Awesome bacon breakfast sandwich! Easily the best breakfast sandwich I've ever had. Slight problem is that it is only on the takeout menu and doesn't appear on the sit down menu. If you perservere with your waitress she'll let you order it anyway at your table (usually). Cucina is very small so make sure you make a reservation unless you just want take-out. Highly recommend. read more

Had the trout special and cherry pie. Both were delicious. Thr trout was cooked perfectly. Perfect place for a business lunch and reservations are necessary. read more

Very disappointed! I am having coffee at Cucina almost every day and their barista is the best of Calgary. I decided to book a dinner, being always 100 % satisfied with their pastries as well. Service: below average. In my opinion, waiters need to know how to serve wine without any splashes and open champagne bottle correctly. It is okay to ask if everything is okay but you need to care about the answer and not leave before. Food: Such a disappointment! some of the dishes had not enough salt and seasoning (scallops carpacio) and some too much (mussels). My mum taught me at age 10 to not add salt to mussels, then taste and adjust (especially if you add salty bacon like they did). Toasts with the tartare were half burnt, as well as the toasts for the mussels (therefore was not an accident). The Porchetta was cooked perfectly but the sides were jusk "okay". The eggplants were goodbut kind of mixed with the mash potatoes. The mash potatoes was barely better than at Montana's! I usually love the food of Dominique being a regular client of Cassis. Cucina needs big improvements (staff training and slightly more inventive recipes) given the very high bill. May be they are saved by the lack of true competition in Calgary. read more

I decided to try Cucina after work on a Friday night with a few ladies. Everything on the menu looked fantastic but I narrowed it down to the gnocchi and the risotto, with a glass of sangria to accompany my meal. The food was really fantastic and I can't wait to go back to try the other offerings. I haven't had much luck with sangria in restaurants lately (usually watered down, too sweet, not enough fruit, etc.), but Cucina's version was delicious and my two glasses went down too easily. Service was friendly and fast, but you'll definitely need reservations as this place was pretty full by the time we finished our meal. read more

Wonderful lunch, linguine carb. And l a wonderful Pfeiffer white wine, suggested by my beautiful server. Great pairing. I have come to Cucina several times over the last 3-4 years, and have never been disappointed. Yes it is a little pricey, but well worth it. I really enjoy that they change there menu on a regular basis, so it's always a nice surprise to find something new. Breakfast was always enjoyable, but to be honest, I have not been in months, because it is pricey, but having said that, some very good, and different ways to enjoy, what can be, a fairly basic meal. But they are far from the norm. They have a wonderful, albeit small patio, on the shady side of the street, so the weather really needs to be nice. Servers and management is very nice, professional, we'll versed in the specials of the day, and not in you face, but easily available, if you need them. The coffee/barista, bar is excellent, with a great selection of treats, if you want to stop between breakfast and lunch for a coffee break or meeting. But be prepared to move by 11ish, so they can prepare for their lunch crowd. Having said that, lunch isn't as busy as it has been in the past, mainly because of the economy i sure. The year couples you would need to book at least a week in advance, maybe a day or two now!! Or if you can, come a little later, always tables or small bar available. read more

Finally - a modern cafe and resto with great service, modern ambience, and good coffee. Breakfasts are always good - eggs, oatmeal, specials. Just like something you'd find in melbourne. read more

Always my favorite place for breakfast while in Calgary. Atmosphere is great and has a French feel, always busy and food is yummy!

We were looking forward to go back for diner as we used to like this place, but we were really disappointed. I believe they've recently changed the menu and the current one is not as unique and Italian-style as it used to be. We've waited for 45min to be served. When I asked if they could offer some bread as the wait was long and we were starving, the waiter agreed.... and mentioned it would be charged... Our meals finally arrived... and mine was cold. The fries that come with the beef tartare were missing, as well as the sauce with my steak. Had to ask for water, pepper... etc!! Ended with a good tiramisu! I still like the decor, the style with the "aged" furniture, and the open kitchen... And if the food was "okay", the overall experience was deceiving. Will no longer go back. read more

Cucina was a pleasant experience for me just last week. I had a meeting throughout the lunch hour and had to grab something quick, but not subway, McDonald's or something of the sort. My co-worker mentioned that we should head to Cucina, so we did. I grabbed the Prime Roast Beef and a bottle of water. The sandwich was spectacular. Sometimes you get sandwiches with dry, tasteless meat, but this one was anything but that. I will definitely be coming back to Cucina again when I forget my lunch like last time. read more

I had an awesome meal with my boyfriend tonight! The service was amazing, thanks Megan! Great flank steak and wonderful Cornish hen. Beautiful experience read more

Slow slow service -- ignored for first 30 minutes. Were looking at Yelp for other downtown restaurants that had tables available when finally drink orders were taken .... Food was good but there's lots of choice along 8th Ave and nearby and with under-staffing and not the slightest apology at the wait times, no reason at all to return. read more

I took my wife here for the first time and we enjoyed it. The duck dish is a must try. We will definitely be back soon.

I would have given Cucina a higher review based on their brunch, but unfortunately they don't do it anymore! It's a shame because it was one of the best brunches I've had in Calgary (they did these amazing ricotta fritters). Anyway, popped in for coffee with friends the other day and we decided to get some appies. Ambiance is great! Very open, clean and bright. They don't really have much besides a cheese board in the way of sharing appies (which is problematic in a place on Stephen ave I think). We decided to split the 3 way bruschetta. That was a mistake, instead of coming with many toasts as we thought it just had three and it was difficult to cut up. It was also expensive for just 3 bits of toast with some toppings (like $16). The duck prosciutto was really good, but the olive + anchovy bruschetta was just like eating a bowl of mushy salt. I'm a huge olive lover and salty food fan but it was just too much. Pair salty things with creamy light things to balance out the taste! The last one, some sort of cheese bruschetta was just ok. Would not order that again. The coffee is excellent and the soup my friend ordered was very tasty. The price, menu for sharing starters and the one we had kept me from giving it a better review. I have had excellent meals here though and will return (praying they do brunch again!). read more

We are in Calgary for the night and had no idea where to go. After looking on Yelp and Open Table for Italian we decided in Cucina. Now I just wish I didn't live 1300 miles away! It was delicious!! The Prosciutto e Burrata is not to be missed. For my main course I had the Saltimbocca and the short ribs melted in my mouth. Such a great dinner!! read more

I was in Calgary for work and looked up breakfast spots on Yelp. The good reviews are what brought me here. I ordered basic egg whites with bacon and toast, but then I saw a side dish that caught my eye - crispy gnocchi hash with green onion! I had to order it and I am so happy I did. The overall meal was really good, but the gnocchi was awesome. That made the whole meal a treat. The restaurant itself is really cute and was busy with take-out breakfast orders, clearly a popular place. The only reason I am giving it three stars though is because of the service. For those that were seated, they only had one gal on hand and she is not the most cheerful. She seemed bothered. She never came to refill my water and I was going to ask for hot sauce or ketchup and decided not to, didn't want to annoy her any further. Other than that, a great place and I wish I could have been there long enough to try dinner there. read more

Had lunch there yestreday; Went early for a table as they don't take reservations. Nice decor. The person I went with found the menu hard to read & had the waitress order his dish. The food was ok. We both had the soup de jour & both found it tasted really good but that it was under cooked, beans in it weren't cooked through. I had the crab sandwich. It was over mayo'ed. read more

Terrible! Took 35 minutes to take our breakfast order at 8:30 on a Friday morning (presumably most people are working if at Cucina on a Friday), and the eggs benny was terrible! The toast was so thick and crunchy we couldn't cut it with a steak knife. Huge fail, and no apologies or questions when we were obviously disturbed. Too bad! read more

Cucina is across the street from my work. I make a morning Americano trip to the coffee bar about once a week (coffee bar is situated within the restaurant - also serves take away sandwiches, yogourts and salads). I have also been there for lunch and after work drinks approximately 8 to 10 times. The inside is beautiful: French farmhouse, small but intimate. The food and wine are consistently good. I went there today and had a smoked salmon salad today with a glass of sauvignon blanc - an absolutely perfect lunch. The service is also a cut above - professional, knowledgeable, pleasant. read more

The food was excellent but our service wasn't so great. The girl was nice and everything but slow. She took about 10 minutes to get us our bill and then another 10 to bring over the machine to pay. She also touched the water bottle to everyone's cups when she was refilling and that is icky. read more

We tried Cucina for the first time, and the food was good; however, the service was absolutely horrible. The server decided to not come back and see how our meal was/fill up our drinks, etc etc for 45 minutes. We saw her cleaning glasses behind the bar, sweeping, etc. When she finally came to grab our dishes, she did so without saying one word to us. The evening ended with a horrible experience, so I contacted the company and explained this to them. They were thoroughly disappointed with their staff's actions, and told us that we would get a gift card in the mail to try them again. This was a great move on their part; however, this gift card never showed up, and I emailed on two separate occasions, asking if they had the right address, needed more info, etc, and they haven't replied to another email. Horrible horrible service by everyone involved, during the meal and after. Will never recommend this restaurant to friends/family and definitely will not be going back there!! read more