Cucina Italian — Restaurant in Bahrain Island

Ordered two portions of the spaghetti with meatballs. However, the meatballs were crushed into small pieces; I should have returned this order but, in my eagerness to eat, I added ricotta cheese (which I had brought with me from Jazeera Cold Store) to the plate before adequately inspecting the content and quality of the order.

I also ordered the new veal dish without the wine sauce but with the spaghetti; I asked that the plain spaghetti be added to a separate plate of spaghetti bolognese. I asked that the veal and the spaghetti bolognese be served simultaneously but I received the veal first but not according to my instructions so I sent it back.

A few minutes later came the latter two dishes. I got a couple of small pieces of veal but I really thought I would be getting something like milanese; okay, maybe I should have been clearer. However, the chef either does not know how to prepare bolognese sauce or that he is under strict orders to economize on mince-meat; I could not consider what was served to be bolognese.

My guest had salmon with steamed vegetables; the salmon came with melted cheese atop; not sure if this is supposed to be an Italian dish or not -- looks to be not but he said it fit for his keto diet.

I had an Entertainer coupon on my phone for this venue. I asked straight away about Entertainer when we had entered and we were told that "For the time being, Management has instructed not to accept Entertainer coupons." That is fine not to accept Entertainer coupons but then there is no need to agree with Entertainer to offer them only to renege on the commitment.

Previously I tried the Linguini al Cartoccio, which I enjoyed. However this time around the dishes I selected at least were, unfortunately, unsatisfactory and not worth the money.

It is hard to tell how much anything costs. The conventional menu is not updated and if you ask how much something costs, the waitresses won't tell you the price. I asked how much the ice tea was and was basically told to look at the electronic menu and then take account of some percentages added to it besides VAT. It was all too inscrutable. I asked for the bill, paid in cash and left. Too fed up. Not worth BD38. Approximately one hundred dollars -- we didn't even drink anything. Quite poor Price to Quantity-Quality. I used to like Carinos but, unfortunately, that venue closed some years ago so mostly looks like I shall have to cook spaghetti and meatballs myself using my mother's recipe. The waitresses are friendly enough but that does not compensate for indifferently...

If you are ok, as I am part time, with homogeneous Italian food visit here. The menu items I tried were hit and miss. The bread served with oil cut up in little wedding cakes squares bears no resemblance to anything even American Italian. On the other hand an American alone showing up 2 nights in a row warranted the hostess greeting me by name! Their smoking area is the bar. Those big sliding glass doors open directly into the dining room. Apparently there is not a decent HVac system so the odor of second hand smoke permeates the eatery upon entry to the restaurant and refreshes every time the bar tender brings out a drink or a patron passes through. I do not recommend their Fake Tiramisu served in a glass full of Fake Whipped Topping rather than Marscapone cheese. Just buy a good frozen one and be done with it; your attempt to save money and guts to serve such trash is embarrassing to the dessert's reputation. Please. Decent cocktail... Better the first night before they figured out it was a specialty on the menu! By night 2 the drink had been reformulated to company recipe and served with fruit garnishes!! (How to ruin a 2 ingredient Rusty Nail 101) Dinner wines were "ok". Not worthy of the price. Tried 2 house flavours. Mehhh First night had something billed as a pasta with buffalo mozzarella. When it arrived I thought there were four little balls of butter on top of the fusilli in a bland sauce. Turned out that was all the cheese there was in that dish. Zipped it up with the chili oil on table. Night 2 I ordered a pasta "al forno" which thankfully made it truly hot all the way through. I liked this much better. I also took a veggie pasta to go. I needed food in the cooler for a couple of days and it fit the bill. So...their bruschetta was ok. Gratis bread offering is not ok. Fusilli in a somewhat tomato based sauce with miserly mozzarella cheese is chintzy and bland. The al forno penne was ok The vegetable lasagna was ok The wines were ok The cocktail started great but degraded into ok second night Wished for free drinking water Wished the bar was not so smoke permeated, I would have liked to try it out. Service was Good. Price was high for the quality. Atmosphere is dark. Quiet. I might try their Pizza. See if it fares...

A Slice of Italy in Bahrain: An Unforgettable Culinary Experience at Cucina Italian

Every detail here is crafted with care, and the result is nothing short of extraordinary.

Starters & Cocktails: A Heavenly Prelude The journey begins with their amazing cocktails—creative, balanced, and bursting with flavor. Whether you prefer a classic Negroni or any other cocktail from their Carta the barman’s skill shines through. Pair your drink with their soul-warming starters, particularly the tomato soup and minestrone, which taste like they’ve been ladled straight from Mom’s kitchen. Rich, comforting, and layered with love, these soups set the tone for what’s to come.

Mains: Tradition Meets Perfection The Pasta Norma is a standout—a symphony of roasted eggplant, tangy tomato and pesto. Equally impressive is their wood-fired pizza: thin, blistered crusts with top-quality toppings that strike the perfect balance of simplicity and flavor.

Desserts: A Sweet Finale Save room for dessert—all of them deserve five stars. From velvety tiramisu to lemon pay, each treat is a celebration of Italian dolce vita.

Atmosphere: Family, Warmth, and Attention to Detail What truly sets this gem apart is the genuine care they pour into every guest. The staff, led by the radiant hostess Cindy, ensures your experience is seamless and memorable. The chefs pour passion onto every plate, the management orchestrates perfection behind the scenes, and the entire team makes you feel like part of their famiglia.

Don’t miss it—your taste buds (and soul)...