Review Difabio's Casapela - Louisville

We truly enjoyed our dinner on the patio on a cool November night. The veal marsala was so tender and the marsala sauce was amazing. The salmon was also perfect. Would return service was a little slow but understandably they were short-staffed.

On 10/7 I visited this s restaurant We arrived at 5pm we were the first customer. They placed is on a hi top. By the drink section. Menu has a nice choice of selection. There were two concerns that I had One we asked for olive oil and cheese for the bread. They did bring out the oil but I was really surprised the cheese was in a package like little Cesar’s and the second one was our waitress abby was the house bartender. And really did not have the time to service us properly I would hope that a company that is over 25 years old. Would review my comments Over all the quality of the food was good

Delicious food and many gluten-free options are available. The chicken parmesan was amazing. The calamari was perfect and gluten-free so my wife could enjoy it as well. I suggest a reservation the restaurant is on the small side but well worth multiple visits to try all the different delicious items on the menu like veal and steak or cheese ravioli for the vegetarians

Great new family spot for my sons and I. Introduced my 13 year old to Calamari and now he is addicted. All of our entrées were good. We chose lasagna, Shrimp Scampi and Chicken Parmigiana.

Amazing food, it did take a while to get the food they had a big party inside but it was worth the wait.

Located in a historical site of one of Louisville's original toll road offices, this quaint and cozy treat offers true authentic Italian cuisine at an extremely affordable price. Escargot is delectable, Alfredo is best in town and you haven't lived until you have tried the pink sauce. One of the only locations offering my favorite noodle, gemelli. Looking forward to dining there again soon.

Terrific food! Solid wine list, and some very nice specialty drinks. Relaxed family friendly atmosphere but nice enough for a date night. Our only minor complaints were the lack of parking, we had to park several blocks away, and service was a bit slow. Servers were very friendly but appeared to be short handed. As to the food, the bruschetta was different but excellent. Likewise, with the caprese pasta and shrimp. The veal marsala was exceptional, probably the best we have ever had. An all around great experience.

You can’t beat DiFabio’s! Tonight, they provided a great Christmas Eve dinner. The service is top notch. Their staff is accommodating and friendly. Their portions are huge, delicious, freshly made. Not to mention, the price point is great. Thanks DiFabios for making our holiday special!!

Like going to your Italian grandmother’s for a home cooked meal. Great bang for your buck. Awesome staff!

10 star's.. oh how we have missed Difabio's.. real authentic Italian..excellent service and amazing,amazing food..

This cozy spot is perfect for a casual, delicious Italian meal. The food is authentic homemade Italian. Dinner for 6, or dinner for 2, it's just right. The atmosphere is warm and friendly.

The food is always amazing, we make it a point to stop when driving through Louisville.

I should have taken a pic. I forgot. But next time I will. I had the best steak I have ever had in my life!! I was sooo beyond amazed and each person at my table tried it and was like omg it is sooooo good!! It has a cream sauce under it and gorgonzola cheese crumbles and roasted zucchini squash. Oh lord it was soooo perfect 🥰 💞. I have raved about it to anyone that would listen today lol and so has my friend. 10000 % recommended to anyone!!!

Great little place with excellent food. I have been here many times and have never been disappointed. Thursdays, they have half priced bottles of wine.

My husband and I were hungry for Italian and there was a fancy expensive place across the street, but it was full. Thankfully, we went here instead. The service was personable and attentive. It was small, but cute and cozy. I loved sitting by a bookshelf and could just pull books off to browse. The food was beyond our expectations. Gemelli pasta with tomatoes, basil and mozerella balls was paired with delicious perfectly grilled shrimp. I had lasagna. It was perfect and I could only eat half. Even the house salad was special with red wine vinegar house dressing. Oh, and perfect calamari with two dipping sauces. Just try it! So many good options!

First time to visit for dinner and the food was pretty good--not great, but okay. Staff was friendly enough. My friend got the salmon and it was good, especially the sauce that came with the fish. I tried their shrimp scampi and it was strange. Baked with some kind of bread crumbs on top, which over time, turned the dish into more of a shrimp porridge. Good taste but strange texture that I did not care for. I'd try them again though.

Came here because of the good reviews. From my past reviews you can see Im generous. I was very disappointed. Bread was really really good but it stopped there. Food took forever which I dont mind waiting. Bad thing it was cold upon arrival. Will never return.

This place is as Italian as taco bell is Mexican.... The only thing this place have Italian is the name and the name of the dishes in their menu. I went there for just simple spaghetti with meatballs with meat sauce to take out. First the guy asked me how many meatballs (the sell them individually) and he said they were the size of his fist (kinda big), so I got 2 of those big meat balls. I was recommended the tiramisu like the best thing ever. Total $22 for 1 person. I got my order and I was told that I got some bread sticks...<br/>Got home to see the most poor spaghetti dish ever (Yes, I was raised eating italian), I almost cry when I saw the misery of the size on that dish with only one (1) bread stick. The sauce a bit too salty but I guess if you eat in you will drink more... <br/>The meatballs (they deserve their own paragraph), I have no clue what were they made off (my best guest would be tofu) because they have not meaty taste and the texture was like they grinded at the spam factory, very pale, flavorless and they both fit on my hand which is about the same size as the hand that showed me the fist with the size of the meatballs... I have eat better meatballs from the frozen section of the grocery store.<br/>The tiramisu was ok, nothing special and yes I have eaten better at buca di pepo from all places.<br/>Do not waste your money unless that you don't care about fake Italian food...

Unbelievably awesome. Homemade everything, great service, great value, just like nona made! Pass up volare, porcinni, vincenzos, go here instead.

De Fabio's...DeFabulous!. I went to Difabio's with a friend for my birthday. Our waitress was fantastic! We arrived when the opened so she was very attentive with fantastic recommendations. We ordered the bruschetta (delicious), creamy pesto angel hair pasta with shrimp (devine) and lasagna with a bottle of the pino noir. The food was fantastic. Pasta perfectly cooked, sauce perfectly creamy and seasoned with and perfectly cooked shrimp. I was too comitted to my own dish to try the lassagna, but my friend said it is really good. We finished with the tiramasu, and it was the best I have ever eaten. It isn't someplace I would go for atmoshere, it's a little kitchy cheap, but who cares when the service is great and the food is this good. I will be back, I'm craving their pasta as I type this!

Went on Sunday when it's 1/2 price all day on house wine, well drinks and appetizers. <br/>The calamari was tender but not much flavor unless using the sauces. <br/>The Ahi tuna entree was fabulous ordering medium rare. <br/>Also the salmon on special entree with vodka sauce great. <br/>I just came back from Miami S. Beach and thought I had the best Tiramasu there! Wrong!! It's here. When you cut a slice, the booze comes oozing out the bottom. Simply fabulous and even better then The Rivue downtown at top of Galt House ( if I'm allowed to say!)<br/>Cannoli's stuffed with cherry chocolate and ricotta melt in your mouth. <br/>Our waiter Justin was great. We were first ones to enter and 2nd to last to leave so Sunday best value AND service!!

Yummy. My 87 year old mother, my husband, and I had a great experience here. The atmosphere was relaxing, the service excellent and the food good too. I don't know why we didn't know about this place till now. I would definitely come back.

Just Okay. I felt the atmosphere was pretty weak. We ate outside on the porch which was really pretty Spartan. Inside was not much better. Grass was not cut and so long it had gone to seed. This detracts from this our first try. The host was wearing what looked liked 2/3 length pajama bottoms. If food was good but nothing special. I had the chicken parmesan and my wife had chicken marsala.<br/><br/>For the price which is higher, I expect better ambience. I guess the acid test is would you go back. The answer is no.

Awesome. Food is great I had a very good experience drinks and apps were good as well a++++++

Absolutely one of our very favorites. Hard to pick a favorite because everything is the best. We love the baked goat...and of course the bread!

Lots of yummy customizable options. Cute little place that doesn't stand out. The food is very good, and there are many options to how you get your Italian dish. Priced very competitively, not quite the deal or quality of LeGallo Rosa, but very close. Keep an eye out for Macaroni and Lobster special, it is my favorite appetizer, sadly it is not on their permanent menu.

Great Place - Will return. I need your undivided attention because I am going to tell you a short story. Last weekend I got together with a couple of my friends and decided that we needed a weekend getaway from work.<br/>The place we picked was the Louisville, KY area as the best place to kick back and “recharge our batteries”. We stayed at the HORSESHOE CASINO in the nearby town in ELIZABETH, INDIANA. The reason why we picked this place over a plain hotel was because we would be able to have access to restaurants and entertainment almost any time of the day. This HORSESHOE CASINO was one of the best places that I have every stayed. The entire hotel was spotless. Our rooms were amazingly large. We stayed on the 5th floor which gave us a panoramic view of the area. We found the casino staff bending over backwards to make our stay a memorable one. At the casino, the restaurants were top-shelf because of the food and staff who attended to our every need as if we were great friends. Pricing for the food and hotel were reasonable.<br/>We did find ourselves venturing out to explore the area. We went to the COME BACK INN, Jeffersonville, IN and had a wonderful time with great food and great conversation with the employees. The food was great and prices very reasonable. If I were a local, this would be a regular stop for me. Next, we went to DIFABIO’S CASAPELA located in Louisville, KY which was another great place for us to dine. What really surprised us was during the meal, the chef/owner came to our table to make sure that the food and the service was flawless. The food was superb and the service impeccable and the prices were extremely reasonable. <br/>An unexpected bonus to our stay was a large car show next to the river walk area and a festival downtown! MAYBE, I MIGHT JUST MOVE THERE!!

We had a wonderful meal. Lots of garlic, fresh flavors and great pasta. Service was excellent. Our waiter was very knowledgeable about food and drinks. Great place for rustic Italian!

Amazing. I have dined here numerous times and finally have come around to write a review. The food is always delicious - I highly recommend the chicken parm. The salad and house made dressing never disappoints and is always fresh and yummy. Whatever you decide, you MUST try at least one meatball with whatever you order. It is by far, the best meatball ever....and I am not a huge meatball fan.<br/><br/>Tonight we celebrated with a wonderful birthday dinner - bottle of their house red, garlic bread, chicken parm, and lasagna. Everything was amazing as usual and our waiter Brandon was just as outstanding. We typically order dessert (tiramsu is the best) but had soooo much food on our plate with leftovers to take home, we had to pass. If you want fresh, homemade Italian - this is the place to go.

Great food, reasonably priced. Specials were great during happy hour. Canoli and cheese cake were awesome.

Diners beware. A small group of 5 went to DiFabio's for dinner the other night. Halfway through the meal a couple stopped by who lived in the neighborhood to say hello. The couple had two beers. The entire table was charged an 18% gratuity whithout any mention from the waiter. This same waiter made rude comments and facial expressions when walking away from the table on more than one occasion. When leaving the restaurant the couple was told by another staff member that, "Maybe next time you will stay for dinner". Well sorry after that treatment I don't think there will be a next time.

Cozy restaurant with a cute atmosphere. The main dish was large and very delicious. The dessert which was a lightly fried puff pastry with Nutella cheesecake inside was simply amazing!!!!!

Disappointed x2. Tried this restaurant twice, once shortly after opening, and again a few weeks ago. First time around I ordered the Chicken Piccata. It was lacking in flavor and swimming in a watery soup. The second, and most recent time I visited, I chose the Pasta, with Pesto and Shrimp. Once again, I was disappointed. The pasta was way over cooked, mushy, the grilled shrimp had good flavor but was also over cooked, rubbery. I got the feeling they prepare everything in advance and then warm it. There are many other great options for Itialian fare in Louisville where freshness and flavor are prevalent. DiFabio's, while cheap, is not Di fabulous in my opinion.

Food great, but owners have bad taste. I recently went here for a birthday dinner. We brought a cake to celebrate and were very rudely told to take it back to the car. Although I understand many restaurants have policy not allowing outside desserts, they handled it quite badly. We almost left. It is such a stupid business decision to encourage people celebrating to go somewhere else- who doesn't want big groups of people wanting to celebrate at their restaurant?! Anyways, we stayed and enjoyed our dinner sans cake, but we will not be going back for birthdays...and maybe not at all. This is disappointing because the food was delicious, but I hate to support restaurants that don't treat customers well.

The American Dream Wrapped Up in a Cannoli. I first met Caity DiFabio at the epicenter of all clichés. A bar. On a trip to Louisville two years ago, bored and waiting on a friend, I settled onto a stool and ordered an Old Fashioned. That such a young girl could serve an ancient cocktail the right way surprised me, almost as much as her sarcastic wit and quick smile. <br/><br/>My friend showed up, Caity got off work, Old Fashions took a sharp turn toward tequila, then dinner, which allowed us to soak up more tequila, laugh enough to annoy everyone at the bar who wasn't in on the joke, and cry. If you happen to have two x chromosomes, you know that four seasons of emotion over a meal with a near-stranger is rare. <br/><br/>Not only was I impressed with her mind, but Caity could drink. She was the one with her arm around me at the end of the night as I sniffled over a long-lost love and babbled my way into a cab. Anyone who doesn't agree that tequila is the ultimate truth serum hasn't gotten to the bottom of the bottle. <br/><br/>Even though she was hardly born the year I left Louisville to go to college, I knew almost instantly she was an old soul, and we would be friends. Not the talk-on-the-phone-every-day-to-compare-notes-on-life's-little-nuances kind of thing, but a real connection nevertheless. It seemed what we had to say to one another mattered, regardless of the chunk of variable time and space placed in between. <br/><br/>So it came as no surprise when I got an email that she had something important to tell me. Caity was from a family of restaurateurs, and spent considerable time in and around the kitchen growing up. They had decided to open a branch of their restaurant in Louisville, and she was to be a key player in the new initiative. She was excited and scared and nervous and ready, and was also only twenty-two years old.<br/><br/>DiFabio's Casapela opened in 2010. Caity was barely legal to crack the pop-top off a beer when her family launched the restaurant, much less understand the delicate balance between supply and demand, and that the term "management" is really just secret code for "what the customer wants, the customer gets." <br/><br/>Yet somehow she got it, and is doing it, and still has time to sit down over a shot of tequila and listen to the bleary-eyed stranger of the night lament the things that matter. <br/><br/>Day after day and way too late into the evening she shows up, often early, to orchestrate the chaos and earn an MBA on the fly that kids her age pay up to $40,000 a year to buy. If you ask, she won't tell you that running a family business in a foundering economy is harder than she thought it would be. She won't mention the NOI isn't always in the black, her stemware keeps disappearing, and she doesn't get to see enough of her dogs.<br/><br/>She'll just smile that impish smile, fill your glass, and happily substitute the Piccata for the Marsala, because you could have sworn that's what you ordered (you didn't).<br/><br/>At a time when corporate profits are being redistributed as dividends or kept in cash instead of creating jobs, and the stimulus package that was or wasn't is debated around town, it's the Caity DiFabios of the world who remind us what it means to pursue the American Dream. All of it. <br/><br/>If she wanted to, Caity could simply ride the coattails of the lost generation, cash her unemployment check, and go home. Instead, she's building a business, hiring employees, and figuring out how to handle the bills. And life. She shows up every day, regardless of what happened the night before, with an equally kind word for each stranger and friend who walks through the door.<br/><br/>I won't bore you with my take on the gorgonzola filet versus the chicken parm. All of DiFabio's food is great. I'll just ask you to give the restaurant a try, and if you like it, to tell your friends, post a review, or go back. What Caity is doing is the heart of the American Dream, and I'll take it with or without the sauce.

Wonderful. Great food prepared at a truly reasonable price. My recent visit to the Clifton location was one of the most pleasant dinning surprises of this year, an appetizer of delicious fried goat cheese followed up by the best shrimp scampi I have ever eaten! My new favorite place for Italian is DiFabio's.<br/>Did I mention the crazy good Queen Carlotta dessert?

Great Italian food. Moderate prices. My fiancé and I split the chicken parm which was delicious. And the wait staff is very friendly and cheerful too.

My husband and I visited DiFabio's for the first time tonight, our first wedding anniversary. Being Italian and from NY, I have to admit I didn't have high expectations...on many recommendations I tried Melillos before its demise and I didn't care for it all - I couldn't even eat my meal. However, I was very pleasantly surprised with our dinner. We went early and were the only ones there at first. The gentleman who greeted us was very pleasant and welcoming. Our waiter was friendly. I ordered a glass of chianti, which they were out of, but the waiter made no recommendations for another selection, so I opted for a California cab sauv which was very good. I was impressed with their wine list. We ordered the fried calimari and garlic bread to start. The garlic bread was very good, as was the calimari...although it was cut a bit thick. My husband had the special lobster ravioli with spinach in a browned butter sauce, which he saw on the board outside and I had the chicken parm. After we ordered another table had been seated and we heard their waiter telling them the specials. I wish our waiter would've done the same, the chicken special sounded delicious! Our dinners came with a salad, served family style, and breadsticks. The salad was good - love the addition of chickpeas, but barely had any lettuce. My husbands lobster ravioli was delicious - light but rich and creamy at the same time. My chicken parm. was very good, too. The chicken was fresh and crisp, not drowning in sauce. The portions were very generous and the prices are great, I wish we saved room for dessert, they looked great. DiFabio's is a cozy, friendly spot we look forward to visiting again soon.

5 star for 2 bucks. Best alfredo in town. The chefs always bring it - my meals have been amazingly consistent and very good. If you are looking for a great Italian meal for a reasonable price - here's your spot. The wine selection is exactly what I like too - affordable, interesting, and good. Their filet is pretty solid too if you have a meat craving. The service is very attentive, knowledgeable, and down to earth.

ROGER GRIFFIN, EVANSVILLE. Ryan and Sarah do a wonderful job at the old Parrellas location. We had a party of 8 after the Breeders Cup and were seated immediately. The goat cheese appetizers were fabulous. The piccata looked wonderful as was the marsala sauce. The house salad was almost entree size. I have a new favorite spot when in Louisville

Heaven in a dish.... DiFabio's Casapela, both in Madisonville, Kentucky, and Louisville, Kentucky, have the best Chicken Marsala HANDS DOWN of any restaurant on the planet! The bruschetta bread and sauce is incredible, and it is a MUST GO restaurant!!

Holy Crap. Delicious. And cheap! Did I mention that it was delicious? If you haven't eaten here and you live within a days drive, then I don't know what the heck you're waiting for.

Glad I tried it and. Enjoyed the atmoshere. Calamari was good.... Didn't think marinara was spicy.... Banana peppers were a nice touch. Salmon was good not great.... Husband didn't think it stood out. Alfredo sauce was very tasty. Didn't try dessert!

Great Meal. Wonderful Italian meal. If we can't have the legendary Ray Parella cook for us any longer this is a great replacement for him. Outstanding food in a really nice atmosphere. A unique, local restaurant.

Great Meal. Two of us went to DiFabio's Casapela last week. From the minute we walked in the door we were treated like VIPs. From the first bite of our dinner we both said wow out loud. The alfredo sauce was out of this world. The piccata was a nice mix of lemon and capers. Don't leave without trying dessert (especially he tiramisu). We've been looking for a cozy Italian restaurant since Melilo's closed and we've found it!