La Cucina Ristorante Italiano

I think it's been over a decade since I've eaten here and it's still as wildly popular as it was long ago, so that tells you something. RESERVATIONS are (highly) recommended.Reservations are hard to come by. This place is small. You must plan ahead, email them and get a response. I got lucky and someone cancelled. Or you can try to walk in and sit at the bar, but there aren't many seats. LOCATIONThis place is located in Imperial Plaza, the condo building across from Lexus on Cooke/Kapiolani. It has no view. None. Not even of the street. It's located on the ground floor right there in the middle. PARKINGParking is in the building's parking structure, which you enter from Kawaihao. Or you can park on the street. FOODThe Italian food here is not like most of the other "Italian" restaurants in Hawaii. Its better. I don't know how to explain it.

I am so surprised to see the negative reviews, but I feel like those people are missing the point. This is a very small restraint with one chef making everything from scratch. It is not easy but he works extremely hard to run this place, and it's been around for many years for a reason. The ambiance is beautiful and has a relaxing atmosphere. The service is wonderful and the ladies are very friendly. The food is top notch. It's like you've been invited to someone's home. The chef takes time and so much effort to make everything. I had the gnocchi and it was exceptional. My husband had the ravioli and, again, exceptional; both very pillowy and delicious. We had tiramisu and the cheesecake and they were also delicious. Thank you, Chef. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and we'll be back again for sure.

I gave them a five star 3 years ago and I'm going to do the same for tonight's dinner at La Cucina Ristorante Italiano. Funny thing is that my friends took me here for the first time to celebrate our birthdays and tonight, I'm here with a different friend to celebrate my birthday. We tried calling at 5:28pm to make a reservation over the phone, we were unsuccessful. We decided to drive there and do a walk in. Dara greeted us and we told her that we tried calling but were told that reservation is done by emailing them and receiving a confirmation email. Let's just say that blessings on us because she had us sat down for table for 2 as long as we were done by 8:15 pm as the seats we're seating on is reserved for another party! We appreciate you Dara for not turning us away! Internet connection isn't the best but we got thru the QR code menu and placed our order within 8 minutes from when we sat down. We ordered Midollo Osseo. It was 2 roasted seasoned bone marrow topped with pesto and served with toast points. I said this before and I'll say it again. This is a must've have! It was seasoned well and a bite with the toast is so buttery and salty and oh sooooo deliziosa!!! The bone marrow is rich in flavors, and it danced well in my mouth! Pappardelle Norcina: homemade Italian sausage sautéed with onions, garlic, porcini mushrooms, whole mushrooms and topped with pecorino romano. This is pasta is an eccellente choice for those who love Italian sausage! Fettuccine Aragosta: fettuccine mixed in. garlic and chopped Maine lobster tail in a pink sauce. This might be my favorite pasta! It was saporita (flavorful)! The staff is on point with customer service! It made our dinning experience much more special with the attentiveness and friendly attitude. I want to thank Dara again for allowing us to experience an amazing dinner tonight. Although it's my second time here, it was a first for my friend! The restaurant is small but it's the perfect place for an intimate dinning experience. I highly recommend to make a reservation ahead of time by email so you won't have to stand in line or take a risk of not getting in. There's a few validated parking in the building. È stata una cena spettacolare! It was a spectacular dinner! Thank you for reading my review. Have a great evening!

I went back to try a different dish, Tagliatelle Neri e frutti di Mare(Squid ink pasta sautéed with chopped clams, shelled clams, mussels, tiger shrimp, calamari, fish, garlic, capers, and parsley in a light tomato sauce).It was very tasty, but the pasta was too soft for my liking. Also mussels didn't taste as fresh as other things in there. However, it was still a good satisfying comfort food and I enjoyed it.What bothered me the most was the waiting time until the food was served. I was informed of that and was prepared, so it was okay this time. But generally, I don't think I want to wait over one hour for one dish to be served, even if the food is good. The staff were very nice though.

Pinch me I must be dreaming! La Cucina Ristorante Italiano (The kitchen Italian restaurant) is the closest thing to authentic Italian cuisine you'll find in HonoluluLa Cucina made me happy and sad at the same time. The meal here made me reminisce about spending last holiday season in Rome and all the delicious food that came with it.Yelp BFF was able to score last minute reservations, so we came hungry. We ordered the bone marrow, porcini crostinis, gnocchi, pappardelle, and tiramisu.The bone marrow was so rich and perfect for a starter. I've never had gnocchi as pillowy as La Cucina. It felt as though I was chewing on clouds. The pappardelle was hearty and tickled all the right taste buds. Although we were so full, we couldn't leave without trying the tiramisu and honestly, it was perfection! The perfect way to wrap up any Italian meal.I'm so happy we get to go back in a few months. Definitely bookmark this place and make reservations in advance!Thanks for reading my reviews! Let me know what I should try next!

Wow! Amazing! Deliciooooooosoooioooo! Are words that kept reappearing in my mind as I took a bite of all items we had for dinner!!!Funny story sort of related that in hindsight was a huge mistake........ My wife loves Italian food, so for an anniversary many years ago, La Cucina was on short list of new Italian spots to try. As you can guess, she ended choosing another spot. It's now safe to say, La Cucina blows that place out of the water!!! This place is racing to the top of my list for best Italian restaurants....not just on this island.....but any I can remember even on our travels. Why you stay.......the FOOD is amazing. Here's a quick hit list of our first bites here:Salad......fresh greens and tomatoes packing a punch of flavor thanks to the olive oil vinaigrette that was vibrant and tart Mushroom crostini......crunchy, umami, buttery, rich. Pastas - All made fresh. We tried 4 of them: 1. Crab, 2. Sausage, 3. Bolognese, and 4. Spaghetti Aglio Olio. They all pack so much flavor, the sauce just marries with the pasta in every bite. They were all wonderful, and to highlight how good they were....I'll just talon about the most simplest one. Spaghetti Aglio Olio is a simple pasta with minimal ingredients that include Garlic, olive oil, capers, parsley, Pecorino Romano, and a touch of red chili flakes. As I already stated for all, each bite had so much flavor......large punch of garlic, quick hits of tart and tangy from the capers, a zig and a zag of heat for the chili, in which the olive oil is the glue to all the flavor. That leads me to the Veal Picatta, which paired perfectly with the Aglio Olio. Rich, creamy, and zesty sauce all over the veal. The veal was so sofr and tender. Amazing!The host/server was friendly, polite, and very attentive. The restaurant is cool and hip, it is on the smaller side, so get there early so you can get a seat. We just beat the crowd....once it got crowded the place got loud from all the talking and laughter. Every party seemed to be enjoying and have a great dinner. The best part is the restaurant is run by only a wife (host) and husband (chef) tag team and a helper in the kitchen. You can tell they take pride in their restaurant and food. In seeing some other reviews about wait time, is probably the opposite end of that spectrum.....you only have a single person cooking, so in response to that........:wonderful things comes to those people who are patient ;-) haha.

We are not huge on Italian food but this was delicious. Buried in the imperial plaza, we walked by and discovered this seemingly hole in the wall and decided to try it. Was always busy when we went by and we struggled to get a reservation (they only coordinate reservations through email). Despite having no reservations, we showed up at 520pm on a Friday evening expecting first come first serve bar seating and were seated immediately at a table with plenty of seats open in the restaurant. Started out with free warm bread and olive oil+vinegar. For our meal we ordered:Crostini Al Porcini (A): Delicious oil and delicious topping. Would certainly order again.Squid Ink Pasta (A+): This was our main entree and we would get it again. Plenty of protein diversity and the pasta was very tasty. The sauce was also amazing. Ravioli Neri (B): This was our second entree. It was a bit saucy and cheesy so not our favorite, but still quite tasty.Overall, this restaurant beat our expectations. Seems to be family run, a cool ambience, and great food. Worth the wait if you go in:)

La Cucina Ristorante ItalianoOverall: ***** Highly Recommended *****Food: *****Value: ****Menu: *****Ambiance: ***Service: *****Parking: ***** (free validate, close proximity)La Cucina is my favorite Italian restaurant and in my opinion (and many other foodies) is the best Italian restaurant in Hawaii. Every dish was sooooo good!!! Chef Don makes fresh noodles every day and it makes a world of difference. I've eaten at many Italian restaurants in New York City and Boston, many times. Chef Don is right up there with some of the best Italian chefs. His sauces are very delicious, his pasta is cooked al dente. He has a deep menu with great selection for every pallet. Dara, Don's wife, co-owner, manager, hostess, waitress, bus person & bartender, provides excellent service and recommendations. I rarely give 5***** reviews for service, but every time I've dined at La Cucina Dara has given us excellent service. She is all alone handling the entire dining area by herself. Yet, she has time to check in and ask if the wine and dishes are to our liking. My wife recently told her, "I don't know how you do it."Again, I highly recommend La Cucina for authentic Italian food and fresh pasta! It will be one of your best decisions!RATINGS & RECOMMENDED ORDER:Midollo Osseo = A+ Super Delicious!Risotto Funghi e Tartufo = A+Pappardelle Norcina = AFettuccine Aragosta = ARavioli Neri = ASpaghetti Granchio e Vodka = APappardelle Agnello = AOsso Buco = BTagliatelle Neri e frutti di Mare = BCrostini al Porcini = AInsalata di Prosciutto = ABruschetta = BYelp: https://yelp.to/3JYbHGJFmQWebsite: https://www.lacucinahawaii.com/Google: https://maps.app.goo.gl/G3zLd37vu1VWnhba9?g_st=icYELP: Milton KSorry! They allow only one 12 second video & the remaining to 3 seconds. The full video and pictures of the entire menu can be found on other platforms/apps: MiltonIn808RATINGS KEY: A = Really Good - one of the best B = Good - would order again C = ok - similar, nothing special D = Not very good - wouldn't order F = Terrible - avoid

Small italian fusion restaurant thats only open for dinner (now). They get busy so its hard to get a table sometimes. We happened to luck out when we went, especially since we had a larger group of people. Menu is online only, so dont look/wait for a physical menu. Staff is niceFood took a bit because we ordered after a large party. Overall the food was really good. Would totally get the ravioli again. Got it because it said there were dried blueberries on top. While they werent lying the blueberries did nothing for the dish. It was literally like an aesthetic garniah, since the flavor also did not go with the ravioli. Bolognese was ok, if you like meat sauce im sure youd like this. I dont, im a cream or butter base girlie. Pesto was super salty. Not sure if it was from the pesto sauce or the sausage that was added in. And while i love burrata it was weird on the pasta since the pasta was hot and the burrata was cold. Eggplant parmigiana was really good though, especially with the bread. Definitely a fusion place since they give oil and vinegar with bread at the beginning of the meal. Do highly recommend though

Got to eat here because a relative invited us to have dinner with them on a Friday night. She had been here before and knew how to "navigate the ropes" so to speak! Here's what we learned:1. Reservations can only be made through email. Confirmed this with the owner who was also our server.2. Parking is available in the Imperial Plaza structure or on the street if you can find it; I did.3. You can bring in your own wine and there is a corkage fee.4. Menu is via QR code. Same menu that is available online. They do have daily specials that can will only be known when you arrive. There are a few standard menu items that are recommended to be ordered 2-3 days in advance. Email is your friend.5. Ambience and service is quaint and classy. Smaller restaurant with table seating and some bar seating. You can choose to dress up or be casual. We saw both types of attire being worn. After all this is Hawaii. 6. No cloth napkins just paper. Still does the job.7. The food is what you want to know about. From appetizers, salad, to main dishes and dessert all were delicious! Portions are not large, but of quality. We ordered our meal family style to share and it was perfect! Literally every dish we had was delicious!8. Expect not to rush in and out. Enjoy your evening and have pleasant conversation the food is made to order.9. Coffee is premium and a nice way to enjoy dessert and end a delicious meal.10. Walk ins are possible if you want to give it a shot. We saw a few "get in."Fair is fair and what we learned is that this place is certainly worth coming back to. Come and check this restaurant out if you want quality Italian food served and cooked by the owners during a time and day that they are open for service. After all, they do need to take breaks some times.