La Cucina Italiana Raleigh — Restaurant in Raleigh

I ordered a 12 inch pizza online and I went to pick it up. The gentleman at the counter asked the name and handed me a pizza box and proceeded to put garlic knots in a bag for me as well. I've been to restaurants before that give freebies so I didn't think anything of it. I was tempted to order them but I didn't want to spend the money on them. I get into my car with the food and I'm almost across the street to my hotel and the restaurant calls me to tell me they gave me the wrong order and if I could bring it back. I've never heard of any restaurant or fast food place to demand food back after it's been in someone's possession. I was half tempted to not go back because it was starting to rain at this point and my friend was worried about me. I go back in to the restaurant after turning back around and I bring the food back into the restaurant and a different employee hands me my box and takes the food they originally gave me. With no apologies or thank yous for going out of my way to BRING IT BACK. I asked him if I could keep the garlic knots for my trouble and he looks at me and says, "someone is waiting on them". I'm extra frustrated at this point and he offers to make me fresh ones. I sat for over 10 minutes in this restaurant waiting on them and my pizza got cold in the meantime after all of their trouble when they should have been more careful with their pick up/to go orders. I also had my car running right outside so that was also an inconvenience. A different employee ended up bringing me the garlic knots. Again, no apologies or hardly any words at all. The food wasn't bad but definitely nothing to rave about. The garlic knots were swimming in butter and oil. I should have asked if my pizza had been in someone's car because I would have wanted a fresh one to be made. Once someone has food in their possession, you can't demand it back. For the simple fact that you have no idea if the food is still safe for another customer to consume. They made it right by me, but I was still frustrated with everything when I was trying to enjoy...

While visiting from out of town, we decided to try this local spot after finding it online. The restaurant has a casual "seat yourself" approach, which is fine in theory, but we found all the tables still dirty when we arrived. Fortunately, someone came by quickly to wipe one down so we could sit.

There was some confusion about how to place our order, as no one approached our table for quite a while. Just as we got up to order at the front, a staff member informed us she'd come by to take it instead. Once our order was placed, the service remained inconsistent. We waited about 20 minutes before receiving our drinks—after our appetizer had already arrived—and had to follow up to get them.

One particularly awkward moment was when our pizza was brought out but mistakenly placed on another table. The neighboring guests kindly pointed it out, and we ended up retrieving it ourselves. Throughout the meal, we were never offered drink refills and had to flag someone down just to get the check.

As for the food, it was decent but nothing memorable. The baked spaghetti and spaghetti with meatballs were okay, though a bit bland. The pizza was fine. The kids' menu was extremely limited—only offering chicken tenders—and we were told a smaller portion of spaghetti and meatballs wasn't an option, so we ended up paying $17 for a full-size plate for a child, which felt excessive for what it was.

Our total came to just over $80 for two kids' sodas, two adult sodas, two pasta dishes, a small pizza, and a side of chicken. While prices are somewhat expected in today’s dining scene, the experience didn’t quite match the cost. It’s worth noting that the restaurant wasn’t busy—only a few other families were there—so the slow and scattered service felt more noticeable.

Overall, the potential is there, and maybe we just caught them on...

We decided to stop in for lunch at this newly opened spot. We ordered a calzone, chicken parm, garlic knots, and calamari (not pictured).

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of the calamari, but it was flavorful and well-seasoned. It came with a side of homemade marinara, which had a nice tangy flavor that I enjoyed. However, the portion of calamari was quite small—about thumbnail-sized pieces, and there was only about a handful.

The garlic knots, on the other hand, were generously portioned. They were soaked in garlic butter and topped with grated Parmesan, with about ten knots in total.

Both the calzone and chicken parm were good. The marinara clung nicely to the pasta, and the calzone was crispy and cooked to perfection.

One thing that stood out was the restaurant’s serving concept, which felt a bit confusing. It had the atmosphere of a full-service restaurant, where you'd expect to be seated, waited on, and have someone checking on you regularly. However, it didn’t quite operate that way. This spot occupies the same location as a former Dickey’s BBQ, so the layout is similar. When we walked in, a gentleman asked if we were dining in, and after saying yes, he simply told us to find a seat. He then brought us menus and cutlery before taking our drink and food orders. After that, we didn’t see him again until he brought out the food, and then someone else brought the check. We refilled our own drinks from the drink machine. The server was friendly, and there was no issue with his attitude, but the overall setup felt a bit inconsistent and unclear.

Overall, it was a ok experience, but nothing particularly memorable or...