Cafe Italia Cimarron

"The food is great. I eat here often. The guy on the phone today taking pick up orders is either very new or completely apathetic to the business. I called 9 times. Had 3 conversations. He could not get my order or payment over the phone. It was overwhelming for him. 3 items. I love this place and feel the need to tell the owners this."

"Recommend ordering to-go or opting for the Mesa location for dining-in instead. While the food is pretty decent, the restaurant’s policy requiring customers to pay/leave within 10-15 minutes after eating just makes this place a ‘pass’ as a neighborhood favorite. I’ve dined-in for dinner at this location twice, and was disappointed with the customer service both times. The first experience resulted in multiple servers coming to the table every 2-5 minutes to ask if we needed anything else. Normally this would indicate exceptional service and attention to the customer, but we got the feeling they were pushing us to leave. Second visit I was shocked to see an actual sign notifying all customers about their customer policy on leaving after eating. I took a picture of the sign just to show friends, family, and colleagues as this is a bold move in any industry-more so in the competitive El Paso restaurant market. Unfortunately, the pic was lost after damage to my phone, but I do see other diners have commented on the same sign. Restaurant owners beware: market analysis from 2023 show inflation outpaced groceries, so consumers are going out less and leery about trying new places. However they are willing to spend more $ at the restaurants they do frequent. This mostly impacts mid level restaurants. So unless the El Paso restaurant market is an anomaly, restaurants would do well to assess similar customer service policies. Needless to say, this is NOT a good go-to restaurant for me in this neighborhood. It’s obvious the focus is churning multiple diners as quick as possible to make more money, but at a cost to customer service. I guess if I’m in a pinch I may decide to order to-go or better yet, simply drive a bit farther to the Mesa location for a positive experience."

"The pizza was incredible and so was the caprese. While the salmon was super fresh and perfectly crisp both that and the steak do feel a bit overpriced especially because the wood fired taste doesn’t come through fully. I’ve heard the owner can rush people out, which seems counter to the vibe they’re trying to create. The espresso machine is great so I recommend a shot if you want some of the Italian feel."

"I had an excellent lunch here with my mom. We ordered a pizza and roasted Veggie appetizer that was super yummy. They have a limited selection of wine, and I believe you still have the option to bring your own with a small bottle service fee. We tried the local red wine and liked it quite a lot."