The food was awful. I ordered chicken marsala. I was given a pasta and chicken with no seasoning. The marsala sauce was nothing but chicken broth. It had zero flavor. This is the worst I have had. The lemon orzo soup was overwhelming with smoked chicken, no lemon flavor. BUT our waiter Mark was amazing! He was efficient and super friendly. read more

First off I'd like to say I'm not a huge pasta fan, so this review shows how great their food was. I had the lasagna and I was so impressed with the unbelievable flavor of the sauce combined with the other ingredients. It was just the perfect amount of garlic and my portion was huge to boot. It was so good I finished the whole thing, however I was so full I regretted eating so much. My 15 year old son had the gnocchi and loved it too, and my wife had the rigatoni and echoed my opinion of the sauce. The server was great and very friendly and another server even complimented my son on his Metallica t-shirt. Great place for a meal. read more

This place has bad quality food. I would t recommend. I was very confused as to why this place had such good reviews. We had the baked clams, salad and I had the chicken Marsala, others at my table had the lasagna and chicken parm and no one liked any of the food. We wrapped it up and went to get food elsewhere. read more

We have been visiting this restaurant for a while and enjoying great food. Unique specials with cool presentations make this a restaurant to put onto your must visit list. As Algonquin, IL is going through a renovation for their downtown area, this will only improve this area. Our favorite server is Lisa. Always a happy and friendly person and a joy to make our dinners even better. Last night Shelly had her "Most Favorite" marinara sauce with the best meatballs on angel hair pasta. I had the salmon special. After tasting both I highly recommend each. Management is always active throughout the restaurant checking on your experiences...they do care a lot. The pasta fagipoli is the best we have had anywhere. BTW, the carrot cake is to die for... read more

We haven't been there for awhile because of the pandemic but we have now gone back and it's always been one of our favorite places. The food was superb we had a wonderful server named Mark we really enjoyed talking with him and it seems to be starting to get a little bit back in order as it was before. We definitely will be going back and if you like Italian food you need to try it. read more

We went with a Groupon and it was a great date night vibe! Busy and rightly so!Awesome Italian!!

Noise level makes talking with anyone at your own table IMPOSSIBLE. It was beyond ridiculous! Being not our first time here, we felt qualified to remark on the food which is nowhere near as good as it used to be. Service? Minimal. Overall: this was our last visit. Very disappointed. read more

We came here for a dinner and sat outside. We had no reservation but got a really nice table quickly. Our sever was kind, attentive and had a funny face mask on that made us laugh. We ordered Fried Calamari for appetizer which was delicious. We then each ordered a different pasta which unfortunately was not that great. Each pasta cost us close to $20 each and while the portions were large, the quality and taste were disappointing. We are willing to give this place another try someday but we won't be ordering pasta that's for sure. read more

Had dinner last Monday. I ordered the Chicken Saltimbuca and my wife had the Chilean Sea Bass that was on the special sheet. The Saltimbuca was a huge portion and very flavorful. The Sea Bass was awesome. Service- our server told us our entrees came with soup or salad. She listed 3 different salads, I selected the Gorgonzola/Pear salad (which she had mentioned). When I got my bill there was an extra charge for my salad, sneaky way to upsell that I don't appreciate. When the server came back I questioned why she didn't tell me there was an up charge, she apologized and I gave her my credit card. After running my card she returned with my receipt, but didn't remove the up charge for the salad. The food was excellent but I left with a bad impression because the server was dishonest. read more

Great casual place. Food is excellent and the portions are huge! Prices are very reasonable as well.

Our server was very pleasant and constantly made sure we were taken care of. The food was very very good. It wasn't very busy during our visit and the ambiance was great. read more

Love the food and service sauces are delicious Service excellent Always willing to to change up items on menu

I used to like it here. I don't know how the restaurant could have fallen so far from grace. Bread cold hard stale Food overpriced for what you get Host had my mother who is using a crutch walk up and down stairs unnecessarily The topper though was the hair in the pasta fajule. Told waitress. She offered my mom new pasta fajule but not me, even though I had pasta fajule from same hairy batch. She came back and said "you done?" As if I would consume the hairy soup. I won't be back. I need find good Italian place. Inbox me suggestions if you're reading this. Hold the hair. read more

The best Italian restaurant in the northwest suburbs. We love Cucina Bella so much! We love their take out and can't wait to dine in again in the future. Some of the best service around. The vodka pasta and lasagna are favorites for us. read more

This place was so good! Although, the wait was super long for the food. The waiter took about 45 minutes delivering our main course which was rude. She did check up on us. Overall the aroma was very romantic. They had a clean restaurant and clean bathrooms. The food was great! Very big portion sizes so I'd advise not to get an appetizer. But their pastas are to die for! read more

Cucina Bella - Italian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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Usually give great reviews here but this past Saturday was different. my husband ordered the risotto chicken special. The risotto was dry not creamy as it should be. My chicken milanese was very dry. Very disappointed this visit. read more

I have enjoyed Cucina Bella for years, but the latest visit felt different. There were an obnoxious number of campaign signs all over the entryway and in the windows, which really took away from the ambiance of the restaurant. We had a large group there for a birthday celebration and felt rushed through our meal by the staff. The food was delicious, though. read more

Excellent food, wonderful atmosphere and wonderful customer service! The best in McHenry County!

Great food and warm, friendly atmosphere. We love to go to Cucina Bella whenever we get together with friends.

Such delicious food!! So many choices to pick from!! Wonderful atmosphere and friendly staff!! You will love being there!!!!

Amazing Italian food. Great ambience and friendly staff. Great all around experience.

Staff is racist . I waited for along time without any acknowledgement. They passed by me a few times . Pretended not to see me . Being Latino was an issue. Someone else walked in and the bartender was like "how can I help you" . With me ,he acted like if I was a ghost. This is the 4th time not the first . read more

The food is always excellent. We have never had a bad server, the "vibe" can be a little strange because it's a mix of people dressed up and then families with their kids climbing on the chairs. However, I'd still suggest eating here! read more

The food was fantastic! Drinks need a little work but overall a great experience. The wait staff was very knowledgeable about the menu and dishes. read more

The food is oh so good. Atmosphere is calming and comforting. Wait staff is pleasant.

We found this restaurant totally by chance and we are very happy we did. We went during the Lunch hours on a Sunday. I want to say how very impressed we were at all the attempts made to keep your patrons healthy and safe while still providing great service and awesome food.We felt totally comfortable eating here. Social distancing, masks, hand sanitizing stations (by bathroom and by entrance) were just a few of the ways we were shown that they were doing everything possible to keep us healthy and safe. Now..to the food....I would suggest you try to steamed clams in white sauce! Fantastic! We did and we'd come back for these any day! Next was soup for me and salad for him before we got our main course, both were very good. Main dishes chosen: Osso Buco and for him, Veal Parmigiana. As you can see, there was enough food on our plates to fill us up and to take home. Everything was absolutely delicious and the service was excellent, friendly and so nice. If we had to say anything we'd improve on it would have to be the bread provided at the beginning of the meal. We appreciated that everything came wrapped up so less exposed as made, served, etc. but the bread was not warm and just didn't seem to be at the same great level as the rest of the meal. But, like I said...that is if I was looking for something to pick on. Oh, did I mention the also have a great Moscow Mule? Drinks are good and the prices aren't bad. So, good food, good drinks AND they care about their patrons enough to take all precautions...Cucina Bella turned out to be very good find. Go check it out for yourselves. read more

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The boyfriend and I went after purchasing a Groupon and we were very pleased. We got reservations around 4, which is when it opened. Surprisingly there were already some people there. The hostess sat us away from the window, which I didn't understand because it was pretty dark in the restaurant and the windows gave off a great deal of light. (We will revisit this later)... They had such a large menu to choose from and the waitress also had a list of specials to give us too! I ordered a sangria (without the vodka). For the dinner I pIcked out Bolognese and he ordered carbonara with sausage. I got a salad and he got the soup- which was baked potato and prosciutto. HUGE portions!!! And paired great with the bread and olive oil! Service was amazing and the food was good too. (Like I said HUGE portions. I will have leftovers for tomorrow atleast!) Perfect date night experience! Loved the dinner by candlelight. Although.... only negative thing about the whole experience was while we were eating our appetizers of soup and salad- the hostess came and sat someone right behind us. The whole restaurant was open yet she chose literally right on top of us. Which takes me back to the begInning of why would she sit us in the darkest spot when clearly there were atleast 4 tables in the sunlight.... super annoying. My boyfriend immediately asked for us to move to somewhere more intimate, which our waitress was amazing. She went above and beyond! We loved our date night tonight!! Good food with very big portions. Regret not getting the Alfredo, but I would definitely stop in again! Hopefully next time I will get seated in the light lol read more

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Came in for three desserts for takeout. Asked for a Jack and Coke while I waited. The bartender poured half a shot of Old No. 7, ran out, then mixed in Jack Daniels Bonded with it. Sigh, tasted like junk Bomded is too sweet to mix woth Old No. 7. I asked her about it, and she admitted she mixed them. I kindly told her she shouldn't do that again. She asked if I wanted another, and I said, sure!, just don't mix it. She found another party, a big party, and forgot all about me. I approached her and another bartender as she was making a Jack and Coke for them. I suppose I was no longer important, seems she forgot all about me. Disappointed for the second time here in 2022. Too bad, we really enjoy the food. Seems the service has been the issue each time. read more

Went to Cucina Bella 15-16 years ago every Friday for about a year ..food was good (for Italian food in Algonquin) loved the entertainment in the bar. Bartenders wore tuxedo shirts with bow ties, all patrons dressed nice and you were surrounded by dim lighting to create a nice ambience. Went back about 9 years ago, it was nothing memorable but ok. Fast forward to this past Saturday..I'm not sure if its the same owner. I don't know what happened but people were walking in with their pajamas and slides with socks on. I don't even know if they took the time to brush their hair. The lights were bright.. the restaurant was packed. I guess for people that don't know what Italian food taste like, maybe they think it would be good. What a poor example of Italian food. Veal Parmesan was drenched in marinara, dry and just horrible. In fact everything that had marinara, had way too much(like soup). Baked clams were fishy.. very disappointing. The waiter was attentive, friendly and efficient ..no complaints there. This place was my last hope for Italian food in the burbs.. and definitely my last visit. read more

By far the best Italian restaurant. Most excellent food. Pasta is home made and delectable. Love the "create your own pasta". My choice was linguini with Diablo sauce, spinach, ricotta and calamari. Most amazing flavors and generous serving. I chose the side salad with it but upgraded to the Gorgonzola salad with pears and pecans. The most wonderful Italian meal ever. Husband chose Veal Parmigiana- cooked perfectly and delicious. No over-breaded veal piece here. Decor is beautiful, and service is an "A+". Can't wait to go back. read more

Not even worth ONE star!!first if all we ordered two pasta dishes and two cokes and an upgraded salad-I had a Groupon which was applied to another customers bill-who had two martinis and chicken Parmesan - I have called FOUR times n the past week and they can't find m check ti give me a credit or ANY kind of compensation! They simply don't care!! My daughter had ti send her noodles back as they were over cooked-my vodka pasta sauce had SO much garlic-I had a stomach ache ALL nite!! We being Italian we're MOST DISPLEASED!!? They didnt even off a $5 credit-keep telling me they are looking into it- ONLY 6 tables outside-the waitress brought me TWO bills!! The manager was VERY RUDE when I just called-AGAIN-I am sure get want me to forget about it!! read more

3/5... Quality food however degrading customer service. Very frustrated with this restaurant. I was teaching my son how to make a reservation for him and his friends as we frequently eat here as a family. He made a reservation for 3 as I witnessed for 7pm days before. The day of I walked him through calling and adding a 4th to the reservation. No problems. He gets to the restaurant at his reservation time with his friends and there is no reservation. He called me, rightfully upset. They decided to go to another local establishment after he was told it would be at least an hour for a table. I contacted the restaurant to see how this mistake could have occurred and it turned into a he said/she said situation. I asked if there was a way that we could avoid this in the future because I still believe in supporting our local businesses and was told to call back to confirm the reservation the day of. This is what happened when he added the fourth friend the day of. They did check to see if he was added to another day which I was told would be completely on them. He was not. However, the reality is that we did what we should have and this is on them regardless. Customer service has been hit or miss the last few times we have gone in and it's a shame because I really enjoy the food. However, if I can't trust that reservations will be kept and that we will be looked after with respect, then I'll have to give that quality up. read more

This restaurant is one of the best gems in the area. It exceeded our expectations, the food was excellent and the restaurant was a cut above, we had a perfect evening. What added to our wonderful night was our server Rachel a genuine delight, she goes down as the best server we have ever experienced. We will be back again very soon and of course we will asked to be in Rachel's area. This restaurant is a must if you want terrific Italian food and a wonderful atmosphere at a very reasonable price. read more

We tried to sit outside but was told the available table was only for parties larger than the 4 of us so we were disappointed and went inside. I will say the food was very good however we have been there several times and it is quite noisy inside. read more

Great service and timing between plates. Antipasto platter was a pleasant surprise - variety of meats/cheeses and a deconstructed caprese salad. I would add olives :) Stuffed mushrooms are very nice. I would add a pinch of salt :) Pasta fagioli and cream of broccoli soups were really good. Tortellini and chicken Parmesan were pretty good. Fettuccini Alfredo gets better as it cools and sets. I would add salt but it has a nice herb/garlic flavor. Love that you can create tour own pasta dish and sub out pastas for others on entrees. Portions (even Kid's) are huge and well priced. I thought the wine variety was decent and also well priced per glass. They give you a decent amount of warm bread too. Solid choice - we will be back! Only huge negative is that it was very loud - we were seated near the entrance/bar. They were packed too. read more

Terrible service. Had dinner reservations for 6pm last night, but didn't leave until after 8:30pm. Got the manager involved and she seemed convinced things were normal as she kept making comments about how things seemed to be working out. Not a single dish or drink was comped to compensate for an extremely long wait. The food was "eh"... was disappointed since I had heard great things. The drinks are also NOT good. I got an old fashioned that was watered down and my wife got a martini that tasted like juice. Drinks also took approximately 20-30 minutes to get (if we were able to get lucky enough to catch the waitress and order any). At the end of the day we paid $200 for a family of 4 to sit waiting for over 2.5 hours after making a reservation, wondering what was happening most of the time and only being disappointed with drinks and food and the lack of communication from the staff. Definitely won't be back and do not recommend this place to anyone that values their time and money. Go to Aliano's Ristorante in East Dundee for a MUCH better experience! read more

Service is good, food is delicious and it's local owned. Had a lovely dinner - place always seems busy so think ahead. We stopped in and they still manged to get us seated quickly. read more

The most amazing pasta that's for sure. I love how authentic it is! A great day for a dinner night

Awesome food and good service! Portions are huge! We always have to bring home the leftovers.

Ah-mazing Italian restaurant in downtown Algonquin!! This cozy resturant with rustic decor makes it a perfect place to go for with friends and/or family! This place makes you feel like you're eating homemade Italian food!! Our server, Lisa took great care of our needs, made sure to answer all our questions and made good recommendations!! I loved their food and will surely be going back! As you take your table, you're served warm bread with olive oil & parmesan. For entree, you can either check on their risotto of the day (which is served with a choice of salad or soup) or you can make your own pasta!! They also sell their own ready-made pasta sauces for about $4-$5/jar!! I ordered their risotto of the day which was phenomenal! It came in a huge portion which not only sufficed the two of us but I also took some to go! They also have good Martinis!! Oh and be sure to take a look at their dessert menu which I must admit I had a tough time choosing what I want! I ended up ordering my fav- tiramisu and it was excellent!! :) read more

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