Tarasque Cucina

The best place we ate on our trip in 1200 miles. 9/5 stars. Incredibly great food, priced right, fantastic staff and service, no notes, except for clarion notes of exaltation from up on high. August was great to talk to and deserves all the kudos. (Nat 20 all the way!)

Food is phenomenal. Service was welcoming and made us feel right at home. The food is so fresh and flavorful. Absolutely will be back frequently.

Today was our first visit. Food quality was excellent! Well seasoned and large portions! But, for the price, would have expected table service vs counter ordering. Atmosphere is nothing special. The Spaghetti and Rigatoni were delicious! The Tiramisu was tasty but not traditional. It had the texture of banana pudding and it is made with vanilla wafers vs lady fingers. We will definitely visit again.

Me and my partner went here to help support people affected by this administration. Reviews looked good and promising. We arrive to plates of pasta that taste like canned sauce and bland, with bread that is tasteless like salt wasn't added to the dough. As a person from out of town I was excited to see a decent Italian restaurant, and Italian myself this was just really disappointing. Small plates menu was extensive, but really only focused on vegetarian options, no standard Italian small plates like cured meats or bruschetta. The pasta options were minimal and if you want something cheaper, the add ons make it too expensive. Portion was fine but not worth eating if there is no flavor in the dish. My partner got the spaghetti and I got the puttanesca. My dish tasted like straight canned tomatoes, even with the loads of capers and red olives in the dish. Very disappointed, left with full takeout containers to probably not even eat cause it's not memorable. It feels like this restaurant was created haphazardly and as a second thought. Could have potential but missing some much

I live in Virginia and the bolognese this restaurant crafts haunts me in the best of ways. Every year, I make the pilgrimage down to the restaurant and am greeted like long lost family. The staff cares so much about their people, their customers, and their food. And it shows. I recommend the pit stop to anyone passing through the area and am envious of those locally who have such a place in their neighborhood that they can visit regularly to get their fix of great Italian food and a warm welcome akin to home.

One of my favorites in Oxford. Perfect blend of casual but with a fine dining quality Italian. You order up front, seat yourself inside or outside under bistro lighting. My personal favorite is the butter bean hummus! Located directly behind Kiame’s package store, you can conveniently brown bag your favorite wine to go along with your favorite pasta!

Tarasque provided the food for 31+ folks for our choir's Christmas gathering, and it was just terrific - 2 fabulous pastas (the rigatoni, and shrimp linguine changed to chicken linguine, and the great caesar salad. Not a crumb was left, and every person commented on how delicious the dinner was! We picked the food up on Sunday to serve on Tuesday, and it kept and re-heated beautifully. Tarasque is also our favorite place to go for dinner - not only the excellent pastas but also special dishes that vary each week according to what's seasonal and fresh. And how great is it to be able to bring your favorite bottle of wine in to a cool spot with the friendliest staff! Oxford's lucky to have Tarasque in our community and we appreciate it so much!

So good! Everything was fresh and homemade. We had butter bean hummus as a starter. highly recommend! (ask for extra bread). The fried mozzarella basilico was a tasty spin on an old classic. My fave dish was the amberjack with veggies in a tomato broth. The fish was crispy on the outside and cooked perfectly on the inside in a gumbo-like broth with squash and okra. It’s a brown-bag restaurant so stop off at High Cotton Wine & Spirits Warehouse for something to pair with your meal. Also ordering is done at the front door before you go to your table so there’s a bit of a bottleneck just inside the door. Study the menu and have an idea of what you want when you arrive. I know it’s weird to tip prior to the meal, but we had immaculate service. Everyone here is YOUR server and takes care of you. I’m already planning my next meal here!

This is a small but mighty Italian restaurant in Oxford. Hidden back behind the liquor store (super convenient since the restaurant is BYOB) the seating is mostly outdoors. The patio area is quaint, decorated with string lights. It's always seemed peaceful whenever we have been eating here despite being right off of Jackson Ave. They don't have a huge menu but the quality of the dishes is great. The owners are very friendly. I've never had a bad time dining here it's one of my favorite places for a date night or catch up with friends.

This is a hidden gem in the back of the strip center. Friendly service, great recommendation. They are quick with great customer service. Order at counter but they service table. The food was absolutely fabulous. We got the butter, bean hummus with bread but had to add a side of the amazing bread, so yummy! We also got the kale salad it included beets so pretty and tasty! The Pappadella Bolognese was so delicious, along with the giant meatball, tge sausage penne pasta was so good with a little kick. Cute place, inside and outside dining! Its BYOB but there a liquor store in front you can buy your bottle of wine of choice! Love the food!

I love the food. Bolognese is my favorite with a giant meatball. No place better to get takeout.

Absolutely delicious Italian cuisine! It's worth the wait for a table. The staff and owners are incredibly friendly and welcoming. It's our favorite spot in Oxford!

This is one of my wife and I's absolute favorite places in Oxford. It has a wonderful atmosphere and a polite staff, while also having amazing food. One our favorite things about it is that you can dress it up or down depending on what you want. It doesn't have a set dress code or vibe in that way, so you can make it a date night or a casual last minute dinner.

Best hummus made with butter beans, incredible bread covered in parm, delicious Caesar salad, linguine so delicious. One of the best meals out I've ever had. Wait staff is kind and treats you like family. It's pretty loud inside the restaurant, but you won't want to talk because your mouth is stuffed with best ever goodness.

As always, while on vacation, I prefer to find and support independent, privately owned gems that may be off the beaten path. Tarasque Cucina is right off the Ole Miss campus, tucked away in a shopping mall, but it feels a world away. The menu changes constantly (per their FB and Instagram posts), using fresh, in season ingredients. While the rest of Oxford is serving VERY similar fare, Tarasque is in its own league. On this particular evening, I enjoyed butterbean hummus, a Caesar salad, and the chef's-special, fried green tomato parmesan. Delicious! Where has fried green tomato parm been all my life? How was no one else thought of this? The gods have spoken! The interior is simple and non-assuming, but the outside patio is where it's really at! Again, despite being tucked away at the back of a mall, it doesn't feel it. There are also two patios to the front, but i enjoyed the one to the side of the restaurant (the string lights drew me in!). The service was amazing... I think the team each takes care of every table, because I had multiple people look after me and wanted for nothing! ProTips: -This place is BYOB, and there's a liquor store right in front of it (convenience for the win!). -Order at the counter, then be seated for your meal to be delivered to you. -Reservations aren't available but there wasn't a wait early on a Thursday afternoon. -The food is plentiful but "doggy bags" are available -Take a tiramisu with you for the following morning's coffee. You'll thank me later!

Great food and great service. Well worth the experience. Should make time for it. Italian food at its best.

This is real Italian pasta! Reminded me of the pasta dishes I had in Rome. Aka, don't expect a ton of salt and fat like American Italian food. Expect balanced, fresh, delicate flavors. 100% recommend the mussels and the monster meatball with the bolognese. The linguine was delicious as well. The owner was incredibly nice and interactive with everyone! I appreciate that a lot in a local business. The rest of the staff were kind and helpful as well. The only reason I am not giving 5 stars is because they serve their garlic bread cold/room temp. I am a firm believer that all bread is meant to be eaten warm at the bare minimum, to bring out the flavors and to fortify the texture of the bread. We used the bread to mop up the white wine sauce from the mussels because we felt bad sending it back / they weren't able to warm it for us. It was fine but I'd pass on it unless you like cold bread.

Tarasque is a great place to try out and then go back over and over again. They serve a rotating menu that changes every so often (every week?) so make sure to check out their Instagram to keep up to date with their freshest dishes. Of course they also serve some staple dishes, certain salads and pastas. While we were there we ordered the Gnudi with pearl onions and criminology mushrooms in basil cream sauce, Amberjack over herbed white beans and spinach in cream, zaatar spiced cucumber and basil salad, and a rigatoni with homemade sausage, onions, bell peppers, and pecorino. Let me tell you, there are some mighty fine chefs in Tarasque who know how to build great flavor with the local ingredients they're working with. Everything is cooked very well so you get to experience good flavor, texture, and aroma. The whole team is hard at work at Tarasque, as the servers and cashiers are also great at their job. They are very accommodating and make sure that everything's alright. You order at the front, and the cashiers there are well prepared to get you in the restaurant and get your bellies full.

I'm extremely picky. This place is amazing. First of all, walk in and expect to be greeted with lots of smiles and happy faces. I truly appreciate good customer service and these folks excel at this. I'm guessing we have done take out or eaten in here 10-12 times. Their pastas are excellent. Big serving sizes. My husband thinks their chicken Parmesan is excellent. Went this weekend to eat in and got the butter bean hummus. I'm hooked. It was excellent. We went back tonight and got it for take out. It's the best! We got the extra $3 serving size of bread to go with it. Also love the Radacchio salad. Excellent. The spinach salad is good. But we added tomatoes and goat cheese. Too plain without the addition of extras. LOVE this place. Don't go when I'm in town, I hate to wait and this is one of my favorites.

Terrific patio. Great meal. I had the pappardelle bolognese which was wide WTH noodles and a terrific meaty red sauce and a simple mix (salad) with greens, shaved fennel shaved cheese and a lovey lemony vinaigrette. The only downside is ,as a visitor to Oxford who is here in a hotel room for one night only, there was no alcohol served. It's all BYOB, which is terrific if you're a local and can grab a bottle of wine to accompany dinner. But otherwise, perfect.

A friend's tip led us here in a rush to arrive before closing on a Thursday night. Your GPS will tell you that you have arrived in front of Kiame's Liquor Store. Look for the residential looking building behind with only a tiny sign on the door. The food is great, small plates vary with seasonal & local produce featured. We tried the mushrooms & a caesar salad which was unique, more of a coleslaw made with caesar components. Very tasty, but different. Our pasta selection was capellini puttanesca, a thin spaghetti with a light tomato sauce in a very Northern Italian style. We topped it off with an aptly named MONSTER meatball addition which was excellent. Food portions are HUGE so look to share or take home when ordering. Food was great, service was friendly and excellent. Highly recommend this dining experience.

i'm sorry im just not a fan. it's just pasta with some sauce. i feel like i make better pasta at home. ambiance isn't good. bottle fee is dumb. people love it though so can't deny that.

We were visiting in town. Wanted to check out a local spot. This one did not disappoint. From the employees to the food. Overall it was an amazing experience. They walked us through how to order where to sit etc. It is byob if you want alcohol which is fine. There is a liquor store in front of it. I highly recommend the bolognese. Very hearty portions. Even the mint tea was amazing.

Wish I lived closer to Oxford so I could eat there every week. Love the changing menu, have eaten no better in Italy. Pasta wonderful, crave the salads, the hummus, going there tonight and can't wait to eat my way through menu. Always a fun feeling and great service. BYOB works very well too.

We just finished eating and I needed to get this out while the memory is fresh, because what we were served was not the fresh and carefully prepared food we were expecting. Both of us ordered the Linguine with shrimp in cream sauce, and two orders of bread. Let's start with the bread. A couple (4) of slices of an Italian loaf, untoasted, sprinkled with some parsley and a couple of shreds of a parmesan cheese. No garlic, no olive oil. As for the Linguine, it was boiled grocery store linguine out of a cellophane bag. I mean really, would it have killed you to at least salt the water? No scallions, no red onions, barely any white sauce, a few shavings of cheese, and about 20 small to medium size shrimp. Disappointing and bland.

Made from scratch Italian! Food is fantastic and you can brown bag your favorite wines.

The friendliest and happiest staff I have ever met. The food is amazing and you can bring your own bottle of wine!!

The food here is absolutely amazing. I've been several times with my mom and we get a lot of different dishes and just share. The pasta is more than enough for 2 people and they don't shy away with the meat in the pasta. If you like meatballs they have the biggest I've seen in Oxford and it's good and flavorful. I like getting the green tea to drink which come in a big bucket container. You can BYOB as well. The patio is so cute and can be a great scene and vibe for a girls night out or just a cute date in general. The people here are so nice and the customer service is top notch. The menu does change daily but they do have a few staple item. Try this place and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Yes, please!!! Small plates were SPECTACULAR! Everything on menu, BEYOND DELICIOUS! This is the real deal for the Italian meals of your dreams!!

Such wonderful, imaginative food choices! Have never had a bad meal here. Small plates are delivered at different times but there is always an abundance to share. Adore their Caesar salad, puttanesca, fried green tomatoes and all pastas. Staff are over the top friendly and helpful. Love Tarasque! Give it a try

Good food, great service! Reasonable price! Took my daughter and her friends, and had a nice dinner Nice relaxed environment

We stopped in late on a busy Friday night of an Ole Miss Home Game weekend. The staff welcomed us with open arms. They knew we wouldn't sit until near closing time but promised us the full experience anyway, and they over delivered. We dined on meatballs, sausage, shrimp, spaghetti with chicken parmigiano, pappardelle with bolognese. All of the food was fresh, hot, delicious and plentiful.. They even took the time to place a candle in a cream puff as we all sang Happy Birthday! All of the servers were smiling, full of suggestions for our dietary needs and so attentive. We appreciated everyone accommodating the crazy New Yorkers that closed the place. Enjoy!

Enjoyed an outstanding Italian dinner last evening at Tarasque Cucina. This was the first time we dined in - in the past we always got to-go. The service staff was excellent, knowledgeable, and friendly. I loved that while we dined we could hear orders being called back in to the kitchen and being Father's Day it was fast going for the staff. Not really knowing what to expect - we started with the purple potatoes small plate - OUTSTANDING! plus presented in a pleasing manner. We also included a small bread serving - an automatic selection for anyone who has dined their before. My husband chose the rigatoni and I had the pappardelle bolognese with a sausage. They are our go-to entrees and they never disappoint. Love the fact that this fabulous restaurant is located off the beaten path. Hope you have an opportunity to try it out!

Excellent food. Great service. Just a small place with some very good food. Highly recommended. Bbbbbbbbbb

Don't dine in when they're busy. We went on Friday night and they were slammed. The dining room was loud and crowded. They seemed to focus more on their take out orders than the dine in. It took 45 minutes to get our order after ordering. Know what you want before you go. The food is great! They have large portions with lots of meat and it was super hot.

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! That's what I say anytime someone wants to go to Tarasque Cucina! My absolute favorite place in town. You can buy a bottle of wine to split with your favorite person from the store right in front of Tarasque and have it with your meal. Tarasque will provide a cup for your wine for a small fee, just let them know when you order at the counter! This eatery holds a special place in my heart, and stomach! :D

Good food, good service. Big meatball was great. House made Italian sausage was great in the rigatoni. Plum spaghetti sauce was really good (get it with the big meatball). Caesar salad was fresh, light, and very good. One table, one bill was a little different but ok. The service was excellent.

Spaghetti with the giant meatball is wonderful. We have had takeout from here several times and always delicious. The staff is so friendly.

Excellent food fantastic customer service fair prices. Locally owned they focus on quality food

We had a large group and they accommodated us well. I love that Kiamie's is in same parking lot so it's easy to brown bag a great bottle of wine. Won't find a more friendly staff or better pasta in town.

Yes! Good is delicious. Can be a bit confusing the first time you go, but it is seat yourself THEN go and order once you have a table. Staff was very friendly.

Outstanding. We had the SPAGHETTI & SUGO DI POMODORO and CAPELLINI PUTTANESCA. The capers were so good in the Capellini and the spaghetti and meatballs exceeded expectations. The portions were HUGE. We will definitely have to make two meals out of it. Additionally, we had the Butter Bean Hummus and Bread, which was some of the best hummus I've ever had. Finally, we got boiled peanuts and Tomato Green Goddess appetizers and both were also outstanding. The food was delivered to our car door and was still fresh and hot when we got home 15 minutes later. Can't say enough good things.

Wonderful food, highly recommended. They do have tables now for inside dining. The giant meatball is amazing ... also had the chicken parm ... equally wonderful. Our table ordered several pasta dishes, everyone was super happy with their food. Service was very attentive and courteous. Portions are huge (we had plenty of leftovers to bring home). We were there on Saturday night, business was brisk. We'll definitely be back!

Here's the deal...they are billed as authentic Italian and that's what the draw was to me; however, it was lacking in ever category. Yes is quirky, brown bagging it and just behind a liquor store, but the food just isn't that good. The garlic bread has no garlic flavor to it and both pasta dishes were only so so. The spaghetti with monster meat ball is what I ordered and I enjoyed the meatball. That being said, the sauce that accompanied the spaghetti was average at best. And I suspect the spaghetti noodles are the dried packaged style anyone would buy at the local grocery store. The sauce was not cooked into the sauce as one comes to expect with good Italian. My guest had the rigatoni which had spicy and flavorful sausage but lacked much taste beyond that. Will I try them again, maybe, but they need to pick it up if they expect to survive in Oxford!

The. Best. Ever. The staff is GREAT and the food is fantastic. The Pappardelle Bolognese is my favorite pasta anywhere.

Most creative chef in America! John can use local crops and invent deliciousness Homemade bread, butterbean hummus, Housemade sausage, specials of the day....you cannot go wrong. We have been eating John's food for years! You cannot go wrong. Customer satisfaction is top priority!

No frills, just food. Some restaurants are for people who are hungry; Tarasque is for people who love food. Last night I visited with my daughter for the first time. The garum picked cucumbers were the perfect starter, light and perfectly proportioned to get our tastebuds ready for the main course. And what a course it was! The braised leg of lamb over polenta was so rich it should be paying income tax! It would have made a perfectly acceptable entree for anyone with a modicum of self-respect, but I went all in with the spaghetti, too -- a straightforward, not too heavy complement to the lamb. I even managed a few nibbles of my daughters rigatoni and the flavor of the sausage spun me off into a dimension of gustatory bliss I didn't even know was there! I would love to be able to comment on dessert, but by the end of the meal there just wasn't enough room. Next I'll start at that end of the menu. So grab a bottle of wine and head over. You will not be disappointed. Did I mention this place is good?

Amazing Italian food with the most friendly staff (Reagan was terrific!). The casual look of the restaurant in no way prepared me for the refined cuisine we received. The pasta plates were some of the best I've had in the U.S. It's BYOB with a liquor store next door, with a mere $2 per person corking fee. A must for anyone visiting Oxford!

Best pasta in Oxford! We waited for years to have good Italian food in Oxford and finally found it. The puttanesca, spaghetti, homemade sourdough ciabatta, chocolate cream puffs, apple tart, and mint tea have all been outstanding. I no longer live in Oxford and have thought many times that it would be worth the 2-hour roundtrip for dinner. You can easily tell how passionate they are about the food they serve (much of it being locally sourced), and the creativity with the small plates never ceases to amaze me. But more than the food, the owners and workers at Tarasque have been the kindest, most personable folks I have encountered in the Oxford eating scene.

Hit up Tarasque last night during ole miss move in weekend. It's a casual, comfortable vibe with a great local crowd. You walk up to the register to order your food. It's also byob but there is a liquor store right in front and we grabbed a couple bottles of great Chianti. Started with Cesar salad which was one of the very best we've ever had. Great portion, incredible flavor, light and the dressing was amazing. Also stated with the garlic bread which was also amazing. It's not heavy with cheese and oil, nor crispy. Think warm soft bread standing up but dipped in olive oil and garlic. Was the healthiest garlic bread and incredibly good. We also had the pasta with a monster meat ball, a monster it was. Also had the rigatoni and the fish. Ever dish was great and the service was best in class. Lastly the prices considering the portions and the quality is near impossible to beat. The kitchen is open and you can see the chef doing a masterful job behind the stove. Visit asap!!!

Wow. Fun place with divine food. Family style dishes of light and fresh salads, beans dip, pastas and bread. Glad Tarasque was on our short list for places to try while in town. The atmosphere is very homey and the staff are absolutely lovely. It is definitely a five star in my book.

Outstanding food and good service. We had butter bean hummus which was great. Chicken fettuccine was delicious. Was really pleased with our visit here and would definitely do again!

Tarasque is certainly having a moment and may win best in town. Located in a small space behind a liquor store, Tarasque provides quality food, a convivial atmosphere, and great service. The couple behind Tarasque are exceptionally friendly and outgoing, and this attitude is one of the main reasons Tarasque succeeds as a concept. They have fostered a fun, casual, familial, and occasionally chaotic atmosphere, and it serves as a deeply needed oasis from the sanitized 'faux southern hospitality' of the Square. The pastas are all enjoyable, with the Puttanesca standing above the rest. They are not incredible or particularly novel, but still deeply satisfying and tasty. Salads are crisp and well done, appetizers are largely successful and often well thought out. These factors all make Tarasque a wonderful member of the Oxford scene, worth checking out immediately. A few small issues sometimes come up; with a small kitchen, Tarasque unfortunately has to parboil pasta. They are heavy with the cheese, and dishes occasionally come out a bit unbalanced due to big rushes and minor chaos. Still, it is easily worth overlooking these minor dings when viewing the larger picture. Tarasque is fundamentally honest, wholesome, and enjoyable- a desperately needed breath of fresh air from the town's status quo.

Incredibly thoughtful and intentional with their mission to serve beautiful, delicious food with lots of love! You will leave feeling so full of both!

I've ordered from Tarasque for almost 5 years every now and then. Today when I ordered the chicken parm they said pickup at 5:00 so I got there just before 5 and the girl bringing out orders came up to my car asked my name I gave it to her. Then I proceeded to wait an extra 20 minutes as cars pulled up after me got my food almost instantly which was incredibly frustrating to watch. When I finally got my order it was cold. The girl giving out orders clearly forgot about me. I'm not sure I will be coming back until they fix the curbside pickup process

Amazing food!! Amazing service and super cute homey vibe. You get good portions for your money. 10/10 would recommend

I absolutely love this place. The specials they come up with are out of this world. Everything in the menu is dynamite. The service is phenomenal. This place never lets me down.

Bring your own bottle and stay for awhile. Prefer to be waited on at a table, but the food and portion sizes were great.