CuCù Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in Sorrento

During our visit to Sorrento, we spent one evening walking the main drag of the old village. Lined with shops and cafes and filled with tourists from around the globe it can feel a little overwhelming. Truth be told, it felt a bit too touristy for me but the sights, sounds and smells of a foreign country are why we travel, right?

We weren't starving after a large lunch earlier in the day and simply wanted a few small bites and a couple of cocktails to take everything in. As is often the case with places in locations like Sorrento, outside seating can be at a premium so when we spotted a small table, we made eye contact with the waiter, showed two fingers and pointed to an available table. The waiter quickly responded, gave us a quick nod of approval with a smile and down we sat. The table had just been vacated but was quickly cleaned and prepared for us. Within moments, rain drops began to fall and our waiter was happy to point us to two additonal seats under their canopy where we sat in old wooden, theater style chairs with our backs to the restaurant and a perfect view to watch everyone walk past.

Service was exceptional with a rotating selection of friendly servers tending to us, especially so for a busy Saturday night. We quickly and effortlessly ordered drinks and some food. My wife enjoyed an Aperol Spritz and I decided for an Old Fashioned. They along with some grilled octopus and gnocchi were fantastic and all that we needed.

The music was just right, the crowds bounding along the avenue in front of us were entertaining and Cucu provided to be the perfect respite for us to the old village...

This was our 5th Michelin reviewed or Michelin starred restaurant on this trip; from Firenze, Montepulciano, Rome, and Amalfitana. From the moment we walked in our waiter acted quite stuck up and bothered. The atmosphere is lively with an open kitchen view with very professional looking kitchen staff and waiters. Unfortunately our waiter left his personality and service skills at home. He did not explain any of the menu items, including the chef's tasting options, and never introduced himself. He never asked if we were happy with our dishes, nor did he offer more wine after we had finished our first bottle. We started with the Eggplant Parmigiana appetizer, and it was excellent, but the Octopus starter was very chewy, although an excellent presentation. Both pasta courses were outstanding in presentation and taste! At the end, there was no offer of coffee nor dessert after our meal. Too bad our waiter didn't go beyond the bare, bare minimum to make our evening a better memory . He didn't even bring our check to us, so we had to ask the hostess. I might go back for the food, but not for the service....

Started with wine - we just let the waiter (Giuseppe?) decide and we were rewarded. But the food was the star - the menu leans toward local seafood with some international flair. For instance, we had an assorted "tempura" appetizer - the fish was delicious and the vegetables par cooked to provide the right amount of chew. Both were coated in a light, crisp, salty batter and served with an apple/onion chutney (I think). We ordered two entrees - sea bass served in a rich fish broth with mussels and a strip steak that was seared beautifully, cut before serving, salted, and served with an incredibly flavorful sauce of peppers and parsley (like a chimichurri). Also had a couple great cocktails including something I would have NEVER tried - a passion fruit whiskey sour.

Prices were lower than expected, quality was higher. This place was also just clean as all hell too, like people take pride in working there. The last real restaurant we went to before COVID was a Michelin one-star in Metz. CuCu was better - not better for the price, but...