Cucina 355 — Restaurant in Nutley

Don't bother.

We ordered take out in 2021 NYE and waited 90 minutes for our food. We wanted to stay local this year and we figured that maybe we could give them another chance. We actually said to ourselves, "how bad could it be if we go early enough" The bar was set relatively low but jfc they impressed us with how bad it truly can be.

I was purposely clear and concise. We ordered a hot appetizer and I was clear that I wanted to have a salad in between courses. We wanted to spend time enjoying our dinner and not feel rushed. Of course the salad came out with the appetizer and on top of it was the wrong salad and on top of that we waited a good 8-10 minutes for plates and silver. (Owner, please check your vid to verify). While youre at it, please note that we waited longer for silver and only got it after flagging down the dining room attendant, our app plates stayed on the table until the check came, server didnt check with us without us waving him or someone else down, and never refilled any glass on the table.

The thai calamari was really good but the salad (the right one) was bland. We kept hoping that the dinner would redeem them, and if youre still reading this, I hate to break to you but it didn't. Who serves penne without tossing it in any sauce. If I wanted noodles in butter, I would've ordered from the kids menu.

We figured we would order dessert to go but the server just brought out the check without us asking whether we'd like dessert or coffee or us asking for the check.

The server brought out a complimentary pineapple something or other but it was clear that it was an attempt at putting a bandaid on the hull of a ship after it hit an iceberg. It was insulting. We're not picky, and were excellent tippers. I very rarely tip less than 20% and it hurt me so much that I just couldn't do it. There were nuances that put me off that normally wouldn't be an issue if food or service was par. Putting down a monster pitcher of water for a table of 2 is just tacky. Not filling your glass is lazy, eating with the same silver through 3 or 4 courses is off-putting. But those details are not worth noting if basic food and service goes off relatively without a hitch. Where was the manager the entire time? I wouldnt know, never saw them.

This place was packed last year and this year it was notibly slower. I wonder why.

Edit: their take out isn't bad even though twice we ordered extra bread that we were charged for but they forgot to pack. So lpt: they cannot be trusted so check your order when you pick...

I want to take this opportunity to thank the staff at Cucina for an amazing first birthday party for my baby. We are soooo happy we chose Cucina to host our event. From start to finish, the service was wonderful. Adriana, the event manager, was super accommodating and helped us achieve the event we wanted. From helping me pick out the perfect menu, to accommodating our guests with special diets, giving us the opportunity to drop off decorations the night before the event and going in early the morning of to decorate. Adriana was super supportive throughout the entire process. The day of the event, she was present and checking in to see if we needed anything, and to make sure everything was going smoothly. Andres, one of our servers, was so helpful and kind. He helped us set up all of the decorations. I was so anxious that we weren’t going to get everything done before our event start time, but Andres helped us and with a team, we got it done! Throughout the event, his service was impeccable. Thank you Jose for being so helpful when we were dropping off decorations the night before our event. He went back and forth to our car and helped us carry boxes and was there to ensure we were supported until we left. The food was delectable! Everyone raved about it. We chose a family style meal with 2 appetizers, a salad, 3 entrees. The calamari and bruschetta were sooooo good. I heard a few people saying that they were best they have ever had. The penne vodka was rich and creamy with the perfect amount of tomato sauce. It was my favorite! Everyone thought the chicken Napoli was a unique and delicious choice. They loved it! It was juicy and came with mushrooms, spinach and cheese. A wonderful flavor combo. The eggplant rolatini was to die for. The eggplant was sliced thin, perfectly breaded and had just the right amount for sauce and cheese. I’ve had plenty of eggplant rolatini and other restaurants haven’t gotten right like Cucina. At the end of our event, our guests didn’t want to leave!!!! With an announcement, everyone got the hint and started leaving. The staff was super patient, helped us clean up and load our cars. We were beyond satisfied with the service. We had such a great time! We will continue to order our weekly Grandma pie, and hopefully have some dinner there soon! I will always chose Cucina for my future events. Thank...

I normally would not write a negative review but my experience with this restaurant was extremely disappointing. It is Sunday and I decided to treat myself to pasta panne alla vodka. I went on the Uber eats manu and placed my order. I have also added a meat sauce for an additional $9 as it was listed as an option in their menu. When I received my order the pasta came with red sauce instead alla vodka sauce and I can't have that due to an issue with my stomach. I called the restaurant to let them know that they have made a mistake. I was very nice and polite about it as well. But instead of apologizing and offering some kind of alternative or compensation, I was told that the meat sauce is red, even though that is not what it says on their menu. When I have pointed out that the menu says otherwise I was told that there's nothing they can do about it and for me to contact Uber eats instead. The girl also then told me that even their pasta alla vodka sauce without the meat sauce, is red ( that makes absolutely zero sense). So no refund, or a partial refund , or even a simple apology was offered. I paid over$60 for an order that I couldn't even enjoy because even the cheesecake that i ordered did not taste freash, it was terrible. Of course I will never go back to them again and certainly will not recommend this place to anyone else. I have also noticed that no one from restaurants managment responds to any negative reviews about them. And that lets me know that they don't care about their customers and what they are saying about their business. It's a shame when a small private business in a small town where i used to live acts this way towards their customers. Clearly they just don't care and they should be ashamed of having this kind of business processes and such low customer service standards. I guess they can afford to lose customers during these...