It was my first time at the Irvine Spectrum and we were really craving Italian food. This place was unbelievably delicious. The only problem I had was taking too long to eat the blossoms that my corn pasta got cold and didn't taste the best. However, reheating it the next day took my taste buds to a whole other level. Going back to the squash blossoms, these had a flavor I have never experienced before! It was lightly fried and the stuffing was perfect, not too melted but not ice cold either. My boyfriend's got the bolognese and he said it was the best he had in years. We sat outside as it was a shorter wait than for inside. Our server was very kind and attentive. This is a place I would love to go again and try another one of their amazing looking dishes. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - tempura fried stuffed squash blossom, rigatoni bolognese, and corn agnolotti - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Each item in menu is undeniably tasty. But tiramisu needs some improvement. Few more deserts would be nice read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Tiramisu - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Met up with a group on Sunday during lunch. The restaurant had a nice, cozy aesthetic to it. It seemed like a large restaurant that's good for big parties. We ordered a variety of pastas and pizzas, including the eggplant pasta, Bolognese, and vegetarian pizzas. The food was OK. There were pretty large portions when we did a family style and even had some leftovers after. The service was great. The server helped us take group pictures, clear plates, and were pretty attentive. This was in the Irvine Spectrum so parking was very challenging. The mall is busy so it took some getting lost until being able to locate the restaurant. read more

Good service, hard working staff. Food was just OK for the cost. I am not sure I would return. The ambiance was nice though, so maybe this is why folx continue to pack this place. I may have just ordered the wrong thing. The polenta I had was delicious though. read more

There are two outdoor seating areas, both of which are beautifully decorated and pleasant to enjoy a dinner in. The indoor seating is a little darker, but comfortable and well decorated. Our server was very attentive. All of the staff were veryfriendly. My friends and I shared the meatball appetizer. Three medium size meatballs came to the order and were served over polenta. The meatballs had good flavor, but I thought they could've been a little bigger for an appetizer. I greatly enjoyed the creamy polenta. My friends ordered the Rigatoni Bolognese, Torchio Allá Norma, and I ordered the salmon. The Bolognese had a nice deep rich flavor. my friend seem to like the Torchio à la Norma, but I did not try it. My salmon had a flavorful and super crispy skin. Unfortunately, the flavor did not really penetrate the rest of the salmon. However, the farro with vegetables and dates was very delicious. For dessert we shared a Chocolate Budino and a scoop of vanilla gelato and a scoop of oat milk pistachio gelato. The Budino had a rich chocolate flavor and different layer of texture and flavors. Great for sharing otherwise I would find it too rich. My friends and I did not like either of the gelato flavors. read more

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The food was amazing!! The service was incredibly fast and kind. We got the pepperoni pizza with hot honey and the bolognese which were both AMAZING!! This place was amazing!! read more

CUCINA Enoteca - pepperoni pizz - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

My friend celebrated her birthday here and it really was one to remember. The food: Out of the 7 of us, probably 5 of us ordered the short rib mafaldine. Let me say, 5 of us ordered the right thing! The pasta was so flavorful and full of fresh ingredients - I'd come back and reorder the same thing again. The other two of us ordered the torchio alla norma. We wanted to add protein to the torchio alla norma, but there weren't many options that they offered to us - just add chicken. Since it was happy hour, we ordered the margherita pizza and some fries. Those were pretty decent. To end on a sweet note, we split the tiramisu and chocolate budino. Super tasty desserts! The service: Our server seemed like a nice man. However, he did seem a bit unaccommodating and made several snide remarks when we asked him simple questions such as turning on the outdoor heaters, which protein options did we have, etc. Maybe it was an off day for him. The ambiance: It is DARK in here. I get the moody vibe that they're creating but man, once nighttime hit, I could NOT see ANYBODY at the table or around me. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - torchio alla norma - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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First of the service was terrific. Our waiter, Franny, was top-notch. She was very knowledgeable about the menu and the wine. The food was delicious. I got the clam + squid ink linguine. The clams had the meat inside of them. I hate receiving clams with no meat on them. The salmoriglio sauce was delicious. I also tried the short rib mafaldine. The short ribs melted in your mouth. It was so good. The roasted tomato focaccia beard melted in your mouth. It was so warm and fresh. The ambiance was excellent. I love the interior design. The menus are seasonal, so they change every 5 to 6 months. Just keep that in mind. read more

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What a great evening at Cucina! First time visiting, but not my last. Cucina is located inside of Irvine Spectrum. In a lively plaza with so many excellent restaurant choices, Cucina definitely can stand its own. My friend and I made reservations to Cucina for dinner last night, and good thing we did, because the place gets busy! Being small eaters, we decided to order couple dishes and share. We ordered: Cucina meatballs: very flavorful and delicious! Spinach & Baby Kale Salad: with goat cheese, pecans, cranberry and a vinaigrette dressing which all compliments each other. Yum! Bolognese Rigantoni: truly enjoyed this dish. Flavorful with the right amount of saltiness. Would definitely recommend. The server and manager were also very friendly. The manager recommended their seasonal pear spice cake dessert, and it did not disappoint! Please give it a try while it is on their menu. Great ambiance. Great food. Great service. What more can you ask for? See you again soon, Cucina! read more

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Celebrated my birthday here, the food is amazing presentation is on point ! I was very impressed to hear that all the pastas are made fresh in house, definitely can't get better than this! Staff was polite and attentive, also made great recommendations on appetizers. Ambiance is perfect, relaxing, cozy will definitely recommend. Thank you Chef Omar and staff for such a memorable first time experience ! read more

It is spacious and the overall decor looks nice. Our server was nice no complaints. The 4 stars really comes from the food. We got a salad and it was actually delicious so no complaints about that. We also got two pizzas, one was pepperoni and it was supposed to have hot honey. It really tasted like a regular pizza with no honey so it was underwhelming. The mushroom pizza was delicious. read more

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Walked in to grab a quick bite and LOVED the vibe -- moody and eclectic. Had to of course order a pizza. Couldn't decide on an app, they all sounded delicious. But since kiddo was with us had to go the more kid friendly route. I could've eaten the whipped ricotta onion dip all by myself. The margherita pizza was yummy I would suggest a little hot honey to give it a little extra pizzazz. And the hazy IPA was served perfectly chilled. Great for a girls night or date night. read more

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1st time customers for dinner at Irvine Spectrum location. What a delightful experience. Just two of us on A Friday evening we were able to dine with a reservation and seating was quick. There were reasonable priced specials for Oktoberfest. We decided on the rigatoni dish and steak dinner. Drinks were the Austin Hope Paso Robles red wine and a hazy IPA. Wine had a wonderful aroma and delicate notes. The hazy was relaxed and fruity. Steak was perfect medium with crispy outside bark and brushed with favorable chimichurri sauce. Broccoli and mash were very good as well. Rigatoni was cooked perfect and had just the right flavor. Overall we loved our dinner and will be coming back soon. Also service was quick and the waiter gave us strong feedback on food decision. read more

Food quality is good, however, pasta options minimal; also pasta portions are too small. Only item not well executed is the octopus dish. Otherwise, ambiance lovely and our server was very knowledgeable, accommodating and pleasant. read more

Had an amazing dinner here last night. Great food, great ambience and great service. After our movie we decided to come grab some Italian food. Even though we didn't have reservations the hostess sat us within five minutes. We started with a bottle of Barolo made from the Nebbiolo grape. Perfect body and tannins that went perfect with our apps, salads, and entrees. We started with the Focaccia bread and their house Italian salad. It's the only salad they had. We loved it. The salad is big enough to split. We both got the Penne Bolognese pasta. Loved this dish too. The pasta was cooked perfectly and the sauce and meat was balanced as well and tasted amazing. We ended with the Almond cake. Very delicious way to end the dinner with this dessert. Our server was very helpful and friendly. He was prompt and always there to pour our wine, bring anything we needed and offer suggestions. I forgot his name. But he was speaking Spanish with my date (I don't speak Spanish lol) and knew how to execute great service. Very nice and professional dude. Highly recommend coming here if you want great Italian! read more

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OC is not LA, sorry. I'm sure many would argue this and many would agree. The culinary scene in OC is ok and I really wanted to really like Cucina Enoteca. The chopped salad was really good. Very fresh and balanced in flavor. My short rib pasta dish was good, a bit overpriced but decent. The pizza was just ok, not true Neapolitan just thin crust and ok tasting. The pistachio gelato was mediocre. No bits of pistachio and the flavor was lacking. Service was good and ambiance was nice. I'm sure if you are a drinker, this is the place to be as they also sell wines by the bottle. Their drink menu and bar seem to be more of the attraction than the food. I would rate this establishment a 3.5 but will round up to a 4 read more

CUCINA Enoteca - short rib mafaldine with GF pasta - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

I went this place on Friday night, when I walked in host greeted me friendly. I set at the bar and bartender wasn't friendly at all and he didn't even check on my food. I ordered the chicken it wasn't what I expected. I ordered the glass of wine, and at the end I ordered the tiramisu which was the best. I will try this place again but will be the set on the table not the bar. read more

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lovely spot. went here before seeing a movie right across the pathway at the spectrum. solid pizza and this dip was so yummy. I can't find it on the menu anymore but it was oniony and cheesy. it was so good. quick and easy service! read more

CUCINA Enoteca - margherita pizza - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

We enjoyed a delicious menu. It was a great space to host a large party. The service was so accommodating. They offered to start the fireplace on a gloomy day. We enjoyed our visit to this location. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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I've been a few times now and food overall is decent. A bunch of companies like eating out here when they bill it on the company credit card because the vibes are great, lots of wine, ambiance is very modern Italian in the vineyards type of farm meals. In general, you can't go wrong with pizza or pasta here. I used to love their fried squash blossoms but they be kind of lackluster now. My main point of this review- comparing their squid ink pasta vs the squid ink pasta at North Italia. (For no good reason) Let me preface that both are delicious in their own ways. Both have similar ingredients both go for way different vibes and I prefer Cucina's squid ink pasta all the way. When I'm thinking of squid ink pasta, I wanna go for that seafood flavor bc it's squid ink. This dish is perfecttttt with a clammmy garlicky butter sauce with hints of tomatoes and spices. WHEREAS North Italia goes spicy tomato heavyyyyyy with some rando shrimp in there. Don't get me wrong the shrimp are fresh and delicious but it's kind of not what I'm trying to vibe with. Anywho personal preference, order the squid ink pasta dish here 10/10 and parking is never fun at spectrum lol read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Clam squid ink - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

The perfect restaurant to celebrate my baby's 22nd birthday. Food perfect portions, good value and flavors on point. Kevin, our host, was gracious, attentive and professional. Thank you read more

Went for dinner before a comedy show at the improv. Reservations are a must because this place was busy. Food was absolutely delicious. We share the bolognese, short rib mafaldine, tuna crudo and octopus. Everything exceeded my expectations. Paired everything with a bottle of white wine that our server Bryan recommended. Perfect pairing. Perfect atmosphere. Delicious food and great customer service. read more

Solid Italian eatery with good service, ambiance, and food! Cucina enoteca is located in Irvine spectrum, restaurant interior is slightly fancy, with spacious indoor and outdoor seating. My BF and I came here to get some drinks and food. We were sat on the outside patio. For drinks we got 2 beers each and for food we got the meatball ($12.5) chicken liver pate ($12.5), and margarita pizza ($21). For the food I loved the meatball and margarita pizza~ The meatball was tender, not overly greasy with fresh Parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. Chicken liver pâté had mango chunks and pâté, the combination of mango chunks and pâté was interesting but overall it was fresh and well presented. The margarita pizza was fresh out of the oven, a little charred in the crust and good ratio of cheese, sauce and toppings. Overall, a cute date or girls night spot, would love to try their pasta my next visit! read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Meatball and Chicken liver pate - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Hey Flavor Budz! Cucina Enoteca is uniquely conservative, with a zen energy. I made reservations for my birthday on the patio, which was nice because it was spacious. The interior of the restaurant was lit, has high ceilings, and has a beautiful wine wall. Cucina is kid friendly and inviting. For the food, I was pleased with the presentation and tasteful flavors. The options from the menu are unique to the dining experience. My opinion is that it's designed to what is highly favorable. Which is pretty cool because the chefs have seemingly perfected their highly favorable dinner menu. My favorite items were two appetizers, the cucina meatballs and the Focaccia. I had a reservation made on a Monday, so it was fairly slow. This is why I was surprised the service was mid. Our server wasn't terrible, but it was minimal engagement. I'm not sure if this person was dealing with personal issues or what. The interaction was just awkward. However, I won't charge this small hiccup against my overall experience because the restaurant food was adequate and tasty. read more

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11 years later and standards hasn't dropped. From Parpadelle to Malfaldine, short rib is still king. This time around the short rib malfadine comes in a bowl with pasta covered in rags, lots of bits of short rib, and topped with a zealous amount of cheese. Everything makes for a super creamy bite with perfect al dente, springy pasta that you still just want to gobble up immediately. Per usual, pair this with a glass of wine or a cocktail of your choice to help refresh your palate since this is a medium-heavy dish. For appetizers this time, grilled octopus was the way to go and they've got the basics down by grilling the octopus perfectly. The char, chew, springiness of the sea is contrasted against fresh cucumber & tomatoes, pickled onions; then married with the vinaigrette and sun dried tomato relish for that deeper, herbal tones. Service is still good; they are attentive but aware of when not to interrupt conversation; they'll ask if you want more water when your jug has run out as well. Ambiance hasn't changed at all -- I guess don't fix what's not broken. Overall, still definitely one of my favorite Italian restaurants to come to for a nicer occasion. read more

I have dined here many times and I have never been disappointed. I have also attended a few wine dinners here and again, I have enjoyed every one of them. The food and service never disappoints! I had to finally review this awesome restaurant after attending a wine dinner Wednesday evening. Cairjn wines owner and winemaker hosted the dinner. We were seated in an intimate outdoor covered patio located on the side of the restaurant. It was light and bright but maybe a tad bit too cozy but very nice nonetheless. The dinner began with a sparkling Chardonnay blend with a wild garlic tartlet with avocado, kumquat and caviar. The next course was a pea panna cotta, charred snap peas, hearts of palm and white chocolate paired with Vermentino. This was my favorite course! The wine was light and bright and the panna cotta was delicious. The chef should consider adding this dish to their menu. The third course was oxtail doppia and polenta with parmesan, tomato conserva and ramp salsa verde pared with a Cabernet/Syrah blend. I am not much of an oxtail fan but this dish seemed to be very well liked by many of the attendees around me. The fourth course was quail, Swiss chard and liver mousse paired with a Grenache 2021. The quail was very tender and delicious. Finally, the last course was a stone fruit crustata and goat cheese gelato paired with a Grenache 2022. I think that most of us were so full by this time that we ate the gelato, which was amazing and took the crustata to go. Please give this restaurant a try for lunch, dinner or a wine dinner. I bet you won't be disappointed. read more

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Good restaurant in the Spectrum center! Popped in on a Sunday night at 5pm, was told a 30-45 min wait or high tops/bar seating. We were hungryyyy so we went to the high tops. The indoor decorations are really cool! The place is definitely a vibe. We sat next to this giant wall of wine. Outside had big trees with patio lights that created a nice ambiance. Our waiter was friendly, she was pretty busy but we weren't in a rush so we didn't mind the slower service. The burrata appetizer was good, I wouldn't get again because the bread wasn't my favorite. But the burrata and tomato's were yummy! The pizzas were alright, ample toppings and interesting mix to choose from. I wasn't a fan of grapes on pizza, but my partner really enjoyed it. I personally liked the hot honey on the pepperoni pizza, it was delicious! read more

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Definitely an upscale Italian restaurant. Great quality pastas and pizza. Great spot for a special occasion. Our server was great and checked in often. They have unique cocktails that are a bit over priced but over all a great experience. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - twighlight club - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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Came here for a family birthday party and we did the group menu. We started off with drinks and their Caprese and salad. The Caprese was absolutely amazing. The tomatoes were super fresh and the cheese was incredible. Only wish we had more toast to go with it as they were gone within a few minutes of them being put on the table. I absolutely loved all the flavors of the salad as it was loaded with veggies, but honestly had wish there was more lettuce compared to toppings. The dressing, however, suited everything very well. we had issues with drinks not coming out and also receiving the wrong ones. They had not realized that they had missed two of my families drinks as well as given me the wrong one and we had to ask for them to be fixed as they had not noticed the mistake, the drinks, however, were pretty good once received! We also got the mushroom risotto which was probably my least favorite part of the meal. The risotto was overwhelmed with mushrooms, and could've used it more as a taste rather than it be the only thing you can taste. I love mushrooms but felt it was too much. Additionally it was soupy, the texture did not seem right compared to others. I think adding some truffle to elevate it and give it more than a basic soupy mushroom taste would've helped! For entrees we had four options, of which I chose the squid ink and clam linguine. The clams were good and the sauce great. There was a pretty strong kick to the pasta which I think should be noted as spicy, as many of my family was surprised by the level of spice for a normal pasta dish. The pasta itself was decent, I enjoyed the clams the most. We then ended with a chocolate caramel pudding dessert which was amazing but insanely rich. Felt it needed some fruit or something lighter to cut it as it was overwhelmingly decadent for me. Overall the dinner was amazing and I would love to come back and try from the normal menu. read more

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I wish I had taken photos! The hubby and I stopped by for a quick meal & a few drinks. Erick was our server and he made the whole experience that much better. I've been once at the bar top a few years back but I really wanted to return to dine in at a table for date night. Erick hit a home run with the recommendations, we went with everything he boasted about. He described each dish to us with plenty of detail. First it was the grilled octopus appetizer which was the hubby's favorite octopus dish of all time (yes, it's that good). I went ahead and ordered the Roasted Jidori half Chicken per Erick's recommendation and it was an absolute 10/10. The hubby ordered the Short Rib Mafaldine and he loved it! We're not the pickiest eaters but we're suckers for great service and a romantic ambience. Will be returning. Thank you!! read more

Went for a quick dinner on a Saturday night after the movies, got seated super quick. Very nice restaurant with lots of indoor seating as well as an outdoor patio. I dont remember what my friends got but I was able to order a lemon drop, which was not on the menu and fries with parm. Both were so good. read more

Food horrible and the menu small. First and last time ever go there. To expensive. North Italia is better. Small portions.

The food was pretty good, but nothing to write home about--nicely plated and decent flavor. What really took away from the experience was the service. Our waiter wasn't very attentive, and we waited quite a while after being seated just to get water and place a drink order. For the price point and setting, I expected a bit more polish. Not a bad spot, just nothing special. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Some restaurants you've been wowed by are only meant to be visited once. This is because the second time around is almost always disappointing. This was the case with this establishment. I understand that my party came late, a few minutes before closing. However, the degree of disrespect and poor service I endured was just unacceptable. There was a young woman with blonde-ish curly hair in a low ponytail who served my pizza to me in the most rude fashion I've personally experienced. Upon serving the pizza, which I held my hands out to receive (in case it was heavy for her), she jerked it back and placed it on the corner of the table, sliding it to me with no explanation and walked off. Like you really couldn't offer a simple sentence like the plate's too hot for me to take? The plate wasn't even hot when I felt it right after either.. LOL her condescending attitude was so unpleasant and I'm hoping she's not an actual server there. We ordered a pizza, pasta and two apps. I wanted to come back for the burrata but they changed it since the last time I went and the burrata melon I ordered this time was somehow twice as small as the one I had before, but for the same price..... So, so, so disappointing, considering that was their best app, in my opinion. When I asked about the heirloom tomato burrata they had last month, I received a lukewarm comment along the lines of "Oh, yea... that's just the one we have right now?" Seriously? The rest of the food was alright, the fig and prosciutto pizza is better than the mushroom one, but everything was just so blegh this time around. The poor service was the miserly cherry on top so I'm sorry to say I am literally never coming back! read more

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Came here on a rainy day for a group lunch to celebrate a birthday with coworkers. We sat at a hightop table and they were able to accommodate our large party. The lunch menu is diluted down to a smaller selection, but there is still a lot to choose from. We started out with squash blossoms, ricotta dip, and pear and proscuitto burrata. All the appetizers were great, but the ricotta dip and squash blossoms were really tasty in particular. For entrees, I got the pepperoni and sausage pizza as well as a soup of the day. The soup of the day was really hearty, and loaded with tons of potatoes. I ended up taking most of the pizza home, since I had filled up on the soup and appetizers. Most people were pleased with their meals. The desserts though -these knocked it out of the park! The panna cotta is what they brought out on the house, for the birthday girl. We also tried the chocolate pudding/mousse, tiramisu, and some type of spiced berry cake. Every single one was amazing. Don't sleep on the dessert! This place is always a solid choice. read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

Love everything about CUCINA! The food, the service, the ambience and presentation...perfect for a summer lunch or dinner! Never disappoints! read more

CUCINA Enoteca - Bacon & date pizza, octopus appetizer and truffle fries. Perfect dinner before catching a movie! - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

I love to come here for date night with my son and/or husband. My son loves the rigatoni bolognese and it's is enough for us to split. It has a lemon ricotta on it, which does not sound like it pairs well, but it actually surprised me in a good way. The bread is fresh and delicious. They also have great mocktails here. I love getting the squash blossoms here as well. I like to sit on the patio. Service is always great. I highly recommend this place. read more

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Love the ambiance of Cucina - outdoor seating is warm, heated and cozy and the inside area is spacious, dim-lit and inviting. It's the perfect date night or celebration/bday dinner spot. For starters, we ordered burrata melon - colorful, light and tasty! The tuna tartare was just okay, would choose a diff appetizer next time. Corn pasta was so creamy, filled with goat cheese, and topped with veggies and crunchy toppings. Got a complimentary tart for bday with a candle which was so sweet! The gelato sampler IS HUGE - came with 2 scoops of 3 flavors (vanilla, chocolate, caramel cinnamon sorbet). read more

CUCINA Enoteca - corn agnolotti - Italian Near Me - Irvine, California

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The ambiance and service are two of the best things about this restaurant! I think it's a lovely place to sit and eat, and our server was wonderful and attentive (and also knowledgable about gluten free food). I would say that for the portion sizes and quality of the food, it was slightly overpriced. However- what can you expect for Irvine, I guess? I'd definitely return - just be prepared for that ticket price! read more

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Burrata cherry tomato is a must menu!!*** It's so savory yet soft - great to raise an appetite. We got pappardelle and bucatini for our main and both were absolutely delicious with perfect al dante texture. It was a very very hot day and even though the AC was on, it was pretty hot inside too... Other than that, the overall ambiance was nice with beautiful interior. The servers were all friendly and nice, and they kept checking on us if we were doing fine :) I would like to come back to try their pizza later! read more

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