La Cucina in Dublin

This restaurant is a joke. Minimal portions, high prices, poor quality. Careful as there are also misdirections in the menu.

Quickest meal Ive ever had, tiny portions, got us to leave after 1 hour 3 mins, felt so rushed.... rude staff will never go back

We have been to La Cucina twice before and I simply loved it, great food, very professional and friendly staff. Pity the same did not happen this Saturday 29th August. Food did not disappoint, but the waiter who served us was very rude. He would not say a word to us, but phrases like "So what do you want?". When he came to collect the dishes from the starters and main, we said thanks and he would not say anything back, never smiled, never asked if everything was OK, never asked if we needed anything, always with an angry face, what made me and my partner very uncomfortable during the entire dinner. But the worse was yet to come, at the end, when we asked for the card machine to pay the bill the waiter asked if he could add tips, what for obvious reasons we said "not this time", then he asked, quite surprised, "WHY NOT?", making things even more uncomfortable. Overall, very disappointing and probably the worse customer service we ever experienced in a restaurant, what is a real shame, especially because the other staff seemed very nice and accomodating, but this one clearly does not enjoy his job. Probably wont be back there because I dont want to take the chance to be served by him again.

Overall experience was amazing, the staff were super courteous and helpful all through especially Dragana, she was such a pleasant lady. I’d surely recommend this restaurant. One of the best in Dublin.

Food was excellent and finely proportioned. Crostini, calamari, flank steak, ragu, tiramisu, Nutella pizza. Patrick was the guy who looked after us. Couldnt have met a more pleasant gentleman. A genuine treasure of a human. Quaint setting, rushing back

0 Stars. Racist Manager.We had a reservation for this restaurant and were really excited. They had a strict set menu with no options for any outside orders and surprisingly barely any pasta options. Oh, and they dont make pizza...FYI. We tried to order 2 appetizers and one meal with it being so late. Our waiter came back and told us the manager required all of us to order a meal or we needed to leave. We couldnt justify a couple hundred euros with not being so hungry, so we were forced to leave. The worst part? The manager walked by both me and my mother-in-law and made a racist statement just loud enough for us to hear. I could not believe it. I couldnt believe he said that TO MY MOTHER IN LAW. To me, fine. To my partner, fine. But to my mother in law? I was flabbergasted and ashamed. So much good food in Dublin, choose somewhere else.

My Husband and I travel all over the world and eaten all over the world. We have both worked at restaurants, we understand how the business is difficult. My husband is a business owner so we have never left a bad review because we wouldn’t want to hurt someone’s source of income. With that said this is the first bad review we have ever left on a restaurant. We went to this restaurant for Valentine’s dinner. First, we were sat in the corner literally touching the front door and left with no service for about half an hour. The waiter finally took our drink and food order. Only I received a drink and my husbands drink was brought at the end of our dinner. He had only water for his meal that we had to get new glasses because they had a white substance all over the glass. The food portions were extremely small. Not one time did our waiter come back. He actually sat down at the bar and ate next to us totally ignoring us, as one of the cooks sat infront of us in his cell phone. It was a bizarre experience. None of these positive reviews can be real, I imagine they are employees or the owners writing them, there is no universe where a person would find this place decent. Simply not a good restaurant, Dublin is filled with endless great ones don’t waste your time or money here.

Limerick city -within the first 10 minutes a large group left the restaurant very unsatisfied, we wondered why..we found out- Poor food. To add insult to injury, handed the bill and asked to vacate the table, Laughable and embarrassing. We will not be returning.

Food was delicious and staff were very friendly and attentive. The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere and vibe to it. Chef was extremely friendly too and brought the food to our table. Attention to detail was great regarding special requests (e.g. no cheese on main). Reasonably priced restaurant. Restaurant and bathrooms were spotlessly clean. We had a great experience here, difficult to fault.

We had an amazing evening, great food and atmosphere and as for the staff, they couldnt have been nicer, especially at the end of a long day right before Christmas. As we waited for our table, they gave us a bottle of bubbly to apologise for the wait... all 5mins!! Ive waited longer in a loo Q. Admire their energy and customer focus... Definitely recommend

I like genrerally the food , the music and the atmosphere.I didn’t like to have to ask what was an 2 euros unknown charge called street smart on the bill.It was a 2 euros charity charge, the waiter offered me to remove it, I kept it. This should be offered to the customer not added automatically without our knowledge. For the rest it is ok

I booked a table for two at La Cucina for a Saturday night anniversary dinner with my wife. We arrived on time to the restaurant and were directed by the manager to sit at an end counter with two bar stools side by side. When I explained that the booking never detailed that we would be sitting at a counter on stools for our dinner the Manager said to us that the counter with stools is part of their seating plan. So we promptly left the La Cucina restaurant. A restaurant that is clearly willing to put their own capacity and table turnover targets before their customers.

We went last year and we had the worst experience ever. The manager was veryyyyyyy impolite. He gave us a 45 min window to finish dinner and kept pushing us to release the table. We were very loyal clients but we will never come back again.

My boyfriend and I ate here for a birthday weekend before a gig and we were pleasantly surprised by the food. The interior is romantic and really inviting, and the staff, so welcoming and helpful.We shared a large board of delish antipasti to start, accompanied by a decent serving of bread (well done). I had the prawn linguini with nduja butter for the main, and although quite hot, the flavour was serious! Very filling, so maybe dont eat all the bread at the start like I did... Also the cocktails tasted like more so be careful!

Appalled by a professionally hostile service. It seems like the restaurants policy means much more than a customers requirements. Completely disappointed and will never visit again. Restaurants policy not fit for purpose and out of date.

Early bird menu exceptional value. Food is up there with the best Italian food in Dublin. Service spot on and fantastic ambiance and decor. Really top notch. Can recommend highly enough

By far the finest brunch Ive ever had. The food was a delight, cocktails were wonderful and the staff were so pleasant and helpful. I would definitely recommend!

Lovely hidden gem. Great pasta primarily, great service too. Never a delay with food even when busy.

Nice layout and the food is good quality but it does not have an Italian ambience and the staff should keep their personal issues to themselves and not create an unfriendly atmosphere in front of customers.

Had brunch outside, 20euro brunch + cocktail combo was good value - just not tasty. Dry boring eggs came with bacon instead of pork cheek (Giuncialeand the artichokes never arrived. Shame as its such a great spot when its sunny. Cocktails were good nonetheless. Go for drinks, not for brunch.

Was here for a quiet family birthday dinner, and would definitely recommend. Really tasty Italian food in a very pretty and rustic setting. Staff super friendly and attentive, making you feel very minded. Such a lovely atmosphere. Not sure if its every night but there was a blues musician tucked away in a nook playing some tunes. A bit pricey, but very worth the money. Good portions and simply delicious food. Would probably keep it for special occasions. 🖤Definitely try the bruschetta, still thinking about it!

When I arrived and looked at the place (charming, intimate...perfect for a date my expectations went up. Unfortunately, I was a bit disappointed.My husband is not a hard person to please when it comes to food, but I am.We ordered linguine with pork cheek and it was just ok: well made but no "wow factor". Same goes for the cocktails. However when it came to the dessert the chocolate ganache was absolutely gorgeous.About the service, they were friendly but not very attentive.Overall we had a nice brunch at a fair price.

Service couldnt have been better! Food was fantastic and the atmosphere was very chilled. Would recommend and will definitely visit again

We had made reservations over a week ago for 8 pm Easter Sunday. My son and his girlfriend preceded us into the restaurant, were seated, and immediately the waiter asked them our whereabouts. My son told him we were parking and will follow shortly. "Well, we are closing soon" replies the waiter. My wife and I arrived two minutes later, took our seats, and our son told us of the exchange. When the waiter came over we asked if it were true. "Yes. The kitchen is closing in 15 minutes." Seriously? Was that information posted on Open Table? Yelp? Zagat? The restaurants website? Did anyone give us the information when we initially made the reservation? Not at all! We decided to skip dinner rather than be timed and shooed out the door. As we got up to leave we were followed with a snotty comment by the waiter. Im sure the owner will be delighted to know how the business is being run.

We brought Clients(16on a Tuesday night and we were treated so well. The food, drinks and atmosphere was top class. Service was of the highest quality and we all agreed we would return on a personal level to experience it all over again. Eva is just the best and a special mention goes to her.

Stumbled upon this restaurant on our last night in Dublin by chance. We were searching for traditional Irish food but everything closed early since it was the weekend. We couldn’t have been happier with our experience. The head chef Ricardo is amazing. We sat at the bar and had so much fun catting with him. His food is amazing and it was such an experience watching him cook. We ordered the bruschetta appetizer, added a little balsamic and pepper and it was so good. The Alfredo was phenomenal as was the desserts. Had the best time thanks to the head chef!

One star for the atmosphere and the waiter. The catch of the day (salmonhowever was overpriced, tiny, undercooked and without any spices or herbs but rather natural and boring in taste. I assume it was frozen.I wont come back again and would anyone advise to not go here.

Fantastic atmosphere, a vaulted basement in Powerscourt House. Exceptionally great staff. They made the experience.The food and wine was excellent.I would highly recommend La Cucina.

The restaurant is beautiful hence 2 stars not 1. We were 4. The food was extremely disappointing with very little trace of culinary talent or skill. I complained. My replacement dish was equally unimpressive. The service on arrival was brusque but improved once I complained. Needless, but sad to say, I will never eat there again.

Great food and trendy vibe, great for a date night out! I had some amazing fettuccine with mushrooms and guanciale and a great tiramisu for dessert!

Just had a Brilliant evening in Last Cucina for a family celebration.Food , service and music were top class.Well definitely be back .Lynda Kennedy

Food is great, short and well composed menu. Good range of wine. The place is very welcoming.

One to avoid. Very disappointing experience. What pizzeria runs out of pizza on a regular basis? And only has 5 steaks left at 6.30pm? Not to mention at best an uninspiring early bird menu e.g. meatball linguini. Mixed antipasti was very medicore - ham slices really thick (just weird for an authentic Italian place?). Aperol Spritz had a thimbleful of aprerol, and a princely sum (€9), prosecco was so flat we changed it (they waived the charge). Main course was unavailable and we were offered chicken instead - the best part of the chicken was the spinach side. The chicken was just grilled. Service was slow, but the server was very friendly so not his fault. Early bird price was fine - a la carte looked expensive based on our experience. Never again - there are much better Italian options in Dublin.

This restaurant had been recommended to us we took Icelandic guests with us and were very dissappointed. Booked for 8.30 when we arrived table not ready left standing at the door for 20 minutes. Finally got table menu very poor huge pizza oven on when we came in but apparently dont have them on the menu. Starters took an hour to come out grilled prawns burnt and like rubber. Prawn linguine while tasted good had three prawns in it..my husband ordered rack of lamb when it arrived three tiny cutlets came out. Mains arrived 45 minutes after starters. Waiter was good but service and food poor. To top it off they charged us 30 Euro for service charge and considering we arrived at 8.30 and mains only arrived at our table at 10.30 so very disappointed over all.

Nice spot on South Williams with amazing pastas. You do need a reservation and after a certain time there is no pizza available so couldn’t taste the entire range of Italian flavours. Also, the music is kind of center stage,obliterating the space for a conversation.

I was there for my birthday. Very good experience, very good food but I would do pizza a bit different as it is not as it should be. Manifesto kicks it. Very good waiter, good service and overall experince good.

Short Version: Head to Il Monelli instead.Long Version: A good Italian restaurant is hard to find outside of Italy, buried, as they they are, in a sea of mediocre ones. This place would need to cut its prices in half to be mediocre. As it stands, its a bit of a shambles.Meatballs: Cold. Not seasoned properly.Calamari/Prawns: Not fresh. Not seasoned properly.Fettuccine: Dry. Not fresh. Not seasoned properly.Steak: Like eating a lump of roast beef. That was not seasoned properly.The music is bizarre for want of a better word. Disco and 80s pop? Really? If I wanted to listen to A View to a Kill at dinner Id have gone to Roger Moores wake.Most of the customers are phone-struck, squawking nitwits. Office parties seem to be popular. Its more Frankie and Bennys than La Dolce Vita.Got to see the waiters taking a tray of bruschetta through the restaurant and up to the nightclub upstairs (same ownersbefore our meal. Which was nice (if its good enough to be served in a tacky nightclub, it must be good enough to pay €10 euro for, am I right?).The wine wasnt bad.Il Monelli is about 20 minutes walk from here. Its a cosy little place run by an Italian family, is cheaper and is absolutely in another league to La Cucina. The food is fresh, delicious and lovingly made. Its every bit as honest, classy and rewarding as this place is cynical and disappointing.

Lovely food but not excellent. Great waiter... Paddy. Music a bit noisy. Intimate seating. Expensive.

Lovely space, very good professional service, but most importantly they have a deal most nights of the week which are quiet good. The early bird is great value. The food is really good. Drinks, especially wine, are expensive, but there are deals.

Its a really good restaurant, I have been there few times for lunch, dinner and brunch.,and always is really good, food is great, service can be bit better, the ambient is really nice

I live in Dublin for 2 years now. Thats by far the best italian restaurant I tried. 5 stars well deserved. The food is excellent, the waitresses are really nice, good atmosphere and fair price.well played

We walked in off the street without a reservation and were lucky enough to be seated at the bar by the wood fired oven. All the staff were great, we were chatting with the chef manning the oven throughout the meal.We made it just in time to partake in their early bird menu (ends at 6:30), so 3 courses for approx 25 euro. We had the pizza, zucchini flan, the antipasto platter, gnocchi, beet and goat cheese salad, tiramisu, and panne cota. All were very tasty, and we regretted that we were staying in a hotel and could not take away our leftovers.So, would highly recommend if youre in the city and would like to get away from the typical tourist traps!

It was ok. Lovely little location, lovely waiters, limited menu (not much for vegetariansno classic Italian starters and mains. Laminated menu 🤦🏻‍♀️

This review is for LA CUCINA of Farrier & Draper - the basement, supposedly "Italian" restaurant. We booked for 4 of us, fancying some authentic Italain fayre. When we arrived, we spotted a lit, authentic pizza oven, a well-stocked bar in a rustic, brick-walled, cozy place - so we were really excited. Sat in a corner, next to a curtained doorway, we thought we were in for a treat. We looked at the menu, given by a surly waiter with an horrendous attitude, who looked sweaty, stressed and irritable (hair in a pony tail). Astonished at the lack of typical Italian dishes, we asked him some questions and ordered wine. He never smiled once, told us there was no pizza available and they did not serve either spaghetti bolognese nor garlic breads. His follow up to serve our wine was a "manager" wearing a fake Hublot watch but with just as much attitude. Hed obviously been pre-warned of our shock/horror and was ready for a conflict. However, we managed to get him to calm down, order some food, and wine, and watch people come and go constantly thru the curtains right beside our table. Turns out this was for private functions but it was really annoying to have the curtain flap, and a constant stream of people walk by our table. The food was bland, didnt taste Italian at all. Huge disappointment. We wont be back. There was some pretty good 80s music playing but too loud - difficult to talk above it. Perhaps trying to create some ambience? Shame - we hate not to tip, too.

The restaurant looks very good and the location is great. Prices are very high and the menu for dinner doesnt give you too many options. I was surprised they dont serve pizza for dinner.

The restaurant is really great, perfect for a date, nice staff, good atmosphere. The dishes were perfect as well. Specially the gnocchi, which I really recommend. The only fail point was the limoncello, which wasn`t in the temperature that should be. It was a bit disappointing after a really nice dinner experience. But I definitely recommend it.

Super place Nice ambiance. Verry good food, good wine. Service was also very good. I woud lile to.recommend this place.

Good food, alright service. Occasionly felt forgotten by the staff, who were nice but did a lot of walking around busily when they could have been more attentive.

Not worth the money. Food was tasteless and the pasta main was tiny. 80€ (2 starters, 2 mains, 2 glasses of winefor a disappointing experience. Safe to say we got dessert somewhere else.

Excelente food, great atmosphere and very professional and kind staff. The food took a bit longer between the starter and the main. A must try.