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Very large portions and a romantic atmosphere (if you sit outside on the patio)
The fritto misto appetizer came with a spicy marinara sauce and a tartar sauce that were both very good. The dish itself was enough for at least 2 people.
The brodetto entree was also very large, but pleasantly came with a very good amount of seafood - mussels, clams, shrimp, fish, calamari, 1 lobster tail and a delicious piece of grilled bread to soak up the sauce.
My wife had the grilled salmon entree. It appeared to be a little too overgrilled as it developed a charcoal crust on it. She thought it was still very good but didn't include enough of the wine sauce that accompanied the fish.
PLEASE NOTE: This review is for the happy hour appetizers only. I've heard that the dinners are very good here, and would probably earn more than four stars. I understand that with special happy hour prices often comes a slightly lower quality.
We ordered almost everything on the happy hour appetizer menu. The best was the classic bruschetta, which was nice and garlicky. My least favorite was probably the shrimp bruschetta, which was too salty, as well as the pizza with proscuitto and olives on it, also much too salty. Someone in our party mentioned the salt issue to the waiter (nicely!) and he seemed genuinely grateful for the feedback. He told the chef and his manager and at the end of the night two appetizers were removed from the bill. We would have been happy to pay for these dishes, but we really appreciated that he took the comments to heart instead of just smiling and nodding then spitting in our coffee (at least I hope he didn't...I drank my entire cappucino).
Without this great service, the place would have received three stars, but the attention to quality and the attentiveness of the waiter makes me want to come back and try the dinner menu to give I Cugini another chance.
Amazing!
Their white anchovies, drizzled with olive oil is great. Good to dip the bread in.
spaghetti with clams and limoncello sauce is epic. The clams are cooked perfectly.
wine list is extensive and split between old and new world varietals, and nicely priced!
Came here for a birthday celebration recently, and though the restaurant is pretty huge and beautiful, I was unfortunately sort of underwhelmed by the food. It was the second time I'd been there; the first time, we sat out on the patio looking out onto Ocean Ave. and I remember the food being great. This time I had the softshell crab, and have definitely had better. Other people in our party also had the crab and said the same thing. I tried the salmon, though, and it was very, very good.
On the service side, Jerry (the new manager there) took good care of us and even comped us a dessert plate to top off our celebration, which turned out to be classy-looking and delicious. He chatted with us a little bit and told us about some upcoming events, etc.
I'd give three stars for the food, as anyone who has read my reviews knows, good service counts for a lot with me, and so I'm adding in an extra star for that. And maybe the softshell crab just isn't their strongest dish, who knows. I'd go back.
i'm only giving it a 5 star b/c the lasagna was the best EVER!!!!....but i didnt order this dish my friend got it and she said it was good in the beginning and then it got WAY toooo rich....since i only took like 3 bites (about half of it.. =p..) it seemed excellent to me..!!!...i got the salmon dish and it was above average but not a 5 star status...None of the sampler appetizer's were worth noting....
Love their location and I've had several great meals here. I have always had good service and they do pour some very popular wines.
This place got me hooked to seafood Brodetto, seriously. Whenever I go to an Italian restaurant now, I ask for the same or similar soup. I'd get very disappointed if they don't have it. I Cugini, it's all your fault!
It really is impossible to present an ethnic cuisine in just one dish, but I Cugini's Brodetto is as close as it can get. Every type of seafood is included in this tomato based soup, and it is done perfectly. The first time I ordered it, I almost "licked" the pot clean! I stopped devouring land animals some time ago (well, about 90%, not completely), so I am all over those places that serve great seafood. Their risotto is pretty good too, but I can't comment on that because I only got a spoonful of it from my gf's plate. Brodetto is what I always order here!
There are several decent Italian restaurants on Ocean Ave, but it is hard to pass up any opportunity from walking into this place.
So my friends from New York came to visit LA and as a New Yorker i knew how they felt about Los Angeles but since i been long enough here i thought it was my responsability to show them around and prove to them that is not as bad as most people in East coast think so we went to many places in DT and when they wanted some italian food i figure i had to take them to one of my favorite places in Santa Monica not only for the food but also for their desserts and the coffee, in NY you can find good espreso in any italian place but here in LA is kind of hard for people who is into italian espresos knows that in order to taste good and not burned it has to have like a foam on top from the coffee and in this place they do know how to make it just right! the food is really good a litle price but its worth it, the location is great you can see the ocean if you take a table outside, the service is owesome waiters are so nice, i even got some free homemade cookies when we were leaving i love it and i also impressed my friends, so mission accomplished!!
Consistently fresh seafood is what first comes to mind when thinking of this place. If you want Italian, you are better off at Vincenzo's on Montana St.
This is a good place to come with a group as the restaurant is spacious and the tables aren't on top of each other.
Service is generally good and the ambiance in fairly simple. Good happy hour as well!
Wife and I had thought about trying the Sunday WAVE Smooth Jazz brunch for some time. Finally did it, today. Parked in the Santa Monica city parking structure 6 on 2nd Street. First 2 hours are free. After that, it's a dollar for a half hour. Nice!
Walked in to sound of a live band--good sign. Decided to sit inside, rather than on the patio, since the music didn't have to compete with traffic noise, and the FOOD was there! Visit to the nice restrooms, and we're ready to go...
Oh, I forgot. First order of business is for your waiter to ask if you'd like some champagne or orange juice. All you want...
Checked out the various food stations. Pasta to order, good variety of summery salads, and cold Italian dishes. Lots of veggie dishes, turn the corner and find mini-waffles with all the fixings, breakfast standards, and a little more. The lemon-rosemary chicken was very good. Carved to order glazed ham and roast beef. Hot seafood. The salt crusted salmon was good, but not exceptional. Seafood risotto. The best mussels I have ever had, in a tomato broth. Went back for two more plates of those, oh so tender, bivalves. On my second foray, I discovered the cold seafood--smoked trout, smoked salmon, tuna, king crab legs, and shrimp, along with cocktail sauce, saffron aioli, and creamy horseradish. The crab legs are cut in half, lengthwise, so picking out the tender meat is easy. Brilliant! Yeah, I had about a plate of those.
My wife and I ate, and enjoyed the music. It was a good group. Wait staff usually kept our drinks filled. I think I ate a plate of smoked salmon, with minced onions and capers, saffron aioli. Wife said that the grilled veggies had just a touch of balsamic, really good.
There were a lot of fruits available, and a chocolate fountain for dipping. There is a refrigerated section of lovely Italian-style sweets for dessert, as well. We tried the tiramisu, cannoli, and creme brulee.
There was nothing that wasn't good. A bit pricey, but if you can eat your share of high-quality food, it's worth it. And then there's having a live jazz concert in an intimate setting. Wow! We're going back for a special celebration. Just wanted to get up and dance with my wife, but that had to wait. Yeah, if you're not into smooth jazz, it may be kind of a waste. I'm a boomer, so deal with it.
I was disappointed with I Cugini. It is owned by King's Seafood Co., which also runs 555 East, Water Grill, and Ocean Ave. I went here for lunch. It wasn't horrible, but I probably won't be back.
I had the risotto, which was a special. It was overcooked to a mush, and it was way too spicy; it was kind of numbing, and you couldn't really identify the individual ingredients. I also tasted the black cod, which was better.
The service was fine.
they have a amazing HH, i mean seriously.. one of the best HH i have had in santa monica. their HH is food and alcohol... check it out. it is worth it.... ALTHO it is not worth to come for dinner or lunch unless you want fish... and then by the time they de bone the whole fish, its cold. thats my 2 cents...
I Cugini is one of those places that never gets old. It has really good food, excellent staff, and has lovely dining space. Not only does it have all this, but it is located in the best location ever.
The seafood/italian food is very good. I really like the Pizza Margherita, burrata, and the Pacific Swordfish. I Cugini also has a really nice brunch menu.
Overall, I would totally recommend I Cugini for any occasion. It's good, it's sophisticated, and it's located close to the beach and the Santa Monica promenade, a great combination for a good restaurant.
My lord this place is expensive. Lesson learned, when the menu lists something as both priced by weight AND market price then you, amigo, are about to get robbed. I got a perfectly nice whole parchment wrapped fish and I swear to god the thing was $42. It's not a whole fucking king salmon, either, it was some variety of little Rockfish. I left here 2 bills light and still hungry. I know it was overpriced because that I ate that fish in 2003 and I AM STILL MAD. If you haven't cooled off in SIX YEARS, write a review, that's my motto!
I was in last night for dinner and it was really EXCELLENT. The waiter recommended the linguini with clams, which we would never had ordered without his recommendation. It was a great choice. It was not oily as it is so many times. It was a perfect mix of lemon, basil, fresh parsley, garlic and seasonings with the clams. YUM! I will be going back for this .
For bargainistas and recessionistas, they have a new sunset menus with discounted dinners from 4 pm to 6 pm. Next time we will go early to take advantage of these early bird specials.
Highly recommended!
I am not a huge fan of the location or the decor. Too many freaks walking by to enjoy an elegant dinner. However the food is pretty authentic and everyone liked it. I liked the bresaola, the pizza, caprese, and the pasta.
We had a big group and the service was good.
This place is great for lunch or dinner, as long as you know what to expect. (I haven't done breakfast or brunch.) It's an upscale Italian seafood restaurant that features marble, murals and dark wood. I don't think you could be over-dressed, so you might feel if you're super casual. It's not cheap; expect $30-$50 for dinner and a glass of wine. They have great wine. Sit in the patio if you are there during the day. It has a view of the ocean on par with other Ocean Avenue restaurants, but it is completely enclosed with plants and a tiered fountain.
Happy hour is over-priced at $8 a martini. It was delicious, and worth the $8, but that is NOT a happy hour price. They need to find their way to $5 or $6 martinis before I'll recommend it. Monday they have free pizza at the bar. I didn't try it, but it was small, thin, and simple; gourmet, I guess. The calamari was nicer than average, but not spectacular. We'll be back again because the bartender gave us $5 off cards for our next visit.
Worth a mention: ladies, there are purse hooks under the bar.
The food there was very good, and the service was also excellent. I had the cream-based pasta with prosciutto and peas. It was quite heavy, but still delish. My boyfriend had the salmon, and although it was dry, he still thought it was very well done.
Ambiance was great - the outdoor patio was lovely to see the sunset overlooking the beach.
Definitely meets expectation and is recommended for a nice dinner when you're at the promenade.
Sunday eve fish dinner was overloaded with garlic.
Dressy? Lots of squirrelly kids and dudes in T Shirts
Okay, there is so much I want to say that I may go on tangents here....
PERFECT!
The Italian LOVED it. For him to say that is amazing on its own, so top kudos and a half to this restaurant.
I had the best seafood stew ever! The various fresh breads were delicious, the grilled calamari, delectable...
Come eat here!!!
The decor looks ok inside but that's where it ends...I can't even recall how the food was because the service was HORRIBLE! I am not exaggerating...it was pathetic...who is in charge of hiring?
OK, so it was about a year ago or so but I just joined Yelp and had to get this off my chest - WE LITERALLY SAW OUR WAITER TWICE THE WHOLE NIGHT...when he took our order and when he brought the bill...this guy was so pathetic it was an effing joke.
I was tempted to not even leave a tip...as I recall I did but was just a nominal amount....it was sad.
I have to believe this guy doesn't work there anymore but at any rate, we are obviously never going back here...you will get better service at [insert name of any fast food joint here]....
When will Yelp allow one to give a negative star rating?
We went here today for a Sunday brunch, and had a GREAT time. Here are the perks for brunches at i Cugini:
Live jazz (the band and singers are inside)
Patio seating
King crab
Peel and eat shrimp
Octopus salad
Warm beet and goat cheese salad
Chilled mussels
Assorted pizzas
Seafood risotto
Warm mussels in a spicy red sauce
Fresh to order omelettes
Rosemary potatoes
Bacon
Chicken apple sausage
Fresh waffles with assorted toppings
Carving station (try the roast beef)
Assorted fresh fruits
Breads
Pastas
Mimosas (included)
(there was more, but I don't remember)
We had a ball. We watched people who hit the mimosas a little too hard as they sang along with the band. Lots of people came to hear the music and enjoy a leisurely time (though there is a 2 hour time limit for brunch -- I'd imagine people wanting to stay longer for the music). There were birthday shout outs, free coffee and soft drinks, a cute waiter and a nice breeze.
Perfect day for brunch.
I went to i Cugini to meet a friend of mine for a late lunch. Mind you, if I had to rate my friend… Read more »
Well, my mom and I were supposed to dine here for the dineLA thing on Sunday, but who knew that the lunch offered starts at 3pm! 3PM - who the heck eats lunch at 3pm? I know I know, only in L.A, however, it wasn't until we were seated when we realized that small fact. And it wouldn't have been so bad if the stupid brunch wasn't SO EXPENSIVE!!! I believe the waiter told us it was $49 PER PERSON.... FOR BRUNCH?!?
And on top of that - $7.00 for Valet - I'm noticing a trend here. We went to a garage around the corner, and considering we only had the complementary mimosa's - parking was free.
Sorry - maybe we'll try when it's not sunday brunch, and when I get my KCRW fringe benefits card - 15% off. meh. We went home and made eggs and toast.
Best Italian seafood I have had outside the house. The location is great if you are doing something in Santa Monica after dinner. I also like that the inside is well lit and not too dark like so many restaurants these days. Staff is very helpful and friendly.
We had a very nice, relaxing lunch at i Cugini today. I like the open, fine dining atmosphere, excellent service, and fresh, well prepared food. Though it is not located directly on the ocean, it is possible to see a view of the ocean from most tables and the weather in Santa Monica is almost always perfect for enjoying the refreshing ocean breezes.
Trying to give i Cugini a chance at a great first impression, I ordered the $25 lunch special which came with a choice of appetizer, main entree, and a desert. I loved the beef carpaccio (mainly because truffle oil makes me high), enjoyed the seasoned trout, and shared the delicious Tiramisu with the table.
I did need to point out to the server that the $3 soda should have been included in my lunch special, but he was very gracious and prompt to remove the charge.
i Cugini is a keeper. I'll save it for those days when I'm not feeling any time or money pressure and want to get another shot of the nice life.
Update: I've eaten at i Cugini two more times, once for dinner, and am upgrading it from 4 to 5 stars. Love this place.
Update: I'm addicted and don't care about the expense any more. This is a http://ThursdayLunch.com regular spot and the server knows us.
My old office was right up the street from I Cugini and after several visits many years ago for business, happy hours, etc. I was so unimpressed that I never wanted to go back. I just found the food to be sub-par, the menu overpriced and the atmosphere dull and monotonous.
Fast forward to the present where I'm forced to attend a birthday dinner there and honestly nothing has changed. We started off with various appetizers from the menu and there really wasn't anything to write home about. I tried the New Zealand cockles and they were drenched in a thick red sauce over a gelatinous mound of polenta. It came out cold and was just a poorly executed dish. The other apps like salads and calamari were less offensive, but there weren't any clean plates amongst us. Eventually the main courses came out and my shrimp pizza looked and tasted like some kind of Italian inspired open-face quesadilla? They purport to using a stone oven, but what they gave me looked like it was cooked on the hood of a car. It was just soggy and tasteless. Definitely a sad day when and "Italian" place can't do a decent pizza! The other dishes like risotto, fish and such were met with the same kind of indifference as the rest of our food...mehhh.
The dinner wasn't totally horrible as the staff was really attentive and friendly..though the place was half empty on a Sat night which may have had something to do with it? The deserts got some raves, but that's not saying much when you just dropped $70 for everything else. I didn't think things were bad enough to give them 1 star, but I was honestly struggling to give them 2. I Cugini has a great location which is why they can charge so much, but the Food fails to match. They should take a cue from their excellent sister restaurant up the street (Ocean Avenue) and get that part right first.
Lastly...you guys who gave 5 stars must have the palate of an earthworm to be going there. Seriously?
I was very disappointed. We had a group of 10 and since they automatically charge a 18% gratuity for larger parties...I guess the server felt he didn't have to work for his tips. If I have to flag down the server everytime I want something...and I have to ask for something twice everytime...that constitutes as BAD SERVICE.
I had hoped the food would outweigh the service...but the food was BLAH. Definitely not worth the price. The only thing that was good was the bread w/ olive tapenade (which is free) and their Trenette pasta (w/ shrimp, string beans & pesto).
The only thing nice about the place is the interior...very pretty & romantic.
Valet is an outrageous $6 w/ validation.
I would never go back there again.
The place is very nice and upscale looking. The food however, is hit and miss. I have been here about 10 times and half of the time enjoyed what I ordered. The happy hour here lasts till 8, which is nice. They have a number of good appetizers for happy hour, at half the price. The beef carpaccio has always been good. As for the rest, hit and miss. The pizza is good, but a couple of times by the time it arrived at our table it was already cold. They do have a nice wine list and delicious desserts.
I'll admit it's been a while since I ate here (over a year), but I still remember the amazing gnocchi and charming patio seating. I came here with my family to celebrate New Year's, and it was perfect. You definitely pay for the Ocean Ave address, but it's worth it!
Yet another in the long line of Kings restaurants.
Great Italian wine list and decent food too! The cast iron skillet polenta rules and I actually have dreams about it that involve..... Oopps sorry tangent. They have great pizza, pasta and some really cool whole fish that you can choose your style to cook.
The view: Tha bomb except for the occasional vagrant some of which are extremely nice others uhhhm not so nice.
I took one of my French business partners there and though he does not like seafood?? Go figure. He truly enjoyed everything or maybe it was just my sparkling tableside manner.
Cheers,
RB
We went here for dinner and I have to say everything we ate (except the salad) was tasteless. How can pumpkin cheesecake be tasteless? We spent almost $200 or the 2 of us and i really felt ripped off. I love good food and we made a blunder going here.
The wait person was excellent though so I'll give him the star for that. Otherwise, unless you want what used to be airplane food, find somewhere else to go.
This place gets 1 star for continually spamming e-mail to my inbox.
I've tried unsubscribing from their e-mail list many times, but I've gotten their crap for almost 2 years now.
This is very unprofessional and would be unheard of from a company that truly valued their customers.
The most famous person you'll see here is probably me... so this obviously isn't the place for star sighting. Besides, I don't do autographs and if the paparazzi get in my way I know karate. As for the food, it's good not great Northern Italian food - the bolongese is pretty good though. It's also a pretty good fish place. On my last visit I had Alaskan black cod grilled with a simple Adriatic preparation. On past visits I've had the Dover sole with the salt crust - very dramatic and really good. The Brodeto is a fish stew that I've never had but friends of mine have really enjoyed. The room is very nice and the outdoor area is larger than most and very comfortable. I've also had very good experiences with the service - especially this last trip.
Wheelchair access: Cali good.
So after reading all the reviews prior to making my reservations I have to admit I was a little hesitant... but There seemed to be a healthy balance of good and bad... So I decided to brave it and go through with making the reservation...
It was my Mommy's 60th birthday and she had once mentioned restaurant... I couldn't remember the name so jokingly I tried to come up with a way to get her to tell me... I was like Mom I saw the review of that one restaurant what was it... I cugini I was so glad that she told me because I had made a reservation initially at a totally different place... I made the reservation with http://opentable.com and everything was set. The reservation was for Sat night I got a call on Fri. from Casey (For some odd reason I thought her name was Heather... Don't ask) anyways she was so sweet I went over all the details with her and explained to her the importance of Sat night... IT was all set... Come Sat night:
We left San Dimas at about 7 and there was sooo much traffic because of the GLOW festival that was running at the same time... So I called and said we were going to be running a little late... I called and Casey answered the phone she was like Ohh I remember you don't worry... I was so happy we finally get there and get the valet... I was NOT about to deal with trying to actually park somewhere... When we got there we were greeted and seated... I then wanted to thank them for the initial reservation hence the mix-up with the names. I said I would like to thank Heather for all her help and they were like Uhhh we don't have a Heather here... HUH... Opps... Then Casey came to our table and clarified everything... Then our server came his name was Johhny... At first I was very irritated with him.. He was acting so nervous and seriously wouldn't stay at our table longer than like 30 sec it seemed... We asked him to recommend a great sweet red wine he couldn't he had to ask another server... Then I wanted lamb but was debating with the pork he didn't offer any alternatives didn't offer us any appetizers or salads etc... I finally got up and flagged him down and made him tell me what my options for dinner were... Then I ordered a salad when the main course came before it... Also with my mom's meal I explained to him that my mom needs everything SPICY for some reason it didn't register with him... Finally throughout the night Johhny loosened up and was actually pleasant... but after dinner he came over with the creme brulee with a lit candle and then Casey, Johhny, and another waiter came over to sing what was odd about that was they started and then they didn't finish they just kind of stopped... It was very odd... Anyways overall it went off without a hitch and my mom had a great time it was all worth it... :)
Thats why the 4 stars...
Happy Hour EVERY day, yeeesss! (Someone should start a list of good weekend happy hour spots, and no I'm not volunteering). Good happy hour selection, MUST get the mussels, beef carpaccio, and their super thin pizzas. Their frutti di mare pasta with spicy marinara sauce was really yummy. Nice place for happy hour/dinner.
Located on Ocean Ave, near many hotels, I get the feeling I Cugini is the place most of the local hotels send people who want italian food. Not up to Vincenzo's or the like. However, I ate here with my grandmother two friends and parents, who seemed to enjoy the meal. I cannot recall too much about it, and hence can tell you it was just fine.
I'd suggest eating on the patio if possible.
A wonderful Italian restaurant right on Ocean Avenue.
The service was phenomeonal.
We'd already had an early dinner so we were looking for dessert after shopping on the Promenade. Found this place just across from the beach. They had quite a few choices of dessert...and since we couldn't decide, we asked for one of each...hehe. No, we didn't finish it all but it was fun to sample each dessert. Ok...so maybe I did finish most of the tiramisu myself, but it was just too good to waste. The cheesecake and banana custard w/ chocolate cookie crust was A-OK.
Okay, so keep in mind I went here like over a year ago, but the experience is still with me. I rave about this place. Seriously. Some of the best food and service I have ever had.
This is a definite fine dining establishment. Save your pennies before you go. There was 4 of us and we waited about 5 minutes to get seated. The patio was so nice at night. Moving on. We ordered wine and some apps. I don't remember what they apps were because I was to busy raving about my favorite wine - La Creme Pino Nior Sanoma Coast - it was exceptional with our meal. For my entree, I ordered the veal osso buco (OMG - no words to describe) and my friend order the seared ahi tuna - another show stopper. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow.
For dessert, we ordered a take on a lava cake. Goooood God. So velvety and wonderful, my mouth is just watering thinking about it.
Definitely an awesome dining experience. On the weekends, they have a live jazz band that plays, too!
I really can't believe all the bad reviews of this place. The service was stellar, the food incredible, and the atmosphere comforting. I would suggest this place to my mother, and I love my mother. But remember, save your pennies.
The first time we ate here, we came with a bunch of friends and we loved the place. It had a nice, homey, family feel to it. The food was great and it was in large portions. Everyone loved it. This was in the evening, for dinner.
The next time we visited, it was for lunch. The place was over run with tourists and Hollywood wannbe types who want to be seen. The food was still good but the atmosphere was not as casual. It felt more tense, busy and less personable.
Try the Fruti de Mari - Fruit of the Sea (Seafood Pasta). Pretty tasty. Convenient valet parking is available. Try to get a nice booth seat if possible.
We Deliver!
Neighborhood: Westwood
Wine Down Weekends
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Santa Monica
Category: Italian
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