Hmmm brick lane. To be honest I've never been brick lane or as far as Aldgate. That area was proper foreign and outtah this world it seemed like a curve into a corner into Mumbai. And I'ma be real with you lot .. I was put off! Yes! I'm all about the clean/high end presentation and class when it comes to restaurants because I can't simple trust the food is clean and free of any poisoning!! So yh. I was put off that whole area full of restaurants.
When me and my friend arrived at la cucina it didn't stand out from the crowd .. We walked past twice searching for the place (following iPhone gps 😓)
The pros are:
Clean
Calm and relaxed
Attentive staff
Quiet
Italian in the middle of brick lane
I ordered Salmon affumicato with pizza margarita to go as my main course and my friend Ordered Bruschetta as a starter with Tagliolini gamberoni misiti as a main course and both topped it off with tiramisu ❤️ Very different but both pleasant (we shared) large juicy quantities.
Also, to be fair the food came quick and it was well prepared but what sorta bothered me was their prices? I mean compared to 'burger and lobster' IN Mayfair you get a burger or a lobster bun with fries for £20 so filling but here we ended up paying £50+ for 2 and we weren't even in Mayfair?
But hey! Good experience overall.
Would I recommend it? Ermmmm,, probably not since I know/ tried better Italian restaurants in terms of food and location.
Halal!! Who thought of an italian wedged in between Indian and Bangladeshi cusines heart of brick lane. Lovely open and airy place to sit and unwind. Wood burning stove. Garlic mushrooms as starter was brilliant. Main course pollo funghi chicken with creamy mushroom sauce absoloutly amazing. Luntime was quiet service brilliant.
Brick Lane is traditionally known for its Indian Restaurants & Curry houses, so an Italian Restaurant would stand out on this famous Lane. I went with a friend late November for a catch up.
La Cucina is quite new and I went on a weekday, so naturally the restaurant was quiet with a few other diners. The interior of the restaurant is quite narrow; however they have made good use of the space.
The menu is quite extensive, so it will cater to a variety of people, and quite a few of their dishes are Halal compliant. For starters we ordered the Bruschetta and Salmon Affumicato – the portions were generous! I really enjoyed the Salmon Affumicato; it was really fresh. For mains I had the Lasagne while my friend ordered the Chicken Penne. Again the portions were generous; while my lasagne tasted fine, I felt that I could have had a bit more flavour. It wasn’t really memorable. I had eyed up a pizza order on its way to another table which looked quite delicious….. To finish we both had the Fondente Al Cacao, which was not we expected to look like (it was actually a cake) but nevertheless tasted nice; it was quite rich.
The waiters were friendly, attentive and prompt. There was a minor accident where the waiter had spilt one of the drinks while serving them; he was quick to move us to another table, clear up the mess and discount the desserts from the bill as an apology.
La Cucina is an ideal place for casual dining and I hope that they thrive on Brick Lane.
I would like to thank Zomato for the opportunity to try out this new restaurant.
This is one of the best Italian restaurant, I have been. I had spaghetti carbonara with red wine for my main meal and a diavola pizza was my take away. I really enjoyed my meal and I had fun!!!
Overall rating
Excellent Customer Service
Friendly and Prompt waiters
Nice, calm environment with beautiful decor
Delicious, tasty and well prepared meal
Professional pizza chef.... very friendly
Would definitely come again with bunch of friends!
Despite having a narrow interior, La Cucina uses its limited space extremely well, with a real community feel.
The ingredients are extremely fresh and the menu has a great range of Italian dishes, including a variety of vegetarian options. The portions sizes are generous and extremely good value for the price, without scrimping on quality.
The service was fast as well as friendly, and helped to perpetuate the endearing vibe of the small establishment. It is a nice change from the many fast food joints on Brick Lane, and would be a nice spot for a date or casual dinner.
Nice environment. Very friendly and prompt staff.
The restaurant is located 10 minutes away from Liverpool St. Station, but the walk it is worth the experience. Firstly, the menu is huge and various. I decided to go for pizza, and I chose a Bufala. It was impressively thin and tasty. The tomatoes were very fresh and the mozzarella tasted super good! I was delighted. Also, as a dessert I ordered some profiteroles, which were very creamy and nicely presented.
The prices are fine, and the place is lovely.
I will definitely have a nice lunch at La Cucina again!
Became intrigued after walking past this place on my last trip down Brick Lane. So me and some friends decided to order some takeaway to test it out.
To keep it safe we went for the bruschetta and pizzas (American and La Cucina) and were pleasantly surprised. It is miles better than any takeaway pizza you can get elsewhere (be it the standard chains or other) and definitely worth trying out. The stand out was the amount of parma ham on the La Cucina. Normally places seem to be very stingy with this however it was piled on here, which I loved! The only minor gripe was that the bruschetta came quite cold so we had to warm it up in the oven. This may have been how it was supposed to be, but we all like our bruschetta hot.
Overall a good meal and will definitely be dropping by on my next Brick Lane adventure!
Lovely tranquil decor with comfortable lighting and good acoustics. A suitable spot for bringing a date. It can be a bit warm in the back at the restaurant because the wood burning pizza oven has an open fire. The toilets were quite beautiful. Service was nice and discreet.
Exceptional value for money. Portions were very large, and the pleasant house wine was only £14.00 per bottle. Cooking could be a little uneven.
My starter was a rocket salad with grilled vegetable and mozarella. It was dressed with good homemade pesto and served with oil and balsamic vinegar on the side. Grilled veg consisted of aubergine, courgette and red peppers. The peppers weren't peeled, but that detail didn't detract from the dish at all. My companion's garlic mushrooms were a little bland. Oven baked button mushrooms flavored with garlic and butter. A sprinkle of thyme or oregano or chive and a wedge of lemon would have improved the dish. Also a dusting of parsley would have helped its looks.
I had the mixed grilled fish which was extravagant at £21.95. However, it turned out to be fantastic value given the ingredients used. There were three large scallops with corals attached, a langoustine tail, several peeled tiger prawns, squid, clams and mussels as well as salmon and sea bream. My prawns were overcooked but all the other elements, including the squid, were fine. This came with sauteed snow peas and carrots and really good sauteed potato. My companion had the more homely dish of meatballs in tomato sauce with mashed potato. Really great simple mash, that tasted primarily of potato. I find restaurant mash to be often far too rich. Nice fresh tomato sauce spiked with peas and tasting mostly of passata. Meatballs were tasty, if a little dense in texture.
We were too full to try dessert. There was no embarrassment about packing up leftovers in a takeaway box. We plan to return to sample the pizza's and pastas. The portions that passed our table looked enormous so we will probably order two salads and share a pizza or pasta.
I ordered margarita pizza and supli bolognese through Deliveroo and both were so goood
Best authentic Italian pizza on brick lane for sure!
Great Rustica pizza, friendly staff and warm atmosphere
I went to La Cucina last night with few friends. Its a nice and comfortable restaurant.
When we arrived there, the restaurant was busy but we got served quickly and the staff were very friendly.
We all had different starters, they were all big sizes and tasted really good, as I tried from all my friends food :)
The main courses were really good sizes and tasted very nice.
I wished I had some space left for the desserts as they looked delicious. Next time I will go there, I will definitely leave some space for the dessert.
Lovely little place, with excellent food. The service staff needs to work on their coordination a bit otherwise an amazing experience
Ordered Meat Feast pizza and steak with potatoes(main) and calamari and garlic bread with mozzarella(starter) for two people. Nice food. Good portion. Staff helpful as well. Would go again.
A delightful oasis of calm in one of the busiest areas of London's most vibrant street.
Food was excellent and served at the correct temperature. Service was very efficient and we were not rushed. You may not even need to book to enjoy this lovely restaurant.
Great food! All the portions sizes are really hearty, they don’t skimp on the nice ingredients. The food is super tasty and reasonably priced.
The staff are really friendly. It also has a nice decor which is relaxing to sit in. My favourite place on brick lane ☺️
One of the very few downsides of moving out of London is not being able to visit this wonderful restaurant on a regular basis any more. Italian is my favourite cuisin and La Cucina, tucked away behind a narrow entrance, half-way along Brick Lane, is the best Italian restaurant I have visited, outside of Italy itself.
The menu has a good, if slightly limited range, they will cater for vegetarians, vegans and any other diet (if you give them warning) and all the food is wonderfully cooked. They have a great range of wines and all of their staff are knowledgable, friendly and helpful. The welcome is warm and the service attentive but not "in your face".
Even better, their prices are very reasonable, especially for London. You can enjoy a superb meal and a bottle of excellent wine for well under £30 a head.
Highly recommended, you will not be disappointed.
Came to eat here end of April 2016. Excellent food. Returned August 27th. The manager there recognised me and made us feel so welcome and treated like royalty with 4 puddings so well presented on the house, all because I'd been before. This place I cannot rate highly enough! Amazing food and wonderful staff. The full 5 stars from me.
Very tasty food, with large portions. We actually ate here two nights in a row it was so enjoyable. Service was friendly but a bit slow. Nice atmosphere in the restaurant, we would definitely eat here again.
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