Review Cambi Cafe Restaurant Genova Italy Genoa (Genova) Italy has been one of the most pleasant surprises of our three month Europe trip. I cringe as I write this, because I fear the day that tourists discover this amazing city. Each night there are fun things going on. A street accordion player turned into a dance party in the middle of the street. Walked into one of the most popular tourists attractions (Palazzo Ducale) and to my delight it was almost empty and only cost five euros – great place do not miss it. Perhaps what has made me happiest about Genoa is that the food is outstanding and a value compared to everywhere else I went in Italy. A very good example of this is Cambi Cafe. This wonderful restaurant is located minutes away from Chiesa San Matteo. When I say this is a stunning restaurant; I am not exaggerating. They have two outdoor areas; one across the street and one on the way into the restaurant. As lovely as these summer days were I just could not bear to sit outside in the lovely summer heat due to the restaurant’s incredible interior. The restaurant is graced with gorgeous seventeenth-century frescoes by Bernardo Strozzi. They are in a sad state of disrepair, but add so much soul and romance to the place. They make you imagine of the splendor of the original paintings. The first room is decorated with gorgeous antique furnishings. The interior chamber houses the bar and an impressive chandelier. The place exudes luxury yet at the same time one feels completely at easy. This feat is not easily achieved. I ended up having lunch at Cambi Cafe twice. There is a regular menu outside, but I suggest that you ask for the specials. They change daily and there are usually only 8 specials per day; all made with care and obvious love. On our first visit we started off with the mozzarella as an appetizer. What we got was sinfully delicious cheese escorted by potatoes and green beans. Let’s just say the portion was more than generous, the cheese impeccable, potatoes and greens cooked to perfection. This lunch was starting to look up. For my main course, I opted for the eggplant parmigiana. You may think that this was a mundane choice. It was not. What is lovely about Cambi Cafe is that their offerings are incredibly elegant in their simplicity. This parmigiana was balanced, not overly cheesy and had texture that I’ve not tasted in a parmigiana before. Antonio opted for the roast beef. This was not roast beef in the sense Americans think of. It was closer to a carpaccio, flavorful meat, juicy, incredibly sophisticated yet tasty. Turns out it was so good, Antonio ordered it again the next day (and the restaurant happily obliged). I was delighted to have coniglio (rabbit on the menu) on our second visit. I knew as soon as I heard the specials that this would be my choice. Juicy, succulent meat, flavorful. I sucked the marrow out of the tiny bones and delighted in each taste. I can’t believe I am writing a review that is just about as positive as it can get. But the owner of the restaurant; Marcello Cambi was perhaps the best part of the whole experience. On our first visit, he could obviously tell we were not locals. He made it a point to walk over and welcome us. He walked us through the menu and made us feel that his efforts were completely genuine. He greeted each guest as if they were an old family friend. There were nothing but smiles coming out of the restaurant. My only negative comment was that on my second visit my server tried to take my plate away. In her defense, I was happily sucking on coniglio bones to extract as much taste as I could out of them. Each meal cost us only about forty euros (and we had some really good wine by the glass at three euros a pop). I was shocked to learn the restaurant was only open for 2.5 months. As smoothly as it ran; I was under the impression that it had been open for years. Do not miss this restaurant when you are in Genoa. You will be glad you made the trip. Cambi Cafe is located at Vico Falamonica 1-9r, 16123 Genoa, Italy 39 (0) 109752674
