Cucina & Co — Restaurant in Melbourne

We travelled from the other side of the city to Cucina and Co in New Street, Brighton. It was well worth the trip for really authentic high quality Italian food and wine.

Frederico and the staff were very attentive throughout the evening, without being interfering. A fine balance which highlights their professionalism.

Rather than order from the menu, we accepted their offer to accept the chef’s suggestions.

We started with a small focaccio ( pizza base) of prosciutto, fig and strata burrata cheese. Really fresh and quality ingredients.

The other generous entree dish was an eggplant parmigiana. Perfectly cooked eggplant, tomato and light cheese sauce melted in your mouth.

Over the course of the meal, we had the following wines, all great value for the quality at $12 a glass. We started with a fresh, dry Prosecco ; Astoria Lounge Prosecco N/V ( Trevino).

We next had a glass of Rose. Collefrisio Rose Montepulciano 2016 ( Abruzzi). A very dry wine; perfect with the food.

I later had a glass of the more full bodied Elio Peronne Tasmorcan D’Asti Barbera ( Piemonte). Again, a really interesting wine. All these and others available by the glass or bottle. A great way to learn about Italian wines and regions.

The chef suggested Sphagetti Mare : Scallops, Prawns; Piccadilly tomatoes, Parsley and a small amount of pistachio which added some crunch. Really fresh ingredients and quality fish and pasta.

My partner had the Tiramisu, served in a glass jar. It was really light and subtle. I had the crisp cannelloni , filled with a light cream and fruit.

All the food is freshly made and rich in flavours so great to share with a friend.

There is a wonderful ambience at Cucina & Co. A number of regular, local customers were here too which is a great sign.

So if you want a special night of high quality fresh Italian food and interesting Italian wine, it is well worth coming to Cucinand Co from near or afar. It is a great place and is highly recommended.

Our sincere thanks to Peter and the venue for...

Last night We came for our first visit with two friends on a warm Saturday night. Our table was in the back right corner giving us some privacy to chat. With a warm friendly welcome on arrival by the mattre De we went to our seats. Our Italian waiter was a young man from North Italy who was a very obliging and double checked with the kitchen in regards to my allergies as I am not able to have garlic and onion. My main dish n was salt and pepper calamari as a very nice main course with rocket salad. My wife and friends all had matching pizzas except one who added olives. Pizza’s had a magnificent base wood fired so well and the vegetarian pizza had potato. They were hoping to have a bit more flavour so the ladies added some chilli flakes and Parmesan cheese and the ladies said pizza was very very nice. A few drinks and then we were finished We definitely will have to come back and try the pasta because they look fantastic and again I was told any of the pasta dishes can be made without garlic and onion which is great news for people with FODMAP allergies The restaurant is busy and obviously popular with locals but it does get a bit warm inside. The AC works really hard to keep The venue cool. I think it may be the owner, a gentleman came over to our table to check on our evening and that was very nice of him. Gratzi for your hospitality and see you...

Hi everyone, this was a very poor experience I attempted to reach out to the restaurant twice never returned my messages. Dear Cucina & Co Team,

I’m writing to provide feedback on our dinner tonight (August 10, 2025) and to request a full refund based on the unacceptable quality of the food served.

We ordered:

• Porterhouse steak ($48) – Completely unseasoned and lacking flavor. One of the most disappointing steaks I’ve ever had. • Fish of the day ($48) – Bland and without any seasoning. • Kids’ pizzas (Diavola & Margherita) – My children rated them 0.5/10.

After a long day at my children’s tennis squad, we were extremely hungry. Under normal circumstances, I would have returned the meals or left, but we had no choice but to eat what was served. This was not an acceptable dining experience, especially given the price charged.

I am therefore requesting a full refund. Please advise on the process for arranging this promptly.

If I do not receive a response or refund within 7 days, I will share my experience publicly through an honest review on Google and other platforms.

Kind...