Cafe Amore

TL;DR: We came here for my Mom's birthday and picked it based on the large number of positive reviews. Based on our experience, this place is NOT worth the money. We ordered the calamari and goat cheese drip to start. The calamari was fine but not any better than you could find at any pub. Completely inoffensive. The crostini for the goat cheese dip were stale. It was really disappointing. The cheese itself was good. My greek salad was good! My wife had the chicken marsala. My Mom had the black and blue (blacked shrimp & chicken on penne gogranzola). I had the "Poeidon's Pasta" with "spicy" tomato sauce. My pasta was mush. Completely overcooked. The "spicy" arrabbiata sauce had all the flavour of a supermarket tomato sauce, the spiciest thing was the black pepper added at the table. All of the seafood in it was overcooked to rubber and string. Granted, my wife was warned the chicken marsala sauce was sweet. It tasted like vanilla cake with extra sugar and mushrooms. The chicken was way overcooked. I did not try my Mom's dish, but she didn't eat a lot of it. The affogato came with whipped cream and maraschino cherries, in a mug, the ice cream already melted. All the deserts are pre-made. The oreo cheesecake was supermarket grade. Service: The staff were friendly but perhaps poorly trained. The discarded paper wrap from our straws were left on the table the entire meal. Empty glasses from finished drinks were never cleared. At one time my mother dropped a fork, picked it up and put it back on the table. We let our server know when they came around that the fork had fell. They pointed out the extra place setting for additional cutlery, but the dropped fork sat on our table for the rest of the meal. Good points for the staff: they were friendly and genuinely kind. They were patient when handling questions about the menu. They made my mother's birthday dessert plate special with a sparkler and a "Happy Birthday" written in syrup and sprinkles. Our water glasses were never empty - which is why I found the lack of table clearing so confusing. Our server was there often checking on us, but didn't seem to see the table needed clearing. Service was on the slower side, but honestly that's understandable because the place is huge and it was packed. They must be doing something right. But I feel they may have gotten bigger than they can handle and the food quality has suffered. Atmosphere: I appreciated the acoustic panels hanging from the ceiling which helped keep even a large busy restaurant like this at a reasonable conversational volume. The bill for 3 adults, no booze, soft drinks, apps, mains, dessert +18% tip was $200+ ( ~$70/head). For that price I expect better quality food and service.

My husband & I spent our Valentine’s Day at their new location of Fourth Ave. The atmosphere/ambience/decor is not as cozy as the original location due to the fact it’s in a new building but the rest of the experience certainly made up for it. The service was timely and friendly. No course was rushed, or food coming out on top of the other & playing table Tetris to try to fit it all. Once we had finished one course and it was cleared away, we would get our next course, hot and fresh. It is not mentioned on the menu but pasta and entrees come with a garden salad or can upgrade to ceasar or greek with a piece of garlic toast. The drink menu had many wines, cocktails and beers to choose from. The red sangria was fantastic! Paying was fast as they offer a QR code on your bill to scan so no waiting for the machine. Reservations were easy on the OpenTable app. We definitely will be coming back!

The food is phenomenal, wonderful flavours! My girlfriend and I went here for our first time today to celebrate our anniversary. Was pleasantly surprised by all of the dinner and desert options. The Pear, asparagus and Gorgonzola salad was one of the best salads we’ve ever had. Lamb shank entree was a really good portion of protein, does not come with a huge portion of vegetables (asparagus for this night) or mashed potatoes however it was enough for me. Mashed potatoes were very flavourful! My girlfriend had the Shrimp Sorrento pasta which she really enjoyed! Staff were very friendly, we will be back.

Our friends recommended this spot, and it absolutely did not disappoint! The atmosphere is warm and inviting, the staff are super friendly, and the drink selection is excellent. I had the lasagna, which was hearty, cheesy, and delicious. My wife ordered the Lemon-Asparagus Salmon, and it was amazing — perfectly cooked salmon that was tender and flaky, paired with a rich, creamy lemon-butter sauce. The veggies were cooked al dente, with the asparagus and charred tomatoes adding a ton of flavour, and the rice was beautifully cooked and seasoned. Even the side salads came out with great presentation and fresh flavour. Highly recommend this spot for anyone who loves Italian/Mediterranean food — one of St. Catharines’ gems!

We accidentally fell upon this restaurant on our way back from Niagara Outlets and we are SO happy we did. The service and ambience were excellent. The food was absolutely delicious. Calamari was terrific and pasta dishes were large and included a side salad. Poseidon’s pasta was loaded with seafood! We haven’t left a restaurant being this impressed in a long time. Although this is a bit far from where we live, we are definitely bringing family and friends for dinner soon!! Photos: Calamari, Steak with Gorgonzola, Poseidon’s pasta with Alfredo sauce