Cucina Italiana

3 Reviews on “Cucina Italiana”

• Romi

  We stopped by this place on our way to Lake Berryessa. There were not too many places to choose from in the area, I must add. The place has a very rustic and homely feel to it. It is nicely lit with natural sunlight. The staff, namely the chef/owner and a server, are very friendly and helpful. The food was pretty average. We ordered Pasta Putanesca, which was a tad bit too tangy. The Pasta Alfredo was nice but under-seasoned. The Pollo Parmigiana was something that really disappointed me. The huge piece of chicken breast was floating in tomato gravy. The cheese was also not enough. However, the wine really impressed me. I loved the Moscato they served. The bread and dip that came in when we were waiting for the food to arrive was good. The dip had the right amount of balsamic vinegar and was really delicious. The portions were good and the food was served family-style. Big rustic flavors but I expected a little more finesse from an Italian restaurant like Cucina Italiana.

  June 23, 2017, 10:01 am

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• Keith Mahaffey

  A must side stop on any Napa Valley trip and it is well worth the drive to Spanish Flats for the absolutely fantastic Italian fare served by owner/chef Stefano. Pretty much a one-man show. The dining area is relatively spartan but that’s the worst comment that I can make about the place. Our party of 7 enjoyed scallops, veal, chicken parm, and eggplant dishes, as well as tartare and Italian antipasto from the appetizer menu. Even the bread is wonderful! Bring your own wine, as the corkage fee is $7.95 (recently raised from $0) and the selections are somewhat limited and all listed at $28. I make sure I stop and enjoy Stefano on all my trips visiting relatives in Calistoga. I am from South Florida and only wish that I could find as good food in my neighborhood!

  May 3, 2013, 6:58 pm

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• Pixiepower

  De-Li-Cious. This is definitely off the beaten path but totally worth the drive. We were staying in Calistoga for the weekend but wanted to try and find a local place to eat at. We read the reviews on yelp and decided what the heck how can 20 people be wrong. I’m so glad we made the drive! The building is not big and fancy building but the inside is nice and it looked like there were a group of locals enjoying themselves at a large table. That’s always a good indicator of a great place to eat. The tables had the full set up including balsamic and olive oil in a dipping bowl just waiting to have bread dipped in it. And it was delicious!I had the homemade pappardelle pasta with meat sauce and the server offered to have the chef add in some sausage because I mentioned an interest in another dish with sausage in it. My boyfriend had Spaghetti Pomodoro with roasted sausage. The brought out the food and the portions are not small. Both of these dishes would be shareable with an appetizer or two. The homemade pasta was cooked perfectly and the sausage was some of the best sausage I’ve had. I didn’t try my boyfriends spaghetti but it had nice chunks of tomato in it and normally he pushes those aside. This time I notice him eating the tomato chunks and he said they were very good, not mushy and cooked perfectly. During our meal the chef/owner Stefano came and checked on us to see how everything was and asked if we needed anything. Impressive. I really wanted to try the tiramisu but there was no way I could eat another bite. I’ll just have make plans for another visit. My only complaint was that it was quite drafty inside and we had to wear our coats during our meal. It was a very cold night though (40’s) so I don’t know if it’s normally like that. I’m certainly not marking them down on that though because that had nothing to do with the food. I would definitely come back!

  March 12, 2012, 9:59 pm

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