Wow, so much to unpack. So before arriving we tried to call to make a reservation and received no answer. Once we arrived we asked for directions to the restroom and we were given bathroom keys like the ones you get at gas stations... The positive was the presentation of the food was nice, the flavor was good, and the environment was clean. My order was actually wrong, I received spaghetti noodles instead of fettuccini which was a simple mistake to get past. The real issue occurred at checkout when I was told my card declined when I was actually charged. I had to contact my bank who confirmed the charge had gone through and gave an alternative which was an offline checkout which would of allowed them to receive the original charge. After twenty minutes the host came back and I was told “sorry for the inconvenience thanks,” my card was handed back to me along with the ticket. My instincts told me to check my account and sure enough I was charged a second time. I had to contact my bank again and I was told I have to now wait 3 business days to see if one of the transactions is refunded back... Never have I been so humiliated and disrespected. I’m extremely disappointed by the entire experience.

I went there with a group of people, and we all thought the same thing of this nice restaurant. The best thing about this place is the food, every bite of every dish was amazing. Our favorite foods were the black, squid ink pasta with seafood, and the Burrata cheese appetizer. The food is absolutely amazing and taste fresh. There is lots of thought into the recipes of all these dishes. There was a few problems though about this restaurant. It is understaffed by one or two people. the one waitress that we had was handling all the tables, and I think preparing dishes in the back as she was in the kitchen a lot. she was a very hard worker, and did what she could by herself. She was awesome. But because of missing some help, she wasn’t there when we needed her for certain things. Because the restaurant was understaffed, we also had the problem of long wait times on the food. We would get one dish, and wait another 20 minutes to get the next dish. It took about a total of an hour and 40minutes to get our full meal. The next problem I had was the sound in that room. When people talks it bounces all over the walls. On our night, we had 50 people talking at the same time, we couldn’t hear ourselves at all. The sound carries really well, and you can hear other peoples conversations. So I didn’t feel like I had much privacy and my head was going to explode from the sound. They could probably use some partitions in between the tables. Lastly, There’s no street parking, because all the metered parking was taken. And we didn’t know we can park inside the back parking lot behind the building. Besides these other problems, I would highly recommend this restaurant. The taste and quality of their food cancels out all these other issues. Probably the best Italian food on the island.

Excellent small family spot owned by locals. There are often items not on the menu that are on the specials board that are outstanding! Don't forget to check out the specials board! 5* for excellent service, food quality for its price range, and overall restaurant cleanliness.

Delicious pasta dishes and other Italian foods. The restaurant here is very small and all the food is made from scratch so expect slightly longer wait times. We had made reservations and pre-ordered our dishes so I did not feel we waited too long for our food. The service was excellent. The apps were good. We had the crostini al porcini and the bone marrow. Our favorite was the Melanzane Parmigiana. I mean, its hard to go wrong with masses of Parmesan and tomato sauce in any dish. Definitely give that one a shot. For the mains, we had the osso bucco, the ravioli neri, and Norcina Trenette Classico. The osso bucco was good, but I think we all expected it to be a bit more tender. The pastas on the other hand were fantastic. The noodles were amazing on their own, with great flavor and texture. The sausages in the Norcina were delicious. Our consensus favorite was the ravioli neri. The squid ink pasta. The lobster. And THE SAUCE. The saffron cream sauce was incredible and we could not get enough of the ravioli. This dish was amazing and I cant wait to come back and get a whole plate to myself. We had the tiramisu and creme brulee cheesecake. They were both equally liked and I would recommend them both.

A little hidden gem. Homemade pasta and sausage, bone marrow, unique dishes created by a top level chef. Great dining experience!

Ravioli Neri was excellent. However the bone marrow was quite disappointing. Recommend that you stick to the pasta dishes here.

We read the reviews and heard voice-mail regarding the wait, so we were prepared for the wait. It was an amazing experience! Every single dish we had was beautiful and delicious!!!!!! I am definitely going back. For appetizers, we had the bone marrow and bruschetta. For entrees, we had the risotto funghi, and the pasta with lobster meat. It was soooooo good Will be going back!!!!!

Unassuming, nondescript venue, tucked away on the ground floor of an office building. It's barely visible from the street, and only from some angles. Drove by several times and couldn't find it, so I decided to park in the street and hunted around for it. Was starting to doubt Maps, but sure enough found it. You wouldn't guess from the location and ambience, but this is some of the best Italian food I've ever tasted! The salad, bruschetta, pastas and risotto were so delicious. Flavors were spot on. You will not be disappointed. The dishes were made from scratch, so expect serving to take a little extra time. Kudos to the server. She's a one woman force of nature that greeted and seated customers, took orders, served dishes, bar tended, bussed tables, and through it all kept a professional and friendly demeanor. Wow! Look forward to our next dining experience.

My favorite Italian restaurant on the island. It is a little small, so I normally have best luck getting a table by going when they open.

Simply Belissimo, Been here more than a few times. Sat on that rock hard pillar 30 minutes before opening only to find out sold out again. But tonight we came at 45 minutes and first in line! All good, more time to memorize the menu and order as we sat down. Impatient? No we savvy! Only the Owner and a mate in the back so unless you drop your order first you are going to be ticket 6 and 20 dishes behind. Had mains arrive 45 minutes late more than a few times here. It is what it is. And you know what? We still comeback because the food is always legit. And in the end, isn't that why you came? Hungry? Alright back to the review. Atmosphere good, 28 table seats and 6 on the bar. In a condo commercial lobby so we are not looking at Diamond Head ok. But you are supposed to be lovingly gazing into your dates/significant other/spouses eyes so stop reading this and put down the phone! So atmosphere a B but more than adequate for dinner. Service is there cause the better half of the culinary side is running the front of the house. She has one or two assistants who know make it all go smooth. It's a small dining room so not much can go wrong when we all live in 500 sq feet. Beer and wine to support and Corkage for $15. Culinary offerings are trattoria nice. Starters, pasta and entrees all the usual suspects with a few chef specialties thrown in. All high quality and simply served. This is not tweezer food and you should be more concerned with eating the hot hot and the cold as you feel like it. Put the goodies on a plate and get it to the table is all that is needed. Once you start engaging your fork and knife all talking can cease. Feed your hunger and let your taste buds enjoy the ride. Maybe a tad salty but hey, salt makes the whole food taste thing work. Manja, manja! We will be back!

Best restaurant ever!! Outstanding food and exceptional service!

Won't take reservations for less than four. Makes date night pretty hard especially when they are fully booked. Go to Viaggios down the street. Nicer food and atmosphere

Oh it is so delicious over there and I would eat there again it was so good 🤣😊

There are so many things to love about this place. It's cozy and very stylish. I absolutely loved all the food there. You don't really even need to read the menu, just point as something on it and I guarantee it'll be delicious. I loved the bone marrow the most. The fat just melts off your tongue.

Went here last night and it was delicious! I got the Pappardelle Norcina and it was very good. My boyfriend got the Pappardelle Bolognese which he liked too. The bread and oil/vinegar was tasty. On top of that we got the Crostini al Porcini and it was good but VERY mushroom-y. Atmosphere was great. Went without a reservation and we were fine.

Everything we've tried on our visits here has been excellent. The cioppino is great, and my wife loved both the bolognese and the gnocchi. The atmosphere is cozy and romantic. The service was prompt, attentive, and friendly. The food is made fresh when you order and thus takes awhile to arrive, and without reservations expect a wait to be seated.

OMG, what can I say. I would have never found this place without a friends mention. Full course Italian dinner with all the trimmings. Course by course, as food came out, it just got better and better. Amazing and definitely a MUST for foodies. 5 Stars

(Translated by Google) It is a shop where you can have a conversation with friends while drinking wine. It may be a little tastier for those who do not drink alcohol, but the food is satisfactory. (Original) ワインを飲みながら、仲間と会話が出来るお店です。アルコールを飲まない方には少し味が濃いかもしれませんが、料理は満足いくレベルです。

One of the best Itallian Restaurants on the Island!

Little loud atmosphere but the food is great and place is very welcoming.

Great Restaurant. Food made to order to include the pasta. Awesome family dining experience!

Food and service were absolutely delicious. Our food was full of flavor! Fantastic experience. I'm glad we found this spot during our visit to Oahu. Would encourage making a reservation by emailing, as per their website. Place is small, so not sure how easily it is to just walk in and get a table. The bruschetta and burrata were amazing starters. So many pasta options, I wasn't sure what to pick! Portions were generous.

I was very excited to try this place. We had made a reservation and everything was great at first. The bruschetta was delicious. However, while we were waiting for our entrees, a giant roach was crawling on the wall by our table and FELL ON ME. I live here, so I get that roaches are a thing, but this was one of those big guys with wings. No thanks. We closed our tab (which the waitress comped) before our food came and left. So disappointed that I didn’t get to try their homemade dishes, but I don’t think I can go back. Beware of roaches.

Pleasantly surprised with this dinner. We walked in at 5:30pm on a Thursday- no wait. Super flavourful dishes but they all lean on the salty side. We would absolutely be back but request for everything to be less salty. The crostini al porcini was divine but presentation needs work. There is a seafood-y taste to this dish. Crab ravioli had TONS of filling and We could really taste the crab- delicious! The menu noted they were out of papadelle but just ask because the kitchen did indeed have paperdelle. We are not usually fans of cheesecake but had to try it given all the mentions. The texture was so good and didn't feel too rich. Prices are very reasonable for the quality of food- you won't leave hungry.

The food here was so great! The bruschetta is insanely good. However there seems to only be one server and all of our food literally took so long to come out! Like over an hour… also me and my husband were on a date and they brought my food way before his which kinda sucked. Definitely think for a place with such awesome food they should invest in some more servers!

Best Italian food on island, without a doubt! You'll have to make a reservation in advance, but it's so worth it!

Went to this place first day of our visit in Hawaii. The waitress was really nice. The food took a while to come because everything made from scratch. Really delicious and they opened pretty late compare to all the restaurants around the area.

It’s a long wait for the entrees but it’s worth the food because the food is delicious. Just order appetizers so you have something to nibble on while the main dish is being cooked.

NOT A FAMILY FRIENDLY RESTAURANT. Me, my wife and the 2 kids showed up at 6pm on Friday. Only one out of the 6 tables occupied at the time. We stood outside, because they make you wait outside the door awkwardly instead of inviting you in and waiting for the hostess. We could see the 2 hostess at the bar looking and talking about us with our two small children and she came out and told us no available tables until 8:30 to obviously deter us from coming in their restaurant. I understand how it sounds, and I promise I’m just a regular person and not a critic. I never post reviews. But if you were in my shoes it would be obvious to you too, that they just didn’t want to serve us. I also believe part of it was how I was dressed, in a t-shirt and shorts. We waited, talked to the next people that came, who didn’t have a reservation, and they gladly took them in… This is one bad experience with service. Not stating anything about their food because we didn’t get that far. But heard it’s wonderful.

Food is good overall. I tried one of their king crab pasta dishes and I didn't like it, the first time I went there. But the second time around, that seafood salad was 🤤. Highly recommend. The service is slower but they make everything fresh and it is just a two person team. So expect to wait awhile for your meal. Creme brulee cheesecake for dessert was fantastic. Parking is also validated.

Restaurant Review: La Cucina ***** This is my favorite Italian restaurant and in my opinion (and many other foodies) is the best Italian restaurant in Hawaii. Every dish was sooooo good!!! Chef Don makes fresh noodles every day and his sauces are very delicious. Dara, Don’s wife & co-owner, provides excellent service and recommendations. Recommended Order: Midollo Osseo = A+ Roasted seasoned bone marrow topped with pesto and served with toast points Risotto Funghi e Tartufo = A+ Porcini mushrooms and whole mushrooms topped with sautéed foie gras, a touch of truffle oil and Parmesan Pappardelle Norcina = A Homemade Italian sausage sautéed with onions, garlic, porcini mushrooms, whole mushrooms, and topped with Pecorino Romano Fettuccine Aragosta = A garlic, and chopped Maine lobster tail in a pink sauce Ravioli Neri = A Squid ink ravioli filled with lobster in a saffron cream sauce Spaghetti Granchio e Vodka = A Dungeness crab meat and vodka sauce Osso Buco = B Braised veal shank with fresh herbs in a tomato sauce Tagliatelle Neri e frutti di Mare = B Squid ink pasta sautéed with chopped clams, shelled clams, mussels, tiger shrimp, calamari, fish, garlic, capers, and parsley in a light tomato sauce Insalata di Prosciutto = A Thinly sliced prosciutto over Romaine and fresh mixed organic greens, olive oil vinaigrette, fresh tomato Crostini al Porcini = B grilled bread topped with fresh mozzarella and porcini mushrooms 4 pieces Bruschetta = A grilled bread topped with fresh tomato, basil, garlic and olive oil (4 pieces)

This place was okay. It was a headache to get a reservation as they only take email and there’s a lot of back and forth. The atmosphere was rather underwhelming and lackluster being in an office building with no decorations. As for the food, I really liked the noodle portion of my pasta. I got the most popular, sausage pasta. Although the noodle texture was spot on, I thought it was a bit salty but that is to be expected with sausage. My friend got the squid ink pasta and she seemed to like hers, I tried it and I liked the creaminess of the crab. Earlier on in the night we had the bone marrow and I gotta say, livestock tavern has a better one. It wasn’t bad by any means but nothing amazing either. All in all, this place is just okay. Don’t get me wrong, the flavor is there and the service is great but I was expecting better based off reviews and the trouble to get a reservation.

I had dinner there and it was pretty good like a few years ago but for some reason they have no price on the menu and I was really surprise when I saw my bill! $34 for bone marrow more expensive than all the entrees we had. That for baked marrow which is the cheapest you can get on the meat market! For that price I can get a nice steak. Definitely not ordering them again. I thought it was a mistake but nope....

(Translated by Google) It was a very delicious dish. The difficulty is that the location is difficult to understand. (Original) とても美味しいお料理でした。 場所が解り難いのが難点。

Everything was delicious!! Service was also great!! Highly recommended this place.

Food and wine was great, but the wait for a table plus the food had us starving! About 2 hours plus drive time from the leeward side.. They did warn us when we got there it would take long because they make it from scratch, so next time we know to go earlier or if in the area.

Easily the very best Italian restaurant in the pacific! Such a treat in the middle of town away from the silliness that is Waikiki. The food is prepared per order from scratch...and it shows. The food is absolutely superb. The staff will tell you that there will be a wait for the food due to the impeccable preparation, but I've not once been displeased with the time it takes to receive incredible food. Another glass of wine never hurt the appetite anyway! The staff is friendly, attentive and jovial. I cannot say enough great things about this place!

Came here on a Thursday a bit before 530 and snagged a table. If you're a pasta lover, you definitely have to try this place! We ordered the Crostini Al Porcini and the Bone Marrow for appetizers. Those were delicious! Bone Marrow was salty but still really tasty. For the main, we got Trenette Norcina and Ravioli Neri. Norcina stole the show for me. Pasta was so good and fresh! Ravioli was also good but scarce. Would definitely come again. Main dishes took an hour to come out but it's worth it.

There is dining...and there is DINING!! La Cucina is not to be missed!!!! I can't believe I've waited so long to try this amazing place. Friends had mentioned it to me, but I'd always heard it was hard to get a reservation or table so I just didn't think about it. But on a lucky date night with my hubby, he asked me where I'd want to try but hadn't been able to. I, of course, said La Cucina but doubted we'd get a table. Well, to be honest...there are no reservations for parties of less than 4 & for a party of two, like us, in thought pickings were slim. That night when my hubby called, there were only 4 seats at the bar open. Imagine we are an hour away from there...I thought our chances were impossible. Lucky for me, a table opened up just a few minutes after our arrival! Can you say, lucky dance?!? Yup, I did it...in my mind. As soon as we were seated, we were given fair warning that everything is "Made from scratch and takes 45 minutes to make." To be honest, that stressed me out. But, just like the rest of the evening thus far, I rolled with it. Hubby and I ordered the Crostini Al Porcini appetizer to start...and we threw in our dinner order right away so we could get the waiting started. With my loyalty to awesome reviewers...I went with the Frutti di Mare and my hubby got the Pappardelle Agnello. (See menu pics for further descriptions.) Ok, so let's be real... It was already around 8:00, so I was starving for anything because I hadn't eaten much all day. We were brought 3 pieces of table bread to share between the two of us. Let me ask you this... Who gets the third piece and why do they do that to starving guests?? Before we could really answer that question, our appetizer came out!! Woohoo! It was so quick that I was literally shocked. The Crostini Al Porcini was so yummy and hit the spot. Thankfully there were 4 pieces so my hubby and I could share equally. Just as we finished our last bites of the appetizer, our dinner plates arrived!! Cue happy music in my ears!! I don't know if we waited 45 minutes, but it certainly did not feel that long. Both of our meals were so divine! Words just simply cannot describe the masterpiece, literally, made from scratch. And am I recommending my Frutti di Mare? Why yes, yes I am!! Possibly the best Italian dish this tummy has ever had? I'd say so. I highly recommend it if you're into seafood and you like flavor and a little kick. We had to order dessert...because I blame all of you who post about their desserts. I knew before we head stepped in that I wasn't leaving without having a slice of Creme-Brûlée cheesecake. It. Was. So. Good. that even my cheesecake hating hubby said he liked it. All in all, dining at La Cucina was beyond excellent. Their service is top notch... So much so that we adored our server, Mei, who was the sweetest. She recommends parking on the street after 6. Also, they validate for two hours but you just might end up staying longer than that so consider the street parking option. They do offer BYOB...we could tell because the table next to us was going to town. Good on them! Hopefully, you will make it to La Cucina because it is a food experience not to be missed!

I have heard a lot about this place over the few years but never made it before the shut down foe covid. This place is tucked away in the galleria of the imperial plaza on kapiolani st. They validate parking in the back. Covid related - they make you submit an electronic survey answering a few covid related questions 24 hours prior to the dinner. It seemed like they only take dine-in guests if they had a rsvp. Others were mostly take out orders. They also checked my temperature before letting us in. Food - we ordered 3 main pasta dishes, a salad (not pictured), and bone marrow. The bone marrow was seasoned and topped w pesto. Very flavorful and perfect paired w the toasted points. The pappardelle is homemade and you can taste the freshness, except I still find the pasta a tad harder than I thought it would be. Perhaps it's the wide width of the pappardelle? Portions were definitely generous. Bigger than Meditterraeno on king st. I thought all the pasta were slightly on the saltier end so it's best if you paired it with some beverage. The agnello is the braised leg of lamb w ricotta cheese. The cheese was definitely very nice and light contrary to lots of other very strong ricotta's I have had. Paired really well with the juicy and tender lamb. Not gamy at all. The norcina is homemade Italian sausage without the casing paired with garlic, mushroom, Romano cheese. I sausage actually had a tint of spicy-ness in it which wasn't too overpowering but definitely leaves you tongue spiked. (Hence a beverage would come in handy) The bolognese is homemade ground veal topped with Romano cheese as well. The grounded veal is a slightly easier entry to the mouth since pieces are smaller and smoother w the tomato sauce. If I were to come back I would probably ordered this again. The least salty of the 3 pastas but still left my mouth in need of a palette cleanser after the meal. I would have wanted to try the tiramisu but Bc the portions were so generous I did not have room for anything else. I even took some leftovers pasta home for lunch the next day According to my friend, he said the salad di casa was the best salad he's had. Dressing was great and the fresh tomatoes on top was the magical touch.

CLOSED FOR PENDRMIC. Came here Saturday night. Google says they are open but they are closed for pandemic Will try once open.

Delicious food

All food is made to order and is AMAZING!!!! You need at least a party of 4 to RSVP. The food is worth the wait. Definitely will be going back again.

(Translated by Google) The atmosphere is good and delicious. Reservation required (Original) 분위기 좋고, 맛있어요. 예약필수

Wait wait wait I just found my new favorite go-to restaurant on this whole island!!! Tucked away in Imperial Plaza in Kakaako, La Cucina serves fresh, homemade pasta that takes you right back to Italy! The atmosphere is amazing, light jazz music, lively conversations and mood lighting! I could have spent alllllllll night here!

Great place to meet for lunch or brunch. I truly appreciated this diner, the food is impressive. This place has a cool atmosphere. I will definitely be back again soon!

Best Italian food ever!

Excellent and cozy restaurant, fantastic for a date or small dinner party. All food prepared from scratch, and it shows - I've never found a better Italian place in Honolulu.

Great place to go for a date day lunch or dinner. Really enjoy the food and atmosphere.

Sitting in the restaurant right now and we feel like quite a burden to our waiter. No impressed.

Great food, great service, just go already.

Delicious!!

The food good and portion too. We will come back

The food is totally worth the wait to eat here!

Loved it. Make reservations!

Solid

This was probably one of the more memorable restaurants we visited this time around. Be wary that there is limited parking outside but there is garage parking which we found out later. Both pastas we had were delicious as well as the porcini crostinis. Only reason why there is no 5 stars is because the wait was an hour, and there is nothing to do in the area.

***Important Info if you're thinking of dining here*** They only take reservations for four or more This means if you and someone important to you want to have a meal here: a) like and say that you have a party of 4 and make some kind of excuse for why the others couldn't make it b) forget it and go somewhere else If you decide that you are going to try, you are going to be competing for six stools at the bar. That's it. I was just in there tonight. All but one of the tables was empty. We were told that if we wanted to eat there it would be 3 hours. I asked to speak to the manager. The bartender claimed to the manager. I asked her calmly how two people might have a table there and she all but laughed at me. There was no indication of any kind of professionalism. This is my second and last time that I'll try to eat here. Hope you have better luck if you do.

Absolutely love this restaurant. A little hard to find but it's inside the building next to the strip mall. There is a parking garage. I found it best to just do a walk in and wait for a party of 2. Sometimes 45 minutes but so worth it. I ordered 4 entrees for 2 people and we finished it all. It's all super good but the pastas are killer. Seating area is cozy and you'll get to know the people around you.

Every entree is freshly prepared by the chef and you can taste that freshness and attention to detail. However, that also means really long wait times for your food.