Doesn't Recommend

doublehh

Joined 4 years ago

worst most impersonal service I've ever had. Cardboard cutout of a server who brought us warm chardonnay saying they didn't have any chilled, that and it was '07 not '05 as on the wine list for over $30. We ask about specials and were told everything is good, couldn't get a pepper grinder to save our life and felt we begged for some grated cheese to top the entrees. This place used to rock, what happened, change of ownership or what, they need help immediately cause people aren't going to continue to pay $21-$23 for a lunch sized offering. Give me back my Cugini!!!

Recommends

voxhumana

Joined 5 years ago

Best authentic Italian wood fired pizza. This is our local cafe, and we walk here often. When we return from Europe, we come here to recreate the food experiences we have there. We love the salads and the pizza. We enjoy the fresh made Italian bread with a wonderful Basalmic vinegar or olive oil. The menu is varied and there are several daily menu changes to keep things fresh. The portions are good, we usually split a pizza and a salad and have plenty to eat. The fresh made soups are also good, the butternut squash being my favorite.

Doesn't Recommend

imhungary

Joined 5 years ago

worst italian in the east bay!. I love Italian food and I have to honestly say that eating a lukewarm can of chef boyardee would have made for a better dinner. I got the eggplant parm off of the appetizer menu and it was raw. My husband got a pasta dish with sausage and the sausage was the texture of a rubber ball and the sauce tasted like it came out of a can! I would not ever go back to this place. My 20 month old refused the food as well, and that says alot because pasta is her favorite food!

Recommends

yummyt

Joined 7 years ago

Good but not great - better service would go a long way. Cugini is close to where I live so I have eaten here maybe 12 times in the last few years. It's always ok, but I always think it should be a little better for the price. It has so much potential to be a great spot, but it isn't quite. For example, the parmesan is not a high quality parmigiano-reggiano, it's a bit waxy and not too flavorful. The waitstaff has been either competent but clearly overwhelmed, with too many tables to handle well, resulting in mediocre service, or on a recent slow night, really not competent (maybe it was her first night working, but she had no idea what to do). Admittedly, I waited tables for a long time so I have expectations of what a waiter should do. The same money at Trattoria La Siciliana goes further for food quality, but it is way on the other side of town (and the service there is certainly just as mediocre - what's the deal with the gross understaffing?). I'm sure I'll go back because it's pretty good and convenient, and I will keep hoping the quality will improve. With a little improvement it could be a fabulous spot.

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isabrina

Joined 7 years ago

Off and On. I've been here twice. The first time was pretty good. The second time we went was Valentine's Day. We waited for about 25 minutes and then the hostess sat us at a larger table for 6. It was fine until they turned the part of the table that we weren't using into another table and sat a family of three there. Weird and kind of obnoxious! My boyfriend requested that we get our own table and we waited another 15 minutes. We orderd the specials that night and the food was just ok, the pizza didn't have much flavor and had too much cheese. I wouldn't go back.

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Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

This small trattoria brings authentic southern Italian cuisine to Albany's bustling Solano Avenue.. In Short
Seating just 50, the intimate dining room is accented by stained cement floors, granite counter tops and dark yellow walls decorated with vintage Italian ads. Wood-fired pizzas and pasta dishes highlight the menu, which includes the capricciosa pizza, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, artichoke hearts, prosciutto de parma and garlic. The popular rigatoni calabrese is tossed in Molinari calabrese sausage, fresh mushrooms and a zesty tomato sauce.