Amazing service always. Very comfortable and homey atmosphere. food is always delicious. Pizza is one of the kind and we also love the ribs and pasta. Love the Lacantina red wine vinegar. store is super cute for take out goodies.
Food was…okay. Marinara was too sweet and lacking flavor. Waitress was very nice and attentive. We’ve been here before and the food was great…seems like they’re just lacking a bit of consistency. Two recommendations I would have:
- Reconsider the portions. The salads and soups are quite large for a pre-entree item
- The marinara tasted too sweet. Perhaps it’s just my taste profile but I think something closer to Rao’s would please a wider palette.
- I’d focus on quality over quantity.
Things done well:
- Service was top notch!
- Cocktails were pretty good and the seasonal drinks were creative without being overdone.
- The menu was concise and not overdone like I’ve seen so many other Italian places.
Overall a nice little place with good atmosphere and service. Cozy place to dine with family and friends alike. A few tweaks could make it even better.
Lots to see and do here. Spaghetti special on Tuesdays. Fun spaces for large groups. Catering. Outside Dining. Pizza takeout. Birthday dinners. Wedding parties, Receptions, Anniversary, Romance, etc. Everyone's favorite. Family and Couple friendly. Love is in the air here! This family has lived in and supported Van Buren County for 2 centuries. There local support of youth is overwhelming.
La Cantina is a lovely, family run restaurant. It's truly a gem of a place that locals know well. The food is excellent, atmosphere is pleasing and the service is impeccable. It also boasts an extensive wine list with many varieties of imported Italian wine. Try the Tony Soprano Chianti! Our favorite server is Michaela. She's remarkably efficient, has a terrific manner and a smile that lights up the room! This is not to slight other servers and bussers. The entire floor staff work hard and carry on their duties as smoothly as a finely calibrated time piece. Can't say enough about La Cantina! We love you!
Had a wonderful dinner out on the deck.
What a amazing dinner for my wifes birthday party of 8 , the service was phenomenal the food was delicious, our server Michele was knowledgeable with the menu and wine list. Your staff made my wife's birthday special. Thank you so much. The management really has the restaurant dialed in.
La Cantina has the best linguini and clams! We ordered takeout tonight and got three orders, one with marinara, one with creamy white, and the third had olive oil and garlic. We can't decide which was the favorite!
LaCantina is the real deal. Italian food cooked to perfection!! This is one of the best Italian restaurants that I have ever been to in America or abroad.
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This review is personal, and probably a little bit too heavy for someone who just wants to know if this is a good place to eat. Long story short: it’s a wonderful restaurant. I grew up in Kalamazoo but rarely ever ventured out to Paw Paw. My grandmother lived in a nursing home near La Cantina, and my mom and I were craving Italian, so we enjoyed a nice meal on the deck overlooking the water. It was bittersweet. The food was phenomenal, but I just want to thank our waitress for going above and beyond. My grandma was dying, you see, and she was Italian, and I just really wanted to give her a last taste of spaghetti sauce. But I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. So I discretely asked our waitress, and she slipped me a tiny to-go container with sauce. My grandma and her friends always used to drive out to Paw Paw on Tuesdays to get the discounted spaghetti. In Kalamazoo, we always used to enjoy Mangia Mangia, but a busy downtown restaurant on a one way street isn’t exactly easy for a group of old ladies to get to. I literally just learned that the owners of La Cantina also own Mangia Mangia, which explains so much. Mangia Mangia was such a huge part of being born and raised in Kalamazoo, and it was always my favorite place to eat. My cousin had her rehearsal dinner at Mangia Mangia. This is way too much information for the sake of a review, but I just want to make the point that this place is a little bit magical. The food is everything Italian food should be, and it’s a place that brings people together through a good meal. Again, I’m such a long story. My point is, La Cantina is a special place, and I hope you enjoy it.
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How have I never been to La Cantina before now?!? No reservations, no problem, even on a Saturday night, while simultaneously hosting a class reunion party and offering riverfront live music. The hostess must be family/owner. I swear i was back in Brooklyn, what with the outstanding skills of the front of house staff, matched perfectly by the masterful culinary talent in the kitchen. The entire dining experience was enjoyable. Swans glided past our window view on the Paw Paw River as we were ordering appetizers. Learned from our server Megan (i think, i hope) that the graceful waterfowl are rarely seen this far up river from Maple Lake. So of course we took that as a fortuitous sign on mom’s 84th birthday. Wine selection was effortless, despite the extensive collection of bottles from around the globe, thanks to Megan and her obvious expertise. I said glass of white zinfandel? she said of course, and chose one perfectly. Calamari was the best I’ve ever had, hands down. Light and crispy fried, tender rings and delicious marinara. Portobello mushroom stuffed with seafood and breaded was scrumptious. One mushroom was the size of a salad plate. Pasta Emillio was a cornucopia of savory favorites - artichoke hearts, green peas, caramelized onions, Italian sausage atop a generous bowl of pasta with a delicate pesto sauce. Rigitoni E had a distinctive marsala cream sauce with mushrooms and basil. Chicken Alfredo was deeply flavorful and authentic in its loose consistency - refreshingly unlike sticky and thick Americanized sauce in a jar. Dessert was the exclamation point of the meal. New York style cheesecake, tiramisu and spumoni. Exquisite. I would get older sooner just to have my birthday dinner here. Like next weekend. TwNovember is so far away. Nuf said. Mic drop.
Had the Chefs special steak w/ whipped saffron potatoes and Demi glaze, absolutely amazing! Must try item if it’s being featured!
Lovely old world touch in this Italian themed resturant. Food was very good, service excellent. There is an outdoor area on the water to enjoy in good weather.
Amazing service! Such an awesome date night Setting, or nice family dinner.
Lasagna was very good, so many wines to choose from!
Wow! Hands down one of the most remarkable Italian restaurants I've ever eaten at, including my grandmother's kitchen! The red sauce is superb, on the sweeter side of the flavor palette. The customer service was top notch. The views are gorgeous. Definitely going back again and again. A+
Stopped in on my way back from Kalamazoo to Saint Joseph. The bartender, Danielle, was excellent as well as the food.
Best pizza around by far!!! This place is truly amazing and they have the friendliest staff
I had my Easter dinner in this restaurant yesterday and it surpassed my expectations. I was travelling from Chicago back to Toronto (Canada) and thought I wouldn’t find some good food for Easter. However, even without any reservations, my family and I were accommodated. The server Gaby was excellent. The food was so fresh and delicious. Definitely, I do recommend this place. Thank La Cantina so much for making my unexpected dinner so special.
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