We stopped in to Cucina Bella for dinner on a Friday night in late July / early August, and unsurprisingly, it was very busy. The food was good, but it was so noisy we could barely have a conversation without shouting, and it sometimes was a bit of a wait to get anything from our waitress. I had the build your own pasta (cappellini aglio olio) which was tasty with lots of parmesan cheese, and I upgraded to the gorgonzola salad, which was worth it (IMO) since it was yummy. My husband had the stuffed pork chop special which was great, and came with risotto I stole several bites of, while my brother had the chicken parmesan, which was a good sized portion he said was tasty. The biggest issue we had was just with how busy the place was - it really was so loud you could barely have a conversation with your tablemates, let alone with the servers. Also, after a large (10-12 top) table was seated behind us / with our waitress, she actually had to grab someone else to check on us because we waited over 10 minutes to get her attention for the check and she was still taking their orders (not her fault, just really inconvenient). I'd like to go back sometime on a night when it might be less busy, because the food was tasty and our server was nice, and I think I'd probably like the place better if it wasn't so bananas in there. For those of you playing Pokemon Go, Bella Cucina is a PokeStop, and you can typically reach at least one other PokeStop while sitting at your table eating. read more

I just made a reservation... and Alees took my reservation. What a absolute delight!!! I wish more people would be so pleasant in life. Thank you read more

This place was great! Bruschetta was great, chicken parm was fantastic and I ordered a slice of carrot cake to go because the portion size of dinner was enough to share but the carrot cake is top notch. Honestly, some of the best Italian I've had. Service was spot on and the place was quiet enough to have a conversation. I'll be back! read more

Cucina Bella - Carrot cake!!! - Italian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

Stopped by here tonight with the wife and another couple. The server was awesome. Everyone's good was good except mine. I ordered the filet mignon medium rare. It came well done. Also it was clearly not even a filet. It was about 3/4" thick and full of connective tissue and was tenderized like crazy. I told the server it was well done and she agreed. She got me a new one. It was medium at best but I didn't want to wait anymore so I kept it. It still was a skinny piece of meat that was clearly not a filet mignon. read more

I five this fine dining restaurant a 10. The food was amazing, great atmosphere and service! No complaints here, will definitely go back!

Great food as always! There's not a thing on the menu that we have disliked so far. Dined here many times and love it!

Part of the meal okay (should have been hot) and part good (eggplant appetizer), drinks average, service good and prices moderate. What will keep me from ever going there again is the noise level. The high ceiling and brick walls reverberate and deafen. In order to converse, we had to speak directly into the other's ears. And we were sitting next to each other. I have never, ever been in a restaurant this noisy. read more

Cucina Bella - Italian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

Came here for the Chicago company Christmas party. The service was great and the atmosphere was very rustic. Since it was a Christmas party, we got a little loud, but luckily there were some other Christmas parties taking place. The table bread was too hard for my liking, but the calamari was excellent. Just a note: almost all the portions are very generous. Might consider sharing plates because everybody took their food to go due to the generous portions. I would say it is a great place for a romantic date with a loved one. read more

A nice dinner out with good service. We stopped in on Monday night, not very busy at all. Our experience had been that they seemed very busy on the weekends, but this was not an issue on a weeknight. There were a couple of tables in there when we went in, and a family birthday party arrived while we were ordering. Pleasant, old downtown building. Lots of brick, low light, and standards played at a volume that was conducive to conversation. I was able to see that they get some regular traffic in the bar, as a couple of people came in who were greeted by name. The bread was very good, and I liked that they had a local beer on the menu. My wife had the chicken picatta, which she said was very good. She commented that the capers were not at all salty, which she liked. I had the veal saltimbocca, which was tender and delicious. There seemed to have been a bit too much of the sauce on the plate, but that may just be a personal preference. The pasta that accompanied our meals was good, but the marinara sauce was a bit pedestrian. We're looking forward to going back and sampling some of the other items on the menu. read more

Amazing Italian cuisine , friendly attentive service and large portions . Lively atmosphere. Make your own pasta is a great option to customize your meal , and Chicken Vesuvio and veal or chicken saltimbocca are my faves. read more

My husband and I love this place. We prefer to go early. It can get crowded and loud. I highly recommend a reservation if you want to dine after 6:00 p.m. or on a weekend. We typically share a salad along with the Zuppa di Mare. This one meal is more than the two of us can finish and we bring home the leftovers. When we do order individual meals, my favorite is the Veal Piccatta. The wait staff has always been great. read more

Yesterday we had dinner with friends at this restaurant and had a very enjoyable and delicious dinner and great services from Rachel. Food was prepared to our liking and we got to take some home and have another treat. Rachel was attentive to our needs. We will be coming back. read more

I have eaten here 4 times in the past six months. Pro: - Have ALWAYS been happy with the food. Best Italian food in McHenry County. Eggplant, pasta, chicken, all very well done. - Table service has always been very good. Con: - Once, we had a reservation and were told it was a 30 minute wait. What was the reservation for, then?!?!? I complained loudly, and we were seated in 10 minutes. - A little too crowded, noisy, and chaotic on a Saturday night. Things seem a little out of control in there. read more

This place is a hidden gem. Atmosphere was great, service good & the portions huge. Fresh bread basket at the table was yummy & warm. Warm bread is always a plus. The lasagna was out of this world. The best I've had in a very longtime. You can share a plate because the portions are so generous. If you can't finish you'll go home with a super good doggy bag. Very yummy! read more

Cucina Bella - Lasagna was wonderful. The best I had in a longtime. - Italian Near Me - Algonquin, Illinois

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Yesterday was our first time at Cucina Bella and it was wonderful. While we have lived in the area for 12 years, this was the first time we ventured to downtown Algonquin to eat. They do take reservations, but on a Monday night at 5pm we were able to walk right in and get a table. Initially, they wanted to place is nearer the kitchen, but we requested a table near the window and they happily obliged. The atmosphere was warm and quaint. Cucina Bella has almost a Boston feel. Our waitress was kind and chatty, but not overbearing. The noise level was quiet initially with only a few tables being occupied. Over the hour and a half we were there it filled up and the noise level rose, but not horribly. It was easy to have a conversation even with the restaurant almost filled. Dinner was fantastic. It is traditional Italian with many homemade sauces. We highly recommend the chicken vesuvio and the risotto of the day. Both were fantastic and the portions are huge. We capped it off the a carrot cake... They may say it is a piece of carrot cake, but the cake is 4 layers and enormous. All of the servings are definitely shareable for 2. In all it was a wonderful place for a date night. We will definitely be going back. read more

Huge fan of this Italian restaurant! A great place for going out on a date. The waitresses and waiters are very kind and professional. Support your local businesses. read more

My wife and I were gifted with a Groupon coupon from CB. However, she is currently home bound and confined to a wheelchair. I called the restaurant, placed my to-go order, and casually mentioned my coupon. They said, "Groupon coupons are good only dine-in." I explained our situation and remarked that it did NOT say anything about dine-in only on the coupon. However, they were unrelenting and I was forced to cancel the order. How is that even close to a good neighbor policy and helping the handicapped? Needless to say, I will never again set foot in their establishment. read more

Not that impressed. The food was so so salty I could barely taste my chicken piccata. The chicken was rubbery, our to-go order that would be ready in 25 minutes was more like 45 minutes, and again it was so salty I couldn't enjoy it. The salad dressing tasted homemade which was good but the main entree was absolutely lackluster. I'll just make it myself next time. read more

Came in for a dinner with the wife, she's always loved this place and still does. I myself though thought it was disgusting. Pasta tasted old, and the chicken was rubbery. Dessert was delicious tho only reason you didn't get one star read more

Cucina Bella is the best Italian dinner restaurant in the area. The service is quick, though they are very busy some nights, so if you're not in the mood to wait, it's best to call ahead. I've had the calamari dishes as well as the pasta, ravioli appetizer, and chicken Parmesan. All have not disappointed! The only reason I'm giving the restaurant 4 stars instead of 5 is because their martinis aren't the best and their drink menu is a little limiting when it comes to mixed drinks. Also, their dessert menu is okay, but not spectacular. The food, however, is great! read more

This is one of my favorite Italian restaurants hands down! Their appetizers, entrees, dessert and wine list are amazing! We can't go there without ordering bruschetta or grilled calamari - my favorite entree is the lasagna or any of the eggplant dishes. Their tiramisu is absolutely amazing - you have to order it! We've had 2 bridal showers there and they do an absolutely AMAZING job. It was great to have the whole place to ourselves since they were closed to the public at the time. We've also enjoyed Easter brunch there and it was equally delicious. Reservations are highly recommended for Friday/Saturday nights! read more

Love their food. Fresh, authentic italian. Great place for a special occasion. Nice wine list. Downtown Algonquin has a lot to offer and Cucina Bella is one. It is nice to have the quaint,rustic restaurant atmosphere. read more

Sat outside and had the pleasure of Jeremy as our server. Food was awesome, service even better. Thank you Jeremy!

This is the first review I've ever written about any restaurant. Being that I dine out rather often and don't have a whole lot of time to express my thoughts, on all of my dining experiences for the past 40 years, this time certainly compelled me to share with others. I'm hopeful for change. I would really like to return to Cucina Bella one day, however given that their largest area of opportunity is their staff, specifically their Manager, Bartender and a few other Servers, I'm not certain I can ever bring myself to return. I was heartbroken during my visit today. I've been going to Cucina Bella for some time now and once called them my favorite restaurant. I enjoyed the food. That all changed today. While we were sitting at the bar ordering dinner, my boyfriend (who was also in the restaurant industry once upon a time as a young person for many years), tried to start a friendly conversation with the bar tender, manager and wait staff. He shared friendly commentary, which was intended to foster positive small talk and comradery among those who understand the industry, including himself, as he was once in their shoes. The reaction this group of employees had was insulting, disrespectfully and unacceptable by most industry standards in terms of how to treat patrons. The bar tender very rudely responded to his comment as he disagreed, while the manager and this group of staff stood there, watched, and followed suite, as they all began to laughing rather loudly at my boyfriend and I, after the bar tended responded with an ignorant response to friendly small talk. They all boastfully continued to laugh. It confused me. It also reminded me of a group of little mean girls (however all were adult men), as if this was their first day on the playground. It was patronizing and demonstrated exactly how the staff feels about their loyal patrons. In fact, we continued to eat there quietly, as I didn't want to make a scene. The bar tender, manager and staff continued to be themselves, as they spoke poorly about nearly every patron in the restaurant, while we were sitting there during our entire meal. I'm assuming their staff isn't happy with their own lives for whatever reason. I feel pity on them for the challenges they face each day, however it doesn't mean it's ok to share your life frustrations on others, especially when they were your loyal customers, who feed you at the end of the day. This type of attitude and behavior also makes me wonder what else is happening behind the bar and in the kitchen? Especially since many of them seem disgruntled and not fit for a job serving people. My boyfriend and I continued to treated them respectfully and gave them a very good tip. My hope is they take that money and put it toward improving themselves as a human. I also hope the person who owns the restaurant has visibility to this review and makes the necessary changes and improvements to the staff. If you look closely within these reviews, any negative reviews seem to be all centered around the staff and service, not the food. While I'm guessing this will fall on deaf ears within the company, I'm hopeful other loyal consumers such as myself begin making alternative decisions about how they spend their hard earned money, with other establishments. Dinning is an experience. It's not only about how the food & beverages taste. It's also about how you felt during the experience. Feeling extremely disappointed, belittled, rudely treated and disrespected as a customer is the exact recipe for a review such as this one. read more

Had a great experience today 9/26 at Cucina Bella. Food was excellent along with wine selection suggested by our server. Our server was excellent and did not rush us. We did have a time restriction but the service and food preparation allowed us with plenty of time to enjoy our meals. We were surprised to find an Italian band that was absolutely wonderful and entertaining. We had the best time at the restaurant because of the food and entertainment. The night was perfect it made us forget all about Covid. read more

Used to be my go to for Italian. Quality not as good as it used to which made it easier to forego the noise levels. They also made it impossible to purchase a Groupon if you've purchased one before. We go occasionally, but never on the weekends. You can't hear anyone across the table. Acoustics are awful. Food is ok. read more

Food was so good! The flavors are just right. I suggest the cheese stuffed mushrooms for sure! Even the caesar salad was excellent!

My favorite Italian restaurant. Everything is a delight - from their entrees to signature martini's. Love it!

My husband and I came here for our 6 year anniversary dinner today and we have been blown away not only by the quality of the food but the service as well! Rachel was nothing short of amazing in making sure we were taken care of in every capacity, serving food, smiles and also polite conversation the entire evening! The food was amazing, my husband got some kind of lobster filet from the specials menu of the day and to quote him, "this is the best steak I have ever had in my life." Hailing from Chicago, this is a feat, since we've gone to steakhouses that are world renowned that have shown to be pretty sub par. I got the salmon with angel hair and lemon caper sauce special. It's a running joke that I have to order the salmon at every restaurant we frequent and to be honest, they are almost always amazing. However, the angel hair pasta, spinach and lemon caper sauce really made this meal! I have had similar variations and the sauce typically never has enough lemon, the angel hair pasta is rough, etc. everything about this meal was amazing. Our molten lava cake has been nothing short of exquisite and Rachel even brought us a Tira missou slice to take home for our anniversary! We will definitely be coming back and telling literally everyone about this amazing place and it's amazing people. 7363827378 stars!!! read more

Never a disappointment, as we have generally gone at the last minute and always seem to get a seat after the shortest of waits. A friendly staff nice drinks and always good specials. Can't miss here read more

Awesome visit tonight. Delicious food and drinks. The waiter Mark was very pleasant. Will definitely be back

This place is just very consistent and great. My wife sat outside this week and probably enjoyed that experience every bit as much as dining in. If you haven't tried the chicken salimbocca, you ha try it. Outstanding!!! read more

What a great place to have in our neighborhood. The location is great and very accessible, parking is always easy, the staff is warm and welcoming. The service is always attentive but not pushy. The food is truly remarkable, taste, selection, availability and portion are always exceeding expectations. I am also surprised by the fair and reasonable charges, we will usually have another glass of wine or cocktail simply because we usually don't want to leave. read more

Come here often,in my opinion best Italian food in the area.Grilled calamari is excellent as are the martini's and other cocktails.Eggplant parm.is about as good as I have ever had anywhere,Stuffed eggplant also very good.Zuppa de Pesce is pretty good though I have had better, for this area it's about as good as you will find.Dinners come with soup or salad,neither is anything special but still nice to get. read more

We had 6:30 reservation, showed up 10 minutes early. We are told it may be up to 15 minutes after our reservation, no problem. We left at 7:45 with people still waiting for their 6:15 reservation. What are the odds we go back 0%. I can't rate the place because we didn't eat!!!!!! read more

Have been here several times before with similar experiences. I went to dinner with two business clients on 12/12/16 and had a reservation for 6:15. When we got there, we were told a 5 minute wait. Checked again after 15 minutes and was told that we were on the list to be seated based on when we came in. I told the host we had a reservation but host did not seem to care and I was advised "we were on the list". There were two people seating guests and the two could not seem to agree on how and when to seat people. Finally sat down at 6:45. Service was poor as it has been on my last 3 visits. Knowing that service in this place is a problem, I made the waiter take our appetizer and dinner order at the same time (7:00). Appetizer showed up after 10 minutes. Dinner did not show up until 8:30 along with the normal apologies and the statement that the "kitchen was busy". Since I was with clients and knew we had been sitting at this table way too long I tried to find my waiter, who I had not seen at our table for 45 minutes to get the check. I finally gave up and found another waitress and gave her my CC and asked her to track down our (MIA) waiter, who we had not seen in 45 minutes and asked her to process the check so we could end our 3 hour visit. Time had run out on appetizers or coffee which no one ever asked us if we were interested in. The food is good but portions are way too big. The service from the moment you enter the restaurant to the time you leave is poor. As I mentioned before, this is common theme in this place that goes back two years. We got our drinks for free without asking and last time our appetizers were complimentary due to the same poor service. This must get costly for the restaurant. I would think it would be cheaper to fix the problems! read more

Great for night out in small town. Gets busy really fast, but they bring out more seating. On a friday my wife and i showed about 530p the place was packed and they found us a table in no time. Staff was excellent. The food was equisite for the most part. Loved the apps and entrees. Risotto was 2.5 stars, that night, ive read other reviews saying it was great. I will say they rotate recipes so i intend on trying it again in the future. Prices were very agreeable. Will be back! read more

This restaurant always has amazing food for a much more reasonable fare than other similar places in the area....more bang for your buck here and they always have some kinda wine on special for $5 ...AND it's good! Lol this local gem is one of our go-to favorites for sure. read more

Fantastic food. Went here last night for my husband's birthday with our two adult sons. We all enjoyed our entrees. I ordered the veal parm. The portion size was huge. I could only eat about a third of it, but I just reheated it in the oven today for lunch and it was just as good as it was last night. We all will be coming again and explore the menu. We enjoyed our dining experience. read more

We just moved down the street and decided to grab a late dinner and were very impressed. The restaurant is larger than is seems and very tastefully decorated with modern Italian decor. Our server was prompt and informative. We originally were just going to get a little something before heading home but ended up eating a basket of the super awesome bread, an appetizer of some of the best stuffed mushrooms ever, their homemade minestrone soup, and a full meal each. My husband got the chicken saltimbocca (which didn't last long on his plate), and I got the Bella Pasta. I was shocked by the huge portion that came with my pasta - very reasonably priced. We took the tiramisu home to eat later because we had no more room. We will totally go back. read more