Cucina on 35th

First of all, don’t let the difficulty in finding this place or parking deter you from a unique gastronomical experience. The inside is charming intimate and a perfect place to gather with friends or that someone you just met. Everyone is so welcoming and helpful. The Caesar salad was crisp and tangy with just the perfect amount of dressing and cheese. My white wine was the aptly named Jay’s favorite. A crisp dry wine that paired nicely with our salad. Our pizza choice was the appropriately titled “The Kitchen Sink” minus the anchovies after a fierce arm wrestling debacle (which I won!). The crust was crisp and light with the perfect char. The toppings were fresh and flavorful. I especially loved the sausage and jalapeños. Overall a great experience and worth while.

Old school Austin If you're not careful, hidden behind a large twin liquors sign off of 35th traveling toward Lamar you will find this little red house. This unassuming Italian restaurant has been around for more than 25 years, I can't believe I haven't been there til now. Apparently it was affiliated with the brick oven but became independent a few years ago. It's near central market and Seton in a converted 50s bungalow. Think original kerby lane which is near by. A cute little bare bones restaurant with that Austin Weird flare, that made Austin special. I was in the mood for Italian and just didn't want the chain standards nor the expensive upscale stuff so gave this a chance. I saw a dish chipotle pene that caught my eye. Luckily it was a pretty slow night so was able to get serviced fairly quickly. There was one waiter and he did his best to keep everyone happy. We started with the complimentary bread. It's fresh baked in house, warm with a side of olive oil. The bread had a nice flavor with a crisp crust and soft interior. It was just a little gluey but, I rack that up to a home made bread, it was still good. Next was the main course pasta, I had it with shrimp they provided a fair portion. On my first bite I was pleasantly surprised. The pasta was just right, fresh and tender, they make it in house. Nothing better than a well made fresh pasta. The sauce had an incredible flavor, not the generic flavor you find in a lot of Italian restaurants. It wasn't overly acidic and had a nice balanced full flavor. I find many restaurants have over powering notes when using sundried tomatoes, or similar key ingredients like garlic, not here. The sauce flavors allowed for the complimentary taste to blend and work together not over powering the pallet, really nice and subtle. More of what you get at a higher end restaurant. Maybe this is part of the brick oven magic. I will certainly come back and try their other dishes. Had the cheese cake at the end. It was nice but not my favorite, it may have been just a little over done, a bit crumbly and the portion was rather small. Maybe I'm spoiled by the decadent flavors and portion size of the cheese cake factory. YMMV All in all a wonderful experience, will return to try the pizza and more.

Really loved the pizza! It has a slightly Smoky flavor and the freshest ingredients! The salads and bread are just as amazing. Limited selection of beer and wine but it was very nice for a pizza place, the candlelit tables are a nice touch as well. The service was good and the atmosphere was quite. We were there later in the evening on a Friday night so it might get noisy during the more popular dinner hour.

October 2024 A delightful little house turned restaurant. Very small dining room, no booths, but little tables, papered per guest. Very quaint. Food and price/quality ratio: Not a huge menu, but good, solid Italian food. Great place for a quiet dinner date or hang with friend. Tried the Tuscan and Bolognese pastas. Both quite good! Entrees were $15-20, big enough to take 1/2 or more home, or share on site. A pretty good value. Service: Prompt and courteous, though we were one of only two tables at the time. Potential improvements: The lighting could be better if they added dimmable indirect lighting in the corners and not overhead lights. They close relatively early, would be nice if they stayed open a bit later.

It is one of my favorite Italian spots that I’ve been to in Austin. I love that it’s a small and cozy location and that they have gluten free pasta options! Definitely will be visiting again.

Entered In around 4pm on a Tuesday and to our surprise we were the only ones there the whole time! Food was delicious! Only complaint is the prices are a little high but you do get bigger portions and the ingredients taste so fresh!

We dined at Botticelli's the week before it closed from covid and were sad when we lost our favorite romantic Italian spot. Today we found a new one! The ambiance at Cucina on 35th is is cozy and warm with a few tables in small rooms, hard wood flooring, and a charming outdoor patio. Our server, Vive, was off the charts friendly and attentive and made us feel like we were dining at a friend's house. The menu features a brief collection of appetizers, pizzas, pastas, calzones, and dessert. We had the Hawaiian pizza ($11) as an appetizer. The toppings were abundant and the brick oven effect always delivers the perfect crust. My wife had a Spaghetti Bolognese ($13.50) with Penne and I enjoyed the Tuscan Spaghetti ($12.50) that features cream, sundried tomatoes, basil, and mushrooms. I added chicken for $3. Each entrée came with soup or salad and bread for the table which led to quite the feast that we couldn't finish. The owner, Jay, features a weekly house red for $24 that has to be mentioned because our total bill was $66 which is exceptional for the very tasteful date night experience. We will be back often.

Cozy and casual Italian spot. So delicious. We got the eggplant parmesan, sauce was so good, eggplant perfectly breaded and sliced. Husband and 8 year old shared the Parma pizza and they loved it. It had a very nice savory and slightly salty flavor. Crispy crust and not too heavy. The tiramisu was light, delicate and flavorful. Service was phenomenal, Sarah was so sweet. It was not busy when we went (Saturday at 5 pm). Parking could be difficult if it's busy. Menu had a variety of vegetarian and vegan options!

I wish I had better things to say about this restaurant besides the staff being kind but I don't. The ambiance is a little messy on the inside (maybe they're doing renovations?) but besides that it's a very nice space for a restaurant and the patio is a beautiful and full of lush plants. I was hopeful about this place and took my family here to celebrate a birthday. The only items that were worth ordering were the Cucina salad and bread. The gluten free substitutes for pizza and pasta tasted bland and were not cooked very well. The meatballs were also decent and the regular pasta wasn't anything special. I really wanted to give this place a better review but I was thoroughly disappointed. I do appreciate the waitstaff being accommodating during our visit regardless. I hope that improvements are able to be made. This restaurant has a lot of potential.

3.75 My family and I decided to eat at Cucina on 35th for an Italian dinner. When we drove up we had to drive on the side of the restaurant to park in the back of the building. The parking lot was small but we were able to find parking. We walked around the building to enter the front door. As we walked in the hostess/waitress asked us how she could help us. When we told we came in to eat she spoke with us and told us that we would have a brief wait. We waited for about 5 minutes and then she led us to our table. The restaurant is small and intimate inside. There are several tables but not a lot. Our hostess /waitress apologized for the wait and after seating us and then gave us the menus. She brought us some water and gave us a little time to decide. After a few minutes she came back around with some House made Bread and took our order. We ordered some Garlic Bread as a starter. I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken for my dinner. It came with a salad. I ordered a Garden Salad with Italian vinaigrette. We also decided to try the Almond Chocolate Torte for dessert. The House made Bread was good. It was warm and a little heavy. The Garlic Bread was light and full of the garlic flavor. The salad was fresh. The Fettuccine Alfredo with chicken was flavorful. I could taste the cheese flavor in the pasta and both the pasta and chicken were tender. My only complaint about this dish is that when it was brought out I checked the noodles and the exterior noodles were a little bit cooler than the interior noodles. When I mixed it all up it seemed to warm up all of the noodles. The Almond Chocolate Torte was delicious. It was sweet but not overly sweet and it was the perfect finish to our meal. This place is just an okay place for Italian food but the service was phenomenal.

It's a nice spot for good Italian cuisine. The pastas are creamy and rich, the pizza has a wonderful crust, and the tiramisu is a perfect tang. The pesto pasta was slightly heavy, but by that means it was quite filling. The spinach artichoke dip was rich and a bit gluttonous considering the amount of food ordered. The star was the tiramisu (unfortunately not pictured - got a bit too excited)! Service is sweet and the ambience is perfect for a date spot. Cheers!

Good thin crust pizza and salads, great desserts. For 3 people, we ordered two 14" pies (pepperoni and mushroom, margherita), a large Caesar salad, two orders of cheese cake and an order of tiramisu. Using Grubhub, food was delivered in about 30 minutes. The two pizzas were very good. The crust was thin and chewy. Lots of toppings, especially basil on the margherita. Most places don't put on enough basil for our taste. This place does! The Caesar was a good, generic salad. More than enough for 3 people with some left over. The stars of the meal were the desserts. My wife and I like plain old NY style cheesecake. No toppings, no flavors. Cucina on 38th does it right. The tiramisu was excellent and a very large portion that we all sampled. Total order including delivery and tip was about $100. We had lots of leftover pizza and some salad so well worth it. We'll be ordering here again.

We had 8 at our table for lunch. Everyone enjoyed their food. Generous portions for all. The meatballs of the appetizer menu, salad and bread enough food to take 2 meatballs home. The lasagne was flavorful, generous portions for 2 meals, good, fresh bread out of the oven with olive oil. This restaurant used to be a different restaurant, same owner, same good tasting food. And our waiter was very patient with us. Go to this old Austin restaurant before the newcomers and investors gobble it up!

This is going to be a weird and hopefully good restaurant story. It's a hectic Tuesday, my wife and I had one of those endless meeting days so instead of cooking at home we said "hey, let's go out". We have been wanting to try Cucina on 35th for a while so tonite felt perfect, off we go. We arrived, got to our table, got a nice glass of wine, and ordered the manicotti and spaghetti. Before the meal arrived our waiter comes into the dining room and quietly asked if anyone is driving a "car name", we said yes, that's us. He said welp, someone hit your car while it was parked and you probably need to have a look. Of course we did! Turns out it involved a city bus and another private vehicle that somehow found our car parked in a space near the street. So weird. No worries all are healthy, no injuries just a whole lotta questions. Of all the dumb luck an amazing couple had a dash cam and magically captured the whole thing. But that's not why I'm writing this review, nope not at all. Im writing this review because of the waiter, the owner, the most wonderful couple at the table next to us, and the dash cam couple. First the waiter; he came in and quietly asked who might be the vehicles owner without interrupting other diners, super classy. The owner checked in on us and the others and together they packed our dinner to go and did all they could to make our experience so incredibly wonderful despite the circumstances. Coming out to the parking lot, checking on all the parties, making sure all we're ok and being super helpful where they could. The couple near our table overheard the fracas and bought our dinner. Holy hell that was awesome. So, we paid it forward to the dash cam couple. Humanity, that is the non-car crashing humanity, for the win! So finally, the food. Wow! Please make Cucina on 35th your place. We have.

This place was a little difficult to find as well as to park at, for sure. Stepping inside, it definitely felt like I was eating in someone's house that had been re-done to look kind of like a restaurant, which was kind of cool. Service was quick and friendly. Food: We started with the Spinach and Artichoke heart dip, which was pretty decent but nothing exceedingly special. It seemed a little thin for a Spinach and Artichoke dip and the quantity was deceptively small. I got the Eggplant Parmesan with Pasta as my main and it was also okay. The eggplant parm itself was cooked well but not seasoned enough, but the pasta and sauce were quite good. Overall, not entirely sure if I would come back, but it was worth a try!

Nice stop off for the area. Food takes a bit to come out. Service was nice and friendly, helping with any questions we had, checked in often with water refills as needed. One compatriot had mentioned she was one of the nicest people he'd ever met. I had ordered the baked eggplant parmesan, and bread and olive oil were set out to begin with. There wasn't a wow, but it was well made. I like that it was thinly sliced and breaded since it kept the crunch throughout. The sauce had good flavor though I wanted a little more and for it to be more robust. Good amount of parmesan though to boot. Well, balanced and good for a spell. We had a decently long lunch break so thankfully it didn't pose an issue.

Great neighborhood Italian restaurant. Excellent service, charming ambiance, delicious all time favorites, outstanding lasagna & pizza!

We always have a great meal at Cucina on 35th and have never been disappointed. The salads are fresh, the tomato basil soup and sandwiches are always delicious and their lasagne is outstanding. It's a small and intimate place on 35th, with parking in the rear.

If i could give 10 stars i would. I've posted a review recently about how heartbreaking the negative reviews are because i know how amazing the food and staff here are! Please try for yourself before judging off the reviews! The atmosphere, food, staff are all delightful! Go to my previous review for my food recommendations!

I catered a business event and this was a huge hit! My clients loved the spinach dip, pizza rolls, meatball apps, the salad, lasagnas and pizzas! I highly recommend this restaurant as a date night, basic lunch or a catering event. Jay the owner is so easy to work with, he still gets in the kitchen to cook with his chefs! I will always be a fan of the best pizza place in Austin

Five paws up and a woof! What a delightful, homey spot to enjoy delicious Italian cuisine and live music! We visited again last night and were graciously entertained by Nick Austin, and assisted by our most excellent server, Padon. Not only is this spot dog friendly (they've added many tables to their outdoor patio), but the food is fabulous! Great happy hour choices too. If you are lucky enough to ask the owner about some of their wines you are really in for a treat! Miss Sophia tried a little karaoke on the stage before the performer arrived... such a fun evening!

I have been a customer for a long time, and always was pleased with service and quality of the food. Tonight I ordered a pizza for pickup that was a real disappointment. I requested thin , crispy crust, which they say is their specialty. Crust was thicker than usual and definitely NOT crispy. I called the manager who was on duty on the date of my order--April 28, 6-7 PM. She disputed my description of the pizza, and basically wished me well when I said maybe I should start ordering Italian food elsewhere. So BAD SERVICE seems to be the new norm. Really sad to have to say it.

Unfortunately there wasn't a whole lot positive here. The place is a bit dirty and the decor is terrible but the main issues where the flies, the server wearing flip flops, the precooked chicken that was microwaved, the rancid oil that came with the bread and the state of the kitchen that we peeked into on the way out back.

This is THE WORST Italian food I have ever had. The fettuccine Alfredo smelled like diesel gasoline and the spagattei and meatballs had liquid broth in the bottom of the bowl. Per previous reviews of lizards found in the food this was not true, only a fly. Also, you have to clean your own plates upon arrival as they are sometimes dirty.

Had really good food! And an extremely nice server. My son accidently knocked over my wine and they refilled it for free! The inside was amazing with cool paintings and tables you could draw on and my family had so much fun! Would rate 10/10 would recommend.

Nice and quaint spot for some solid Italian food. Usually stop by for the lasagna although recently the lunch crew has been going with the daily special to try out different dishes. We have found nothing but great food including some oven-baked goodness.

I wish their Pizza was good, because it sure is convenient! I remember much better food when Brick Oven was in the location. The only positive is that the order was ready quickly. Watch your online order as well, they will sneak in a tip that you don't notice!!

This place is really just fine. I was hoping for some home style grandmas Italian cooking. I was mistaken. The staff was great but the food was really bland. The best thing I had was the crispy eggplant for their (too lightly parmed) eggplant Parmesan. I wish I had more of that and less of everything else I ordered. For me it's all about the meatballs. If I don't like your meatballs I probably won't come back. They were small, I think an order came with 6? And they were dry and dense. They come in a sauce that had no flavor. The pizza is fine. I'm hoping I just came on a bad day.

I wanted to love this place! We noticed the bread plates looked a bit dirty upon arrival but didn't think much of it. After getting our food (pretty good) the waiter refilled my water glass and poured a COCKROACH into my cup out of his pitcher. The weirdest part is the waiter pretended as if it never happened. He took the glass and left but never brought it up again. I hate to leave a bad review but this was unacceptable.

Consistently Amazing food, excellent service and this is my family's favorite restaurant for last 10 years:-)

9 of us went to celebrate the birthday of one of our friends last night. Never in my life have I seen a waitress be so rude. Everyone at our table has worked in the service industry and owned restaurants. We ordered wine....20 minutes later when we still have none we ask about it and the waitress scolded everyone. "I am the only server. I have to do everything. Wait tables, bus, cook". Which was not true. We could see all the workers in the kitchen. We were going to get up and leave but at that moment the finally bring our appetizer and our little 5 year olds pizza, so we stayed. Our appetizer was good. The rest of our food was mediocre at best. None of us will ever be back. Getting scolded every time we politely asked the waitress about our food or drinks was not a good time for us. I am really blown away by how rude the whole night was. The restaurant was really dirty too

I was next door at the floral shop when I decided to try Cucina. It was around 6p and the restaurant was pretty quiet. The Hostess was also our Server, her name was Vivica, she was amazing. She recommended items off of the menu and took great care of us. We order the Spinach Dip, Classic Lasagna, and The Kitchen Sink Pizza EVERYTHING was amazing. The restaurant is cozy and almost feels like you're in Old Italy. Whether its for Pizza night or you're craving some authentic Italian, I don't think you'll be disappointed with Cucina On 35th.

Not sure what I received - barely cooked dough? Nothing memorable about this. Completely uneven cooking. Hard Pass. It might have been decent if it was left in the oven longer.... Moving on..

The restaurant is quite small but we went on a week night so had no trouble getting a seat. The host was extremely welcoming and attentive. The Basil Pesto Fettuccine was very good, an excellent comfort food and large portion! It comes with bread- make sure you ask for some oil to dip it in. Price was great as well. Seems like when the weather gets warmer they host a lot of events like Open Mic Night, will definitely come back and check it out.

Discovered this little gem in the medical district of Austin, TX. It's amazing! Everything here is delicious and the staff is super friendly with a great Austin vibe! The lasagna reminds me of good quality Garfield lasagna...

I loved the mom and pops feel of the building. Viv was our waitress and she was great. Check on us the perfect amount, and had great suggestions. Food was great, the music was cool, it was a perfect Sunday morning.

Food was ok at best I called because ordered from favor delivery store charged me 8% additional on all food items and then by the time favor got food to me it was ice cold. Maybe that was drivers fault. That does not explain low quality of food and additional premium charge on food and i spoke to store explained that food was just not good and serving size of manicotti was just not worth the price plus added cost. He said we are in COVID times and they are a small mom and pop business but at this price it's just not good. Please avoid I would have been happier with dominos

Revised for the third time: See picture. I received a response to my review that I vandalized a restaurant, ripped off decorations. verbally abused a waitstaff member, and that I was aggressive. All absurd claims and straight up NOT true. I would be delighted to see the footage of any human being acting like that, especially in front of a child. I am floored by the lack of professionalism, lies, unnecessary drama caused by your employee and you. Now, if your employee decided to trash the establishment after I left in fear of losing her job, I wouldn't be surprised. The managements response to my review is so outlandish that I am in complete shock. Perhaps your employee is racist and that's why she was rude and unprofessional as soon as I sent my greasy pasta back. No mother would act like this. This review and documented lies by your management will be posted on Facebook. If any logical person would look at my other Yelp reviews, they would see this is my first and only negative review of a business. I do not enjoy the accusations and threats and if need be, I will report this to the BBB. Updated Review: After 15 minutes of nonsense. Criminals. Vivica just threatened to call the cops on me while I'm dining with my daughter. I have never been so disrespected in a restaurant. I said I would gladly pay the bill once the corrections were made from the errors. I expect to be contacted by the owner and will be requesting a full refund. I couldn't even finish my meal there because the service was so terrible. It's an empty restaurant for a reason. Worst service ever. Rude waitstaff. As a former employee of BO (22 years ago) I feel confident that I am very familiar with the menu. I have probably had the chipotle chicken pasta at least 30 times. I was just told that they have their own recipe and that they are not associated with the other BO's. I understand that this is the one location that has different owners, I get it. I've been to this location multiple times. The sauce was broken and full of grease. I sent it back and showed her a picture from Yelp and she walked off. A picture from the 35th location. Terrible. 12/9/19. It's funny that the ranch, garlic bread, marinara....still taste the same after this many years. Color me surprise. I'm not an idiot but thanks for trying to make me feel like one. So bad, I didn't even want to finish my meal at the restaurant. To go boxes it is!!! -2 Stars. Disappointing. Total waste of money. Improve your service. Get new servers and a new chef.

Rude waitress. She actually rolled her eyes when I asked for a glass of ice. I've never seen that before. (P.S. Never got that glass of ice) Food was good.

We were charged large-party gratuity for 2 adults and 2 children under 8 years old. They did not mention it, just added it. Perhaps understaffed and unhappy about it...I am not sure what the issue is but the customer service was terrible. After any visit to the table, the waitress hurried away before we could say another word. When addressing the gratuity at the counter, I was treated in such a derogatory way. I couldn't believe it.

My gluten-free dinner companion recommended this place to me and it did not disappoint. I had an excellent glass of house Cabernet and Parma pizza. Felt well cared for and did not feel rushed.

Came here after visit from Mt. Bonnell around 8:45 and it took them good 45 mins to serve. There was only one server and one cook so can't really blame here. The server took 15 mins to get glass of wine‍which then she compensated by not charging for it. Food was great though; we ordered chipotle pasta , veg pizza and some fresh bakes bread slices. Food: 8/10 Service: 6/10 Ambiance: 6/10 Overall: 7/10

Got takeout during a bout with sickness. Lasagna and Caesar salad was so-so but the margarita pizza with extra garlic was awesome! Would totally order that pizza again.

The website says they've been open since 1996 but the place has the soul of a place that's been around much longer. The building certainly has, which feels like a converted house with its small dining rooms spread around in a nicely rambling arrangement. The food is classic American-Italian that seems to fall somewhere pleasantly between old-school and contemporary - in that sense the 1996 date feels about right. The overall vibe is homey and "Austin-hip-before-hipsters-came-along," if that makes sense. The food is solid and offers great bang for the buck, especially given its central Austin location. The complimentary bread is outstanding and the rotating house wines have never disappointed me. The service can be on the casual side but it's always been pleasant on my lunch and dinner visits. Parking looks intimidating but there's a shared lot on Jefferson Street with a walkway to the back door, so no sweat there. This place is a little gem that deserves more love than it gets in Austin's "newest thing" restaurant culture. Go. Eat. Mangia!

Food was amazing. I love pesto and this was one of the best pesto dishes I've ever had.

Came in with 8 of my best friends on a Monday evening, thinking it'd be quiet. We lucked into the big table, but the place was crowded, mostly families. With only one waitress, service was a little slow, but the waitresses' attitude and keeping us updated was much appreciated. Of 9 meals, 7 we're reported as excellent, two folks thought the sauce needed more spice. Dinner salads and pizzas got the most good comments. We'll be back, but be sure to reserve a large table.

Amazing. Not traditional Italian but was delish. Oven baked parm, homemade dressing and bread!

Never go here. We pulled up and walked in at 9:00 pm the open sign was on and the hours of operations was until 10:00. The young girl up front when we walked in said we close in a few minutes but we can sit ya. The cook then piped in and said we close the kitchen y'all go elsewhere.

Italian for people who don't eat red meat! \/ So happy I tried this place. Yelp finally delivered on my search for "chicken lasagna". The lasagna was fine, but I intend to go back for another serving of the spinach ravioli. The garlic bread bread was yo thick for me, but all the food was tasty. I'll forego the side bread and maybe try the spinach lasagna next time. The biggest surprise was the not Texas portions. Both the lasagna and ravioli were fit for a single person. Tip: Transfer the dishes out of the thin carryout containers ASAP or the (delicious and light) marinara sauce and condensation may result in some paper sticking to your pasta. (^^ ;)

I love their tomato bisque soup! It's a small place, but really cozy. The waitress was super nice too!

Visited Cucina for the first time this week and it was pretty good. I looked at the photos on Yelp ahead of time and noticed a ton of people liked the Pesto Fettuccini, so I decided to give that a go and y'all didn't lead me astray. Really good pasta, but very rich. I had to take quite a bit home because a little goes a long way in the flavor department haha. The Caesar salad was nothing special and the lettuce had too much water on it--but at least they washed it, I suppose haha. I'd return again for sure.

I ordered meat lasagna this sunday afternoon. we were the only customers. I couldn't find any meat in the lasagna. i asked the waitress if perhaps they accidently prepared vegetarian. she pointed out 2 tiny pieces of something she said was meat in the sauce. i would not have paid for it, except i didn't want to embarrass my wife. very disappointing food.

32/100 Yelp 2017 Review Challenge For the price, portions, and people who work at Brick Oven - it deserves 5 stars. It wasn't the best service in regards to the timing of when all of our party's dishes came out or getting our orders right - but the waiter was incredibly kind and sweet. He was the only waiter I saw working so I give him props for keeping such a friendly attitude and creating such a hospitable ambiance. But unfortunately, the food is a meh...3 stars. The lunch special portions are extremely generous. But overall, the food was a bit lacking. My friends and I were reaaally craving pasta and unfortunately the pasta wasn't anything too spectacular. I ordered the Pesto Fettuccini. The was a little too dry and under seasoned. The Caesar salad that came before it was actually super good though. But I was disappointed to be more impressed by the salad than the pasta given my intense craving for it...

This place is a hidden gem. The food was fantastic and the service was amazing. Can't wait to make our way down the menu here! We had meatballs, bolognese, Cesar salad and kids cheese pizza...all were great!

This restaurant is everything I want a neighborhood Italian joint to be. It has that elusive legitimate down home feeling, so much so that you could forget it's a restaurant and instead someone's grandma's house. The charm includes a large lump in the ancient wooden floors (if not a safety risk). And it has an amazing smokey oven smell. Works from local artists are hanging on the wall. The authenticity is impressive! The house red wine and lasagna were great. The waiter also provided fresh bread with olive oil, although it would have been nice to add vinegar to the mix. The first time we were there, the waiter did not check on us for a very long time and I was unable to refill my wine. With that said, an apology did follow and that experience was not repeated the next time around.

We ordered the margherita pizza and it was pretty good! I usually like the tomatoes really thinly sliced and these were a little on the thicker side, but it still tasted great. They are wood-fired pizza which gives it a really great flavor. The place is pretty small from the front and easy to miss, but we were still able to get a parking spot in front for pick up.

I was right there in the hood visiting to shops behind Cucina. I stopped in and told the guy I hadn't been there before and was hungry and wanted to grab something. He sat me at a table and I browsed the menu. I usually will make some judgement about an Italian restaurant on the quality of their Caesar salad. It did not disappoint. Very good. You could taste the anchovies! I ordered a small custom pizza. When he brought it out he said we are giving you the large since it is your first time. Same price as the individual pizza. Ok wow. Let me go on record for sure and say that pizza was excellent. crust was perfect. thin and crispy. toppings seems quality and fresh. I took what I could not eat home and shared with wife. She loved it. Service was attentive. It was a terrific experience at the last minute for me. I will be taking my wife there next time we are near there.