Cafe Borgia

We were really let down by our experience at this restaurant. My fiancé and I went to Café Borgia for the first time on 7/12/25 because it came highly reviewed by many of his legal associates in the area. The minute we sat down we were greeted by the busboys who were all very sweet and kind. Once we sat at our table, our waitress Jackie B came to us and we told her how excited we were to eat at Cafe Borgia as it was our first time here. She told us “we hope we will live up to the reputation and provide you two an amazing experience tonight.” As someone with Celiac disease / a severe gluten allergy who has been gluten-free for over a decade, I’m usually very cautious and ask questions to ensure a safe dining experience. Unfortunately, this was not the place for that. When I informed our server Jackie B about my gluten allergy, I was told dismissively there wasn’t much I could eat—just a salad and a grilled chicken breast. I tried to ask if any substitutions or accommodations could be made to any other menu item, and its ingredients or cooking method, so that I could potentially order another option alongside my salad (for example the scallops appetizer which btw has no description of any gluten being on the dish, yet the waitress insisted the scallops are very lightly dipped in flour, and I likely wouldn’t even notice it if I ordered the scallops). Even after telling Jackie multiple times about my severe Celiac condition, she continued to persuade me to order options with wheat ingredients which if I had consumed would have required me to leave immediately from severe sickness. Even after I informed Jackie B I would be fine with the Chicken Vesuvio, she grew impatient and slammed her order book shut and abruptly walked away and told us “I’ll let you guys figure it out and I’ll be back.” My fiancé asked Jackie for a recommendation from the pasta section on the menu. Instead of gently responding that she is not a fan of pasta, but the following dishes “….” , are our crowd favorites, she rudely responded stating “I wouldn’t order any pasta here”, “I hate pasta, ” and the only thing I would order is the “pan seared salmon.” Well perhaps the seafood options are delicious, but we are the ones eating, not Jackie, and perhaps we should have requested the manager so that we could have obtained simple answers in a friendly and professional manner. It is mind boggling a waitress would continue to insult us over and over again, with such arrogant and distasteful comments. Overall It felt dismissive and unprofessional, especially since the restaurant wasn’t even that busy when we arrived around 8 PM. There wasn’t even six or seven tables occupied, and in fact, most of the staff was standing around talking because the restaurant was nearing its closing time at 9:00 PM. The worst of it all was right after we ordered our food, my fiancé attempted to tell Jackie to please instruct the chef to be careful for any cross contamination because of a prior bad experience at different restaurant, and before he could even get out 5 seconds of talking Jackie rudely put her hand up and told him “Sorry I can’t talk right now I’m too busy” and then abruptly turned and walked away without saying anything else. That was perhaps the most offensive and distasteful treatment we have ever had by any waitress for as long as we could remember, and we have ate at hundreds of restaurants across the Midwest in the last few years alone. Our bill came out to $190 with tip, and we left feeling dissatisfied by the service and very let down by the experience. Looking back, we probably should have just paid for our drinks and left. If you have any dietary restrictions—especially gluten-related—this might not be the best spot for you.

Absolutely wonderful! A Saturday night, a party of 8, and they got us right in. Food was outstanding, and they were very helpful with my gluten-free father. The best Italian restaurant in NWI hands down!!!!