On a warm evening, you have the option of sitting at one of the cafe tables on the patio outside, where dog owners are welcome to bring their pets. The menu includes calzone and pizza baked in a woodburning oven and hearty pasta dishes and risotto. Unpretentious and reasonably priced. read more

I had dinner with friends at Cugini on Sunday. Hadn't been there for years. I was very pleasantly surprised by the yumminess of the food. Wonderful antipasto, delicious pasta and pizza. We arrived early to watch the Oscars and the place was empty but by 7 pm, it was full and very lively. Friendly and fun atmosphere. I look forward to going back soon! read more

Awful, awful, awful........ I have never tasted food this poor. we order 4 dishes and all 4 were below our expectations. first course- stuffed artichoke= greasy. second course- warm spinach salad= again extremely greasy. 3 course - Prosciutto pizza - so called the best pizza on the menu- crust was too thin and soft. 4Th course- clam linguine in white wine sauce. flavors were not incorporated well and not cooked thru; all i tasted was the bitterness of wine sauce. I would rather spend the money elsewhere like at Buca di Bippo. read more

Pretty mediocre in general. Initially I was a little put off by how close the tables were to each other. Think the opposite of an intimate dinning experience. I felt like I was at dinner with about 10 other people. Not so comfy. Otherwise, service in our section was exceptionally slow compared to others. Food seemed pretty typical, unexceptional. read more

This is a must visit for tasty delicious Italian food- the service is attentive, knowledgeable and friendly. I had chicken parm and the portion was enough for two! It must be said -!The bread is amazing! I am east coast transplant and this felt like home! I can't wait to have leftovers for lunch! read more

Yesterday, my wife and I spent the day at the Solano Stroll. Instead of buying our lunch from one of the vendors and eating on a street curb, we decided to go to try Cugini Restaurant. They had outdoor seating for the event and we thought it would be a great place to sit down and people watch while having lunch. It was about 2 pm and there were several tables open so we were in luck. The hostess quickly sat us down with some menus. We sat there for quite some time and eventually a young man came around with ice water. We figured the long wait was because of the Solano Stroll, so I didn't think much of it. But then again, the place wasn't that busy either. The waiter finally showed up and apologized for the wait. My wife ordered the Pomodore e mozzarella and a glass of chardonnay. I ordered the Margherita pizza and a beer. A different waitress brought us our drinks after a few minutes. The wait for our food was getting a bit long. I thought it must be the Stroll again, but looked around and saw many long faces waiting patiently for their food too. Our food finally arrived and delivered by yet another staffer. It seemed odd to have so many different people wait on a table. I guess each person must have their own job. Seems a bit inefficient too, but what do I know. My beer was gone by now so I asked this new person if I had to order another beer from the waiter. He said not to worry that he would take care of it. The food was good, but not remarkable. It would've been nice to have a beer with it, but I was still being patient. Not more than two minutes passed and the hostess that sat us down originally brings us our bill. While we just started to eat? I mentioned to her that I just ordered another beer and wanted to make sure she included that on the bill. She walked away looking a bit dazed and confused. After several minutes pass our original waiter asks if we needed anything else. I told him I ordered another beer from the gentleman that brought us our food and he said he would get it. Again several minutes pass and the waiter asks if I've gotten my beer yet. I said no. By now we are working on the last bites of our lunch. Several minutes pass again and our plates have now been cleared. The waiter asks again if I've gotten my beer yet and I say no. The waiter then goes in and finally brings me the long awaited beer. I asked for the check at that time and he said he would bring it right over. Any guesses what happens next? We wait. . .and wait. . .and wait some more. Every time the waiter sees us it seems to trigger his short term memory and he says "sorry, I will get that check for you right away." Then he forgets to follow through. We decide to go inside to pay and move on with the Stroll. So my wife goes into pay and we are back on our way down Solano Avenue. We take a closer look at the receipt and to our shock in disbelief, they included an 18 percent gratuity on the bill! For two people? Are you f-ing kidding me? For that crummy service? So here's the summary: Pros: Food was good, but not great Cons: Worst service ever; staff is clueless and forgetful; almost seemed like it was everyone's first day on the job; and finally sneaking in an 18% gratuity? Unbelievable! Maybe even illegal! Arrivederci! read more

Overpriced and overrated! Their food is not worth the hefty bill you'll pay.

Mediocre at best, rude owner. In any other town it would probably get 4 stars but there are just so many better places to choose from. We have been there a few times but finally decided the lack of warmth from staff and particularly the owner wasn't worth it especially for undistinguished food. read more

Kids pizza, ok. Fettuccine Alfredo, ok. Service decent. But not really great. There is better Italian food in the area. This place has hung around for a long time. I remember going there 23 years ago and it was meh back then. Now it's meh + 23. read more

We love the food here, but the service for take-out is brutally bad. It seems that EVERY time we order, they forget something. One time the owner was nice enough to drive the missing dish (ironically the dish ordered by my father, who graciously paid for the meal) out to our house. The issue seems to be with the high-school age hostesses who typically work the phones. Some of them have been wonderful and helpful, but others seemingly dumb as a rock, with attitude to boot. We had one final bad customer service experience recently and that was it. We no longer eat at or order from this restaurant. read more

This was our first visit to Cugini- we came after the Cal football game on Saturday night. Note that the power was out for the whole block on Solano ave- we aren't sure how this may have affected our experience but they were still serving everything on the menu and the service was in general good. We did not have to wait, and were seated by the window. We ordered a salad and appetizer to split between the two of us, along with an entree each (all off of the daily specials menu). After ordering, the waiter brought us some bread. Just bread. There was olive oil on the table, but no butter, no herb preparation or anything to go with the bread. The bread was warm, but not spectacular (this kind of sums up our impressions of the whole evening). For an appetizer we had figs baked with gorgonzola. This had 6 figs, then two pieces of bruchetta with mint, gorgonzola and apple slices. The figs were probably the highlight of the meal- the bruchetta was ok although we thought there needed to be something to tie in the apples a little better. We also got a salad with walnuts and mushrooms- this was also good, a large salad that was perfect for splitting between two people. Presentation was nice on both the dishes. For entrees we ordered one risotto dish (with fennel and sausage), and one salmon dish with roasted vegetables and mashed potatoes. The risotto was a HUGE portion. The sausage on top was good but extremely salty. The fennel was a bit tough- either it should have been cooked or in thinner slices to cook more under the pile of risotto. The salmon dish was also a full portion. The salmon itself was grilled- it wasn't horrible but it was overcooked and a tad dry. The mashed potatoes were good but oversalted, as were the roasted vegetables. The presentation was very nice on both dishes. The service was fine, especially given that the staff were working by candlelight. The restaurant was crowded and moderately noisy, but there was a nice atmosphere with the brick oven at one end. The only real flaw in the food was the saltiness, but none of the dishes were impressive enough to make us want to rush back. Our disappointment stems from the fact this cost us almost $100 without dessert. We didn't feel like our dishes (with the possible exception of the figs) were much better than a Pasta Pomodoro/Olive Garden level of food. The chef was trying hard with the presentation, but missed the mark a bit with the taste. If we go back we'll probably just try the pizza and a salad. read more

Gordon Ramsey where are you and would you like to come to Albany? Maybe you could send one of the losers from Hell's Kitchen to help this place out? Someone should unplug their microwave and tell them a freezer is just for ice cream! With all the good restaurants on Solano Avenue, you can surely do better. Service is poor and the food not up to the standard of other restaurants on the avenue. On Solano you can go to Solano Bar and Grill for better food and service, Mangia Mangia for Italian, Barneys for a good hamburger or Zacharys for good pizza. Or, if you want a special event restaurant, go to Rivoli's or Fonda's Life is too short to spend your time and money here. read more

Well, we've been there several times, each time trying to find an excuse to eat the food. The interior is so nice, with the exception of the tables being way too close together. I can say the wine list is decent, but the food is below edible. Each time we go now, we order the same thing, calamari and a bottle of Hess Cabernet. Get in early, around 5pm and the place is all yours. The pizzas, though handmade, are the smallest around, and the antipasto platter is simply awful. Not good for eats, just wine and calamari, and maybe the clams. read more

This place is okay. small portions and not a lot of flavor.

OVERPRICED!!! This is pretty ordinary fare in a locale not known for swank or finery. Has the price of imported olive oil gone up so much that they have to assign extreme prices to small plates? There are lots of Italian options around, and judging from the perfunctory service and lack of attentiveness, I'd say the owners are just not paying attention. I remember coming a couple months ago trying to get the waiter's eye, and he and the bartender (an owner?) were too busy chatting to pay attention. There's a nice Mexican place across the street, so I'd say go there instead! read more

We've enjoyed this restaurant for years, and we had a closed event birthday party there years ago. The owners worked with us for a great menu, and everyone loved the meal. We are regulars here, and I enjoy the food here even though I no longer eat dairy or gluten. We recently tried the gluten free pizza crust which is a good alternative to Little Star. The owners, Angel and the other staff treat us very well. read more

If you are in this neighborhood this is a great place to enjoy great Italian food, wine and cocktails. Our server was Henry who made the hole experience. Henry has a customer service to match! read more

Excellent food. Fast, efficient and friendly service. We ordered the special - Chicken Piccata, gnocchi, and our two kids split a kids pizza, then tiramisu and the chocolate lava cake based on a recommendation from a friend. It was lovely. The place was packed on what seemed to be a quiet night for most other restaurants. We will definitely come back when we feel like Italian again! read more

Meh....it's so so. There's so much food diversity in the Bay Area that I rarely go out for Italian anymore, unless it's something special like Delfina. So in the interest of being 'old-school' last night, we hit up Cugini. It was our first time trying it out. We were tempted by the look of the place, which seemed so cozy and inviting from the outside. Our server was very personable and attentive. She even came by after we received our food to check up on us. Our experience here was slightly limited since we didn't order salads or appetizers. Hubby ordered the calzone and I had the capricciosa pizza. Hubby made a face as he was eating his calzone because the sausage in it was very greasy. My pizza was okay, with flavorful artichokes and tomatoes but VERY salty ham. The cheese had a weird consistency, it wasn't smooth and all melty like mozzarella should be. That said, I ate all of it. So, as far as Italian food goes, it's edible but it won't knock your socks off. It isn't exciting enough to return especially since there's so many other interesting places to go. But for families with kids or a quiet place to take your non-foody friend or your grandma, it's perfect. read more

Decided to stop in at the last minute and the food was decent enough. Friendly staff and had a cozy feel. Very Informal, great for a quick bite or meetup. read more

Authentic Italian? I'm an authentic Italian and Calabrese to boot! So I wanted to eat Italian food and decide to try this place. Ordered Calamari Fritti, little rubber bands they were, sent them back couldn't eat, neither could my friend. We both ordered the Rigatoni with Calabrese Sausage....so disappointing--IT WAS BURNED, the sauce and the sausage...didn't eat that either just took it to go--in the garbage....I really cannot believe people gave this place 5 stars. I would never go back. Service was lacking, very slow...too bad people don't know what good Italian food tastes like...guess we should have ordered pizza! read more

We came here for lunch on Monday. The food was not only a ripoff, but my sister and I both had a rotten avocado on our sandwich.The turkey wasn't real, but was luncheon meat turkey. We would would have gotten a better meal at Subway up the street. read more

I've been here a few times and each time I walk away saying to myself "That wasn't a very good meal". I try different things when I go there since someone else recommended the place to me, each time thinking maybe I just picked the wrong dish there. So far I have tried the following and haven't been impressed: Pizza Margherita - very bland, could make better pizza from a Bobili shell at home Pepperoni/4-Cheese Pizza - very buttery/rich.......could barely finish the second slice & usually 3-4 slices is good for me Artichoke Appetizer - they put WAY too much of some kind of rich sauce on it.......couldn't eat it Ravioli - Okay but nothing to write home about. Again very rich/salty, etc. The atmosphere is nice (people with their dogs on the sidewalk outside, a nice bar, sports games on tv, etc.) but unfortunately I can't say the same about the food. Maybe their non-pasta dishes are better - that's about the only thing I haven't tried that I might like there read more

best calamari with this delicious garlic cream sauce. yummmm. Cesar salad never fails and the really do have the BEST balsamic vinegar you will ever taste. They even sell it!!! thats how amazing it is. read more

Their wood-oven Patate pizza featured a large amount of mozzarella, thick (but cooked-through) slices of potato, and a heavy sprinkling of rosemary. The one topping added in moderation was pancetta, its oil spreading across each slice -- that was what I liked most about the pie. The reasonably thin crust was pleasant to chew on, if cooked a little light. Among their four beers on tap, the one surprise was Sudwerk Hefeweizen. I slightly prefer the pizza at Nizza la Bella down the road, but this place has its charms if you sit on the sidewalk or next to the open front window during a heatwave. read more

Cugini is consistently excellent with terrific wait staff. The food is exquisite. It is a great place and remains one of our favorites in the Bay Area. Wine advice is great. read more

I just updated my previous rating (3.5) to 5 after a couple recent visits. The food and service has both improved. Their pesto is excellent and their salads are exceptional. Cugini is now open for lunch 7 days a week. read more

I've driven by this place a number of times this week and wanted to try it out. Yesterday a friend and I went there for lunch and were pleasantly surprised. The menu was complete and their selection was perfect for a pizzeria. We split a delicious cobb salad and margarita pizza complimented with a glass of Chianti. Wonderful flavors and quality ingredients where blended into a meal so fantastic I went back today for lunch. The service was a little lacking, and that was reflected in the tip. I expect I'll be going back there often! read more

Stumbled upon this place after leaving another restaurant earlier for making us wait unnecessarily. (Sorry, Rivoli) We were in the mood for some italian fare and happened along this place where the ambiance looked lively and it was filled with people. After about a 10 minute wait we were seated and were treated to friendly service. We ordered the stuffed artichoke which was delish. The only drawback to ordering that was that prep time was 15 minutes, but we were warned and the wait was well worth it. My husband ordered the risotto and I ordered the garlic pasta and both dishes were very good. I would definitely come here again to try their thin crust pizza. read more

Cugini is one of our local favorite family go-to restaurants! We always go when we have someone visiting from out of town, as they have a wide variety of dishes that appeal to meat eaters and veggie lovers alike. The pastas are always delicious and the crab raviolis are amazing! Pizzas are made in a wood fire oven, and the salads are fresh and large enough to share. Super family friendly atmosphere with a full bar, so adults and kids always enjoy the experience! read more

Food is decent. Service is kinda shitty depending on who's serving you. I've eaten here a handful of times and I have received good service during lunch. Dinner service is absolute garbage. Food is slightly overpriced but what do you expect in an area full of cheap ass overly self entitled people. read more

Wow love going there for drinks... happy hours are wonderful with such a caring bar tender Joey who really takes good care of you I'll be thinking of his grey-goose dirty martinis and Calamari yummmmmm;o)) read more

A lazy sunny Saturday, so we wandered the neighborhood, stopping at Cugini. Our waitress was charming, happy and full of fun. Our margherita pizza was simple and sensational -- perfect crust, beautifully sweet tomatoes, and pure basil. Ditto the salad, served with a luscious balsamic. Prices very reasonable. read more

I was pleasantly surprised with Cugini- I had tried it years ago and not been too excited, but recently my husband and I had date night there and it was YUMMY! The Calamari was amazing and the service excellent. Our waitress was kind, efficient and most of all knowledgeable about the food. Def would go again! read more

Our party of four all agreed the food was terribly salty. Service was good, but you can't eat the service.

Came here this early afternoon (Sunday around 1pm) with my boyfriend. We just decided to give it a go and I am so glad we did! It was not packed with people as other restaurants were for lunch time. In fact it was very lonely and I do not see why? This place is delicious and customer service was great. I had the Penne with Chicken and the Bf had the Ravioli. Service was quick and the plates were delicious and the portion of food was great for the price. 2 pastas and a coke came out to be $29, not bad! Will come again! read more

We ordered calamari, insalata cugini, fettuccini Alfredo, ribeye, risotto of the the day and cugini pizza. The only good item was the calamari. All of the other dishes were super super salty or super oily or a combination of both. Besides the calamari, the best dish of the house was the free bread. Avoid this place! read more

My husband and I love Cugini! They services is ALWAYS top-notch and there food is excellent. The owners re are so friendly and truly care about your dining experience. We went for my birthday dinner and where treated like celebrities. My parents went nuts for the appetizers we ordered, which were the tasty crab cakes and steamed mussels on the Specials menu. Cugini's signature pastas are always out of this world. Every time we go to Cugini, without fail my husband always gets Rigatoni alla calabrese, he lives for it and I love the Ravioli with creamy pesto, which is like a warm blanket of food goodness, such comfort food. We have made Cugini our second home and being 8months pregnant it's nice to go to a restaurant where you feel like you are family and you know you are going to have a fabulous dinner. read more

The service was fine but the food was low quality. Also, the bathrooms weren't well kept. This restaurant has gone down hill since it first opened. read more

I really liked it here. Great food (the french fries were AMAZING -- perfectly crispy and thick), great and quick service, and cool atmosphere. read more