Snapchat is where it's at now. Snapchat 'bloggers' post about what they're wearing, where they're going, and what they're eating. Pretty much every 'blogger' has posted something about Italian Barista Cafe, and I liked what I saw. Fast forward to about 2 months later, I go out for dinner with some relatives, and we end up here. You enter the café through a pair of wild-west inspired doors, I'm talking cowboy-movie-saloon doors, which I thought was kind of out of place. Then, you're greeted by a waiter, behind a glass door. Yes, that's two doors. Only because in Oman's heat, those saloon doors are not going to cut it.

 We go to sit down, and we basically had to move the table to sit on either side of the booth. Probably a result of the table being a bit too big. Italian Barista Café offers the usual Italian dishes; pizza, pasta, paninis, and weirdly enough, dynamite fries and burgers? I'm pretty sure dynamite fries aren't Italian, but I guess that's just them trying to be 'down with the kids'. Trust me, we've got a burger and fries epidemic in Oman (I'm not complaining!). They've got lots of pizzas and pastas, but I was a bit disappointed to see that they didn't offer ravioli, gnocchi, arancini, and a lot of other Italian dishes. Being clearly named 'Italian Barista Café' I kind of, sort of, almost, expected that they have more...Italian food?

Anyways, we got the dynamite fries and shrimp (#sorrynotsorry), Alfredo pasta, and Margarita pizza. Oh, and I ordered a strawberry mojito. Pretty basic, I know, but there isn't that much of a choice. While we waited for the food to come, which didn't take that long, I looked around the café. I expected the place to look kind of modern and Italian. Yeah, there were a few 'Italian' things, like pictures of the Mona Lisa and the leaning tower of Pisa. That's it. There was also 'wild-west' inspired decor, and fishing nets on the ceiling which gave me a beachy, sailor vibe. In my opinion, it was a bit all over the place. But hey, we're here for the food, right? The lighting, I LOVED. It was dim, warm, and relaxing. Combined with pop music playing and chatter, the atmosphere was casual.

Now, for the moment we've all been waiting for...the food. I couldn't see the fries underneath all the sauce, but it was pretty good. It was your standard dynamite fries. Then came the dynamite shrimp, which was also pretty standard, but you can't go wrong with some creamy shrimp. Both of these dishes would be considered a bit spicy, so for all you children (sorry) out there, watch out. The Margarita pizza's crust was thin and slightly burnt. Perfect. However, the whole pizza itself was nothing special. I didn't find myself craving it after a few days, which happens often after having good pizza. The Alfredo pasta was honestly...O.K. I personally felt it was lacking in flavour, although I did like the grilled chicken it was garnished with. The strawberry mojito was also good.

I actually liked the way the food was presented, the shrimp was served on a little tray, in three cups. The fries came in a little pot with a lid to keep it warm. The pizza and pasta were presented normally, but the mojito looked cool. It came in a tall glass with a lemon and a little tropical umbrella, which I thought was cute.

Overall, I expected a lot more Italian dishes, and the food was generally satisfactory. Decor was all over the place, but the atmosphere was overall casual and relaxed. Would I recommend Italian Barista Café? Not really. This is based on the food that I have listed in this review. Who knows? Maybe their other stuff is way better. Would I come here again? Maybe to try more of their stuff.

Our ratings:

Ambience: 6/10
Hygiene: 8/10
Customer service: 8/10
Food!: 6/10

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All photos in this post are taken by us.

-Love, L