CUCINA urbana

I had never had such a genuine dining experience before. Every single person in the staff was cordial, kind, and went out of their way to be hospitable and helpful. I had never experienced that in a restaurant before. Not to that level. The food was excellent; my little brother described it as modern Italian. I ordered the corn goat cheese agnolotti, and I thought to myself, "This is what sunshine tastes like." I hope you get to try this amazing experience as well. My husband and I can't wait to go back. Also, to give it a balanced review and to ensure you know this was not a paid review, I'll mention that the music was loud, which didn't seem to fit the luxury resort ambience.

Mixed feelings, we were excited to come here to check out a local bib gourmand. It's a big open space and has great vibes for both date nights and families. For food, we got the squash blossoms (delicious), Italian sausage potato pizza (ok, a bit bland), the torchio alla Norma and the short rib mafaldine. The mafaldine was fine, nothing to write home about and a bit dry, but the torchio alla Norma was horrendous. It was bland, overcooked pasta sitting in a pool of oil. This was the first time we've ever sent food back, because we know how annoying that can be for the kitchen but we simply could not eat this. Our waitress was kind enough to offer to remake it and said the chef confirmed it was a lot oilier than it should have been which we really appreciated, but it was a big let down. She graciously took it off our check as well, so again, very appreciative of that. Unfortunately I don't think we'll be returning, however.

The ambience inside was beautiful and classy. Another great date night spot for the books.It was my first time at CUCINA Urbana and I was in love. I wouldn't rate it as the number one Italian place I've been to but if I lived around the area it was definitely become my go to Italian spot. My friend and I ordered the Italian Sausage pizza and Rigatoni bolognese. The Italian sausage pizza came with lots of veggies such as potato and broccolini with a white cream sauce which was decadent. The rigatoni had the perfect creamy yet tomatoy sauce. Both were amazing choices. However I do wish there was more meat on the pizza and bolognese.Overall I would definitely come back if I'm in the area! The service was also great.

This is one of our favorite restaurants that we visit at least 3x a month. The server, Jason is awesome and always greets us with a warm smile. The service is always attentive and the team approach ensures that customers are well cared for. The food is always good, too. We have our favorites but are willing to try the specials they have. Good cocktails and wine selection. The interior can be very noisy since there is nothing to absorb the din. Outside dining is good, and usually, the heaters keep things cozy. Great neighborhood spot.

We had been wanting to try this for the kids make your own pizza but thought it would have bad parking and it was usually booked when we thought to try to go. Finally went on a Wednesday night and parking was a breeze. The place is cute but very loud inside which made me feel more comfortable bringing my kid to, but then she also complained about the noise. We got the goat cheese stuffed squash blossoms, bucatini, a spicy sausage pizza, and kids pizza. The timing was a little off in the courses but I'm sure it was hard to time too. Her pizza came out early and we all snacked on it before the rest of the meal came. I actually liked the kids cheese pizza more than the spicy sausage which was delicious and had a lot more going on. The crust was very tasty and it shone through more for hers. She loved making it and would do it again for sure. The squash blossoms were delicious and the honey and pesto on them were fantastic. The bucatini was delicious-we got the poached egg on top which was a nice addition. The sausage pizza was spicy and had a delicious oil that might have just been from the sausage, or added on top, we couldn't tell. It was very flavorful and good, but I think I would have probably enjoyed some of the other pizzas more. They have a lot of great looking options! We also got a chocolate budino and the lemoncello tart and they were both excellent. The budino had lots of textures to it and was super rich and creamy. The tart was a perfect contrast and we all went back and forth between the two, unable to pick a favorite. We couldn't finish them all and we ended up taking some pizza home. The service was friendly and good, the meal was delicious, and we look forward to returning sometime.

Who doesn't love pasta and wine??? Came here for a friends birthday without a reservation. Hostesses were friendly and accommodating. We were placed in Kevin's section and he was an excellent server. We enjoyed a lovely white wine recommended by our server. It was fair priced and delicious. The goat cheese agnolotti was a taste of summer! The squash blossoms were incredible. The pizza was also a 10. We will certainly be back :) loved the moody casual classy ambiance. Good job!

The ambiance of the restaurant was so nice and lively! We were greeted by the host right away and were seated very quickly. Our server was extremely energetic and lively too.I brought my family of 9 people here. Many of us order the Rigatoni Bolognese. All of us thought this dish was overly salty, which made it a little difficult to finish. We also ordered the Grilled Octopus as a sharing plate. The sauce was decent but there was only one octopus tentacle in it that was only a few inches long. It came with lots of huge beans as well, which I think was too overpowering for it to be paired with the octopus. Their wine selection was great though.Overall, it was a nice restaurant but I personally might not come back again.

A great Italian restaurant across fork balboa park!!We came here to celebrate our 1 year anniversary of dating and they were very welcoming. We were quickly sat with our reservation.Great open area and vibes! This is a wine store with restaurant so they tell you if you're interested to grab a bottle off the wall, drink it with your meal, then pay for it and take it home you're more than welcome! The waiter was very kind and answered our questions. Kind to also give us glasses of champagne on the house to celebrate. We were given some focaccia bread as a starter along with the meatball we ordered.We devoured them both - bread was nice and fluffy and salty and the best all was moist and lots of sauce.After each part of the dinner they clear the table and bring new table settings for your dinner and dessert! Our entrees were nice and hot and well seasoned. We couldn't finish either so we had leftovers which they boxed up for us.We weren't going to do dessert but the tiramisu sounded so good so we got that and the lady got a glass of red wine to pair with it.It was all so delicious and we didn't feel rushed to leave or hurry up. Lots of parties and groups so they are able to accommodate larger parties.Highly recommend this spot it also wasn't too expensive - $150 for appetizers, entrees, dessert and 2 drinks.

Came for a bday dinner Monday night. To my surprise, there was plenty of street parking available although dinner was set for prime time at 730 pm. Perhaps because it was a Monday.The restaurant is super cute. Upon entering, you must go down a short set of stairs. We began our evening at the bar with cocktails and mocktails as we waited for our table.They have a good selection of drinks. I will say, when my boyfriend closed out the tab, the handheld card reader began the tip at 20%, 22%, then 25%. Shouldn't it start at 15%? Well my boyfriend always tips well and he chose the 22%. When I got home that evening and looked at the bar receipt-I did notice it also had an additional 3.5% service fee added to the total which was not displayed on that reader-and I had ordered one mocktail. That's ok I guess, just it was not disclosed.Not sure about the restaurant bill, I assume it did the same but I did not look at that receipt or take a copy home.For the food, we ordered the stuffed squash blossom for the table. It looked like a stuffed chicken wing and was tasty. Anything fried with cheese is good :)My bf got the squashed potatoes which were mediocre to me. It did come with a white cream sauce which I was not a fan of but he said it made it taste better otherwise yes it was bland. He got the Branzino and that dish was a 5/5, the best dish of the night! Light but delicious.I got the Magherita pizza, also super tasty and the crust was just perfect.Our friends ordered other dishes I did not try but all looked great. For the desserts, we got the mango and yuzu sorbet. OMG you must try the YUZU- i didn't think I'd like it and it was soooo fruity/tart/delicious. We all agreed on that one. The other two desserts we got were just as good, just depending on the mood you are in. The pie-can't recall the name was my second favorite.Overall, I had a great time here. Staff was friendly, interior was rustic and clean and overall the vibes were great.I would come back for the fish and desserts!

The food and the place were so good but the food portion was too small. I ordered seasonal pasta but it was only 9 small pieces. I left the restaurant and I was still hungry. But the service was so good the staff were so nice and friendly and the wine was so good.