First time here at Cucina South and it has that relaxed ambiance for some really good Italian food and ordered a Peroni Lager beer with garlic bread and olives for the Antipasti. Main course was the Polpetta meatball specialty with the creamy sauce and the Linguine and Clams and they were all very tasty. I just added a bit of cheese and pepper to add more flavor to my liking. The Tiramisu for dessert was quite delicious and we are glad to try it. Thank you Brittany, our awesome server for being so hospitable during our visit and to the rest of the staff for accomodating us as we did not even have a reservation. read more

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We've eaten at Cocina South a few times lately. Chef Bret and his staff have been spot on in the back of the house. Food was excellent and the front of the house had the service running very smooth. Tim the owner was even working the both the front and the back. If you're coming to the Con Cours I'd recommend taking any table available before they are locked down. read more

From the moment that you drive up to this southern plantation and smell the garlic, your mouth will water! From the lovely deck seating at the entrance, to the more intimate tables inside, the feeling of a true Italian family experience abounds. From the moment we were greeted, service was top-notch. Thank you to all the staff and Chef for making us feel at home. For a few locals who had not experienced the lovely food and attention to detail, it certainly lived up to all the hype. Nicely done! We'll be back, after Amelia Island Concours event, to try other more adventurous dishes. read more

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Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach never disappoint. Such an easy getaway from Jacksonville with amazing food and vibes. Today I was a plus one for Restaurant Week and we chose Cucina South, and it was chef's kiss. The Bolognese con Pappardelle stole the show. That sauce was rich, and perfectly balanced. Shoutout to our server Liam for making the experience even better. read more

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Hidden little gem, and I mean hidden. Was difficult to find at night due to poor lighting but we are glad we found it. The food was incredible as was the service! read more

I have visited here twice now and very pleased both times. Enjoyed their wonderful Spare ribs this last visit as recommended by our great waiter. All was excellent! They have a very nice wine selection to choose from too. We'll be back. Eric K. read more

Solo dined on an early Friday evening without a reservation. Chatter from the staff indicated the restaurant had recently reopened with new management and chef. Ambience subdued, casual. Perfect for date night. Not a good choice for family with young kids. One major change I noticed is the new menu. Yelp menu information not accurate. The new menu is much smaller. Wine selections outweigh food choices. No kid menu. That being said, the food was awesome. I had Eggplant Rollatini for an appetizer, Angel Hair Pasta with Vine Ripe Tomatoes for an entree. Portions good, taste better, wait staff excellent. I will return and hope the menu expands in the future. read more

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Some of the finest Italian food I've had outside of Florence. I had the salmon with a wonderful Sauvignon Blanc.

We were seated at a banquette upstairs and served by Liam. My wife and I typically order just one course. She got salmon and I got osso buco. I took home half of my dish, but my wife said the salmon was too good to save for leftovers . read more

Food could be better. No lasagna in an Italian restaurant makes no sense. Limited offerings. I'm not going back until things change.

Went with friends last night and had a wonderful experience. The server, Walker, was attentive and wonderful as our special requests. The food was delicious and each of us enjoyed our dishes - all 4 different. The atmosphere was comfortable without a sweater being required while eating. Will definitely return in the future and will request Walker as server. Sorry, didn't take any photos. read more

Great little place. All three of us really enjoyed our meals. The service was great and the ambiance was good. The tables had enough spacing and the noise level was not too loud. Will definitely go back when I'm in Fernandina! read more

Ambiance and food were fantastic. Went on a Saturday evening...definitely make a reservation!

I have been multiple times and have enjoyed my meal each time. Particularly enjoy the pasta dishes.

Great food and very authentic Italian. Air conditioning gets tricky in summer since it is an old house

Quaint Italian restaurant on the south end of Amelia Island. Staff is friendly and our waitress was exceptional and very helpful. Nice by the glass wine list. We started with the Caprese salad which was ample and very tasty. Then had the chef's choice fried raviolis which were unique and good. My wife had the buffalo bolognese and pappardelle which she said was rich, creamy and delicious and was too much for her to eat in one sitting. I had the chicken parmigiana with a side of pasta which was good but chicken was a bit overdone. Overall, we had a nice time with ample good food. read more

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If I could rate it a 4.5, I would do that. Lovely quiet restaurant. My husband had Salmon with mushroom risotto and mushrooms in the sauce. He ordered it rare, and it was just right. I had the eggplant rollatini (bitterness in the eggplant) with excellent sauce. I added a small side salad that was very good. Service was attentive. read more

Let me say the service was good. We have lived here for years and always wanted to try this restaurant. I am gluten free, my husband is not. I was very excited because the menu online states gluten free options are available. To me, if an Italian restaurant offers gluten free options I was expecting gluten free pasta. There is no gluten free pasta or alternatives to warm appetizers available. Instead the only offering was risotto as a pasta alternative. Not my favorite when eating a Marsala or Alfredo entree... seemed strange for any of the pasta entrees available. So I figured I'd just get the salmon entree cooked medium with the risotto and Brussels sprouts. Husband ordered the carbonara with shrimp ( regular pasta). When the food arrived my portion of salmon was about half a filet of salmon. I was a little surprised at the size but it came with a good sized portion of rosemary risotto and Brussels sprouts. I wish I would have taken a picture of the meal. The salmon was so over cooked it was tough... I've never had tough salmon in my life especially when it was ordered with a medium temperature. The risotto was okay but it had a lot of large rosemary sprigs all through out that took away from the risotto and made taste only like rosemary and a lot of it. So I did not eat very much of that ... as I was trying to pick out the leaves with every bite. The Brussels sprouts were also trimmed poorly with stems on most of them ( never seen that before on a Brussels) but the sprouts were very tough and raw in the inside making them hard. Super disappointed in my meal. Carbonara tasted good, shrimp were cooked perfectly. The pasta was almost crunchy and not in the good al dente way. The ham in the dish was very overcooked almost like Little Rock's in the dish and not edible. Again, we have been looking forward to this place for a very long time and now I don't think we'll return. Very sad. Could have been an off night but regardless the food, to us, was worse than any of the tourist traps on Amelia island. If you are going to offer gluten free options at an Italian place and make it seem like there are options or "alternatives"... offer pasta and actual alternatives for items like your menu states. Attached is the menu with the misleading gluten free information. 2 stars only because of our server. If it were based on her alone it'd be higher. read more

Cucina South - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

I'm not sure how there are so many great reviews for this place. The people were lovely and service was excellent. Other than that, there weren't many positives. The restaurant had no limes, which was odd. The bread was just three pieces of toast. My husband got the eggplant rolitoni appetizer, which was a strange plate full of the ingredients for rollatini floating in loads of red sauce....not sure anything was every "rolled". My salad was basically lettuce with prosciutto and it was edible. For our entrees, my husband ordered the Bolognese which was very vinegary and just strange. I got the angel hair with "fresh" tomatoes and added grilled shrimp. My angel hair was very underdone, a little crunchy. The whole dish was extremely bland. I doubt the pasta water was even salted. The dish was overloaded with diced tomatoes but the shrimp was fine. All in all it was a very hohum unpleasurable experience. read more

Just returned to the island and so sad to say that things have changed at Cucina South! The staff are still welcoming and the service very good but there is a new chef and our meals were disappointing! The amazing Carbonara is off the menu and I struggled to find something to replace it! The meals we selected had red sauce and it was very acidy, tasted like it came right out of a jar! Disappointing! read more

Cute little restaurant with good Italian food. We like the atmosphere here and the food is delicious. I like the pasta but their fish choices are excellent. The warm bread is served with really good olive oil too! The service is good and everyone is very hospitable and friendly. read more

Super nice server and very cute inside and out. However, our food just wasn't that life changing for the price. read more

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The service was absolutely amazing!!!! I wasn't a fan of the marinara pasta but my friends LOVED the Alfredo!!! We also LOVED the bread. The atmosphere was so cute! I would definitely go back read more

Cucina South - Outside - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

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The food was delicious and service was perfect! The ambiance outdoor was spectacular ! Chef Lou & wife Nicki were a delight and recommended certain dishes which turned out a big hit for our 29th Anniversary! Definitely a hidden gem and worth trying out ! We will be back !! read more

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You must make a reservation for this place or be ok with sitting at the bar. I had the zuppa Da Mari. The broth was super salty. There was a clan shell which was closed. If I are that it would have made me sick. If your clams do not open during cooking, don't force them open, they likely arrived dead or full of mud so they should be discarded. Disappointing experience for a highly rated restaurant. read more

Cucina South - It's not good to keep things bottled up! - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Staying at the Omni and didn't feel like going out so we did take out. Everything was delicious from the Caesar salad with roasted red peppers to the shrimp Alfredo. Great warm bread and some of the best meatballs I've had. We finished it off with tiramisu and limoncello cake and that was so good we stopped by the next night for more. read more

Well the Service and the food are in competition with each other. And I really can't say which is better. Delicious and charming.

Food always exceeds our standards and chef Lou and staff are very accommodating highly recommend.

I was spending the night at Baptist Nassau and was starving. My partner was also hungry and told me he would get me whatever I wanted as long as he didn't have to leave the island. I was craving Italian food and have never been impressed with the Ohio Style Italian food you find in North Florida. We went into Yelp and Cucina South came up. I'm embarrassed that I have never eaten there as I always heard great things about the Chef. Since we were getting food to go, we kept it simple and ordered food that will travel well. We ordered a Caesar, Eggplant Parmigiana, spaghetti & meatballs. I was initially concerned about there being enough food; so I had my partner order a side order of additional meatballs. As soon as Michael came through the door with the food I knew we made a great decision. Both dinners were great choices. The sauces were true home style red gravies that were wonderfully seasoned. As to the meatballs, the extra side order was unnecessary, as the dinner was served with 3 large tasty meatballs. This was by far the best Italian food in Nassau County. read more

Hadn't been in quite a while, and we weren't disappointed. Wonderful food and excellent service. So thankful that Cucina South is right down the road from us! read more

Restaurant has great character as a converted house. Spacious and comfortable atmosphere. Every dish I tried was excellent to include their Caesar salad, ravioli, and especially the chicken parmigiana. The wait staff was gracious and welcoming. I would highly recommend Cucina South and will definitely return during my next visit to the area. read more

Arrived late to Amelia Island and didnt want to do the stereotypical 'resort food'. So after a brief drive northbound on A1A, we came across this nice surprise. Cucina South is the type of beach oriented Italian place that tastes great without the drama of most restaurants trying to impress. Best part of the meal: the bartender (sat at the bar to avoid a wait) who took very good care of me. From the starter bread (an absolutely delish olive tapenade) to the eggplant appetizer, completed with the pasta and meatballs, this was a pleasant surprise. The other notable part of the experience was the red sauce. It was close to as authentic as you can find...and to discover that here, well, it was just a nice way to get started on the trip. While I always like to explore, this place warrants another visit while on this trip. The fact that this is Restaurant Week makes that decision easier as their special menu features selections that have my attention. Stay tuned for a peer-review if I do the follow up visit. read more

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Food was absolutely delicious but service was not good. The staff were apologetic about the service and we appreciated that. Apparently they were short staffed but it wasn't overly crowded. read more

Food, Service, ambience excellent Our grandsons were treated with respect. They live in a rural area so this was a new experience. It was prefect. Nathan our waiter was friendly and patient. The food was exceptional. Picky eaters ate every bite. Love their eggplant Parmesan. And you could have a conversation. read more

We made reservations at Cucina South for our anniversary dinner because it was one of a the few higher-end places open on Sunday. Italian is not our usual anniversary choice, but we were glad it worked out that way. We were welcomed and seated immediately, and warmly (but subtly) congratulated on our 40th anniversary - no songs or hats or other such from this team. The Taste of Amelia menu was still available and we couldn't resist. My wife and I chose different items with the intention of swapping. Both started with fresh bread, but my opener was caesar salad (light and lemony dressing); Susan had the shrimp bruschetta. Both really good. Our entreés were also excellent. Susan had the salmon (moist and prepared perfectly to her liking) on a bed of garlic polenta, served with flash-fried Brussels sprouts (a deviation from the menu our server happily accommodated). I had the shrimp carbonara. Very generous with shrimp and carbonara, perfectly supported by the cream sauce. For dessert, I had the lemoncello cake and Susan had the tiramisu. We ate some, shared some, and took what was left home to have as an indulgent breakfast the next day. Our server - Alicia - was engaging, pleasant and there whenever we needed her, but not intrusive or pushy despite the room being full and the table obviously in demand. With a shared glass of wine, after tax and tip, it was exactly $140 - which seemed a good value for the evening. While we were there, the other diners were mostly locals - to us a good sign in a touristy place like Amelia Island. We'd recommend Cucina South for anyone looking for a very nice Italian dinner in a warm, cozy setting (cucina!) with excellent service. read more

It's absurd this restaurant is rated so highly. The food was terrible. We waited an hour for our entree. The chicken was so over cooked it tasted like rubber. read more

Cucina South - Chicken Alfredo - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

Our waitress was very patient and friendly. Beyond that I do not recommend eating here at all. The female manager was supposed to come back to tell us what our vegetables they could make for our vegan friend and never came back. The male manager was amazing with us. I had the shrimp scampi, it was blah. The lemon was so overpowering and sour. Our other friend had the short rib, she had two bites, it was super salty and fatty she had to return it. The female manager walked past us without saying anything. Again, the male manager came and apologized. Looks nice but it was deceiving! By the way $3.50 for a can of flat coke is ridiculous! read more

Cucina South - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

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Went there for our 35th wedding anniversary and was underwhelmed with the food quality and portions. It is a fun location on the south side of Amelia island. Staff were friendly and attentive. read more

Didn't have reservations but was seated right away. The Cesar salad was delicious and lightly grilled giving it a unique flavor. Salmon was on point and grilled to perfection. Will be back. read more

Cucina South - Caesar salad - Seafood Near Me - Fernandina Beach, Florida

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Well.. had some high hopes. I'd put it solidly in 3.5. Yelp needs to have half scores. First off the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. Food came out quick. The portion sizes are a good size for the price. Service is a 5. The salads, the Caesar and the butter lettuce were both solid coming in at 4.5. I had the pesto w shrimp which was definitely good. Had some bites of saltiness to it. Solidly a 4. My wife and one kid had the spaghetti and meatballs and both were good but definitely needed some more flavor. I'd say a 3 for this. Two of my kids split the chicken Parmesan. Gotta say... always disappoints me when the chicken comes out soft. It was very tender but the breading was so soft. Also missing something in terms of flavor. Gotta go 3 here. So overall I'd give it a 3.5. read more