Café Cortina was founded in 1976 on the site of a former apple orchard in Farmington Hills, opened by the Tonon family under the self-described banner of metro Detroit's "best kept secret." That original identity has stuck even as the restaurant expanded well beyond a single dining room.
The kitchen makes its pasta and sauces in-house, and that work now extends to an online marketplace selling jarred sauces, fresh pasta, and branded merchandise for cooking at home. Alongside the restaurant, Café Cortina runs a dedicated event side of the business — weddings, private parties, and off-site catering — with a team built around hosting large-scale gatherings as much as nightly dinner service.
Regulars describe it as a special-occasion destination, pointing to its consistency, service, and dining room atmosphere as reasons it keeps drawing both first-timers and longtime clients back.
The kitchen makes its pasta and sauces in-house, and that work now extends to an online marketplace selling jarred sauces, fresh pasta, and branded merchandise for cooking at home. Alongside the restaurant, Café Cortina runs a dedicated event side of the business — weddings, private parties, and off-site catering — with a team built around hosting large-scale gatherings as much as nightly dinner service.
Regulars describe it as a special-occasion destination, pointing to its consistency, service, and dining room atmosphere as reasons it keeps drawing both first-timers and longtime clients back.