Caffe Graziani

Very very small chicken Parmesan for $ 7 and the price of the extremely small piece of blueberry pie was $ 2.50ish on the menu but I was billed $ 5 when I looked at my receipt later. When I was handed my take-​out order I thought it was just a bag of napkins it was so light. Finally I can say I’ve been bamboozled! If you’re on a diet and want your lunch to be under 100 cal this may be the place for you

Delicious Banana Walnut French Toast
Good omelettes.
Terrific service. Friendly people
The silverware needs to be replaced, other than that, good eatery.

We tried to get into the Ugly Mug late on a Saturday morning, but it was jammed — as usual — as was Red’s. So we wandered down the street to this place and the first red flag was that it was almost empty and were able to be seated immediately. I really wanted to like it, because the atmosphere is old school, local café and because the folks are so nice, but the food was not good and we were all really disappointed. The omelet was extremely bland & flat and the «ham and cheese» that was supposed to be in it was almost non-​existent. The bacon for everyone was burnt (really, really burnt) and I was shocked that they even served it looking like that. The pancakes looked more like crepes and were miniscule. Nice people, nice atmosphere, lousy food… too bad.

We went on a Saturday before Halloween and the food was by far the worst restaurant food we have ever had. A high school cafeteria would make better food. My penne was chewy and the cream sauce was more water than sauce. Our salad came after our meal and they forgot the dressing. Some tables received bread sticks while others went without. We waited a solid 30 minutes for our luke warm food and tiny portions. We left as hungry as when we came in.

Do you feel like talking? Go here.
Do you feel like NOT talking? Go here.
Very nice people who just plain like feeding people, and running a very good business in downtown Salem.
Sautéed broccoli with lots of garlic, the way I like it!
Pasta fagioli, very nice recipe!
Great, modest restaurant in Salem.
Looking forward to trying breakfast! I love a good coffee, so I’ll be back to comment. Plus, my husband will go with me next time. I think he’ll be pleased.
UPDATE:
Breakfast is excellent! Delicious veggie omelet and home fries. Nice whole wheat toast with just the right amount of butter. My husband was able to get egg beaters to help keep his cholesterol down, so he was happy.

My wife and kids stopped here for lunch on a saturday and we really enjoyed it. I had the meatball sandwhich and my wife had the grilled eggplant. The waitress is the owner and her husband does all the cooking. There were a few locals in there but it was pretty quiet for a Saturday in Salem. All of us sat and talked about the Red Sox for a while. The owners were very friendly and my kids loved the photos from Italy. Will definitely come here again!

Came here for lunch, and will definitely be back again. The food was amazing as I had one of their risottos and my husband has a red pepper/​mozarella sandwich. The interior is a bit tired, and our waiter was wearing sweatpants, so not exactly what you expect from going to an Italian restaurant. But none of that will stop us from coming here is the future, but probably just for lunch as it is lacking a great atmosphere to make it a dinner out kinda place.

I have had lunch at Café Graziani since it opened. People have complained about the food-it’s bland, etc. People! Look at the daily specials! Giovanni comes up with some amazing dishes. Today I had spinach gnocchi with pesto and grape tomatoes. Delicious. One day this summer, he prepared
An incredible dish of watermelon and mozzarella in a balsamic sauce. I scratched my head when I read the menu but said why not? It was wonderful. Enjoy this little treasure.

A while back I was working in the area and I found a Groupon for this restaurant. I wasn’t able to use the Groupon until last week. As it had expired, and I was just passing through Salem, I stopped in and asked if I could use the Groupon for take out. I am aware the Groupon was for dine in. I was prepared to be seated but when I asked, the response from the owners was rude and condescending. A simple «Sorry we can’t do that.» would have been fine. I was no longer interested in eating here.
It was a Friday night and the place had only one table occupied. That probably means something.

Talk about a great family ran restaurant. They do an amazing job on everything, and will always make you feel welcome.
Great place for Italian in the N. Shore, I honestly have never had a bad meal here, and think they are one of the most consistent places I have ever eaten. They do an amazing job at everything on their menu. I only wished I worked closer to this place so I could make my once a week visit. I also wish they were open more, I have never been there for dinner, only have been able to catch them for lunch. Way too good of a place to not be open more often.
The food id amazing, the owners are amazing, defiantly make it a point to check this place out.

Visited the second weekend in October and I have no idea what the 4 and 5 star reviews are talking about. I wanted to like it, but none in my party did. Portions were small, my sandwich was dry and lifeless… maybe we came on a bad day?
As my boyfriend put it, «I could do better with one arm and the flu». I felt bad, but it just didn’t even taste good. I had the Cheeseburger Italiano — there was very little sauce (barely more than what had soaked into the bread) and the «oven toasted» Italian sub roll was oven burnt. It was blackened to a crisp on both sides for which I fault the kitchen for sending that out and the wait staff for thinking it was acceptable to serve. We actually left feeling hungry and what was intended to be our last meal of the day tuned into a begruding snack.
I’d like to think we hit it on a bad day, but even a bad day shouldn’t be a complete miss. I do not plan to return.

I was introduced to Caffe Graziani by the woman I work for, who is a regular… easily one of the best authentic Italian places I’ve ever been to.
Warm, casual, & friendly atmosphere– Paula & her husband are so kind! They’d get 5 stars alone on service.
I’m vegan & there was no hesitation in accommodating my needs! Prices are reasonable, they appear to have a varied & seasonable specials menu, & the portion sizes are perfect.
An unassuming, hidden gem in Salem-don’t hesitate to stop in the next time you’re cruising Washington St.

This place was great. Casual, yet warm atmosphere and friendly wait staff. I had the grilled chicken, garlic, lettuce and mozarella sandwich and it was yummy. They grill their bread in either olive oil or butter so of course that makes for a flavor (calorie) enhancement. The kids had ravioli with meatballs and the tomato sauce was so yummy we all dipped bread in it. The meatballs were delicious, just the right consistency and nice and herby. Hubby had the eggplant, zucchini, sun-​dried tomato sandwich and he gave it two thumbs up. Meal for 4 of us came to $ 35, well worth the price. I will go back just for their tomato sauce and to try their pasta dishes.

We’ve been going there for years — they opened around when we first moved to town. Their breakfasts are close to perfect — not the giant mounts of (admittedly) tasty food you get at Red’s, but simple, well-​crafted, and very tasty breakfast standards and basics, served well and at a very reasonable price.
At lunchtime, they become a nicely priced bistro catering to the business lunch market. Their lasagna and ravioli specials are terrific, and I’m a longtime fan of the chicken broccoli and penne dish. Salads are unimpressive in content (just basic iceberg, onion, cucumber, radish) but with a nice dressing.
Dinners are only offered a couple of days per week, and it’s not a late-​night eatery by any means (they only serve until 8 unless they are having one of their special wine dinners). Dinner is mainly the same menu, with slightly larger portions and occasional specials. Nothing truly exotic, just really well-​done Italian basic dishes. Family cooking.
Where Caffe Graziani really stands out is in the atmosphere. It’s a perfect neighborhood family bistro. Giovanni and Paula are the husband and wife team at the helm, with help from assorted children and relatives. When you walk in, you’re sitting down at the family table for a meal. It’s a comfortable place, and even first-​timers are made to feel welcome — hospitality is always the standard. We don’t go there nearly as often as we should, but when we do we always feel like we’re home.

I have been here twice for dinner and once for breakfast. I am giving it 4 stars based on Breakfast, and 1.5 stars based on the two dinners.
Breakfast is great. Have a good variety of options and the food is very filling and fresh. This is what confuses me for dinner. It seems that they don’t care… and so many other people that I have talked to love the dinners. I don’t. I gave it a second try even. Both times dinner was bland, luke warm at best. There was a lot of food= both my husband and my dinners came with a starter salad as well as a side of pasta.
The pro’s all three times we have been there is the staff/​owners are always friendly and they seem to have a following of regular customers. If I go back, it will be for breakfast.

I have been there twice and loved it both times. I have had the lasagna and the spinach ravioli — both were delicious!
My friend was less impressed but she did not get an Italian meal. I really liked mine… and the service!

Caffe Graziani is a wonderful Italian eatery that is very family friendly!
I have eaten through most of the menu and I have a hard time choosing when I go. I love the pasta primavera, eggplant parm, and ALL of their daily specials!
It is owned by Giovani (chef) and his wife Paula along with other family members that help out on weekends and holidays. They are friendly outgoing and always ready to advise where in Salem you should go!
The best part of Café Graziani is the consistency! It is perfectly wonderful! :)

Really cute place! Breakfast was cheap, appropriately sized (ha), and pretty yummy. My big group was seated right away and our friendly waitress made me feel like I was back at a diner in my small hometown My cheese omelette was good and the home fries were decent… not enough on the plate though! For whatever reason the orange juice was sooo good — I may have just been really thirsty :)

I really enjoyed the food here. It was fresh & prepared perfectly. My family & I decided to go here one night. When we first got there the place was empty. By the time we left, the joint was jumping. I had the shrimp primavera w/​the grilled vegetables, my son had the chicken parmigiana, my daughter had the chicken w/​roasted peppers & my husband had the linguine with shrimp in pink sauce. Everyone ate everything. There was no doggy bag to bring home this time. The waitress was very friendly & spent some time with us. Looking forward to our next trip back.

I feel like the other reviewers must have eaten some place else. I really, really enjoy Graziani. The food is fresh, expertly prepared, and really damn tasty.
Breakfast: Don’t go here if you are a Red’s fan. If you feel like a bloated beast when you’ve eaten at Red’s, this is probably the place for you. Light, fluffy, appropriately sized blueberry pancakes, delicately prepared omelettes, and the perfect homefries, seasoned deliciously await. You’ll walk out feeling satisfied, without having eaten like a pig.
Lunch: A different daily special every day, each served with a soup or (ok, very) small salad, and breadsticks. So, on a given day you could walk in here, have a bowl of soup and plate of meat lasagna with Giovanni’s delicious red sauce, for about the cost of some value meals. (7.95 I think)
Dinner: Only available on Friday and Saturday (they recently started Thursday nights during the farmers market season), my best recommendation is to sit down, peruse the specials, and pick one. They rotate frequently, but even when they repeat they are often influenced by what is in season and fresh. The pasta primavera, for example, is a frequent special, but the ingredients vary from week to week, as they should. Recently had a fresh sausage and shrimp ravioli, in a homemade tomato cream sauce. Fantastic. Linguine with prosciutto and roasted peppers in a tomato cream sauce is excellent as well. Make sure you try their splendid tiramisu as well, not to be missed. Dinner is only served until 8 PM (they’ve been there since breakfast, give em a break), so get there early.
Atmosphere/​décor/​service: Caffe Graziani isn’t fancy, and isn’t pretending to be. It’s a solid, home cooked meal, in a setting to match. Tables and chairs are standard wood from the 80s, but the place was recently repainted and the carpets and tablecloths are new as well I think. Kitchen is completely open to the dining room, so pizza oven and stoves are in complete view. They also recently added outdoor seating on the sidewalk out front, and the patio in the rear.
Service is friendly, and family oriented, as almost everyone working there is family. If you don’t give this place a shot you’re missing out.