La Cucina — Restaurant in Oxford

Disappointed with the service as it seemed nowhere near as good as it used to be.

I used to regularly spend £40-£50 a week here in the early Noughties, never having cause for concern and always having an enjoyable experience, whether just having coffee at the bar or sitting down for a full meal. I always enjoyed chatting in Italian with the chefs and with the owners.

It was disappointing then, when I popped in on Saturday for the first time in several years that I had a relatively bad experience. The waiting staff misunderstood me and insisted that I'd requested a takeaway, after I'd asked to see a snack menu. I repeated three times that it was NOT takeaway (even saying Voglio mangiare qui) and asked to be seated which I was. I was then left alone for between 20 and 30 minutes. Eventually a manager brought the bottle of tonic water I'd requested and asked how I wished to pay. I explained that there had been a mistake and that I was waiting for my meal. If looks could kill I'd have been executed by my waiter. A few minutes later the pasta dish I'd requested was brought, served on a cold dish and my food rapidly grew cold, although I imagine if served correctly it would have been delicious.

My main completed, I was brought a sweet, as requested. This was served on a very hot plate, so that the cappuccino gelato was rapidly melting. The decaf Americano that I also requested was substituted with an ordinary coffee that leftt my heart and nerves racing.

Having been a waiter in the past, I don't like to complain - and I DO understand that there can be misunderstandings with customers. All the same, the customer is still the customer and deserves a modicum of respect and understanding. I didn't feel that from the majority of the Cucina staff that night. I felt as though I was considered a nuisance and a problem and was glad to leave. It will probably be a while before I...

It is so rare to find a truly Italian restaurant that includes a healthy dose of love for Italian cuisine - La Cucina truly excels with a genuine Italian menu and Italian chefs. My friend and I were in the area just before lunchtime on Saturday, and we popped in for a quick coffee. The wonderful scent of food preparation from the open kitchen tempted us to stay for lunch and boy was it the right choice! The starter was a wonderful crunchy, but at the same time soft, flatbread with figs, mascarpone, pecorino and mortadella - on paper it shouldn’t work but it was delicious! For mains, my friend got the duck pappardelle with juicy bits of duck, a true testament to the Milanese chef, whilst I had the gnocchi alla Gorgonzola. Both portions were generous without being too big. Whilst both mains were more than sufficient for a lunch, we couldn’t leave without dessert: affogato for my friend and a slice of ricotta cheesecake with slices of beautifully candied orange for me. Service was very attentive, you can tell when staff are happy and well trained at a restaurant since the three persons who looked after us (I presume students at Oxford) clearly knew the menu well and were friendly and professional, thankfully without the over the top plastic courtesy that is way too common at other restaurants. Absolutely five star all the way, and with the added bonus of an easy drive to St Clements car park literally next door, a miracle in Oxford to have such convenient parking. Also very easily accessible by public transport. Can’t...

I don’t ordinarily issue 5 stars, being of the opinion that “4 is the new 5” and the extra star can never be achieved because it signifies the ambition of continuing improvement (anyone involved in quality management should understand). For La Cucina, however, I am making a well-earned and well-deserved exception.

This was the first time my wife and I had visited and we were accompanied by friends. It won’t be the last time we dine here! The service was superb, the staff dealt with our orders with commendable attention to detail (involving carefully listening to and acting on special dietary requirements, plus modifying a couple of dishes to our preferences), the food was excellent - delicious, generous portions, and even though the four of us all ordered different starters and main courses, not one of them was anything less than amazing - and the value for money gave no cause for complaint.

Highly recommended. I am in two minds about posting this review, because I wouldn’t want La Cucina to become so popular that it proved difficult to reserve a table, but if that happens then the staff will...