Cafe Mediterraneo

We went to dinner here last night and had one of the best meals I have ever eaten. The service was outstanding and the food was just amazing. I can't recommend this place enough. A must try if you are in the area!

Stopped in for just drinks and an app at the bar. Our first experience left us wanting to revisit for their full dinner service. The restaurant is cozy and beautifully decorated. Our bartender, Nick, was awesome and kept us laughing during our visit. Cafe Med has THE BEST calamari on the seacoast! Crispy fresh squid served with hot peppers, the thought of it has me drooling. We also appreciated the freshly cooked bread with olive oil dip. We can't wait to revisit on a future date night.

This was one of my favorite meals of our five month vacation journey! The gal who took care of us was FABULOUS - friendly, funny, professional, helpful. Just wonderful. (The entire staff from the moment we walked in was lovely and welcoming.) And the FOOD! OH MY WORD! Husband had the chicken and shrimp - loved it! I cannot say enough about the perfection of the seafood ravioli I had. The cream sauce, the ravioli, the seafood stuffing - oh I want more right now! Simply the best! Lovely atmosphere, supurb service, extraordinary food!! Thank you for a lovely evening! We WILL be back! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Definitely this place worth to try it and worth the money! The food was fresh and delicious ! Salad was the perfect choice. Garden salad and the roasted beets salad are still on my mind. Fresh bread with olive oil and herbs on a side was delicious. The pasta with Clams and the oysters are an excellent choice. I can imagine how good the other plates taste. The atmosphere inside was great. Waitress were very nice and friendly. I forgot the vegetable soup is delicious and needs to out there for everyone in the world to enjoy it ! Highly Recommend the ambience at the bar is welcoming.

Our dinner was delicious, especially the mussels Gorgonzola appetizer (which would be an amazing dinner with some pasta) and the Seafood Toscana, which has a unique and wonderful ginger pesto cream sauce and perfect cooked shellfish. The gnocchi dish was yummy. The eggplant and chicken parmesans were also very good, although I’d recommend their more unique dishes. We had a deconstructed cannoli to share for dessert, with two excellent cappuccinos, one beer and three soft drinks for a pre-tip bill of $174, which for what we had, seemed reasonable. The bread alone is something to remember, warm and crusty and fragrant. There’s a $2 charge for additional bread, well worth the deliciousness! Our server was also terrific with just the right amount of attention. We will definitely be back.

Twelve of us for dinner on a Saturday evening and Bree our waitress was outstanding! Really everything was wonderful! Food, wait staff our room off to the side of the main dining room. Great evening with fair prices…we shall return!

We had a really good dinner here. Plenty of choices to eat, a good wine list and a full bar. They have restaurant seating as well as bar seating. The food was good, the service was good and attentive and the restaurant was clean. The hostess was friendly and seated us right away. The restaurant was pretty full by 6:30 so you may want to make a reservation. It’s easy to get to from the various hotels and it’s not far from the highway.

I don’t like to post things that aren’t anything but positive however folks need to know the lay of the land currently at this Portsmouth favorite. First off The food continues to be reliably good. And the table service was good to excellent. However, two back of house things must be reported. Drinks were ordered first and didn’t come for the longest time. Nor did they come together. And one of them was completely prepared incorrectly. I’m not fussy, but this was notable. Next up Our entrées came before one of our critical appetizers. I think this place can do better so we will go back but for nowpeople need to be aware.

Been going here for years. This our place to go for my Birthdays as well as my sons. This March will be our 17th year for my son who will 19. Can't say enough food, atmosphere value 5+

I went there for a 1st date and the service provided by Ashley couldn't have been better. Her experience, her welcoming attitude and personality really helped calm the nerves of both guests down. The food was great and we left with a wonderful experience. Thank you.

Food quality was outstanding. I had the Pappardelle Bolognese special that was superb! Huge Caesar's salad and tasty olive oil, parmigiana cheese with warm bread. My wife ate the house salad with salmon. She loved it. My sister had a vegetable pasta in white sauce. Exceptional food quality reasonably priced. Was disappointed with 2 issues- the first was that I was underwhelmed by the service. I made the reservation online noting it was a birthday celebration for my sister. Our waiter never acknowledged the birthday until we were leaving, yet the 2 tables beside us also had birthday celebrations and cakes with candles. All 3 tables were conversing about the birthday celebrants. The waiter asked if we wanted desserts but when my sister declined he just brought the check. AWKWARD! I would have expected a good restaurant like this to automatically bring a small dessert with candles lit. The second item was a credit card surcharge on the check. One price for cash another price for credit card users. VERY TACKY! Are you a gas station or a fine dining restaurant? Otherwise an enjoyable experience. It was pouring rain on a Monday night and the restaurant was busy, likely due to its proximity to Jimmy's Jazz & Blues club next door, who had a great show following our dinner reservation. Would have rated this a 5 star had it not been for the average waiter and the CC surcharge.

Solid and tasty food, I got a chicken with apricots and raisins dish, nice atmosphere and excellent service. I'd return for sure.

Outstanding service start to finish.. and not only for us, watched them do the same for everyone. Food was fantastic / authentic and the drinks were legit. Highly recommend

Very disappointed. I go there often but tonight they lost a customer for life with their blanket refusal to help us out when 2 extra teenagers joined our party. We made creative suggestions and they just didn't want to hear it. Lost a part of 8 for the night and I simply just will not go there again - too many great places in town to bother with a place that wouldn't go the extra mile for their customers

Overall great experience! Service was a tad slow to begin with, but our server made up for it tenfold with a great attitude, attention to detail, and humor! My friends and I were celebrating two birthdays, and Cafe Mediterraneo staff made sure to place two birthday cards at our table which my friends loved. The food was great, I ordered the chicken piccata which definitely hit the spot, and everybody greatly enjoyed their meal! Their fall themed cocktails were a hit with our party, definitely try the pumpkin spice espresso martini if you visit!

Delicious. Really good duck. And veal alla romana. Service was very nice. Would recommend. 10/10

Excellent authentic Italian food. Really great servers. The menu has a lot of options and thank goodness the meatballs and lasagna doesn't have pork. One of the best restaurants in Portsmouth.

Overpriced and small portions I don't understand why these places skimp on pasta when it's so inexpensive to add an extra half a cup and make the serving size look so much bigger. Instead, you get ripped off and go home hungry

Beautiful inviting atmosphere and service was terrific from our waitress who was very busy. She was accommodating with any requests. Salad and appetizers were very good and served promptly. Entrees took quite a while to come to the table. This is where we were disappointed. Pasta was swimming in too much thick sauce. We all ordered different entrees yet the sauce seemed to be basically the same and not very tasty. We are Italian and have traveled to Italy many times. I had high hopes for this establishment but do not think I will return.

Always in search of excellent Italian food, we followed the advise of many happy customers and finally tried Cafe Mediterraneo on a lovely Father's Day Sunday. The menu has so many classic and also unique items, with so much to choose from. We had the Gorgonzola mussels as an appetizer, and we used the absolutely wonderful bread to mop up the memorable sauce. We just had to order a second round of the hot, crusty bread ($2 for a second order, well worth it!) to finish the delicious sauce. Next time I'll have it with pasta as my meal! The Dad in our group had the Linquina Alla Toscana which had perfectly prepared seafood with a totally different but fabulous ginger pesto sauce. So good. The gnocchi was also out of this world, and the eggplant and chicken parmesans were excellent. We were stuffed but shared a yummy deconstructed cannoli and some delicious cappuccinos for dessert. With one beer and three soft drinks, our bill was a fair $174 before tip. And our server was top notch, as was the ambiance. All in all, a very memorable meal!

Amazing atmosphere and food! So glad we stopped in. A definite return to restaurant next time we're in NH.

I dined here last month with my husband and another couple. The food was amazing! We ate at the bar and the ambiance was lovely. Relaxing and cozy with light chatter around us. It was bitter cold outside with snow flurries, which made the cozy atmosphere even more memorable. The bar tender was friendly and made great martinis.

Great place to go before a show at Jimmy's Jazz Club. Right next door. Great food, service and atmosphere.

I'm sorry but this is one of the worst restaurants in Portsmouth. It all started with the host/manager who was scrolling his phone for over 30 seconds while I was standing at the podium waiting to be seated. No smiles, no "good evening", just a mechanical process that landed us in a hightop table by the bar where we were bumped as people passed by or waited for their table. We waited 15 minutes for drinks while the bartender and host flirted with some 30-something single ladies. The bread and dipping oil was great. Food, however, was inedible. The veal was impossible to cut and tasted worse than a frozen meal from Walmart. They overload their dishes with cheese, butter, and everything else to make you feel disgusting. We were comped a tiramisu due to the fact we didn't eat our food. Seriously, Hannaford is better. P. S. We made a reservation, it was not very busy, and we were not seated by Tricia.

We had a reservation for 5:30. Upon arriving the hostess said that "someone had messed up" and they didn't have a table for us. She then offered to place us at a high top that is squeezed in by the bar. We sat at this table once before and it was awful. The servers jostle your elbows on the way by. The bar patrons have to scoot their chairs back into you and there is no room for 2 entrees. The hostess kept saying "you did nothing wrong" "someone else messed up" but she said it was that table or nothing. So we left. We will not be returning.

We had very good service. The seating we got was not ideal as part of our table seemed to be in the walkway. The apps were amazing. Overall the entrees were very good however the chicken in a fettuccine alfredo wasn't very good. Drinks and dessert were all well made.

My salmon over lobster ravioli was excellent however my wife's linguine with clams was disappointing, there was no sauce, was supposed to be white wine, garlic, olive oil, and crushed red pepper (sounded great but was nonexistent ). The service was very good and the food arrived quickly, all at the same time. Deserving of a healthy tip. Our 2 guests were very satisfied with their meals. On the expensive side at $250 for the four of us with 2 drinks.

Excellent food always a pleasurable experience. Upscale ambiance. Been a regular at this restaurant for over a decade.

Dominic and team have done a superb job transforming what was an ok Italian restaurant with good food to a place that really nice to go out to eat. Great staff , ambiance and of course still wonderful food. Last night our family went out to celebrate our wedding anniversary. All the staff congratulated us and we even had a Congrats card on our reserved table from the staff! Would highly recommend trying if you have not been before and would think it very likely you will want to go back again. !

Food is always excellent, and service is wonderful and friendly! This is one of my favorite places in Portsmouth!

This place is always reliably great! Love the food & the drinks are generously sized & made well. They have excellent desserts & service. We typically get the specials when there, but no one has ever had a bad meal when we go. I highly recommend this place, and it's perfectly located to be downtown near Jimmys Jazz Club and my favorite fried dough place; Sineore Cannoli & PIZZA. : )

Looking for a seafood restaurant and stumbled upon this restaurant. I was greeted with a smile and promptly seated. My server ( didnt get her name) was attentive and able to get my calamari with mostly rings. Oh..and the calamari was the best ive ever had outside of Italy. I ordered the seafood risotto and it was delicious!! If I ever return to the area...im coming back.

My first visit here and it was not disappointing at all and I'll be back. Service was prompt and excellent, the entrée "Frutti De Mare" not disappointing at all. Other people looked and asked what was it ?? They wanted to know how it was when I was done. It was "excellent" got to have it "spicy" it was delicious (photo attached). Not a complaint at all. The photo should make you drool........

Consistently excellent food and service for over 20 years. Best bread in Portsmouth, and I love the baked salmon and lobster ravioli.

My husband and I had a date night tonight and were very excited to try a new spot close to home. Took us about 25 minutes just to get bread, and then a total of 45 minutes to get our appetizer, which was simply bruschetta. Waitress was friendly and polite, I'm sure she wasn't responsible for the wait times. After the appetizer, it took about another 35 minutes to get the food we ordered over an hour ago. The food was adequate. Disappointed, will not be returning.

It is a wonderful Italian restaurant. The Calamari was outstanding. Great Carbonara and awesome service. Highly recommend this delightful restaurant.

Outstanding food and service. A little loud when busy, but totally worth it! Elizabeth was an amazing waitress!

Delicious food, loved the server's recommendations, but can be a long wait- definitely make a reservation!

Cafe Mediterraneo was interesting. Beautiful space felt like someone's home in a really elegant Italian village. People were nice. Food overall was decent. We had an appetizer made of several cheeses with butter and sage, and it was good, but it needed more flavor. We also were not offered bread, but when we asked they were very sweet about it. Our main dishes were OK, but they were absolutely smothered in sauce so much so that they overtook the dish. I noticed this when I looked at the pictures before I went to the restaurant, but they really overdo it with way too much sauce. The dishes would've been much better if they cut back about 50% on the sauce and let the dish speak for itself and the sauce as a compliment. Also deconstructed a cannoli which was an interesting idea, but the cannoli turned out to be sliced thin wafers with cannoli cream that had a slight lemon taste to it, which was a little bit unusual. The essence of a cannoli is the crunch from the pastry and the wafers were too soft. Overall, there's a lot of potential to refine the cuisine and maybe a little bit more training with the service.

We had a wonderful dinner at Cafe Med last night. The food and service were amazing. We had Sam as a server. He couldn't have done more to make our experience a great one. The owner, Dominic, was speaking with each table, which we found a quality pretty much non existent in restaurants these days. When he got to our table, we invited him to sit and to our surprise he did. We had a nice chat about Italy, the menu, and his team. We are in the restaurant business ourselves, and the one thing we noticed right away was how happy the team appeared to be working there and the relationship they have with Dominic. If you haven't tried Cafe Med, please do. You will not be disappointed. Thank you Cafe Med for a wonderful evening. Theresa C

Bar service is great, but couldn't cut the eggplant Parm with a knife... Terrible. Shrimp scampi good, pasta primavera needs vegetables. New owners need new cooks.

Drinks took 20 minutes to be served. Food mediocre. Chicken Parmesan very tough and chewy. Asked for another bread serving and told it would be an extra charge. This had been a wonderful restaurant for decades. It was sold to new owners and the food and service are nowhere near where it was for so many year

the most RACIST place in planet earth. I went there to have a meal and the waitress look at me and said "We are fully book for the evening" whereas a white couple behind me was offered a table. I make sure to ask them if they had a reservation they said NO and when I ask the lady who told me the restaurant was "fully book" she replied those customers doesn't need a reservation to have a table. i asked why she stated because they came to the restaurant often. so we technically didn't get a table because we are BLACK? so , my fellow Black people please stop going to this Homophobic place. black are not welcome there. Cafe Mediterráneo In Portsmouth,NH = RACIST ambiance and Homophobic vibe.

The food was okay. The service was excellent. Breanna was attentive and helpful. Our drinks were spot on by Nick the bartender and it was a nice evening!

Cafe Med has been a favorite restaurant of ours over the years, and continues to be a favorite under new management. We love to sit at the bar and visit with Nick, who is amusing, very helpful with wine and food recommendations, and mixes great cocktails. (Pro tip: Order the pistachio martini - there's no actual pistachio in it!) On this visit, we started with Zuppa Ribollita and Calamari Fritto, followed by Pork Osso Bucco and Veal Saltimbocca. The care that the kitchen puts into each dish is evident. The ambiance, subdued lighting and background music is spot on. And its proximity to The Music Hall and Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club makes it a good choice for dinner before a show. Buon appetito!

Been here for 3 hours all i have been getting is bread. Waiter spilled a drink on me and stained my cloths as well to go along with the bad service.

In town for the weekend and checked out Cafe Mediterraneo. Four of us were able to walk in and sit at the bar, which is always our preference. (Note: Tables were reserved for the night.) Nice ambiance - lights down for evening service, terra cotta walls, lively conversation but not an overwhelming amount of sound. We were greeted promptly, and confirmed bar seats were open. Nick, the bartender, greeted us immediately and we had menus and drinks within 5-10 minutes. Cocktails were balanced and delicious, and he was super knowledgeable about the menu and made some great suggestions. Nick definitely knows his craft. The Man and I started with the Cafe Med soup. We split the bowl and the kitchen sent it out in two bowls, which was very much appreciated. The soup was tomato based with fresh vegetables and chopped chicken. It also had a bit of spice to warm it nicely. Entree portions were massive! I had the special bolognese with gluten free penne. Kitchen cooked the penne perfectly. (My pet peeve is that most kitchens undercook it or it's falling apart.) The bolognese was in a vodka sauce, and absolutely delicious. More than plenty to eat for breakfast tomorrow. The Man got the lasagna of the day, which was a traditional lasagna. Enough to feed a small village! Well prepared with just that right balance of charred bits in the edges and plenty of melt cheese, all in a bed of extra gravy. Our friends got seafood dishes: fruiting di mare and the baked haddock special. O. M. G. Giant portions! Tons of mussels, scallops, shrimp and squid along with a big portion of linguini in a red gravy. The baked haddock was stuffed with crab and other lusciousness, and served with asparagus and a mountain of mashed potatoes. Both were well received and devoured. We really enjoyed our experience and will undoubtedly be back when we return to Portsmouth. (As an aside, I read the negative reviews of Nick from months ago and completely disagree. Nick was busy, hustling and focused, but stopped to take the time to talk to a customer when needed. His sense of humor is a little gruff and dry, which, being from the Boston area, we enjoyed.)

This downtown cafe had an interesting and varied menu of Italian fare which included Tuscan favorites and felt more like a cafe in Europe. The ambiance was decent, and service excellent, accommodating my dairy allergies. I had a rack of lamb that was tender and tasty. the wine menu is nicely curated. Our server Brie was exceptional. Parking is available in a public pay lot behind the restaurant and its block. I would go there again!

The food was great. Service was excellent. Everyone had a good time. I had the special it was a fantastic.

Ambiance is lovely and intimate. Sitting at the bar is a must! The service and conversation you'll get from Nick is second to none. And the food never disappoints. Highly recommend the Linguine Toscana. Fabulous every time!

Amazing food; service and ambiance. Great spot. Went before a show and service was great to accommodate the time.

We really enjoyed our dinner here. Nice outdoor seating, good options for wines, cocktails and dinner. A nice bread basket to start with this amazing garlic, herb and red pepper oil to dip. We chose to start off with the soup which was filled with a hearty amount of veggies and it was just so delicious! We got 2 chicken dishes that came with pasta. One was an apricot chicken with just the right amount of sweet and savory, filled with cinnamon, raisins and butternut squash. The second was a chicken parmigiana with grilled eggplant on top... chefs kiss! Hearty portions for both dishes and just enough sauce and cheese where needed. We were so full that dessert wasn't even an option! I'd go back if we're in the area again!

The service was good upon entering and ordering drinks and apps. The dinner took a while to come out. I got the House Special with Salmon but received a different dinner (over cooked, dry Salmon over a bed of greens, instead of over lobster ravioli). We never saw the waited again until we needed the check and plates were quickly grabbed and dashed away. We left for a show so I didn't get a chance at that point to let the waiter know because he never came back to our table. I was disappointed in getting the wrong dish, but even more so in getting dry, burned Salmon. (who messes up fish?). I wish I took a picture to show the charred fish :(

Met our son and his 3 children here for dinner tonight as it was convenient to UNH. Food was average with no complaints other than the online prices were considerably different from reality. My major issue was an $18 Beefeater martini. Seriously? We live in Bonita Springs Florida as well as Newburyport, Ma. and have never paid more than $14 for the same drink. Screw me once, shame on you. You'll never get a chance to screw me again. Would love to hear the owner's justification for this.

We live 2 hrs away but are fairly regular patrons. We have never had a negative experience. Food service atmosphere always excellent. Family members who are in Portsmouth regularly feel the same. If you're new to the area and trying to sort through the numerous options go to Cafe Mediterraneo you will be happy.

They knocked it out of the park! From the bread and oil to the Bruschetta and one of the best things I have ever eaten and that was the Seafood Risotto. The staff was amazing and attentive, and we lacked for nothing the entire meal. We absolutely will make the hour drive to eat here again!!

The atmosphere, service and food is always wonderful! Sam is the best and is excellent. Do make reservations.