them flip the tables around to allow a larger group. And if you’re dining solo-​dolo, you can always take a seat at the bar.
So after you’ve been seated and stared at the ceiling for a bit, it’s probably time to order. I’m always thoroughly impressed with what’s served up at CID. It just never gets old and is always delicious. Out of everything I’ve ever had, my favorite is the Gracie’s pizza, a white pizza that is oh-​so flavorful. The mozzarella on top is fresh, creamy, and smooth. The mozzarella is handmade and it alone is a true testament to the care they put into selecting the finest ingredients. Along with the sinfully good mozzarella, Gracie’s is topped with mushrooms, fennel, rosemary, and parmigiano reggiano. It’s amazing! The crust is thin, but not paper thin which makes it easier to pick up if you so choose. The bottom is always kissed by flames giving it some more of that inner warmth I was talking about earlier. But the rest is soft and well… perfect.
CID is simply divine. Everything reaches high above any standard I have set, from informative and friendly staff who clearly love CID to the enchanted environment to the perfection they call pizza.

Interior is amazing. It’s a small space but the architecture is beautiful, live music and great service. The butter spread with the bread is addicting and I wish I could copy it. We had a basic margarita pizza and another with arugula — both great. The berry cake was okay — I’m sure if it was chocolate, I would have loved it. We’re glad we just happened to stumble upon this hidden gem and plan to go again.

The interior is amaaaaaaaazing. Hahaha. Seriously, whoever designed the way the interior looks is a genius. It really lends itself to an intimate but fun feeling atmosphere. And the food is pretty darn good too. Their brick oven makes the food taste great. I like to go on business meetings here just to show people a good time =D

A welcomed little pizza place downtown from the folks responsible for Café Italia on Mesa.
It’s located in the Union Station area one block from the Garden and Tabla.
I has a very simple menu, mostly hand crafted pizza cooked in a brick oven. The pizza is very good, with a nice crispy crust. I had something called a Sunrise with pepperoni and two fried eggs on top (I know, I know, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it).
Sandwiches are really good, particularly the caprese sandwich.
Decent wine list and they dont cut corners and serve tiny glasses either.
The interior is interesting architechturally and I dont think it seats more than 30 people or so.
Great for lunch or post work glass of wine.
And the service is friendly and good. Sometimes things slow down in the kitchen, everything is made to order.