La Cucina Ristorante Italiano

Don’t park in the lot if you don’t have a reservation– there’s no grace period! We went there early, but they had a private party, and no room. Parking was $ 3 for 10 minutes.

Love this tiny little Italian restaurant! The owner cooks everything himself and that’s why the quality is AMAZING. This is my dad’s favorite Italian restaurant, and I have to say it’s one of mine too! We’ve been going here for years and the owner, his wife, and their staff are just so great! It has been a really long time since we’ve been here & we just visited and had a wonderful experience. We’ve eaten family style before & got to try a bunch of their dishes and I’m not exaggerating when I say EVERYTHING is good!!! Also, corkage fee is only $ 10. It can be hard to get a reservation, which is why we don’t visit as much as we’d like, but it seems like during the week it is a lot easier to get a table or if you have a small party you can often walk in and eat at the bar. If you haven’t tried this place, you MUST — it NEVER disappoints!

This place took me to Italian heaven! I emailed them the day before to reserve a space for 8 people and immediately got an email back, from the owner/​chef. He then emailed and called me the next day to confirm since i hadnt responded… i didnt quite understand the serverity of confirming until i got to the restaurant– the restauraunt is very intimate and does not seat many people (which i adored). Everything we ordered was AMAZING! im not one to go out for Italian food but id come back all the time, if i had the money. It is a bit pricey, but its definitely worth it and i think its a great treat. The service was fast, extremely friendly and very helpful. The owner even emailed me the next day to thank us for coming in and he hoped we had enjoyed our meal (he even replied back after i responded with how delighted we were). I can’t recommend this place enough!

I made my reservations early, via their website email. You must have a minimum party of four (recommended – small restaurant). They responded by the end of the evening, making suggestions on how we could ensure a great experience. They were willing to accommodate my craving for a pasta dish that was not on the menu. (Follow their suggestion and pre-​order your menu – I did two days before). They informed me of specials, and assured me when I wondered if I had enough for 4. Ordering «family style» will allow you to taste all of their great menu items.
Plates arrived in pairs. At first, I was a little skeptical about whether or not I had ordered enough food; four pieces of mushroom crostini, four pieces of bruschetta, and the house romaine salad that looked like a salad that wouldn’t be shared «family style». If you need your fresh greens, you might want a double order of their salad. We also had the eggplant parmigiana (deliciously fresh take on this traditional dish). If you are dining with people who are dainty eaters and have a lot of manners, you might consider doubling the salad or appetizer just to psychologically assure them that it is okay to «dig in» and that there will be enough food for everyone. (I think the age of «oversized fast food» screwed us up to make us feel that we have to see heaping plates of food. We actually had leftovers to take home!)
Other plates ordered were the fettuccine carbonara (yeah, pancetta!), their take on my craving of a sausage tagliatelle (happy!), and risotto funghi (worth having someone else sitting over the stove, rather than yourself, for this). There is something satisfying about fresh pasta cooked perfectly al dente. My meal could have ended there, but I’m glad it didn’t. The rich melt-​away braised oxtail was the best ever! The poultry eaters liked the pollo marsala– really moist.
We added the bone marrow as we worked our way through the appetizers. Don’t wait any longer because they will tell you that it will take a half hour to make because everything is done fresh by Chef Don. If you are into this, you will definitely love it.
I have to be honest. My husband wasn’t thrilled when I told him I made reservations because of the wait time of our first experience. This time he was extremely impressed with the pace of the dinner. The servers were very attentive, bringing out dishes with just a little overlap so there was constantly food on the table. Wow! We were both impressed. It was the perfect meal! Food and conversation in perfect harmony! (LOL)
You will have just enough room for some dessert – tirimisu, cheesecake brûlée. .. can’t lose, for those with a sweet tooth. I’m not sure how the experience is if you just walk in, but the food is so delicious that you’ll want to do all you can to make it the perfect experience!

First timers here. After hearing about it through friends and word of mouths we just had to try it. Perfect place for a GNO. Great dining experience. Very small and quaint and friendly staffs who are very attentive. You can obviously tell that they put a lot of TLC into their food. We had their Chicken Marsala and their freshly made Parpadele w/​braised lamd… talk about mouth watering bursting with flavors… we will definitely find our way to return.

Nice little hidden spot off of Kapiolani Blvd, everything we had was very well executed and delicious, definitely coming back when I’m craving Italian. F’N Bomb!!!

No, the three stars are not for how long the wait was for our food, we all went in knowing that — so I can’t minus stars for that.
Let me start from the beginning… I met some friends for dinner here one night, the reservation was for seven and I got there a little before seven. Two of my friends were seated already and so when I walked in, I immediately saw them and walked over. I motioned to the waitress to tell her I’m with them and she’s nice and says «OK!» So the three of us are sitting, looking at the menu and we have water, but no one comes around to ask if we wanted something else to drink, for like, a long time. We did get served bread with the usual olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip, but it was just placed on the table with no words.
The rest of the party are running late and they finally arrive around 7:20ish and still no one comes around. By this time, we’ve all decided what we wanted to eat and are waiting for someone to take our order — there were two girls serving that night and still none of them checked if we were ready to order!
FINALLY one of the waitresses comes to take our order — I of course, love the Lobster Ravioli at Mediterraneo and have to order that. One of my friends ordered a chicken dish that does not come with pasta, so she asked for a side of it when she ordered. We also had the mushroom risotto to share as an appetizer.
The risotto was delicious, I loved it, and glad that it was ordered as an appetizer — it’s just too rich to eat as an entrée on your own. I especially liked that I could not only smell the truffle, but could also taste it! Sometimes, you only get the smell, and then you’re disappointed with the taste. Our food comes out and when my friend’s chicken dish arrives, the pasta is missing. We ask and the waitress makes like my friend never ordered it and says they’ll put in an order now. It comes out shortly and we all dig in to our respected dishes.
My Lobster Ravioli is just as I remember at Mediterraneo, so I’m happy! My friend’s side order of pasta is undercooked, and not al dente, it’s whatever comes before al dente. Another friend says her dish is salty. We all try each others dishes and agree — noodles undercooked and salty dish.
At least dessert came out fast — we all shared the tirasmisu, crème brule cheesecake, and hazelnut gelato. All were delicious. The tiramisu and crème brule were light, and

We came here on a Monday night with 6 people. It’s a small restaurant so be prepared to wait for a table. Even on a Monday night it was busy. As soon I got to the level of the restaurant, I could smell the garlic and other wonderful odors. We ate family style, ordered one appetizer and 4 main dishes. It was enough to feed all 6 of us. The Crostini al Porcini is a scrumptious appetizer to begin with. The main entrees we ordered were so good; I can’t pick a favorite as they were all so tasty. I just felt bad for the waitresses; I believe only two of them running around all night.

This place was DIVINE and perfect for my birthday dinner/​date night. We came here upon recommendation from someone else who said this place has «the best Italian food.» They weren’t lying because the food was amazing!
PARKING: Fortunately, we were able to walk there since I live nearby. There’s free street parking after 6 as well as validated garage parking.
AMBIANCE/​1^st IMPRESSION: I e-​mailed beforehand to inquire about pre-​ordering for a party of 2. Unfortunately, I did not get a reply but it was fairly last minute to begin with so I decided to chance it and call when they opened for dinner at 5:30. I called at 6 and someone picked up. She said they had several tables open and said she would save one for me (even though she wasn’t supposed to) which was nice of her and she also noted that there were still bar seats available if the table wasn’t available when we arrived.
The place is fairly hidden in the plaza and you can’t see it directly from the street. The dim lighting adds to the romantic ambiance and it felt warm and inviting. It’s somewhere that you can dress up or dress down. We walked in and were greeted and sure enough, a table was ready with waters and a small dish of olive oil with balsamic vinegar. There are 2 waitresses and both were super sweet. They were attentive throughout the entire evening. I mentioned to one of the waitresses that it was my birthday in conversation and she remembered! I was so surprised when they brought out a complimentary mango sorbet with a candle on it. That made me feel special :)
FOOD: Gosh, where do I begin? I want to try the whole menu at some point.
Starters– We ordered the Crostini Al Porcini to start ($ 9) and it came out first. Simple, but delicious and the flavors were amazing. That evening they had the bone marrow as an appetizer special ($ 20) and she told us it would take 20 – 30 minutes in the oven. It was WORTH THE WAIT and a total food-​gasm. The homemade pesto over the top definitely added to it, not to mention the generous portions considering it was classified as an appetizer.
Main Dishes– Originally I wanted the oven roasted oxtail but it needed to be pre-​ordered several days before. The waitress was kind enough to check if the chef made extra for the evening but unfortunately, he didn’t. Instead, I got the pasta with lamb ($ 25) which was delicious. The lamb was tender and didn’t take over the whole dish. I could tell the noodles were home made. My boyfriend got the Fettuccine Scampi Limone (I forget the price) and he let me sample a bite. The sauce was great and a good balance of lemon and butter and the fresh herbs smelt SO delicious.
Dessert– My surprise mango sorbet was refreshing after eating heavy appetizers and main courses. I ordered the cheesecake crème brûlée which was just as delicious as everything else. I highly recommend it if you have a sweet tooth.
SERVICE: I love the mom-​pop ambiance of the place. I went in thinking we would have to wait awhile for food since everything is homemade from scratch, but everything came out quicker than I expected. I’m sure service may be a little slower on nights that they’re booked but the food is WORTH THE WAIT. I appreciate how up-​front they are about the wait-​time for their dishes and they even disclose it on their answering machine when you call. Lastlu, having them remember it was my birthday was also a nice touch… it’s the little things that count.
Overall, I’m so, SO glad that we ended up here for my birthday. The food was excellent and the portions were just right and all for a good price. I’ll be back. Next time, I’ll be sure to pre-​order that oxtail.

This place has been bookmarked on my Unilocal F O R E V E R. I don’t care to go to places that don’t take reservations and you have to put your name down and wait. Especially when other people advised walk in waits could be up to an hour. So when my friend booked a double date reservation here (they take reservations for only 4+ people) I was so happy!
They take requests and answer questions via email, which my friend used to ask about their menu and corkage fee. I wish we had emailed sooner to request their famous items like osso buco. But that’ll be for next time!
They have a $ 10 corkage fee, which is really reasonable to me! Many places charge $ 20 or more, so that was awesome. Plus, their house wine was ~7 a glass, $ 28 a bottle. what is this place and why didn’t I come sooner?!
We had the caprese, cheese and charcuterie platter, bone marrow, and mushroom starters, which were all delicious! For the mains, I had the crab pasta, my boyfriend had the trenete bolognese pasta, and my friends had the gnocchi and lobster ravioli. To top it off, we had the Nutella and pear sorbet.
This place is cute, cozy and everything is homemade and crafted so deliciously! I’m kicking myself for not coming here sooner.

Expect to wait for long. Saturday night, got there 820 and seated at around 920. But also expect to get really good food. Really good, period.
Had bone marrow, squid ink risotto, norcina trenette classico with Biserno Insoglio 2014. Perfect.

I have been coming here for about 2 years and Don and Dara never disappoint. We went on a Friday night and everything was just divine.
We pre-​ordered the osso bucco and braised oxtail (these need to be ordered a few days in advance), as well as two bone marrow dishes. We also had the butternut squash ravioli, squid ink risotto and burrata cheese with Ho Farms’ cherry tomatoes… oh man, everything was delicious.
You can just tell with every bite… that Don puts a lot of love in his dishes. Thank you, Don and Dara for another amazing night. We will be back… for sure!

Located at the Imperial Plaza building in Kakaako. The food here is very good authentic Italian but expect to wait longer for your food. The Chef/​co-​owner pretty much runs the kitchen by himself with the exception of a dishwasher. His wife, the other co-​owner runs the front of the house.
I suggest ordering some appetizers very soon after you’re seated. Then order your main course soon thereafter. It’s going to take a while for the food to come out. But when it does, you will be well rewarded for your patience.
If you’re in a rush to make a show then this is not the place for you. However if you’re ready to make an evening out of it., take your time, have some wine and talk story like they do in Italy then this is definitely the place.
I highly suggest the Crostini Al Porcini appetizer. Grilled bread topped with mozzarella and porcini mushrooms. They come 4 per order so we usually get 2’orders. Simple but amazingly delicious.
For main course I lived the Tagliolini Nero– Squid ink pasta with calamari, fresh chopped tomatoes, basil in a spicy garlic sauce.
The wine list consists of mostly Italian wines. You can bring in your won wine but there’s a $ 10 corkage fee. It’s worth it if you want other than Italian wine.
Call ahead as early as possible. The dining room is not that big and fills up quickly.
Park in the garage at the Imperial Plaza. When we left, the gate was up so there was no charge.

I personally hate waiting in line at restaurants so I’ve stayed away from La Cucina for a while since you can only make a reservation for 4+. But one day we were lazy and craved pasta so we decided to walk 5 minutes to see if we have to wait or not in person.
Luckily when we arrived after an hour of dinner opening time there were 2 seats available by the bar so we were seated right away. But since the restaurant was pretty packed the servers warned us that food orders will take a while. I believe we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes for the appetizer and 30 minutes for the pasta to arrive. Which wasn’t too bad considering the warnings.
The food was great. We had the bone marrow for appetizer and ordered seafood risotto and bolognese. Bone marrow was very fatty and juicy seasoned with salt and pepper mostly it seemed. Would have liked more marrow but what can you do when cows bones are just made that way.
Risotto was a daily special with seafood and squid ink as the sauce base. The sauce had a very nice seafood flavor and the dish itself didn’t skimp on seafood either with lots of scallops and such. Bolognese which is part of the standard menu was also very nice. Lots of flavours, chewy pasta which I assume is fresh and plenty bits of meat all around.
By the time we left there were about 3 – 4 groups waiting outside so the place does get packed and you’ll either have to come early or get lucky if you wish to avoid the line. The place is also tiny and not well ventilated so chances are you’ll smell a bit like food after you’re done. And since the place is small it can also get loud. The group sitting behind were pretty loud borderline yelling so if you come here for a romantic date the ambiance may not cooperate with you. But a great place for family or friends dining I think, would definitely return here likely with a larger group with a reservation in place.

This place is a true hidden treasure. After a night of pub trivia at Brewseum, I checked Unilocal and found this highly rated Italian restaurant less than a mile away. It’s tucked inside the first floor of very tall office building, and the space is very small. I’d recommend reservations even for weeknights, because this seems like the kind of place with very dedicated, loyal, local customers.
I had the lobster ravioli and a decanter of red wine. My date had some other type of ravioli. The pasta is handmade there in the restaurant, and everything is made by the chef\owner Don. The menu warns that for larger parties, your food may take over an hour to prepare. My lobster ravioli was spectacular, and the wine was also great. Some free bread and oil was provided, which was also pretty good. This is my favorite italian restaurant in Honolulu, and no one has ever heard of it! I’d recommend it in a heartbeat to anyone looking for a cozy, romantic, dimly lit dinner for two.

The best restaurant on Oahu!
We made reservation through email, and their reconfirmation, advance dish order system, and their quick reply made our expectations big.
Al dente pasta, elegant but strong seafood soup, beautiful fungi risotto, and marvelous desserts. Everything was just amazing and I’ll definitely come back next month.
Can bring outside alcohol with $ 10 corkage fee ;)

Took my family here for my son’s birthday. I kept boasting about the best italian food on the island and again I was not disappointed. Everybody raved about each and every dish. The 5 of us had 3 appetizers, 6 main dishes and 4 desserts. We couldn’t pick favorite entrée because each was done very well. I noticed that nobody takes leftovers home because there isn’t any food left on any table. Keep up the excellent work and thank you very much, I’ve never enjoyed Italian cuisine so much!

What a nice Italian restaurant where everything is freshly homemade. The Melazane Parmigiana (eggplant with cheese) was very tasty and cheesy. The Ravioli Neri was creamy and was filled with Lobster. Gnocchi with Vodka sauce was so fresh and delicious, it also had some sausage meat in the sauce. The Gnocchi tasted soft, and creamy. It reminds me of the texture of potatoes.
The restaurant is small, with only 2 tables for 2 people seating, we sat at the bar because the only table left was for 4 people, and it was reserved.
We were there at 5:45pm on a Thursday night. But after we finished eating dessert, that reserved 4 people table was still empty. They probably could do better with organizing their tables.
The restaurant also has insufficient ventilation, so be prepared to smell like delicious Italian food. Not a huge problem for us.
We were informed that the food is homemade, and it will take some time, and that was great communication, and we definitely do not mind the wait for homemade fresh pastas.
Many Unilocalers mentioned that the portions are big here. But in reality, the portions are not big, they are acceptable regular portions. I had 7 ravioli for $ 25 dollars, and that is not a big portion for me. But it was acceptable.
The service was good, the food was fresh and tasty, and the atmosphere was intimate. We would go again!

I am from southern California. Here we have the most amazing selection of every type of cuisine a mind can fathom. However, the best Italian food I have ever tried was at this little restaraunt across the pacific ocean.. not only is everything homemade and completely fresh, the service was spectacular. the only problem there was the wait time, but it is well worth it.

* Price: $ 20 – 25 per dish; good portion to share. 3+ star.
* Ambiance: small place, contemporary, very intimate! 4 star.
* Location: a bit hard to find; corner of Cook st and Kapiolani Blvd, inside of the Gallery plaza. Street parking. 3 star.
* Meals: excellent. Hand made pasta, ravioli… Every cooked perfectly. 4+ star.
* service: excellent! Dara and Holly was very friendly and pleasant. Chef came out to meet us at the end of our meal. 5 star.
This is averaged to 4 star for me.
Came to this place with my family. My cousin is raving about this restaurant and had made reservation a week prior. She also preordered our meals since it will take time for the chef to prepare.
It is a small place with about 10 tables. They have a pretty good menu and wine list. You can also bring your own bottle with $ 10 fee per cork.
— crostini with mushroom: bread was crunchy but melt in your mouth. Mushroom sauté was very tasty.
— frutti di mare, $ 22: perfectly cooked pasta, shrimp and other seafood… Well, my cousin won’t share this dish with anyone… So, it gotta be good!
— ravioli neri, $ 22: black ravioli with lobster served in basil and saffron sauce. The ravioli is perfectly made and sauce is very creamy.
— agnello shank: braised lamps. This is my favorite dish. Very tender, savory but not gamy.
— coda alla vaccinara: braises ox tail. Perfectly cooked. Melted in your mouth.
— risotto zafferano, $ 22: perfectly cooked creamy risotto with shrimps, mussels, clams and squid.
— squid ink risotto with panfried scallops. Chef special. Surprisingly tasty risotto, very creamy. Scallops were moist, perfectly season and right amount of brown! My other favorite dish.
— pasta bolognese: perfectly cooked pasta with veal, grounded sausage, lightly dressing of tomato basil sauce.
— for desert, we had cheese cake crème brulé, vanilla gelato and coffee gelato.
Everything was very delicious and perfectly cooked. It is well worth to wait for food.
This is my #200^th Unilocal review… So I saved it for a special place!
So why not 5 star? See my breakdown scoring; advance reservation; minimum of 4 to reserve; reservation through email only; food does take awhile to come out since there is only one chef… But it’s well worth the hype!

Ones of the best Italian restaurants in Hawaii. Their pasta dishes are superb.

Really a gem! La Cucina is a quaint little place off Cooke, which accommodates roughly 50 guests at one time. The wait time was definitely worth it, for the quality of food. I ordered the Trenette Norcina and my mama ordered Chicken Picatta, which was not listed on the menu. My Norcina was delightful and full of flavor. My mama’s chicken picatta was incredible; it is usually served with veal, but chef was able to substitute for her… really one of the best dishes I have had in a long time. Both dinners were great as leftovers too. Be sure to try the tiramisu!
No reservations for parties under 4. Expect a wait, as there is one chef and he cooks EVERYTHING fresh, made to order. The waitstaff is also a really great, knowledgeable with wine pairings and super friendly. I can’t wait to go back!

Why does this place have to be so busy):
Came here for my birthday and it was so delicious. We ordered almost the entire menu because we wanted to try a little of everything and it was such a good idea. Prior to coming here my mom had made reservations through e-​mail and had pre-​ordered some dishes as there is only one chef in the back.
We ordered pesto bone marrow, lamb pasta, mushroom crostini, steak, seafood salad, and more. All I can is everything was amazing and I am so dissapointed that I was sick when we came here. I wish I could have ate more food. But I will surely be back. It’s a bummer that they’re so busy so it’s hard to just stop by when you feel like it.

The best Italian restaurant ever! It’s tiny and hidden so the wait is usually long, but it’s worth it! Everything is made fresh by one chef, and it’s extremely delicious. The ravioli Gorgonzola has an out of this world sauce; we get it every single time! Favorite Italian restaurant in Hawaii hands down.

Wow, wow, wow!!! I am SO happy I found this gem! I never expected to have great Italian here, but that’s changed. This place is amazing! I made a reservation for my husband’s birthday via e-​mail, and their accommodation was great.
Preordered the osso buco and the ox tail — brilliant idea! We went with friends and also shared the Gnocchi with vodka sauce, and last night’s special pasta with crab meat. I’m dreaming about the Gnocchi right now. It was the best Gnocchi dish I’ve ever had.
Crab pasta had so much sweet and plump crab in it, and the sauce was creamy and so tasty!!! Chef Don, born and raised here, does magic with all his ingredients. I’m definitely going back to La Cucina for all the special occasions!!!
I will add this, however, some things that may turn customers off. A friendly advice from a friendly customer. The service when you walk in didn’t leave a good taste in my mouth. It wasn’t very professional.
My husband and I wanted to sit at the bar since we got there early. But we were told there were people on their way to have drinks and they had reserved the bar seats. Hmm… Then, they said they were going to call them to make sure they were coming because it had been awhile since they called.
We checked back multiple times to see if we could sit at the bar, and they kept saying they still had to check… We ended up waiting a long time, and the other party never showed up. My advice, 1) The bar area should be open seating at all times. 2) People should be able to make reservations for party of 2. 3) A little more friendly and customer based approach would be very helpful. :)

This place is very small and intimate and for a very good reason! Everything is homemade, fresh and from scratch! It is usually be reservations only and preordering is recommended. Everything tastes so good, definitely worth the wait. Please also be prepared to wait long in between meals. Since everything is homemade, it takes a while to prepare. You will love this place! Will definitely come again!!!

You must try the mushroom rissoto!
It is out of this world.
This is a great place to come for some of the best Italian food I’ve ever had.

I had such high hopes for the place. Maybe it was the reviews and anticipation of having to book almost a month ahead. Plus we couldn’t what to get the bone marrow so the dogs would have bone friends for a few months. Nevertheless, I stared at 4 stars, was headed toward 5 then ended up at 3.5. I don’t round up so 3 stars.
Parking was on the street and the device was great. The stuff was helpful and friendly. No problems there.
The appetizers were terrific. It promoted me to send an email to the family coaxing them to make reservations in December. The bruschetta was absolutely delicious. The antipasto was incredible. Cheeses were sharp and tasty. The Caprese was so so. I think it would have popped with a beef steak tomato.
The bone marrow was awesome too. They also gave us a few extra bones for the doggies.
Here’s where it went downhill. Maddy loved her ravioli. But the risotto dishes were very salty. The chicken was more dry than not. My frutti Di mare was not very pleasing to look at. It too was salty and unappealing
In the end they did give us a homemade tiramisu to go along with my $ 168 check.

Probably one of the nicest dining experiences in this area. From the moment we stepped in, we knew it was a gem.
Definitely make a reservation or arrive right when they open. Or show up at 9pm like we did and wait about 45min for food because you are the last check and close the place down. :) So worth it.
Ordered the Caprese for an appetizer. It’s hard to find perfect tomatoes in Hawaii but these were decent. The mozzarella was on point and basil was from the garden fresh.
For an entrée we enjoyed the sausage and homemade pasta dish (trevette norcina classico?) and it was absolutely perfect.
Holly and the other waitress (didn’t catch her name) were very attentive and kind, even though the place was packed. We felt like valued guests.
The wine and beer we selected were a nice addition to the meal. A house red and a lager. Simple yet a nice pairing with the food.
We finished with a slice of crème brûlée cheesecake and couldn’t have asked for anything more delicious.
Can’t wait to return and try some more special dishes.

I love Italian food and my friend decided on this place. It’s inside the Imperial Plaza on Cooke St. There is a parking structure as well as street parking. The restaurant is extremely small. There’s about 7 seats at their really small bar. And maybe no more than 10 tables. We had a party of 3 and their larger tables were booked for reservations so we sat at the bar.
The service was excellent. The servers were on it and checked on us frequently. Before we ordered, they did mention how the kitchen was backed up but that was fine. They provided bread and balsamic/​olive oil to munch on. I’ve tasted balsamic vinegar and oil before somewhere else and I don’t really like it but at La Cucina, it was so good. I began to question what it was… We ordered:
Crostini Al Porcini ($ 9): Grilled bread topped with Fresh mozzarella and Porcini mushrooms. It came with 4 pieces. Each bread is layered with the mozzarella and topped with a generous amount of diced Porcini mushrooms. I don’t care for mushrooms but this was pretty good.
Ravioli Zucca ($ 20): Butternut squash ravioli in a vodka sauce with a few pieces of their homemade Italian sausage. This dish was AMAZING! The sauce is almost like a creamy tomato sauce. The ravioli was awesome. It had good texture and good flavor. All their pasta is homemade. It came with about 7 or 8 pieces of ravioli so I think the portion was a bit small for the price.
Frutti di Mare ($ 22): Chopped clams, shelled clams, mussels, tiger shrimp, calamari, fish, garlic, capers, and parsley in a light tomato sauce.
Tagliolini Aragosta ($ 24): Chopped lobster sautéed in garlic, olive oil, capers, white wine, and herbs in a light tomato sauce.
The food is really good but it is a bit pricey. I would love to come back but probably for a special occasion.

Cheap, quick and delicious! The chicken Marsala mini portion is SO good, and extremely filling. Only about $ 7!

I’ve been wanting to try La Cucina ever since they opened, and despite my sister giving me a gift certificate for the place, I didn’t actually make it there until just last night. WOW! Why on earth did I wait so long?!
The Good:
* Great food
* Wonderful service
* Intimate atmosphere
The bad:
* Intimate atmosphere + loud parties = deafening atmosphere
* Can get pretty warm
The draw here is, of course, the homemade pastas, the Crostini ai Porcini, and their secondis. On our visit last night, I was planning on ordering the Crostini, but they just so happened to have a special… Braised Bone Marrow… SOLD!
The wife and I split the bone marrow, as neither of us was terribly hungry. Two halves came out on a platter with two pieces of crostini and a nice slathering of garlic + parsley on top of the marrow. The salty, garlicky topping was just slightly overpowering, but balanced the extreme richness of the bone marrow. Both contrasted nicely with the crostini, though we ended up using our regular bread to sop up the rest!
For my entrée, I ordered the Norcina Trenette Classico, while the wife got the Dungeness Crab + Vodka Sauce pasta. Both were sublime. The Norcina was rich, with a great meatiness with generous notes of fennel from the sausage, a nice punch of porcini, umami of cheese and mushrooms, and a faint hint of spiciness. The Dungeness crab pasta has a nice, creamy, briny flavor, with tons of crab meat. It didn’t look like it, but there was a lot of crab hiding amongst the noodles. And speaking of the noodles, they were outstanding! It’s so sad that many places can’t seem to get al dente pasta right… not a problem here! The pasta was PERFECT!
Being stuffed, the wife and I opted to get a tiramisu to go and split the blackberry cabernet sorbet. Both were awesome, with the sorbet being nicely balanced and the tiramisu being a solid, traditional tiramisu. Not the booze and heavy cream filled concoction so many other places are guilty of serving.
The only complaints I could come up with was the noise level, which was due to the large party that didn’t seem to give a rip about anyone else in there… not the restaurants fault at all. The other was the restaurant got a bit warm towards the end of our meal. Not terribly warm, but enough to be noticeable. Other than that, the wife and I had a great time and are looking forward to returning in the near future.

Our office staff had a celebratory dinner here the other night (for «Just Because Day»), and boy did we feast.
We ordered family style and shared—
Crostini Al Porcini*
Vegetali Saltati*
Braised bone marrow
Frutti di Mare
Trenette Bolognese*
Ravioli Aragosta
Ravioli Spinaci*
Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperocino*
Fettuccine Scampi Limone
Everything was delicious. The dishes I especially enjoyed I’ve marked with an «* «above. I’ll be ordering those again.
For me, La Cucina has got some of the best Italian food in town. Go enjoy it with a group of friends and family as it was meant to be. Mangiare abbondante! Godersi la vita!
I’ll see you there.

Dinner is much better than lunch, then again so is the wait. Either way, will not hesitate to come back here for either lunch OR dinner, and for any excuse!
I was told that while dinner features Chef Don’s homemade pasta dishes, at lunch, for the sake of expediency, the pasta is not fresh made. Still, the sauces are still outstandingly memorable.
Today we started with the porcini crostini. Notable as usual. Shared the insalada di mare and the modern norcina. The modern was a delicious and decadent creamy pasta of LARGE ringed pasta (think penne yet larger) tossed with a delicious crumbled sausage in a white cream sauce. As this was my lunch partner’s first time here, we «had» to make room for their signature crème brûlée cheesecake. Only thing missing was the delicious coffee usually offered at this restaurant as the coffee machine was temporarily out of service. Would not hesitate to order all again.

Best italian that I’ve had so far in Hawaii. Unassuming hole in the wall restaurant.
Atmosphere: Off kapiolani, hole-​in-​the-​wall place that was interesting location inside a miniature plaza. The restaurant itself is well decorated and romantic with dim lighting. However, looking outside the large pane windows quickly reminds you you’re in a not so romantic plaza. Street parking available.
Service: Excellent waitress. Expect a wait for sure just cause this place is popular. But when you do get a table you will not be disappointed. The waitstaff seem all very young but very chipper and eager to serve. No reservations unless party larger than 4 people.
Food: WOW! Best pasta that I’ve tried so far on the island. We ordered the mushroom crostinis, lobster pasta, and ravioli zucca (butternut squash with sausage). The freshly made pasta was very tasty. YUM! I savored every bite and wanted more after.
Intangibles: Don’t know how I will find a place that will make pasta better than La Cucina! My mind was blown away. I hope to come again soon!

Once again La Cucina was selected as our Girls’ Birthday Night out place… There were 6 of us tonight… so we pre-ordered…Porcini Crostini, Eggplant Mezzalane, Salmon Salad, Risotto Funghi… then we had the Bissteca, Pollo Funghi, Pesce Provenale and the new Crab Pasta… it was all delicious. After the appetizer and salad everyone was so full, they could barely eat the entrée.
The Crab Pasta is NEW… and so delicious… it’s not yet on the menu, but you can order it…
We had to save room for dessert… so we had the Tiramisu, Crème Brulee Cheesecake, the Coffee Gelato and an Affogato.(also not on the menu) followed by coffee. I love strong coffee so it’s perfect for me
Everyone left stuffed and happy… When you share, the quality of the food and the price is so reasonable.
Service is excellent and parking is free… Still my favorite Italian restaurant…
Oh, BTW, they have newly upholstered chairs… so comfy… I love that Don, the owner/​chef really cares about his customers… his attention to detail is unmatched…
Thank you Don and Dar!