CUCINA enoteca

Oh, man! Do I love this place. The drinks, the food, the service… all impeccable.

I came here for dinner on a Monday with a friend. I’ve been here several times before but never really of my own will. I got a Malbec and picked at what pitiful thing Cucina Enoteca serves as salumi. Got the pecorino, pâté, rilletes, and the head cheese.
What came out was like, a very mediocre pâté, two wee little chunks of lightly smoked ham that I’m not entirely sure if its was supposed to be head cheese or if they messed up my order and accidentally put a cube of sandwich meat they had laying around, and fried little squares which i think were the rilletes. But who knows? Actually who cares? Whatever name I assign to each food item won’t make them taste any better.
My friend got hummus and some garlic soup. She liked the soup; I didn’t. We both didn’t like the hummus. The bread crisps were surprisingly well made and incredibly delicate and crispy so I’ll give them that. But they were way too thin to scoop hummus with and kept breaking so you couldn’t really scoop hummus with it.
Service was also bad. A waiter took our order and after delivering our food we saw him once. Food took forever to come out and ended up just leaving cash because our waiter was nowhere to be found and no one else could ring us up apparently.

I had higher expectations for Cucina but maybe we came on an off day? My boyfriend and I came here for my birthday dinner during Valentines Day weekend so we we’re thankful that they were still taking reservations so close to the weekend.
I remember walking into the restaurant thinking, «wow the lighting in here is incredibly dim. how am I going to see what I am eating» but luckily we were seated outside. The tables were a bit close to one another but given that it was a busy holiday weekend, I didn’t mind too much. The ambience and overall atmosphere of the outside area was very casual yet intimate in its own way.
We had a hard time deciding what to order but based off our waiters recommendations we ordered the Squash Blossoms to share, the Short Rib Papparadelle for myself and Bucatini with Egg for my boyfriend. We didnt want to over order because they also gave us a basket of bread to start off with as well.
The Squash Blossoms were delicious! I had no idea what to expect and I’m honestly not a fan of squash at all but I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite. The batter was light and fried to perfection. The blossoms were stuffed with ricotta cheese which was also paired with a zesty lemon aioli that brought all the flavors together. MUST GET.
The Short Rib Papparadelle was just okay in my taste. The short rib was really good-​very tender and juicy but the pasta was a bit too al dente for me. I prefer mine to be more soft. Also, the pasta sauce they used was extremely light, the juices from the short rib masked the taste of the sauce a bit too much.
My boyfriends Bucatini with egg was better. The pasta had marinara sauce which I am usually not a fan of but the taste was so bold and flavorful. I appreciated the fact that this pasta was actually pretty light in comparison to most pasta dishes. Again, the pasta was cooked al dente but it wasnt as noticeable as it was with the Papparadelle.
The service was great-​attentive and friendly. My waiter even brought out a little birthday dessert for me which was delicious. Food-​wise, I was expecting more because of the high ratings on Unilocal and all the good reviews but I guess it’s more so based on your preference of taste. I definitely want to come back and take advantage of their happy hour menu next time.
**TIPS**
–Make reservations for special occasions & request a table outside (much more cozier and romantic)
–MUST GET APPETIZER: Squash Blossoms!
–If you don’t like your pasta al dente, make sure to tell the waiter.

I love this place! I went for the because Tender Greens was closed and I have gone back about three other times.
The ambiance is very Pinterest with mason jars and up cycled lighting. The service is definitely a hit or miss, but luckily ²⁄₃ times I’ve had servers who work with me to find vegan options. As for the food, I love the fire roasted Brussels sprouts with hot sauce or if they have a good farmers market vegetable definitely give it a try! For main dishes the mushroom pizza without cheese was super good as well as their gluten free and vegan pasta… The prices are a bit high but the food quality is worth it. But make sure if you’re planning on going on a Friday or Saturday night you’ll probably have to wait for awhile, but the nice thing is that they will text you when your table is ready so you don’t have to wait in the restaurant. You should give it a try!

I came after work because it was too traffic for me to head home. So I stopped by for dinner.
I ordered the Bucatini pasta, that had guanciale or smoky pork for protein. The guanciale was really good and kind of tasted like sausages! But it came in moderate portions and more would’ve been better. Fiery bold taste, buy not spicy. The pasta had marinara sauce, tomato, onion, calabrian chili, pecorino (sheep cheese). I decided to add a hen egg on top. For your note, I didn’t taste the egg much, because I blended it with noodles. So don’t blend it with noodles! The noodles were cooked al dente and had a peppery taste.
I also ordered a side of Brussels sprouts from their happy hour menu. The sprouts were cooked to a crisp and blackened, while still retaining moisture on the interior. Came with delicious zesty sauce.
I decided to pair my meal with a fine Valcantara Grenache red wine. It was sweet and went down smooth. Definitely a nice pairing with my meal in the most splendid intimate setting.

Seriously management you NEED to clean house. This location has the absolute worst service primarily with the hostesses. Time after time we have received the most dismissive rude attitude from the hostesses that finally I have to write a review and will be contacting corporate.
Today I called to make sure the patio would be open to dine. However when I arrived at 830 I was told that «no, we close at 9.» No apologies and no resolution. The girl was very catty and snide, and I was appalled and embarrassed in front of my family who we’re visiting. We should have been in store for a completely different experience, not this type of service.
This is certainly not the first time I have received a less than hospitable attitude from the staff but mark my words it will be the last.

Where do I even begin?!
My boyfriend took me here for an early Valentine’s Day dinner this past Friday evening. We opted to sit outside and got lucky enough to sit in front of the lit tree with no other tables too close to us. So perfect!
Burrata ($ 5): We were lucky we just caught the Friday happy hour of 50% off all vasi’s. I absolutely LOVE burrata *drool. The burrata comes in a mini mason jar, roasted garlic, and a few variety of breads.
Brussels Sprouts ($ 3.50): Another happy hour item. Even if you normally don’t go for the brussels sprouts, order this! The brussels are cooked to a perfect crispy perfection with a side of crack sauce (okay, maybe not but its delicious AND addicting).
Lasagna ($ 16.50): Mix of pork and beef with besciamella sauce. I was pleasantly surprised to find the sauce infused with so much flavor.
Pappardelle ($ 21.50): Thick flat pappardelle noodles accompanied with tender short ribs, carrots, cremini mushroom, and topped with parmigiano cheese. Delish!
Definitely making my way back!

My first Unilocal review here only because last night blew my mind and not in a good way. This is my 2^nd time at Cucina btw.
Last night was the biggest food fail at Cucina. My friend took me out for dinner for my bday. We had two dishes in mind already so when it was time for the server to come around we asked her about the cheese/​meat plate. Not knowing exactly which cow produced the best cheese we had her pick a cheese and two meats for us. We proceeded to point out exactly what we wanted from the menu which were the rib eye carpaccio and ricotta cavatelli.
I was pretty sure the server and I had a connection because I miss pronounced carpaccio and she proceeded to correct me.
30 minutes into our cheese/​meat plate were wondering why our food was still not out, so when we asked the server she looked deep into my eyes and said «you haven’t ordered anything.»
My friend and I were baffled and were not even upset because this is the first time this has ever happened in our lives. And we only had 1 drink between the two of us!
That being said Cucina is still a good place for a relaxing time, but maybe next time i’ll eat before i come.

Finally got a chance to try this place out! The food is actually better than I excepted because restaurant in the spectrum area are always just a-​ok to me. The dishes here is a hit and miss though. I would say… it’s more like 3.5, but I’ll be nice and give it a 4.
Dish 1: Beef Carpaccio — DO NOT ORDER! The dish has this weird, sticky, gooey, stick to your teeth kind of balsamic vinegar on top of it and some sort of marinated disgusting tasting mushroom on it. This dish is definitely an epic fail.
Dish 2: Short Rib Pepperdalle — definitely a must order dish. The bold flavor of the short rib complement the thick pasta perfectly. If you eat the short rib by itself, it’s a little bit too salty, but goes really well with the noodles. The meat is super tender and super flavorful… my mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Dish 3: Salted Carmel dessert in a jar — OMG! So good! The sweet and salty combination is always a perfect match! I would just come here to get a glass of wine + this dessert and call it a day.
Tip: If you’re a wine drinker, but not an expert like myself, ask the waiter to give you a little taste to the wine that you’re interested in before you buy a glass. The first glass I wanted tasted like feet… so I went for another one.

We usually get the polenta and ragu (ask what the daily flavor is, cause it changes all the time), but this time was with my daughter so she got to order. We started off with cocktails (really good idea), burrata with roasted garlic vasi, ricotta cavatelli, fennel sausage and peppadew pepper pizza.
We arrived around 345pm so it was pretty empty which I like. Great service, not loud, semi private dining, yay! BUT what is up with the restrooms? Literally tried not to use the restroom cause of the odor, even told the receptionist and they already knew about and said its was the plumbing, ew :(
However, the food and drink and company shined so I came away happy. I’d rate the food as follows:
³⁄₅ burrata vasi, tasty and creamy but I like a little more zing to my flavor profiles, this sat a little flat for me.
⁵⁄₅ ricotta cavatelli, looked very unassuming then you taste it, BAM! Flavors are exploding everywhere and you have to giggle while you chew, well at least I do. YUMMY.
⁵⁄₅ fennel sausage and peppadew pepper pizza, thin chewy crust (I adore thin and chewy crust), tasty toppings, we demolished it!
I used to come here all the time and sit in the patio but the food seem to pale after awhile. I am so happy that they are better than I remembered. Good times!

Love the happy hour here (5−6pm)! I ordered a salumi and cheese plate for $ 13 should have waited for the amazing $ 7 margarita pizza. My prosciutto was good and they don’t skimp on the bread, but the cheese allotment was a bit meager (even for the price).
This is a great place to hang out wth friends, take a date, or have a business meal. Love the openness of the high ceilings, and they are very much focused on wine. The bar area has both individual seats and a companion/​family table set up so you can face your buddies. Gotta go back to try the rest of the menu.

Came to Cucina Enoteca for NYE with my wife. I have really only been to the Fashion Island location but they were completely booked so we came to Irvine.
We arrive around 6:30 and we get shown to our table which was very nice. We are greeted by our server Chad and he went over the special $ 68 four-​course prix fixe menu which consisted of the items below. Since it was my wife and i we both order this menu and we got to try everything listed below. I would say the start of our dinner wasn’t good when we ordered drinks i asked for a Shirley Temple because I was the DD for the night. I get my drink and it tastes like pure carbonation. The soda didn’t have any syrup it was nasty. I sent it back and asked for a Roy Rogers instead but what i got wasn’t coke. I was thinking jeez what the heck is going on up there at the bar. Then we ordered the 2 four course meals and the first dishes came out but we had no plates. It took time for me to wave down Chad because he was super busy. We finally got some plates so we could start and hopefully our food wasn’t cold. My wife an I really liked the first two dishes. The mussels were fantastic and the broth they were in was so tasty i ended up drinking all the broth like a soup. The Bass was also very light and delicious I would say that those first two dishes were the best of the entire 4 course meal.
Overall id say this 4 course meal was okay. My Veal was heavily salted which was hard to eat. I still love Cucina but I think ill keep going to the Fashion Island location they are far better then Irvine.
A n t i p a s ti
New zealand honey mussels | calabrian chili + lemon fennel brodo + fettunta bruno giacosa — Outstanding!!!
Todos santos bass crudo | citrus + pomegranate + radish + pickled onion + arugula vinaigrette. Very light but flavorful.
P r i m o
Chestnut agnolotti | lamb sausage + maitake + ricotta salata + smoked tomato
These were more like little meat balls but good.
S e c o n d o
Veal piccata | toasted farro + tomato + bloomsdale spinach + caper lemon butter
Way too salty and i didnt get to enjoy.
Seared hakkaido scallop | celery root + carrot + cipollini onion + red watercress + salsa verde
Nothing really special here.
D o l c e
almond torte | d’anjou pear + smoked almond + orange crema
I thought this dessert was pretty weak. It was an almond pear cake. Pretty plain it was.
Thanks for reading.
Matthew Y.

Came here 5 times already and I swear, this place never lets me down. My most recent visit was last night and OHHH the service and the tastes of the food was just fantastic!
We ordered 2 different starters to begin with and 3 different pastas as our entrees. We all shared a little bit of our pastas with each other to experience the different flavors each dish had to offer.
Vasi — Burrata
I personally love cheese… like A LOT so this starter was perfect to my taste. This platter consisted of a bread medley: white bread (not sure what kind exactly), molasses bread, and crostini. There was melted mozzarella cheese in a cute mini mason jar as something to spread over the bread. There was also roasted garlic on the side so it you got to choose how much garlic you wanted. I would have to say I liked the molasses bread with the cheese together the most. But honestly, I could’ve straight up ate the cheese itself.
Antipasta — Fritto Misto
I absolutely hate rubbery tasting food, but the calamari and shrimp were ON POINT. This dish is perfect for people who like to stay in their comfort zone. It’s also perfect for people who don’t like heavily fried food. The plate consisted of fried: shrimp (JUST YUMMERS), calamari (YUMMERS AS WELL), zucchini (oh my…), thin sliced potatoes, and shredded red cabbage at bottom of the plate. SUPER TENDER seafood in every bite. Dish also had a zesty lemon dipping sauce that was perfect!
Linguini with Mussels (One of my favorite pastas to get here)
Last night they ran out of clams, so I just stuck with the mussels they had. IT WAS JUST AS GOOD! The mussels actually had a slightly sweet taste, which was perfect with the sauce. That was some real good white wine sauce btw… so delish! The chili in the dish gave it a nice little kick as well.
Pappardelle (My other favorite pasta here)
HOLY MOLY MMMM. They never fail. They seriously never fail to deliver tender short rib. The flavor is like Taiwanese beef noodle soup without the soup and the sauce is always spot on I’m a huge fan of the cremini mushroom in this dish as well. Just writing this review is making me super hungry and wanting to go back for more of this. If I could change one thing about this dish, it would be the crunchy carrots. I prefer them softer! This is one of the pricier dish here imho, but for me, its totally worth it. I would definitely recommend getting the family style size. Its an extra $ 24 but its actually like 3x the size you get ordering one portion.
Lasagna
It’s the first time I tried the lasagna here. I would have to say… this is some freaking delicious lasagna. Generous amount of meats! Beef, porto, veal, pomodoro, besciamella, yummmm. The sauce was tasty and I obviously enjoyed the cheese.
For dessert: seared olive oil cake !
First time seeing this on the dessert menu, I was like… who wants to eat an olive oil cake? The waitress made it sound more appealing to me so I decided to order it. DAMN… it was so good. It was a pound cake seared in olive oil. Honestly I couldn’t taste the olive oil at all. It tasted more like banana bread to me. The gelato was also a good compliment along with the cake. I’m definitely getting it for dessert again next time I go!
Lastly, the service was superb! Our waitress Andrea (I think thats how you spell her name) was super friendly, nice, and on top of her game ! It was a super busy night (of course it’s the new year!) and she was attentive and took the time to explain the dishes to us and other recommendations. :)
Some tips!
1. Make a reservation if you hate waiting to be seated.
2. Be aware that food is a bit pricey for the amount that is served.
3. If you do bring your own bottle of wine, corkage fee is $ 8.00.
4. Come with an open mind to enjoy California-​inspired Italian food!

I met up with one of my girlfriends for dinner last night and we had a WONDERFUL dining experience here!
Quick tips…
1. Make a reservation. It gets packed on a Saturday night — I overheard the hostess tell someone that it was going to be a wait of 90 minutes (yikes!) Thank goodness for reservations! We were seated right away.
2. Follow your heart (or stomach) and order whatever floats your tastebuds as you can’t go wrong with any of these amazing dishes. But if you’re indecisive, you can start with any of the vasi. It’s basically a variety of bread served with a spread in a mini mason jar. There are a lot of options for the spread: Marotto with roasted garlic, sunflower seed hummus with seasonal vegetables and apples, etc. we ended up getting the burrata with roasted garlic spread and it was incredibly delicious!
3. Take advantage of their gorgeous outdoor patio seating. For a moment, you forget that you are at the Spectrum with their lovely and festive décor!
Have fun!

This restaurant is adorable.
I get completely lost at The Spectrum every time I go, so a friend of mine met me at another store and walked me over there… ha ha. I probably would have gotten lost for sure, otherwise.
The décor is really cute, its not too noisy, and the food is good!
The parmesan garlic truffle fries, I could have inhaled in two minutes, if I wasnt sharing them. They were SO good!!!
I ordered the Chicken Meatball pizza, and honestly, I wasnt a big fan of it. It wasnt awful, it just wasnt something I prefer.
I do have to say, the manager, Christopher… was a doll. Thank you for humoring us, and our «turqouise jar» obsession. You truly made all of our nights, and we are still talking about how awesome you are.
I definitely will return here and try something new!

Update!
It’s been about seven months since I came to CUCINA enoteca in Irvine Spectrum Center. Guess what, I wasn’t done eating here just yet, because I came back here Monday night for some delicious dinner. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
I’ve decided to go for the outside seating area as the weather was so nice and I was seated right away. As you can see in one of my pictures, It’s pretty nice to have a candle on the table to make this place a lot fancier. Yes, I’m an big fan of fancy.
Time to tell you guys what I had for dinner…
I’ve ordered myself a delicious lasagna I’ll ever find anywhere. It’s actually called Lasagna Al Forno which has beef, pork, veal, pomodoro, and besciamella. What do you guys think about that? Good huh? I really love the quality of the food. It’s rich, very tasty, delightful, you name it, it’s so delicious. The cost for that is $ 16.50. So worth it in my book.
Service here was excellent. I’ve had Lisa as my server for the night. She was not only an very nice person but also an sweetheart. Love this girl. As long she’s here at this restaurant, I’m an happy customer. Other employees were also nice too. Great employees you got over there.
Overall: Still the best restaurant I’ve been to in Orange County. It’s pretty obvious why I’m giving this a 5 stars. I can’t give this place even less or more than 5 stars.
Thanks for reading!!!
Christopher M aka Mr. Elite.

My girlies and I like to get together for yummy bites and wine so one Wednesday this was our spot!
We ordered the Squash blossoms which were hot and delicious with cheese inside and with a lemon sauce under — lightly battered. I could eat my age in these! So light yet savory and just downright good!
Pizza was super thin with a thick crust… An oxymoron really but yum and interesting use of herbs for flavor. YUM!
Happy hour sangria was $ 7 of perfection not sweet like many sangrias — the server was super informative and told me this was due to the brandy being normal not flavored.
We didn’t know before choosing this spot but it was OC restaurant week and as such made it a bit crazy but we did enjoy our meal unbothered…
The Patio is beautiful in a relaxed yet colorful way with comfortable padded bench seating w/​pillows lining the bench and heaters where necessary.
I would come back for happy hour for sure or perhaps even the OC restaurant week — just make sure to valet or park in the BIG structure nearest the Edwards and walk in so you’re not too far.

*Happy Hour*
This place can be a hit or a miss sometimes. Sometimes the food is on point and sometimes it is over-​seasoned. I ordered the ragu and polenta which was excessively salty. Too salty if eaten alone, needs to be served with some bread to balance it out. The brussels sprouts were good, very flavorful and I like the burnt edges which gave it a smoky aftertaste. Our cocktails were excellent — I loved the spiced blood orange and tequila mule. One disappointment was that instead of splitting our check on 2 cards, he charged us the full amount of the bill on each of our cards. Thankfully, I noticed it, otherwise, we would’ve left paying twice our bill!
The happy hour from 3−6pm is good in terms of drink specials but they really need to increase their food specials. Just having 3 food specials is pretty limited. I also would’ve loved to seen special pricing on the cocktails rather than well drinks. I would not return for happy hour unless I only plan on having a drink here.

I came here for a date night with my boyfriend. He found this restaurant by Unilocaling «romantic dinner» in Irvine. LOL. This restaurant is located near Umami Burger and Tender Greens at Irvine Spectrum.
I recommend making a reservation. When we checked in with the front counter, the quoted wait time was one hour for walk-​ins on a Friday night. If you do end up waiting, you can always walk around the mall.
We waited a few minutes and got seated outside, which I prefer. It’s much more quiet and intimate outside! They also have a tree with lights wrapped around it outside, which I thought was really nice.
Pappardelle: Comes with a generous amout of short rib! Portion is much smaller than I had anticipated. I feel like the amount of pasta to meat was very similar in ratio. I wish there was more pasta. This dish was very flavorful. I also really enjoyed the mushrooms.
Cucina burger: Comes with truffle fries. Boyfriend seemed to really enjoy this. Burger was cooked medium rare.
The service was okay… not too special, but they give you what you need. Overall, I probably won’t be back for awhile. Even though the food was good, we can probably get better food for a better price somewhere else. Great to try though. :)

The Polenta Board really piqued my interest and that’s why I came here to check it out. It’s served table side from two separate pots (see my video of the prep in action) and the creamy Parmesan Polenta was topped with Chunky Chicken Ragu with Coffee Liquor. It was delicious, although a tad on the salty side.
The other item I ordered was the Fromaggi and Salumi combo. I went for 4 items at $ 15 and after inquiring abt the selections from our knowledgable server I narrowed down my choices to: some type of peppery ham and a smoked prosciutto (this is where my head blanks out and I don’t remember names), a sheep-​cow soft cheese of the day which resembles Camembert in flavor and appearance, and a very beautiful Fiscalini purple moon cheddar that’s been wine-​infused. I enjoyed the fromaggi and salumi board very much, it was beautifully laid out with an exquisite mix of nuts, pickled items, mustards, candied fruits, and honey. I’d totally order this again and must have a glass of crisp white wine on the side to accompany this. This restaurant is stocked with bottles after bottles of wine, I need to look at the wine list next time when I don’t have to drive.
My friend ordered the Rotisserie Chicken Panini w/​Parmesan Truffle Fries. Even though I didn’t try it, it looked melty and toasty.
Total bill came out to be $ 45-​ish. I am interested in going back to try other things on the menu (i.e. the fried seafood combo, the giant meatball, and the stuffed squash blossoms).