I was craving pizza and remembered my coworker had really talked this place up for their food. So I ordered a pepperoni pizza online for pickup. It came with a side salad (meh) and breadsticks. The breadsticks were pretty good, hence the 2 stars. But the pizza...Before I ordered, I checked pictures to make sure it was the type of pizza I wanted. I actually saw a photo of their pepperoni pizza on Google's reviews and thought it looked pretty bomb. Let me just say that expectation did not meet reality.The pizza was luke warm, the cheese barely melted, and it was covered in so much sauce. It was just really sloppy and not good. It looked like frozen pizza. Terribly disappointed.
C A.
I'm sad to write this review because I have always liked this place but this latest experience was pretty bad. I placed my order online and when I got there, they told me they are out of cheese to make bruschetta and they no longer have calamari as an option on the sampler, even though that's what I selected online. They also said they can't issue a refund so I got a replacement item of lesser value than what I paid, and I asked for more mozzarella sticks with fried ravioli for the sampler. I just got home with my order, and there is no fried ravioli in the sampler, and I am missing a soup that accompanies one of the meals. The worst part is, the soup that they did put in the bag, they did not close the lid all the way so there's spilled soup all over the rest of my food. I am so disappointed. I always place orders for my workers here but will no longer be doing that after this!
Krysten S.
So so so good! I enjoy finding new lunch spots in the area because things get real boring and real quick around here. I ordered for delivery and I was surprised with hot and fresh everything came as well as the portion sizes. The soup was great and full of veggies. The zucchini sticks with the marinara and ranch hit hard, they were addictive. The pasta surprised me the most because I feel like it can be hit and miss at most places because apparently seasoning your food is hard or something. But everything was flavorful and a great price I gotta say. I'll probably dine in at some point because I'd like to see what their dinner service looks like and what the vibe of the restaurant itself is like, but all in all I highly recommend.
Chris H.
So fast & delicious! We went on a Saturday evening around 5p. We ordered 5 entrees, washed our hands in the bathroom and our food was just about ready. Really, it's fast.Our entrees came with soups & breadsticks which come out hot & buttery.Great portions. My two elementary aged children split a chicken parm entree. The eggplant, chicken piccata & lasagne were also enjoyed by my party.We ordered some lava cake to go & they even put ice cubes in the ice cream to keep the ice cream from melting on the drive home.Reasonable prices and if you're there before 5, they have a 20% off happy hour discount.There's one bathroom, some inside seating for about 20ish people & a 2 top table outside.Very nice, friendly owners working the shop.Excellent food & service!
Jordan W.
Best bang for your buck Italian restaurant around. The serving sizes are big, the food is served quickly, and the people that work here are friendly. Highly recommend.
Mary L.
This is a small restaurant with an extensive menu. It has a lot of variety from chicken parmigiana to pizza. The staff was helpful and service was fast. The food for the price was excellent--as good as in a fine dining restaurant but the portion sizes were generous. We started with a crisp salad that included olives, tomatoes and onions. There were two piping hot breadsticks brought out. Then we had each ordered the chicken piccata. There was choice of either fried zucchini or a pasta. My husband had the spaghetti pasta and raved about the delicious sauce. The zucchini was nicely breaded and hot. I asked for a side of ranch that was promptly offered. The chicken piccata was two breast covered in a delicious piccata sauce that rivaled some of the best we have had. The staff was helpful and friendly. This place is a great find for Italian takeout or a special meal without the high price.
Noah P.
The restaurant wasn't very neat . I noticed dead flys and bugs . The owner was shady as well. I decided not to eat there
Brad D.
Positive reviews are well deserved. Lunch specials are extremely satisfying and dining area is cozy. It's always nice to see you're food being prepared, similar to teriyaki place a couple doors down but better. Favorite part about this place is happy hour discount: -20% 2-5.
Google user
Excellent food and excellent service. This was my first time here and they took such great care of us. Their service was unmatched and the whole crew was incredibly kind. The chicken parmigiana sandwich was excellent. Will definitely be coming here again!!
Lawrence Kopp
I was excited to try this restaurant after reading reviews. Had it delivered for the family. Pizza was pretty good, spaghetti and meatballs tasted good but serving size was small. The biggest problem was the chicken piccata. The inside of the chicken was completely raw. You can still clearly see when cutting it open.
Excellent food and excellent service. This was my first time here and they took such great care of us. Their service was unmatched and the whole crew was incredibly kind. The chicken parmigiana sandwich was excellent. Will definitely be coming here again!!
Matt L.
I went on a Saturday for lunch and got the meatball sandwich. It was an incredible sandwich and the meatballs were very tasty with a generous amount of sauce. It was a huge meal because it also came with a side of fries, breadsticks, and side salad. It was so good that I will be taking my wife back next week. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and both the chef and the girl working the front end were incredibly friendly. The restaurant looked very clean, and it's newer and looks it. I would definitely go back. Thanks for the great sandwich!
Alexis W.
I came across La Cucina Osteria on Yelp when searching for a new Italian restaurant to try in Carlsbad. The staff were friendly and accommodating when asked for recommendations. When my mother couldn't decide between the Italian Wedding soup and the Chicken Gnocchi soup she was offered a taste of both to decide for free. I have never seen this amenity offered before, and found it made me feel like this restaurant is a place where they really want the patron to enjoy their experience. My mom chose the Italian Wedding soup in the end. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi (see picture below) and found it to be so delicious, I never would have thought to add asparagus! I also got the minestrone soup, which definitely is in my top 3 favorite recipes. I would go back for the soup alone!! My mother tried the Beef Ravioli Marsala and a personal size pizza. She says they were both good, but liked the pizza the best stating "it had that great goopy oopy cheese!" My step-sister was excited there were multiple gluten free options for her, with both pizza and penne pasta to choose from. She had the gluten free pasta with meat sauce and loved it so much that she saved some for tomorrow!Overall the food was delicious and we will definitely be returning! Next time my mom says she wants to try the Ribeye steak!
Morgan Wight
If you are craving hearty, flavorful, and delicious Italian then you should COME HERE! Excellent price, excellent taste, and excellent service. Honestly, what more could you want? It was a perfect perfect experience. Yum!
Tracie Deroche
We were at first looking for a restaurant, Italian type and almost didn't eat here but very glad we did. The food was a little like Olive Garden flavor but better, ?. Love that the chicken was cooked on the grill where you could see it was fresh. Employee's were kind and proud of their food, which made the experience even better.
I was craving pizza and remembered my coworker had really talked this place up for their food. So I ordered a pepperoni pizza online for pickup. It came with a side salad (meh) and breadsticks. The breadsticks were pretty good, hence the 2 stars. But the pizza...Before I ordered, I checked pictures to make sure it was the type of pizza I wanted. I actually saw a photo of their pepperoni pizza on Google's reviews and thought it looked pretty bomb. Let me just say that expectation did not meet reality.The pizza was luke warm, the cheese barely melted, and it was covered in so much sauce. It was just really sloppy and not good. It looked like frozen pizza. Terribly disappointed.
I'm sad to write this review because I have always liked this place but this latest experience was pretty bad. I placed my order online and when I got there, they told me they are out of cheese to make bruschetta and they no longer have calamari as an option on the sampler, even though that's what I selected online. They also said they can't issue a refund so I got a replacement item of lesser value than what I paid, and I asked for more mozzarella sticks with fried ravioli for the sampler. I just got home with my order, and there is no fried ravioli in the sampler, and I am missing a soup that accompanies one of the meals. The worst part is, the soup that they did put in the bag, they did not close the lid all the way so there's spilled soup all over the rest of my food. I am so disappointed. I always place orders for my workers here but will no longer be doing that after this!
So so so good! I enjoy finding new lunch spots in the area because things get real boring and real quick around here. I ordered for delivery and I was surprised with hot and fresh everything came as well as the portion sizes. The soup was great and full of veggies. The zucchini sticks with the marinara and ranch hit hard, they were addictive. The pasta surprised me the most because I feel like it can be hit and miss at most places because apparently seasoning your food is hard or something. But everything was flavorful and a great price I gotta say. I'll probably dine in at some point because I'd like to see what their dinner service looks like and what the vibe of the restaurant itself is like, but all in all I highly recommend.
So fast & delicious! We went on a Saturday evening around 5p. We ordered 5 entrees, washed our hands in the bathroom and our food was just about ready. Really, it's fast.Our entrees came with soups & breadsticks which come out hot & buttery.Great portions. My two elementary aged children split a chicken parm entree. The eggplant, chicken piccata & lasagne were also enjoyed by my party.We ordered some lava cake to go & they even put ice cubes in the ice cream to keep the ice cream from melting on the drive home.Reasonable prices and if you're there before 5, they have a 20% off happy hour discount.There's one bathroom, some inside seating for about 20ish people & a 2 top table outside.Very nice, friendly owners working the shop.Excellent food & service!
Best bang for your buck Italian restaurant around. The serving sizes are big, the food is served quickly, and the people that work here are friendly. Highly recommend.
This is a small restaurant with an extensive menu. It has a lot of variety from chicken parmigiana to pizza. The staff was helpful and service was fast. The food for the price was excellent--as good as in a fine dining restaurant but the portion sizes were generous. We started with a crisp salad that included olives, tomatoes and onions. There were two piping hot breadsticks brought out. Then we had each ordered the chicken piccata. There was choice of either fried zucchini or a pasta. My husband had the spaghetti pasta and raved about the delicious sauce. The zucchini was nicely breaded and hot. I asked for a side of ranch that was promptly offered. The chicken piccata was two breast covered in a delicious piccata sauce that rivaled some of the best we have had. The staff was helpful and friendly. This place is a great find for Italian takeout or a special meal without the high price.
The restaurant wasn't very neat . I noticed dead flys and bugs . The owner was shady as well. I decided not to eat there
Positive reviews are well deserved. Lunch specials are extremely satisfying and dining area is cozy. It's always nice to see you're food being prepared, similar to teriyaki place a couple doors down but better. Favorite part about this place is happy hour discount: -20% 2-5.
Excellent food and excellent service. This was my first time here and they took such great care of us. Their service was unmatched and the whole crew was incredibly kind. The chicken parmigiana sandwich was excellent. Will definitely be coming here again!!
I was excited to try this restaurant after reading reviews. Had it delivered for the family. Pizza was pretty good, spaghetti and meatballs tasted good but serving size was small. The biggest problem was the chicken piccata. The inside of the chicken was completely raw. You can still clearly see when cutting it open.
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent food and excellent service. This was my first time here and they took such great care of us. Their service was unmatched and the whole crew was incredibly kind. The chicken parmigiana sandwich was excellent. Will definitely be coming here again!!
I went on a Saturday for lunch and got the meatball sandwich. It was an incredible sandwich and the meatballs were very tasty with a generous amount of sauce. It was a huge meal because it also came with a side of fries, breadsticks, and side salad. It was so good that I will be taking my wife back next week. Everyone was incredibly friendly, and both the chef and the girl working the front end were incredibly friendly. The restaurant looked very clean, and it's newer and looks it. I would definitely go back. Thanks for the great sandwich!
I came across La Cucina Osteria on Yelp when searching for a new Italian restaurant to try in Carlsbad. The staff were friendly and accommodating when asked for recommendations. When my mother couldn't decide between the Italian Wedding soup and the Chicken Gnocchi soup she was offered a taste of both to decide for free. I have never seen this amenity offered before, and found it made me feel like this restaurant is a place where they really want the patron to enjoy their experience. My mom chose the Italian Wedding soup in the end. I ordered the Shrimp Scampi (see picture below) and found it to be so delicious, I never would have thought to add asparagus! I also got the minestrone soup, which definitely is in my top 3 favorite recipes. I would go back for the soup alone!! My mother tried the Beef Ravioli Marsala and a personal size pizza. She says they were both good, but liked the pizza the best stating "it had that great goopy oopy cheese!" My step-sister was excited there were multiple gluten free options for her, with both pizza and penne pasta to choose from. She had the gluten free pasta with meat sauce and loved it so much that she saved some for tomorrow!Overall the food was delicious and we will definitely be returning! Next time my mom says she wants to try the Ribeye steak!
If you are craving hearty, flavorful, and delicious Italian then you should COME HERE! Excellent price, excellent taste, and excellent service. Honestly, what more could you want? It was a perfect perfect experience. Yum!
We were at first looking for a restaurant, Italian type and almost didn't eat here but very glad we did. The food was a little like Olive Garden flavor but better, ?. Love that the chicken was cooked on the grill where you could see it was fresh. Employee's were kind and proud of their food, which made the experience even better.