Each and every time Cucina Bella's impresses me with the quality of their food and services

I was on a mission to find an Italian place because a friend of mine was coming into town. In the end, he chose it - and it turned out awesome! It is located in a small strip mall, but that doesn't factor in at all. Once you enter, it is cozy and aesthetically appealing. I think there are sky-lights if I am not mistaken, so lots of natural light even if you are not near the front window. Our server was delightful. My dinner mate asked her if she was from Connecticut and I don't know how he nailed that, but he did. She was good-natured and laughed when they both discovered he and our server's mom went to the same HS in CT - he told her to tell her mom "hello" even though they went about 20 years apart. Sweet, attentive girl. Now, for the food. Honestly, it exceeded my expectations. We ordered calamari and it was perfectly fried. Absolutely perfect. Crunchy, fresh with a spicy aioli drizzled over the top. It came with marinara and lemon, and the combo was delicious. I got the chicken piccata and he got the lobster ravioli. I didn't try his, but he said it was great, and he cleaned the plate. My chicken piccata was delicious. The chicken was moist and juicy, the sauce was chef's kiss with lemon, a perfect touch of capers and artichoke hearts. Yum! It came with mashed potatoes and spinach, and I just could not have been more pleased. I did not get dessert but I tried a bit of his peach budino, and it was also very tasty. A moist bread-like base with peaches on top, caramel and vanilla ice cream. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a nice (but casual) Italian dinner with lovely ambience and attentive servers. read more

We are so impressed after our first visit. Attentive staff! We had menus in our hands just after sitting down. Waitress brought us water quickly and ask about drinks. She asked if we had questions about menu items, answered our questions clearly, told us about the specials and their prices. Appetizer of calamari was perfectly cooked with ample amount provided. Entrees came out in proper time just as we finished the calamari. AND she took our used plates away rather than them sitting around. Chicken entrees were so good but i cant find it on the online menu. A fair portion and a fair price. Waitress came back twice to ask if we needed anything and were happy with our choices. She brought the water pitcher each time as well. When another waitress took away my wife's finished entree plate (after asking if she would like it taken away), both the wife and I smiled at how this is how wait staff should be: helping out other staff's table by Picking up used plates and noting any needs by customers. This place was such a pleasant experience and we look forward to our next visit! read more

Went for dinner and will definitely come back to try other dishes on the menu! The calamari was so light and crispy. The salmon was cooked perfectly to my liking with the creamy risotto. We did wish the bread was a little bit more cooked on bottom but flavor was great. Server was so nice and patient and answered all our questions. read more

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Food solid! Service? Can be polished a bit. This experience of mine is based on the takeout/pick up order I placed yesterday. I saw the ratings by others beforehand. Solid (almost) 4.5 star appeared very promising. It was a way to kick start my celebratory mood for Thursday. Before I would consume a lot of turkey and the side, I was in the mood for a good Italian. It had to be some place that I hadn't utilized in the past. So I did a quick search on Yelp like I always do. Cucina Bella was one of the restaurants in said search. Close enough from my home. After placing several items online, it gave me a window of opportunity for 15-16 minutes before it would be ready. After about 25 minutes later my order had been placed I was finally at the restaurant. Before I stepped in, I did my ritual: take some photos of the exterior. My anticipation was growing stronger. Once I was inside I took a few more photos of the interior. It was way past the busy lunch hour; there were only a few to several tables occupied by the diners. Then there appeared a female worker who had this staunch straight face with no warm smile or anything. "Hi, how can I help you?" To which I said, "I am here for my pick up order." having a warm smile on my face. I could easily tell that the one brown bag that was sitting on the bar appeared to be my food. She then asked, "What's the name?" in a blunt voice to which I stated my name. She grabbed the bag and handed it to me with the same cold look on her face with "Have a nice day." LOL! Well, at least she greeted me upon arrival and saw me off wishing me to have a good day so I can easily conclude that she wasn't rude or anything. My frank input though is that her customer service can be a bit polished? As soon as I got to my car and started driving, I was crossing my fingers (in my mind only; don't cross your fingers and drive!! LOL!) that the food was delicious. At least that's the most important thing after all. I had a sigh of relief at home. The meatballs (app), sausage and peppers (app) and the side crostini were all solid dishes. None of them were disappointing in any way. Although the meatballs weren't the best ones I've had (I can think of other similar Italian restaurants in Denver where they make/serve better meatballs), the overall seasonings that they used in them were pleasantly appropriated. Not too salty and yet no blandness was detected. The sausage and peppers were great especially on the crostini; $2.50 for the kind of portion is/was very friendlily priced despite the tough economy. Well, I can give this place a solid 3star based on everything I experienced. And yes, I will definitely consider utilizing them again in the future. read more

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We ordered in and were pleasantly surprised by how fresh everything arrived. I went with the meatballs and Brussels sprouts, and both were cooked beautifully, full of flavor, hearty, and genuinely satisfying. My husband tried the Bella Jalapeño Pineapple pizza, which showed up neatly packaged and just as vibrant as it sounds. Every dish tasted exactly the way you hope takeout will but rarely does: thoughtful seasoning, great textures, and plenty of substance. A really enjoyable meal from start to finish. read more

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We went last night for dinner and had a lovely time. I had wine and my husband had an old fashioned. We had the burrata bruschetta to start. It was creamy, yummy and delicious! I wish there was more crostini because there was definitely leftover cheese. My husband had the salmon risotto and I had the veal saltimbocca. The salmon was way over cooked but he said the risotto was good. My meal was delicious, the presentation wasn't the best and there could have been less cheese, but overall very good. I will say the service was very slow despite it not being a busy night. Our waitress barely checked on us and just didn't seem interested in being there. This spot is close to our house so I'm sure we'll be back to try other things on the menu I read more

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Great meal! Super staff!! Enjoyed a nice Cabernet Sauvignon alongside beef carpaccio, a fresh bread basket, caprese salad, chicken piccata, and shrimp scampi gamberetti -- everything was delicious and well-prepared. The bread basket is a must to too! Would definitely come back! read more

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The eggplant was delicious, and the pasta el dente. Good sauce with large chunks of tomato. The eggplant had mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmigiano cheeses in small amounts. The Eggplant was sliced thin, breaded, and unpeeled, but the peel was tender and not an issue. The lasagna was good. The garlic bread was made from pizza dough, but we would have preferred a good Italian bread. Our server was very attentive and delightful to talk to. We liked the atmosphere, and the decorative touches were whimsical. There is plenty of parking in the lot in front. read more

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Don't let the diner aesthetic fool you - this was genuinely one of the best meals I've had! I went with a girl friend at 6:30pm on a Wednesday night - it wasn't that busy. Lulu, our server, mentioned everything on the menu was great, and Wednesday nights are 15% off wine! We each ordered a glass of wine (the Cucina house red is SO good!) and shared Beef Carpaccio as an appetizer (so flavorful and well-prepared!). As a main, I ordered the Veal Piccata...and I'm still dreaming about it. Seriously, it was THAT good. The sauce was perfection, potatoes were eloquently whipped, and the veal was sizable and filling. My ONLY reservation on going back again and again was the price point ($80 including tip) for my meal. Honestly, though, great value for everything we had! I left on Cloud 9 and would likely come back for a date or special occasion. read more

Cucina Bella - Veal Piccata - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Cute place off 6th in a non descript strip mall. However their food is the very opposite of non descript! Every dish, from bruschetta, salad, mains and desserts were flavorful and made to order. The server was pleasant to speak with and offered her opinions on various dishes. Pricing super fair. They also have outdoor seating. Look forward to going back and trying other dishes and their pizza! read more

I wasn't sure what to expect since I ordered on DoorDash. I was craving linguine with clams! My food arrived as promised and in a decent amount of time. The bread basket was loaded with slices of bread with some good garlic flavoring and some marinara sauce. And the clams was great. I liked the added tomatoes in there which don't usually come in this dish. Lots of good flavoring. Will def get food from here again! read more

Cucina Bella - Linguine Vongole - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Be ready for great Italian dining!? Cucina does a nice job with the staples as well as adding a nice flare to new dishes. My go to is the eggplant parmesan. Yum.m! Ask for Ananda to serve you; she's kind, friendly, and attentive. read more

Unexpected gem in a little strip mall. It looks like nothing special from the outside, and then you discover a lovely little restaurant with a pleasant atmosphere, friendly service, and delicious food. read more

So-so in every respect. Would not recommend. Food ok but nothing special. Overpriced.

Ordered chicken Alfredo...more like butter noodles with some chicken. Not impressed. The food here is usually great and would order again...after this will probably not order here again. read more

I have only been here one other time appx 2 years ago. Never forgot, pass by it quite a lot. Took myself in for take out and had the mushroom ravioli. The flavors are very kind to my palate and layered which I loved discovering that. Can't wait till next time and it won't be 2 years read more

We ordered from here through DoorDash and food came quickly. The cheesy bread was loaded with cheese and absolutely delicious! Enjoyed dipping it in the side marinara. For my main I got the CB carbonara. It was just ok! It was topped with breaded chicken and the pasta was creamy with bacon bits and peas. I would not order this again but again just my preference! read more

DELICIOUS food,very hospitable, great service, and nice ambience w/Italian theme music well worthwhile the drive from the airport area.

This place is amazing! The food and service are both outstanding! Our server Zack was superb as well. My wife and I celebrated our anniversary there yesterday and everything was perfect. read more

Cucina Bella - Zack recommend a special seafood entree and his dessert recommended was a delicious pear treat marinated in three unique wines. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

great food, especially Pizza. friendly service. Ambi is very Italia. A must place to go to!

Good food good service. The menu prices may be a little high. But the food is well worth what you're paying for. Usually when we go there's not many people. So the service has been great. Will definitely be revisiting again and again. read more

The music and service were very nicely done. The food was good we had the cream brûlée too and that was fantastic. read more

Cucina Bella - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Cucina Bella is a pretty good Italian restaurant! Friendly service, nice atmosphere and had decent food. I had the Italiano sandwich and my partner had the lasagna and it was good! For lunch, $60 with no drinks is a bit much though. And our original plan was to split their $35 lunch special, but we weren't allowed to? Unsure why, it comes with a starter, entree and desert and each item is pretty large, but so be it. Will I come back? Absolutely! Will I come back for lunch? No. read more

Homey neighborhood restaurant. Friendly and patient service. Food portions are generous. Good balance of veggies, meats, starches/pastas. read more

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Three stars ONLY because everyone on the staff is so nice and they just seem to be genuinely good people. Also to be fair, it's an "Italian" place in a strip mall in Aurora... So don't get your hopes up. Better than Fazoli's, but it's not authentic Italian food at all. I asked them about how the restaurant was started, the owners the chefs, etc. Apparently a couple of the staff used to work at Olive Garden and the family decided to open an Italian restaurant. Which males sense because it's clear that it's not authentic Italian food. Again... The People are genuinely lovely! But the food justdoesn't hit for me. Pizza is not bad, better Pizza than some of the other chain places in the area. But that's about it. I imagine they get a lot of their business, (based on what I've seen when I've been in the restaurant) from the retirement community down the street, Windsor Gardens. It's definitely better than the little restaurant at that place that tries to market itself as open to the public. read more

This place is a super secret solid Italian place! Lasagna was wonderful! Whomever they are using as a supplier for meat, cheese, tomatoes, is wonderful. The quality of these items is the base of the magic! Creme brulee & Peach Budino desserts were delightful! read more

This hidden gem is in a strip mall off of East Alameda. Their Restaurant Week menu was a steal at $35 for three generous portion courses. We were greeted and seated quickly since I made a reservation. It took a bit to get our first course, but after that, things were timed well. We shared 3 of the 4 appetizer options - brussels sprout, burrata alla caponata, and the best one a fig and prosciutto crostini. The crostini was crisp and packed with flavor of goat cheese, fig jam, and prosciutto di parma (too bad it's not on their regular menu). My caprese salad had ripe red tomatoes paired with fresh mozzarella and basil. The main entrees we shared were full of seasoning and we even had some leftover. The Diavola pizza was a 12 inch pizza with nice spicy Calabrian chili peppers. The fettuccini bolognese had plenty of beef and pork in the sauce and the Garganelli al Pesto had a wonderful assortment of veggies that paired well with the pesto. Even though we were full, we couldn't pass up dessert and both were delicious. The creme brûlée had a nice rich custard and the tiramisu was the perfect blend of chocolate, espresso, and rum soaked lady fingers. We will definitely be back to support this restaurant. read more

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We went here for our anniversary, the service was great and the food was delightful- best calamari I've ever had. I had salmon piccata and my spouse had the shrimp scampi. Everything was delicious, cute little neighborhood spot. read more

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Second time here and was not disappointed. The chefs know what they are doing as far as Italian food goes. Despite the location being in a strip mall, this might be the best Italian food in Aurora. I ordered the Brussel Sprouts which were prepared and spiced perfectly. Food came out quickly for a busy Saturday night. I split the diavola pizza with my friend and we were not disappointed. It's a quaint place, recently redecorated, and has great food. If you're craving Italian, here is your next stop! read more

Cucina Bella - Diavola pizza. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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Had a lovely dinner here. Started with their wonderful bread basket -- don't miss it! Amazing!! Got the apple and walnut salad, which was divine. Didn't leave a single leaf of lettuce. There were so many amazing pasta dishes that I had a difficult time choosing. I chose a spicy option, the bucatini alla diavola. Wonderful -- and I couldn't finish it. I couldn't even think about dessert! Plenty of parking. Friendly staff. read more

Cuicina Bella opened up nearby a while back, but we never seemed to make it in. Reviews look good and they had a last minute reservation on New Year's Eve. Off we went. One reason we chose CB was their offering a special "holiday" menu to go with their usual fare. I looked for differences. It's a special menu, offering novel choices for the occasion and some cameos from the regular menu. Prices appeared a few dollars higher on the "holiday" menu vs the regular one for the same items. Come celebrate with us by paying more than usual for the same stuff. Festive! That being said, our food was delicious and made with quality ingredients. My lasagna was among the best I've had in Colorado--rich, substantial, and tasty. My picky child got his favorite bowl of buttered pasta, perhaps ever. Calamari was done right--crisp, light. I passed on beer because it was mids, but the chocolate martini that came to our table was bangin.' We had a great spot at the back of the room for taking it all in. I like the ambiance and decor. It stayed fairly quiet as the place filled up. Our server was friendly, but had too many tables. Once it got crowded, she was scarce. Not her fault. The defining moment for our visit came after we had decided to forego dessert. Our server came back and agreed to close the check. My son suddenly wanted ice cream. She heard him ask for it, but not me saying "Hold up." You don't take ice cream from a kid without a good reason. Fifteen minutes later, no ice cream and we decide to ask for the check again. No biggie. She forgot. I could see a giant dish of ice cream sitting out on the kitchen counter, 10 ft away. We got the owner's (?) attention to explain what happened and that we'd been waiting so long that we'd pass on the ice cream, check please. She nods but comes back with the ice cream--about 1/3 melted. I told her we didn't want the ice cream any more. She put it front of my son anyway. That's wasn't uncomfortable... She disappeared. Still no check. When we got a check from a few minutes later, it charged $8 for the melted ice cream we told you twice that we no longer wanted. How do you not comp this? Your mistake. Twice. I get being too busy; this seemed intentional. Quality ice cream's expensive, but the opportunity cost was our future patronage. We live a few min away. We like Italian food and neighborhood restaurants. Truly disappointing. Non Torneremo. 4.5 stars for food, 4 for ambiance, 1 for pricing gimmicks and service. read more

Cucina Bella - Delicious. Rich. Meaty. - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

Good service. Food's a bit hit or miss for me. I enjoy the Caesar salad with chicken and the chicken piccata. I'd pass on the minestrone (too salty). Nice option for the neighborhood. read more

Cucina Bella is such a hidden gem and arguably the best Italian in denver! Ask for travis as your server, he made our experience so special!

I had a lovely time with the family at Cucina Bella, just overall good vibes! Good food, good service, and Ananda and Imri were so kind. Would come back again! read more

The food at Cucina Bella is amazing, every time I go I try a different food plate and have loved all of them. The service is amazing, shout out to Emory, he is such a friendly, kind and attentive host. First impressions are the most important and seeing Emory as a host upon arrival will make the rest of the experience at the restaurant worth your time! read more

Everything I've had here has been excellent. Highly recommend. Really nice service as well. read more

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What a delightful little restaurant hidden in a strip mall on Alameda! I met some family members here for lunch today because the location was convenient, and we were all pleased with the food, wine, and service. The calamari was good, and the lasagne was excellent (although a bit salty). Our server Lulu was efficient and friendly. Will definitely return! read more

Cucina Bella - Lasagne - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

We've had Cucina Bella delivered and decided to give going to the restaurant a try recently. We enjoy the fettuccine bolognese and had some Italian sausage added to the meal which was nice. A little off with the pasta because it was broken, not ideal when you have a bolognese but the flavor was good. The vongole was less appealing. It seems they use a combo of fresh and canned clams. I think that took away from the dish and actually limited the amount of pasta in the dish. I'd personally rather have more pasta and no canned clam. The service was fine, nothing bad and nothing great. The location is easy to get to and is busy from the Community Center next door. Basic Italian American decor and it seems like they're making some updates. Not bad but opportunities to improve. read more

Cucina Bella - Fettuccine Bolognese - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado

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I ordered the Fusilli Pollo for take-out thru UberEats. I would say that the taste and flavor profile - 5/5 The noodles are perfect and the sauce isn't too salty and its got DEPTH. The chicken was also REAL chicken (not the cubed and possibly fake salad chicken that pasta places sometimes use) that was seasoned. The only reason that I give this 4 stars is the the P to P (price to portion). Even though I picked up my take-out, it was still almost $25. For $25 pasta, I expect to be able to split it in half and eat the other half for lunch the next day. But, I think the amount of pasta isn't enough for that. But again, the flavor is there and its great! Just a smaller portion than I would expect for the price. read more

Cucina Bella - Fusilli Pollo - Italian Near Me - Denver, Colorado