Man oh man. I will say I'm a pasta and Italian food snob being from NJ. But this place is not it. We did not have the best experience food wise. The staff was amazing and very attentive. The restaurant itself was a very romantic spot great for a date night. If only the food was elevated to how much we spent. We left spending about 100 bucks for two pasta dishes and an appetizer which is a little ridiculous. Italian food should never be this expensive. They will nickel and dime you for every add on even cheese. The pasta lacked in flavor, the sauce was very runny with no substance to it. Was very confused by my wife's meal as well. She ordered an Alfredo dish with breaded chicken, the chicken tasted and had the consistency of frozen Purdue chicken you throw in the oven. Was really disappointed with the quality, wanted to love this place because of the good reviews. I'd probably recommend another place if you're looking for authentic Italian in Nashville.
Leslie R.
I had high hopes for this place, but it disappointed. I ordered the Alfredo pasta. The pasta wasn't cooked completely and the Alfredo sauce was runny and lacked flavor. We got fried calamari, it was ok. My husband got spaghetti and meatballs and just wasn't enjoyable. We really wanted to like this place with the amazing reviews.
John Jivens
The food was amazing and the service was spectacular. I just wish we had a larger table so we could fit more food on it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Davidson
Palm salad was awesome!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna Nonna
Clorissa Campbell
Absolutely enjoyed my experience at Cafe Nonna. Great service all around. I loved the ambiance of the place and although I had dinner alone I never felt that awkwardness like in other restaurants. Lastly, the scallops were the highlight for me… whoever did that needs to go teach Hells Kitchen a few things. 11/10!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Tonisha B.
Great service and nice music selection. This place was super cozy and intimate for my best friend's birthday celebration. We had a group of 6 and they were very accommodating. All of us grew up in Nashville and had no idea this place existed. We got calamari, bread and arancini for the table. Some ordered Caesar salads to start and I had the meatballs. I was so happy to hear their meatballs didn't contain pork! For my entree I got the lasagna (which I usually stay away from but I guess it's because I've never had a good lasagna before. Most of the time it's either too cheesy or the pasta is overbearing the other ingredients.) However, this lasagna was immaculate and cooked to perfection. Everything about it was perfect and balanced beautifully. My friend ordered the seafood bruschetta and 2 others did the build your own pasta while the birthday girl had the vegetarian lasagna. Everyone loved everything. This place is an amazing gem in Nashville.
Nhan V.
Small home-style Italian. Not bad for Nashville. Overall would give it 7.5-8 out of 10. Good wine selection. Good service. Good recommendations. The mussels were the best part.
Adam Sizemore
Had a great dinner on the patio. Service was great and the food was great (arancini and caprese salad as apps) and Gus' special (rigatoni, spicy vodka cream, meatballs, and mushrooms) could be a front page menu item.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eric Ishahak
Great service, pretty disappointing food- much better Italian options in
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
D Kauppila
Cafe Nonna is a hidden gem. Great food at a reason price. Atmosphere is laid back, but service is excellent. We will return. Also have GF options.
This place is hard to get into without a reservation on the weekends. The wait staff was excellent, two gentleman circling were very attentive, professional and nice. I found the waitress we had to be a little smart-allecky and sassy but maybe she was overwhelmed. I’m sure she’s nice.My friend and I agree that the food was average. The Caesar salad was great! I got the build your own pasta with rigatoni, meatballs, marinara and ricotta. It was average and nothing to run home about. The meatballs had a good texture. The marinara apparently comes from a family recipe; I wasn’t super impressed. I also did not care for their ricotta.My friend did not care for their food and we both rated the meal a 6-7/10.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Joan Brazie
Best Italian food in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Bruschetta, Nonna
Sonya Hairston
The atmosphere is cozy and compliments the Italian comfort food. The food was very flavorful - I loved it! I have to go again to try more of their food. The menu options are great - I want to taste everything!! And the staff was fantastic. They were friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend Cafe Nonna... but make a reservation- it's very intimate. A great 1st date option.Dietary restrictions: They have both vegetarian and gluten free options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari, Caesar Salad, Tiramisu, Seafood Pasta
Bonner Ercums
A glowing 15/10. Obsessed. Cute little laid back atmosphere. Seafood Angelina is fit for a God. And GLUTEN FREE PASTA that’s actually delicious. Hallelujah. They also have gluten free bread available upon request. Be still my heart. Besos.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free pasta and bread upon request!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Pasta
Emma Hall
The mussels were my favorite part but everything was wonderful. So good!
Man oh man. I will say I'm a pasta and Italian food snob being from NJ. But this place is not it. We did not have the best experience food wise. The staff was amazing and very attentive. The restaurant itself was a very romantic spot great for a date night. If only the food was elevated to how much we spent. We left spending about 100 bucks for two pasta dishes and an appetizer which is a little ridiculous. Italian food should never be this expensive. They will nickel and dime you for every add on even cheese. The pasta lacked in flavor, the sauce was very runny with no substance to it. Was very confused by my wife's meal as well. She ordered an Alfredo dish with breaded chicken, the chicken tasted and had the consistency of frozen Purdue chicken you throw in the oven. Was really disappointed with the quality, wanted to love this place because of the good reviews. I'd probably recommend another place if you're looking for authentic Italian in Nashville.
I had high hopes for this place, but it disappointed. I ordered the Alfredo pasta. The pasta wasn't cooked completely and the Alfredo sauce was runny and lacked flavor. We got fried calamari, it was ok. My husband got spaghetti and meatballs and just wasn't enjoyable. We really wanted to like this place with the amazing reviews.
The food was amazing and the service was spectacular. I just wish we had a larger table so we could fit more food on it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Palm salad was awesome!!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna Nonna
Absolutely enjoyed my experience at Cafe Nonna. Great service all around. I loved the ambiance of the place and although I had dinner alone I never felt that awkwardness like in other restaurants. Lastly, the scallops were the highlight for me… whoever did that needs to go teach Hells Kitchen a few things. 11/10!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service and nice music selection. This place was super cozy and intimate for my best friend's birthday celebration. We had a group of 6 and they were very accommodating. All of us grew up in Nashville and had no idea this place existed. We got calamari, bread and arancini for the table. Some ordered Caesar salads to start and I had the meatballs. I was so happy to hear their meatballs didn't contain pork! For my entree I got the lasagna (which I usually stay away from but I guess it's because I've never had a good lasagna before. Most of the time it's either too cheesy or the pasta is overbearing the other ingredients.) However, this lasagna was immaculate and cooked to perfection. Everything about it was perfect and balanced beautifully. My friend ordered the seafood bruschetta and 2 others did the build your own pasta while the birthday girl had the vegetarian lasagna. Everyone loved everything. This place is an amazing gem in Nashville.
Small home-style Italian. Not bad for Nashville. Overall would give it 7.5-8 out of 10. Good wine selection. Good service. Good recommendations. The mussels were the best part.
Had a great dinner on the patio. Service was great and the food was great (arancini and caprese salad as apps) and Gus' special (rigatoni, spicy vodka cream, meatballs, and mushrooms) could be a front page menu item.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great service, pretty disappointing food- much better Italian options in
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 2
Service: 5
Cafe Nonna is a hidden gem. Great food at a reason price. Atmosphere is laid back, but service is excellent. We will return. Also have GF options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Lasagna Bolognese, Nonna Salad, Sausage
Restaurantji Recommends
This place is hard to get into without a reservation on the weekends. The wait staff was excellent, two gentleman circling were very attentive, professional and nice. I found the waitress we had to be a little smart-allecky and sassy but maybe she was overwhelmed. I’m sure she’s nice.My friend and I agree that the food was average. The Caesar salad was great! I got the build your own pasta with rigatoni, meatballs, marinara and ricotta. It was average and nothing to run home about. The meatballs had a good texture. The marinara apparently comes from a family recipe; I wasn’t super impressed. I also did not care for their ricotta.My friend did not care for their food and we both rated the meal a 6-7/10.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 4
Best Italian food in
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Bruschetta, Nonna
The atmosphere is cozy and compliments the Italian comfort food. The food was very flavorful - I loved it! I have to go again to try more of their food. The menu options are great - I want to taste everything!! And the staff was fantastic. They were friendly and accommodating. I highly recommend Cafe Nonna... but make a reservation- it's very intimate. A great 1st date option.Dietary restrictions: They have both vegetarian and gluten free options.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Calamari, Caesar Salad, Tiramisu, Seafood Pasta
A glowing 15/10. Obsessed. Cute little laid back atmosphere. Seafood Angelina is fit for a God. And GLUTEN FREE PASTA that’s actually delicious. Hallelujah. They also have gluten free bread available upon request. Be still my heart. Besos.Dietary restrictions: Gluten free pasta and bread upon request!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Seafood Pasta
The mussels were my favorite part but everything was wonderful. So good!