Cucina Rustica

Service was horrible. When the salad came out it had a dead moth in it. They offered nothing in return. My food came out as if it were under a heat lamp for an hour. I will never go back to this place again.

Food is consistently good. This place has been in business for more than 20 years and it is easy to see why. Meals are individually prepared and are delicious. Servers have stayed for many years. Service is friendly and good.
Expect crowds at dinner time, as there are repeat customers, in addition to «newbies.» The garlic rolls are to die for, but are only served at dinner time.

Don’t try to go after 8:00 on a weeknight. Even though they say they are open until 10:30, you can barely get service, you feel you are imposing on them, and they are closing down the kitchen and vacuuming. They should just be real and post that they want to close at 9:00.

This was our first visit to Cucina Rustica and it is our last. The food was just ok. What really bothered us were the add-​ons and not being advised that they came at an extra cost. For example the waitress asked us if we wanted lemon in our water which we agreed to. The issue was when we received the bill we were charged for the lemon which we were not informed there would be an extra cost. There were a couple of other items that they also tried to charge extra for that the waitress presented as a zero cost option. What made matters worse was attitude by management regarding the situation where they definitely appeared to try to get away with something.
There are better Italian restaurants in the area with better food and owners who actually care about their customers.

Since moving to Auburn 2 years ago, CR has become our default restaurant of choice. On the weekends, the check in process can be intimidating. Tons of people in waiting area… many who seem to know each other and the hostess is a bit of a crab. The restaurant has a bit of a worn feel to it, but we consider that part of the charm. We generally visit during the week, less crowded and the staff is a bit more relaxed/​friendly. Wait staff is mostly decent.
I find the food to be very good, decent sized portions and fairly priced. I prefer an a la carte menu. Sometimes I want a salad or something… sometimes I don’t… so the a la carte works for me.
Have tried most menu items and for the most part the food is good to very good. Can often be way over-​salted would be my biggest complaint.
Overall, solid neighborhood restaurant. Kinda like going over your mother’s, food is always good, but sometimes she is just a bit bitchy.

I have lived in the area for almost 18 years and this is only my 2^nd or 3^rd time eating here. The food was temperature appropriate and very good. I had the gnocchi and others in my party had ravioli and chicken parm. Everyone was happy! Everything is alacarte so it’s not as good of value as you think when you first see the menu. The garden salads are very small and not exceptional. My table did not receive bread with our salads, though most of the tables did. Other than that, the service was good though a poor lady behind us took a beer shower courtesy of our waitress. Overall a pretty good but not a great experience.

I have since gone back after writing this post, and I still stand by the rating for the most part. My last visit there, everything tasted great! Which is a step up than what I was experiencing on my last review.
However, I just can’t let it go that they changed the menu to all be à la carte. Meals don’t even come with a simple salad, it’s extra. Who wants to pay $ 15+ for a small sized main entrée, and then some more for side dishes? A little ridiculous if you ask me.

The sesame salmon was overcooked and dry. The salad that the salmon was on was smaller than expected for the price. Our server was pleasant and efficient, but not dynamic. The pizza was just okay. I’ve been here many times and this was my worst experience.

We went there last night for the first time, after living in the area for years. It was quite charming inside. The prices were more than reasonable. The server was friendly and attentive. We had a nice relaxing meal by the sunny window. Something that we don’t see in Cleveland much, sun! The food was good value for the money. It’s definitely an Italian restaurant. Good bread…

I ate at Cucina Rustica last evening with friends — 9 in total. The restaurant was crowded, and if we did not have reservations probably would have been turned away. We all felt less than welcome by the hostess — the only negative of the evening.
The food was superb! I was hungry, but did not order a side salad and opted for veal Parmesan with a side of spaghetti with marinara. Several at the table ordered the caprese salad — wow what a great salad. One salad was large enough to share with two or three people. It was fresh, and well prepared, and did I mention good. We all had salad.
My veal — another wow. Simple, fresh, flavorful and well prepared. Reminded me of several of the restaurants on Mulberry in NYC. The marina was good and spaghetti a good side. Others at the table had veal piccata, egg plant Parmesan, lasagna and pasta. Everyone of the dishes received rave reviews.
My bill — for two, 4 glasses of wine, and the al a cart menu — just over $ 50. I’m happy.
I am not sure, and have seen the other reviews, where the other people went, but am sorry I have not come here sooner. This is one of my reasons for writing this review — don’t miss out! I will come back! Don’t let the grumpy hostess or the review keep you away! (4 stars instead of 5 due to this person)

As a regular I have watched the restaurant deteriorate from a food quality standpoint, as well as «stealth inflation.» Originally, the entrée price included a salad and pasta. A few years ago the salad was no longer included. Tonight I learned that the pasta was no longer included. A fancy restaurant may be able to get away with ala carte meals, but not a «neighborhood joint.»
Shame!
The restaurant was crowded tonight and I can only describe the service as «benignly neglectful.»

Several friends, one who is an exec chef, liked this place so my husband and I went to check it out. We were mainly interested in the banquet room for an upcoming rehearsal dinner. I had chicken piccata and my husband had lasagna and both were very good. As others mentioned, even the salad was a la carte, which worries me a little when trying to plan for a dinner for 35. The waitress was attentive and also gave us a tour of the banquet room. I was disappointed that the manager could not find the time to come to our table when the waitress asked, to answer questions about the banquet facility. He sent her to get a phone number and then never called us back. Hope that is not an indication of what to expect if we choose this place for rehearsal dinner.

My whole family loves this place. My parents found this gem when they moved to the northern Solon area, and we have been going ever since. The décor isn’t the most modern, but the food more than makes up for anything lacking in the visual department. They ALWAYS have tons of fresh fish and pasta specials and the garlic rolls (pizza twists) are delicious!
For several years, Gino, the authentic Italian owner (born in Italy), worked to upgrade the banquet space in the back to use for parties. He was finishing up the makeover right around the time of our wedding (about a year ago). My husband and I rented out one of the smaller rooms for our rehearsal dinner. The food was delicious, family style, and reasonably priced. I think we got out for around $ 35 per person for food and alcohol. Gino and staff were very accommodating.
I always get something different, but you have to try the lobster ravioli if they have it on special!
To be fair to some of the negative comments, I haven’t been back in a while as my husband and I have moved further south, so I cannot speak to the current state of the place.

Great Italian cuisine. My girlfriend and I go quite a bit. The staff are usually very friendly. I’ve had one waitress that was subpar at best. Usually they are very friendly and accommodating. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant.

Started off bad when the Owner/​Hostess was rude from the start. The place reminds you have a cheap banquet room attached to a biker bar! But things got a little better, the waiter eventually threw us (literally) the specials… and finally came over to take the order. In her defense the waitress was busy, but not the best thing for a first impression. The food was alright… nothing to impress you! I had the chicken Parmesan, and it’s first bite reminded my of a Chef Boyardee sauce, which I can not make up my mind if thats a good thing or something pitiful but it got better with every bite.
Prices were great (feed 4 adults for $ 85) and that’s the high point of this review.
Recap: rude hostess (owner), over busy waitress but she was kind and very pleasant by the end, horrible atmosphere (nothing rustic about it), the food was mediocre at best!

Went here on a Monday night. My friends wife’s shrimp pasta was too salty for her to finish. My margherita pizza contained no basil, had fried crust and sprinkled with shredded mozzarella. We couldn’t really hear each other over the loud senior citizens at the bar and throughout the place with their wine glasses all empty. Overall not a very good take on Italian food in Ohio.

Food is good. Not as good as people have told me. Décor is dated. The people are friendly, yet I was told they cater more to regulars which I did not find to be the case.

Since we moved to the area, people had been telling us about how great Cucina Rustica is. They were not exaggerating. From the street, it looks like a time-​worn reception hall. Step inside, and you’d think you were in Jackson Hole — what a great, pine lodge, ski haus vibe. And the food — amazing! Starting with a great bread basket and finishing with a superb chocolate cake, with everything in between five stars for all six of us. Tested were scampi, rigatoni with meatballs, and lots of fresh fish dishes. We’ll come back and urge others to do the same.

The best part of the meal was the free bread. Maybe its best to just go for drinks. I ordered the special «fresh walleye» in a «white wine sauce». For $ 21.95 I figured this should be good. Oh and its al a cart so I ordered a side of «risotto». I received a bowl of obviously prefrozen walleye chunks that were really fishy inside of a brown gravy. It was made with canned mushrooms. It was inedible. I would have been better off eating Uncle Ben’s 90sec rice than the risotto. It had this awful color pesto. My boyfriend ordered the special with italian sausage, cheese ravioli, and chicken parmesan. Here again the pesto sauce and tomato sauce had to have been out the can. The ravioli was cold. The chicken parmesan was ok but it was probably microwaved. The italian sausage was decent. We both enjoyed the wine. The moral of the story… only go for drinks. Service was friendly but I was a little mad she recommended the walleye that was so bad.

We’ve been going here for years, even though it’s about 40 miles away. All of the dishes we’ve tried were very good, and our all time favorite is the stuffed eggplant appetizer. The people are always friendly, it’s always full of people who are really enjoying themselves. We’re going again tonight — and with all the Italian restaurant option in the greater Cleveland area — this is one of the best.