Cafe Graziani
Cafe Graziani
133 Washington Street
(978) 741-4282
With 16 years of history in down town Salem I figured Cafe Graziani had to be doing something right. Boy was I wrong.
Here at theSalemInsider.com we are always looking for a good breakfast. Nobody I talked with ever mentioned Cafe Graziani so I figured it’s time to give it a try. The first thing I noticed when we walked in were a bunch of uncleared tables. I usually take this as a good sign as a sign of a busy restaurant. Unfortunately in this case it was a sign of being understaffed.
The waitress was quite friendly and attempted to make a personal connection with all the patrons and the menu prices were very reasonable. That is where things started to fall flat.
Our coffee was luke warm at best, and tasted horrible. I got the ham and cheese omelet which was paper thin and made with what appeared to be one extra thin slice of ham and one piece of cheese, it too was cold. The side of “homefries” were nothing more than chopped potatoes with a shake of parsley on them, slightly warmed – not cooked through.
There are plenty of great breakfast locations in Salem, this is not one of them.
Atmosphere: D
Service: B
Food: D
Overall: D
Wow, I couldn’t disagree with this review more. My family and I have been enjoying Graziani’s for years. Their breakfast is delicious, their omletes inventive, their service superb, their coffee choices ideal, and their menu always changing…but their wine dinners are the best. Try dinner there some time and let us know what you think.
As administrator of this site I make a conscious effort to allow other viewpoints to be expressed. Many readers know that this site crashed not too long ago and had to be rebuilt. In the past I did not allow anonymous comments because people tend to say things they would not if they were held accountable.
Please note that from now on no anonymous comments will be allowed.
I have been to Cafe Graziani twice-both times for breakfast. It’s a cute little place, but I was not impressed with the food either time.
I found the waitress to be a bit surly (could have been a bad morning), the coffee tasted burnt and the food was edible but mediocre. I want to like the place and should probably try a dinner there sometime, but my expectations won’t be too high.
Best places for breakfast in Salem, IMO: Red’s or Taste of Thyme (and Old Spot does a nice Irish breakfast on the weekends).
I disagree with this review, too. Cafe G is a regular dining spot for me, so maybe I’m biased. The servers – all family and owners – have always been delightful and attentive. Food’s great – Giovanni knows what he’s doing. Service slows when it gets busy because Giovanni cooks every meal, typically by himself, every day – he needs another couple helpers in the kitchen. Try it again…
I’ve eaten at Caffe’ Graziani scads of times, all 3 mealtimes, & been thoroughly pleased always. We’ve gone an hour out of our way, even planned wknds around it — definitely among the best Italian food we’ve had, period. Chef is amazing — he understands QUALITY, & knows how to get it right. The man could give Mario Batali a scare. Try them again, & bear in mind it’s very small-scale. If they were in the North End they’d make a fortune.
Brian, you must be the owner of this cafe you’re comment is so glowing. I ate there a while ago and never went back. For Italian food in Salem it doesn’t come close to Bella Verona or even the now closed Bella Luna down on the wharf. You should also try Bertini’s.
To think this would be any better quality or finer a restaurant than a McDonalds in the North End is laughable.
I’ve had breakfast here before and I do agree with this review. It was not the best experience I’ve ever had and quite frankly doesn’t make me want to try it out for dinner. I’ve got to think that “anonymous” is involved with the restaurant somehow…inventive omelets: puleeze! Their omelets are flat and flavorless. Seriously, if you want breakfast in town go to Red’s. It’s worth standing in line for.
I have only been here once for dinner and had a similar experience in the fact the food (Chicken parm) was cold. My husband’s dish was luke warm ( I can’t remember what he got as it was over two years ago). The service was great and the salad that I got to start and the soup my husband got was good. Not great but good.
As for italian I would rather go to Ristorante Gioa (across the street) or Bella Verona. I have heard from numerous people that the wine dinners are amazing so maybe I will try that sometime.
Graziani is my regular Sunday morning read the newspaper breakfast place. I like it because they are not trying to be Red’s or any of those other places where “bigger is better” is the philosophy. The food is fresh and basic.The service to my exeprience has always been good, and they never throw the check at you with your plate. They will continue to get my business on Sundays after walking past the line of robots standing in the rain on Central St.