Strings Italian Cafe

Family oriented, great food and atmosphere. I asked for the waitress’ favorite dish and was pleased. My husband had the classic meatballs and spaghetti and the flavor was spot on! Their secret salad dressing recipe and bottomless salad bowl had me stuffed! Portions were hearty and service was as comfortable as could be. A great spot indeed!

We just moved to Yreka and my wife and I went to Strings apprehensive because we were unsure if it was part of the String’s chain we both have been to and don’t care for. Given our limited options we went and we were pleasantly surprised. A large menu offers everything from pasta, calzone, pizza, and all of the classic Italian dishes. I ordered a pasta dish with seafood in a light marinara which was outstanding and my wife was very pleased with her entrée as well. Located in the old historic Yreka, the setting was nice, service was excellent and we were very happy. We will be back and are anxious to try out more dishes!

A good Italian place for this rural town. Nothing really special about the entrees. Very standard selection.

This place is simply adorable! Most reviews mention the waitress with the one black glove and I was confused about how a person could be that remarkable; now I understand.
This waitress is unbelievably friendly, kind, and bubbly. Her particularly high voice only complemented her friendly demeanor. She is very accommodating, as my vegan friend asked about ingredients.
Seating is spacious and the place seems fairly popular, contrary to our beliefs that it may be borderline abandoned because of its location.
As for the food, I wasn’t blown away but my friends really enjoyed their dishes. I won’t deny that their bread is exquisitely fluffy and flavorful. Their salad is also surprisingly amazing for what it was: It contained romaine lettuce with sunflower seeds, raisins, artisanal croutons, red onion, and sliced Roma tomato tossed with creamy Italian (the dressing is vegan). The flavors wonderfully blend and it’s delicious. The salad is a side for the entrees, but it comes in a large bowl for the table. We got another bowl and it seems like you could get unlimited salad and bread if you really wanted to.
My friend and I both ordered the fettuccine Milano which had mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and sun-​dried tomatoes. I personally wasn’t a big fan of the overall flavor, but my friend rates it as five stars.
Another friend had the shrimp scampi, which included some broccoli and an awkwardly small amount of angel hair pasta. She liked the portion size and the balance of garlic and lemon flavor, but it was a bit too salty. She ranked it four stars.
Another had their «award winning combo» with lasagna-​stuffed pastry, stuffed mushrooms, and tortellini. He really liked the cool ham cubes in the tortellini. It was interesting that the dish was split between half Alfredo and half marinara. The lasagna-​stuffed pastry was deliciously flaky and I was a little jealous. Five stars for that one, even though it only came with two stuffed mushrooms. The rest of the dish compensated for the lack of mushrooms.
My vegan friend had the penne de la casa. The penne was dressed in olive oil with some garlic. The olives and mushrooms added a fresh flavor and were well-​cooked. He says it was four stars.
Overall, portion sizes were smaller than typical, but plenty for a normal meal. Flavors were diverse and satisfying. Most importantly, the waitress brightens your day. Definitely a worthy stop!

We had a wonderful experience here at Strings.
We walked two blocks from our hotel and stepped into Italian paradise. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration.
We ordered mussels, veal Marsala and fettuccine Milano. Every dish was hot, flavorful and fresh!
The salad was crisp and the house dressing spicy-​good.
If we didn’t live 700 miles away, we would eat here every week.
Oh and the service was fun and efficient with Cameo.
Thank you Yreka.

I mean let’s face it you are in Yreka… and looking around for anything that isn’t a fast food restaurant. Ambiance here is super mellow… and neat to see the one little main street in town. Mussel appetizer and minestrone soup was actually quite delish, I was looking around for an ocean the mussels were so good… and the sauce with them mmmm mmmm! The soup is different consistency-​wise but still works.
The chicken parmesan and fettuccine alfredo were quite underwhelming… felt like someone went to Costco and grabbed the bulk pack of Prego variety sauces… tossed it in the microwave and slopped it on the plate. If I was in a college dorm room I would have been ok with the meal; however not at this price point.
Service was very friendly, and naturally easy to get seated… but again remember where you are… you arent in Kansas anymore Toto.

The only reason this place gets a three star is due to the amazing service our waitress provided. She was tall, thin, brunette, and she wore a black glove on one hand.
I had a salad and my husband got soup, but she brought a salad bowl to the table that would be plenty for four. Where we were sitting I could see the prep area for certain dishes including the salad, dessert, and soup. I missed how our salad was prepared, but I did see another waitress prepare a salad. I saw her wipe her nose, and grab things from different bins for the salad with her bare hands. It grossed me out a bit. I watched her a lot from that point on and her entire demeanor was very nonchalant.
I got fettuccine alfredo and it was probably one of the worse I’ve had. Very bland, liquidity sauce, and lacking any fresh parmesan for me to at least top it with.
I dont know why I got a dessert. I blame the nice waitress. I witnessed her pull my lemon cake out of the fridge, heat it in the microwave for a bit, and then top it with some dollops of whip cream. Blah!

Good:
— Fast service (15 minutes for main course)
— Friendly staff
— High quality food
— Very filling
— Free bread
— Large salad bowl for sharing
— Very clean
Bad:
— String found in salad
— Exterior dilapidated
— Parking difficult to access
Neutral Facts:
— Median price ~15.00
— Back door easier to access if parking behind lot

I confess, I was skeptical! I’m a bit of a San Francisco food snob. I never thought I’d find a good Italian restaurant in Yreka!?! Much to my surprise, Strings lived up to its Unilocal reputation! The food was delivered quickly, the waitress was fabulous, and the food was terrific. I’m not sure we could’ve found a better place to break up our road trip between San Francisco and Oregon. This little place is definitely worth the minor sidetrip off highway 5.

Delicious Italian food at roughly an average of $ 15.00 a plate but you get what I would consider a lot of food. Chicken Cacciatore came with soup (or salad), bread, and the entrée. We waited 15 minutes to be seated at 6:00 in the evening. Would go there again (and I am very picky)

This is almost alarmingly good. You start wondering what they are doing in Yreka. I was completely surprised and so was my wife and kids.
Service was wonderful. Food was awesome!
Salad was wonderful. Garlic bread was hoarded by my youngest (they brought more, thankfully seemed to completely understand).
Meat lovers calzone was excellent.
I rarely ever take home left overs (at least since I turned about 25 or so and could afford that)… I’m taking home leftovers!

Excellent service! Our waitress was very friendly and helpful with lunch recommendations. I absolutely loved my pasta dinner (can’t remember what it was called). It had a delicious sauce, artichokes, broccoli, and chicken. It really filled me up. My girls ordered a pepperoni pizza and said they really liked it. The salad and bread were also very yummy. Overall, I was impressed with the food and the service. Be sure to get the Italian sodas. They are GOOD!

Good spot for a road stop. Excellent Italian combo pizza really filled with olives, sausage, and pepperoni. The 8″ «single» portion (comes with salad @ $ 13) is ok for two.

Considering where I am and what else is available for food in Yreka, this Strings Italian Café is a 5 star! OK, maybe it might not be a 5 star in SF, but I’m not in SF and I get to choose from whats in town. I’m in town on business for a couple of days and this is my last dinner here. I was suppose to meet a potential client, but he had to cancel, so no reason not to come here anyways. Beats eating to go pizza in my room by myself. Strings is a chain of casual nice Italian restaurants. I remember one I went to long ago in Pleasanton CA. Think sort of upscale Olive Garden. The menu seem heavy on the pasta dishes, but I guess that’s what most Americans envision Italian food to be.
I’m seated and drink orders taken. I feel like a beer tonight, so that’s what I get. It’s a little odd dining by myself in this place that’s a bit nicer than a coffee shop, but I’m used to it being on the road. Plus, my client didn’t show. He did call, not just stood up at least. So, I selected the Chicken Scallopini, since I didn’t want a big plate of some pasta. It was served sauteed mushrooms and a side of pasta Alfredo. The meal came with a dinner salad and bread. The salad was fine, pretty standard. The bread was nice, but I didn’t want to get all filled up on bread. The food arrives in a timely manner. My server is friendly and asks if I need anything else. I dig in and I can tell this is gonna be better than Olive Garden! The chicken is tender and cuts easily with a knife. I like the buttery lemony sauce. The pasta is cooked just right, not too done and not too al dente. I swear, some of these new fancy Italian places take this al dente thing a bit too far. I was satisfied with the food and the service and being here inside, made me think I wasn’t in a tiny town off the I-​5 freeway in the middle of nowhere.
I’d say this isn’t a quick eat and get back on the road kinda place, go to Black Bear Diner for that. But if you are staying here in town, this isn’t a bad choice for dinner. The prices are not really that high either. I think I paid $ 14.00 for my entrée. Most of the pasta dishes were less. I’d recommend this and it one of the best places to eat in town.

Strings in Yreka did not disappoint! Tasha was gracious, the food was top notch and we thoroughly enjoyed the patio area in the back! What a pleasant place to celebrate our first wedding anniversary on our way back to Seattle.

Excellent Italian restaurant. What a find in the little town of Yreka. We had the pan fried ravioli with spicy sauce and the pasta Siena. Both were great choices, the house salad had lots of goodies in it. The house wines were very good and my husband is a wine snob. He liked the Cab a lot. Service was spectacular. The bread was buttery and fresh from the oven. Piece de resistance was the chocolate w cherry whipped light as a feather cheesecake. Yum
Beware they close early. Week nights by 8:00pm

Good food and good service. Cute little restaurant, in a nice part of the tiny town of Yreka. The chocolate cherry cheesecake is amazing in case you were wondering what dessert to order =).

Here’s what I’m saying. We have not yet been served our main courses and I’m very comfortable giving this restaurant 5 stars!
Enjoy!
P. S. The waitress is AMAZING!

The ribeye was perfect. The boxed pasta with oil and garlic was very nice. Asparagus.perfect. Problem? Their Caeser salad is not a caeser and their minestrone soup is not minestrone soup. They didn’t want to hear about it either. Ah well.
Update: upon further research, every region of Italy has its own version of Minestrone. Most do have beans and pasta though. Caesar salad dressing includes eggs, mustard, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, worchestershire sauce, olive oil, and is mixed… then lightly mixed again with large romaine leaves. Topped with parm cheese and larger croutons. YUM. My favorite salad. Strings seemed to have lemon juice, olive oil, and garlic over chopped romaine… tiny little store bought croutons mixed in. Here is a great recipe… although she left out the raw egg and uses anchovy paste instead of real anchovies… but looks good.
Bön Appetite

Very friendly staff and great food. This is a real gem hidden in old town Yreka and worth finding. Had the Minestrone, Fettuccini Alfredo and Bread– YUM! Iced Tea was great and tasted fresh brewed. This would probably be a great place to go for dinner as I had lunch here.