Da Capo Caffe

I want to like this place, I tried to like this place, but I just can’t do it. It makes me sad.
Pluses: at their Whyte Ave location the muffin I had was the perfect portion size (i.e. not enormous like most baked goods in North America) and the service I received was very nice. Hooray for employing nice people. Good location too, with a nice big underutilized bike rack outside.
Minuses: Coffee falls way below standard for the price point. I know what to expect when paying 4.25 for a cappuccino — it should be delicious, but the few times I’ve given it a try, it hasn’t been. Also why would you call an americano a Caffe Canadese? I get it, I get it — but it’s not cute. Kind of pretentious but not really clever enough to even be that. Like many places in this city, their prices are high, but unfortunately they are egregious here. I won’t be paying for their imported plastic furniture or Italian products again.

A clean, calm, inviting environment to open your laptop and get some work done. With excellent food, for a café, and cappuccino that for a moment tricks your taste buds into thinking you’re back in a duomo side café in Italy!
Da Capo posses as a coffee shop but I love that if you are hungry they have food that does not consist of 20 different pastries (like a certain place across the street). The pizza’s are thin crust delicious bella’s that are satisfying but don’t make me feel guilty for eating a cheesy, greasy, million calorie slice.
The gelato always looks so good, I think I could eat bowls fulls, even in my snow booties! I usually go for lemon or a berry flavour but last time I was in they had a Whiskey Cream: That my friends is an Alberta girl’s dream!

This place was pretty solid; my friends and I would visit Da Capo for pizza and small plates frequently (it got up to a couple times per week). I went there a week ago and I’ve noticed the quality of service and food has gone down hill.
Da Capo needs to step up their game and focus less on expanding to new locations. Customers made your restaurant the success it is, don’t reward us with a crappier experience.

I’ve been to Da Capo twice now. The first time I was with a friend who was grabbing a coffee, and I didn’t have anything, but the place seemed confusing and uncomfortable. Having heard lots of good things about it, however, I went back today.
We walked in and I wasn’t sure how the place operated — there were people sitting down having food brought to them, so it must be that we should sit down and be waited on, right? Nope, there were also people holding tiny menus around the cashier, crowding the people sitting nearby and creating a mess of a «line» of people in various stages of deciding what they want. I couldn’t even grab a menu until a few minutes after I got there, and then I was one of the people crowded between the cashier and a table of people trying to enjoy their meal. Not wanting to hold up the line, we picked a few things at random and sat down, hoping for the best.
I didn’t order a latte since I’m told vanilla is forbidden here — no problem, I like saving money. The 3 people I was with ordered lattes. When they were brought to the table, each latte was unique — one too hot, one too cold, two were watered-​down with too much milk, which I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before. Disappointing, considering Transcend is only steps away. Nevertheless, onto the food we went.
The panini was good, the soup was okay. We ordered a bowl of olives (about 8 olives for $ 5) which were absolutely disgusting — no one had another olive after their first one.
Amidst the extremely uncomfortable atmosphere of the place, I had to use the washroom. I walked from my side of the restaurant to the side with the washrooms, but the men’s was occupied. My options were to wait in a sort-​of hallway as staff tried to get by me and everyone eating could watch me wait, or go sit back down and try again in a few minutes (though I couldn’t see the washrooms from my table). I chose the latter. Twice. After trying a third time I gave up and decided I’d just wait until I got home, so we packed up and left.
I’ve never felt less comfortable in a restaurant. My local McDonald’s is more hospitable, and more consistent in their coffee and food. Moreover, McDonald’s would certainly never look down their noses if I — gasp — wanted a vanilla latte. So why would I ever want to go to Da Capo?

Cool ambiance, and scenery. However, I went into have a latte with a friend, and ordered a vanilla latte… the response, «we don’t put syrup in our coffee». Hmmm, that doesn’t sound like a winning formula for success Da Capo. Even my local coffee shop, Wired Cup, a great spot, gets that sometimes people would like some vanilla syrup. This is a business «fail»!

I’m a huge fan (as per my prior review) and one happy change is that they now offer free bottles of bubbly water to go along with your fine espresso beverage. I love carbonated water and this is just another small change that helps make the experience even more enjoyable…

«Honey Pepper Spice» biscotti sounded so good in words. What a nasty surprise to discover that they contained whole black peppercorns. I’m not talking one or two. I’m talking dozens upon dozens. There were so many that the biscotti was basically inedible. I picked out over 30 of them. A few shakes of freshly ground pepper would have been delicious, but come on — whole peppercorns? How can you even taste anything other than fire? Not only that, but the tiramisu tasted of nothing. No espresso or liqueur. I did enjoy my espresso, but I left feeling very dissatisfied.

Eeeek. I don’t think I’ve ever dropped the rating of a place by two stars before, but after my last visit I’m not even sure if I’ll be back.
I still think their hot chocolate is good, as well as their tiramisu and gelato. But the last pizza I had here tasted like cardboard. It was difficult to finish. All of the toppings were fine but the bread itself was definitely not enjoyable. The quantity of toppings was unfortunately lacking, too, in my opinion … it was mostly a «bread» taste /​texture. I also don’t recall being asked how my meal was … maybe I was too wrapped up in fighting my leathery beast of a pizza to notice.
I normally would not change the rating of an establishment this drastically after one visit. I chose to because everything was exactly how I remembered it – the look of the pizza, the smell, the flavor, and so on – and it just wasn’t good.

I like this place alot. Excellent strong coffees. Excellent fresh Italian foods, salads, gelati. The owner is often around and the pride shines through the establishment. This place has good high stool window seats that i like, or nice tables for larger groups or couples. If you gotto drive, free parking in front (sign in).

When my Italian friend mentioned DaCapo as one of his favourite pizza places in Edmonton, I knew I had to try it. However, the first few times I went there, I met friends for coffee or dessert and didn’t get to try the pizza. But finally, I made it there for dinner.
My partner and I met a friend there last night. We started off with soups and salad. I enjoyed the tomato and clam soup (deliciously spicy), while my partner delighted in the tomato bread soup. Our friend had the truffle salad. The bite I had was quite tasty, but I wonder if the «truffle» in the name wasn’t a misnomer. The oil tasted like olive oil to me.
For pizzas, we had the Alla Norma (with zucchini instead of eggplant since they were out of the latter) and the Di Bernardo. We were a little disappointed that the Alla Norma pizza did not have ricotta as stated in the menu, especially since the other pizza did have ricotta. However, it was a delicious pizza with a wonderful compliment of flavours. I thought the zucchini was an excellent topping, though I am interested to try it with the eggplant. I much preferred the Alla Norma over the Di Bernardo, which I found a little bland.
We finished the evening with gelato, and the gelato at Da Capo has to be the best gelato in the city. I am in love with the coconut.
When I have been here previously, I have really enjoyed the hot chocolate (outstanding) and the coffee (quite good). Also, the homemade biscotti is pretty remarkable.
I will definitely come back to Da Capo, especially when I am craving a decent pizza when near the University or when wanting a nice scoop of gelato anywhere.

I definitely want to try the coffee of Da Capo, but when I went recently it was just for lunch. My boyfriend and I split two pizzas. We both prefered the Di Roberto, a white pizza with potato and soppresatta, to the Di Matteo, with tomato sauce and prosciutto cotto. They both seemed pretty authentic, but I’m no expert.
Be careful of the steps up to the booths, I tripped going up and down… but then again, I’m a huge klutz.

Da Capo reminds me of the cute little cafes I visited in Italy, very authentic! Plus I love the Garneau area. I have only gone in so far for gelato, which I am going to claim is the best in Edmonton, but I really want to try their pizzas! They look delicious!
I have tried the tiramisu and cinnamon gelato so far. Both were SO good. They have a large selection though and rotate the menu as well. I only wish they had a few more fruit flavors.
The service here is always really friendly and they don’t complain when you ask to try a million flavors before you make up your mind. They tend to keep a lot of the Italian names so tasting is a must to figure out the flavors!

Da Capo Caffe has been around for about 4 years. This fine Italian caffe definitely had its growing pains but it seems Da Capo has finally hit its stride. It certainly helps any restaurant establishment when it finds reliable, dedicated staff. Owner Antonio has found some loyal and hard-​working staff in the front and back of the house, and it’s made a big difference in terms of service and consistent food quality.
Unlike the past, Da Capo now has take-​out available to its customers. It also accepts debit and credit cards (hooray)! They also have pitchers of water at the main counter; sometimes I ask for a glass, but usually I walk up and pour a glass myself.
The pizzas are delicious here; I’ve tried most of them and like them all. The authentic Italian-​style thin crust is light but filling. One hungry person could easily eat one alone (yes, I’ve done it).I also love the tomato bread soup. It ‘s garlicky and full of tomato comfort. In the morning, try their breakfast plate, cornetti croissant with nutella or a banana chocolate-​chip muffin. My son likes their freshly squeezed orange juice.
Their coffee is smooth, mild and delicious. I prefer my lattes stronger, so I ask for a double expresso in my latte. My husband always gets a cappuccino or a doppio. The coffee is usually good, but it depends on who is the barista. Honestly, some baristas pull better espresso than others, but the quality is very good overall. If I ever get a bitter one, I always send it back. Hey, at $ 4 a serving, you should get what you pay for, right?
Did I mention that they have the city’s best gelato? Definitely check it out their gelato case. My favorites are pistachio and the Mexican hot chocolate.
If you can grab a spacious, comfortable booth, go for it. They’re the best seats in the house. There are also tall tables with high stools, and regular tables with chairs (but these chairs aren’t super comfy). The patio is hot (no umbrellas) and a very popular option for people-​watching.
One of the reviewers referred to one of the staff at «Drako from Rocky 3». I suspect he’s talking about Ilia, who is a genuinely great guy and my favorite person at Da Capo. Ilia actually IS Russian, born there and Russian is his first language. So at least that reviewer was accurate about Ilia’s ethnic background.
Parking can be a challenge; Da Capo has designated parking but if you don’t mind walking 2 or 3 blocks, there is plenty of metered street parking available. Also plenty of street parking across the street.
A full meal of salad, pizza, gelato and coffee costs around $ 50, before gratuity.

Been to Italy couple times in my life and I have to say, this is a very authentic Italian place. Read about some people having bad service but I never encountered that. Maybe I was just lucky not to have seen or spoken to the bad server (s).
Overall, I love this place. I tried so many food places in Edmonton, some highly rated in Unilocal,Urbanspoon, etc, and always came out very disappointed. This one does not disappoint. And to think I stumbled upon in because I couldn’t find parking to buy coffee in Transcend. They happen to have a spot so I parked and realized I had to buy something. I tried their panini first and for about $ 5, it was so delicious that I came back for the pizza, gelato, etc. They were all excellent!

Great coffee, awesome food options, some good beers, and the best gelato in Edmonton by a mile. I like the atmosphere too, and the staff are always friendly. Breakfast is a new addition and they have everything from eggs to Italian croissant. Potato and Leek soup, the Marguerite pizzas and the mozzarella fresca are particularly good, although with a menu of fresh tasty food like this it is quite hard to go wrong.

When I returned from Europe several years ago, I read about a place that aspired to emulate the authentic Italian café experience. I checked out Da Capo and immediately fell in love. The thin crust pizzas, the fresh gelato made on site, the impeccably crafted espresso-​based drinks: all as I remembered from my time abroad. If Remedy is for food and an eastern atmosphere, if Sugarbowl is the grad student mecca, and if Transcend is the place for suburbanites on a Saturday, Da Capo is without apologies an upscale European urban experience. In the years it has played with its menu, lost a chef, hosted wonderful wine tastings, and built up its interior, but it has never lost the pursuit of authentic quality. It is a hip and upscale bistro that remains unequaled in the city of Edmonton.

I’m a fan! Yes, I am! Da Capo makes some really, really good Italian style pizzas. I haven’t been to Italy, but wait — there are many Europeans who work at my department and they’d all give their nod for Da Capo.
A fairly good variety of pizzas they have. I like that they’ve tried to stick to the basics, in that they haven’t gone for pizzas that have like a zillion toppings. In fact, this one time I went there, I told them that I wanted something really light (should have gone with the salad but I’m a pizzaholic) so they made me an olive oil, oregano and parmesan cheese pizza. It was quite delicious, trust me!
Try the pizzas with soppressata in it. Nice, spicy, Italian sausage. They have the tomato and white sauce based pizzas. Both are quite decent, though I’d prefer a tomato style pizza. Their pomodoro salad is quite good, but I have to say that I was a tad disappointed that they didn’t go with the small boccocinno cheese balls (they tend to look cuter with cherry tomatoes).
An incredibly finite selection of beers and wines (maybe 5 each) just for the casual dinner and not really for those who are trying to get the best wine in town.
Some drawbacks — their menu … it’s so hard to get a hold of a menu. You’ve got to go up to the counter to order, which I’m generally fine with. But you can’t read what’s written on their menu from far, so most peopel tend to crowd up around the cashier because they have no clue what they’d like to have until they actually reach the cashier and can read the menu in front of them.
Their espresso based drinks are also quite amateurish, if you ask me. But generally, it fits well with the Italian theme and my Italian friend thinks their espressos are good (with an expression in his face that suggests, «okay!?»). Nice gelatos … i’m not a fan of the hazelnut one though — it tastes like frozen nutella. haha!

This is one heck of a tough neighbourhood to be in the espressed coffee and gelato business in. You can hardly swing a dead cat by its tail on the corner of 109 and 87 with out knocking over a barista.
I want to be upfront and say that there is nothing wrong with Da Capo, it’s coffee or the sandwiches, pastries and desserts it serves. It’s popular with people I know, so I drop in every once in a while.
I know, it’s sheer personal preference, but I just don’t feel comfortable in Da Capo. Coffee’s fine. Food’s good. Service is friendly. I just can’t get comfortable in it’s über-​modern stylized interior. I’d much rather sit in the mis-​matched wooden chairs at the Sugarbowl, the bright modern kitchen nook of Transcend, the exotic ethnic atmosphere of Remedy or even the curvy optimistic Jetson’s future at Leva. All of these places have perfectly wonderful espressed coffee and, in the case of Leva, velvety delicious gelato.
It’s irrational, but I can’t get as comfortable with Da Capo’s interior, décor or seating. It’s just too urban sleek, too sterile in a homey and organic neighbourhood. Given the number of choices in spitting distance, I just don’t end up there much.

Da Capo is a cute, upscale little café located in the Garneau area. It’s a great place for a date, a pizza with friends, or a summer gelato.
Speaking of which — pistachio gelato? Be still, my heart! I think I found a new favourite food in Edmonton!
The gelato choices here are pretty oustanding (with a large selection and rotating menu), but ever since I discovered the pistachio flavour, I can’t go back to anything else.
The pizzas at Da Capo are also a must-​try! Yummy toppings for carnivores and vegetarians alike. The fact that a bottle of red sits on each table is also handy.
An added bonus at Da Capo? The café sponsors a bike team, who can often be found having a snack there post-​ride, still clad in spandexy bike shorts. Almost at yummy as the gelato!

I have been meaning to try Da Capo forever, but have trouble getting away from the lure of Remedy (which is across the street and where most of my cohorts hangout). However, I wanted something different, and I got it.
This is a very upscale café and you can tell the staff think very highly of the place. I looked around at the clientele and realized I perhaps did not fit in as well as at Remedy, but grabbed a table nonetheless. It would be helpful if the menu was at the front of the café, rather than making one walk all the way around to the till to make a decision from the huge selection of flat-​crust pizzas, salads, and soups while the server waits anxiously by the cash register.
That being said, the coffee here is fantastic. I had an Iced Caffe Canadese ($ 4) which is like an Americano but dripped through without water added. It was strong and rich. I was tempted by the homemade granola and organic yogurt ($ 5) as well as the tiramisu ($ 7).
Known for their pizzas, the selection gave me a mental overload and included a lot of vegetarian selections. I definitely want to come back to try one. Prices range from around $ 10 to $ 15.
Da Capo is also know for its gelato — another must-​try when I return.