411 West Italian Cafe

We had a party of 10, part of our group came late! I felt so bad, I did not realized though- the restaurant stayed open until everyone left, and you could order food and drinks, it seemed like until. - they did do a last call later, but as long as you were already there, you were still able to get full service. The food was delicious; I got the salmon, I was able to notify about my squash allergy and it was no issue at all. The drinks were delicious as well! For the birthday girl, they were able to write happy birthday on a dessert plate you purchased. We sat in the outside covered section, the temperature was nice. It is a covered greenhouse type ceiling with a small water fountain. A great dinner for a small or large party.

Nice atmosphere, pretty decent food! We had a reservation for 2 at 6 pm, and we got seated quite quickly. Our waitress was very kind and kept checking up on us. We ordered the lemon linguine and it was alright. It had a very light lemony flavor on the sauce which was good, but I think it needed a little bit more seasoning or spice. The scallops were amazing though. Very soft and tender! Also the tomatoes had a really intriguing taste, I think they were marinated? Anyways, they also gave a good amount of shrimp and scallops. It's a nice Italian dinner spot for family, but I probably wouldn't come again.

Stopped in for a dinner and was highly impressed. The chicken park was on point, the pasta was freshly made. Nice job, I hope to be back again!

What can I say about this cafe? The location is great, the food is good, and the service is ok.Our first time being here, but I was expecting a warmer greeting at the door. Maybe a little more "Amore", and less "Impersonale", this would help make a lasting first impression. I would highly recommend that this cafe train their staff on the true definition of scallops and not tell any vegetarian that scallops are onions, that advice doesn't bid well for specific dietary restrictions. Unfortunately, Gnocchi is only a starter, so order 2 or move on to an actual entree. The lasagna is large and in charge and will fill you up, but unfortunately, unlike an authentic Italian restaurant, there will be no bread to soak up the sauce. An espresso and vanilla creme brulee here are definitely a safe bet.Cheers!

411 West Italian Cafe, commonly referred to as just "411 West," gets four stars out of me. The food I had from here was great. My wife really enjoyed her experience and couldn't stop talking about the place when she got home. We found out about 411 West after her attending and co-resident highly recommended it.This is a nice, old Italian restaurant located on W Franklin St in downtown Chapel Hill. I'm not sure how long it's been around, at least since 2005. They serve dinner only, seven days a week.There's a metered public parking lot right next to the restaurant, the 415 West Franklin St Lot. At the time of writing this review, parking in this lot costs $1.50/hour and is enforced Monday-Saturday, 8am-8pm. Parking is free otherwise. For more info on parking in downtown Chapel Hill including up-to-date parking rates, visit https://www.parkonthehill.com/.This place is popular. Reservations are highly recommended. You can call 919-967-2782 or book online via Yelp Reservations at https://www.yelp.com/reservations/411-west-italian-cafe-chapel-hill. Even on a Monday night, the dining room was packed. There was a wait.Maybe it was busy because every Monday, bottles of wine are half-off.I tried a couple of the daily specials, the Fried Okra ($8) and Wood Grilled Beef Ribeye ($28), and the Bourbon-Pecan Pie ($8) dessert. Everything was delicious. I was impressed with the quality, especially of the ribeye. I had it medium rare and it was cooked to perfection. The steak was a hearty, 12-ounce cut that came with herb butter on top. It was seasoned well and relatively juicy. No sauce needed. Simply a good, solid, satisfying steak. Also, it came with thick slices of ripe heirloom tomato, full of umami. I thoroughly enjoyed it.The fried okra was nicely-battered and scrumptious. It came with a yummy basil aioli dipping sauce. There was one inedible piece of okra (too chewy), but it wasn't a big deal. The bourbon pecan pie was excellent. It came with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. I love pecan pie and it didn't get much better than the one I had from here. From taste to consistency, they got just about everything right. The one thing my wife and I didn't taste, though, was the bourbon. Not even a subtle hint of it. Again, not a big deal.My wife also liked the Bruschetta ($8) and Gnocchi ($12) starters. The bruschetta consisted of grilled baguette, fresh mozzarella, local tomatoes, basil, olive oil, and balsamic reduction. The gnocchi was "panned" with Sungold tomatoes, arugula, and shaved Parmesan. There was an option to get the gnocchi with seared scallops ($19). Our friend got the Local Watermelon Salad ($8 small, $11 large), another daily special. It came with cucumber, basil, arugula, and feta with a Sungold tomato vinaigrette. Overall, all of the food was fresh, high-quality, and flavorful.The table also got cocktails and bottles of wine. My wife loved her Carolina Mule cocktail. It was made with Troy & Sons Blonde Whiskey, Spindrift ginger beer, and lime. Troy & Sons is from Asheville Distilling Company. Both the cocktails and the dishes were presented beautifully. Everything tasted as good as it looked.411 West's menu also features wood-fired pizzas, salads, pastas, classic Italian entrees like Chicken Marsala ($19) and Chicken Parmesan ($18), and other plates from their wood-fired grill such as Wood Grilled Organic Salmon ($24) and Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak ($25).Service was fine. The server was attentive and all orders came out correct.411 West is a member of the Chapel Hill Restaurant Group that also includes the following Triangle restaurants:* LuluBangBang Pan-Asian street food and tiki drinks in Durham: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lulubangbang-durham,* MEZ contemporary Mexican in Durham: https://www.yelp.com/biz/mez-contemporary-mexican-durham,* Page Road Grill Southern restaurant in Durham: https://www.yelp.com/biz/page-road-grill-durham; and* Squid's seafood restaurant in Chapel Hill: https://www.yelp.com/biz/squids-chapel-hill.

I would compare this Italian restaurant to an Olive Garden. The restaurant was clean, well kept and the service was good but there was nothing special about the food. I was excited to hear that the pasta was homemade, but I actually think the pasta would've tasted better if they didnt make it homemade and just used high quality pre-made pasta. Sadly, I could actually make better homemade pasta myself. My husband and I ordered the Lemon Linguine and Pappardelle Bolognese. The Lemon Linguine - scallops were good, shrimp was way overcooked, and overall it was nothing special. I wasn't a fan of the Papperdelle Bologese - the pasta was too thick and the sauce was just whatever. On top of that, the prices are just way too high for the quality of food you get. I won't be coming back. I would rather just make my own Italian food at home than waste my money on subpar, expensive pasta dishes.

Josh was a great server. Food was excellent as always. Great neighborhood gem! Great atmosphere!

Delicious food and always great service fromterrific staff. 411 is our go to restaurant in Chapel Hill. We always have a wonderful time dining here.

Chapel Hill institution! We've been dining here for decades and it is always solid. Still miss the crab pasta dish they used to have on the menu though!

I would like to share our wonderful experience at 411 West last night. We had a good sized group ... about 16 folks for work. We rented out the "indoor Patio" space for a private event. fist of all the space was lovely. I was just right for our group. Our server as ultra responsive and helpful, filling glasses and getting our apps out ASAP. The fountain was a little noisy, she went as far as getting that and music in room turned down. What attention to getting us taken care of!Lastly, I had the Spring Strawberry salad and Chicken Parm for dinner. Everything was delicious!! The crisp on my chicken was wonderful!I would ABSOLUTELY recommend this location for a private party. You will have a great time.