Cucina Paradiso

Came here for my sisters birthday. Made a 7:00 reservation, sat down at my table at 7:30. I get restaurants can be busy, but if you’re going to have a giant party taking up an entire dining room, then warn me when I make my reservation so I don’t have to stand outside for 30 minutes because your restaurants packed with people waiting to be seated. Once I got sat, we ordered appetizers and got drinks. Drinks were strong, appetizers were the best part of the meal, really good clams and mussels, my family loved the polenta. We ordered salad and entrees and waited for that. Here’s where things got interesting. We had to pile all ours plates every time they brought new food to the table because for some reason they don’t buss the table before bringing the next round of food. Not only did we have to stack our plates but our table was so packed that we had no room it was pretty uncomfortable. The food was meh, the duck was the best but honestly the food had a singular flavor, duck-​the sauce was the flavor for the dish, the duck would have been very bland on its own, same with the chicken-​completely relied on its sauce for flavor and it was really dry so I’m not even sure the sauce made up for it. The risotto was really overpowered by the smoked prosciutto it just had the flavor of smoke, the steak completely relied on its sauce and was luke warm when it made its way to the table. I will say the server was nice but very very busy. Overall, this was quite a disappointing meal for a restaurant that is supposed to be one of the best restaurants in Petaluma.

Incredibly good food– some of the best northern Italian food I’ve ever had– would be hard to beat even in Italy. Fine price for such high quality.

The best restaurant north of the golden gate bridge unless you’re going to the wine country. The main room is very warm and comforting, the service is excellent and the food is molto bene.

Best grilled calamari salad in town! Love the homemade pasta, too!

Love this place. Me and my daughter love coming here when it’s mom and daughter night. The staff is amazing and food is great

I’m so tired of giving bad reviews, so I’m going to say this was just O.K., but not A-O.K. We had reservations but waited for an hour before being seated. The bartender was horrible, couldn’t complete one task for our group and boy were we patient with her. Cork fee: $ 18.00. OUCH!!! I just love, love, love bringing in a bottle of wine that cost’s fifteen dollars and having a cork fee of eighteen dollars, turning it into a thirty-​three dollar bottle of wine… RIDICULOUS.
We use to dine out every weekend, not anymore. Between bad service, mediocre food, expensive cork fees and dirty silverware and glasses, we’d rather have dinner with friends at home and enjoy ourselves, like you would expect to enjoy yourself while dining out.
Seriously! What is wrong with this town? Why does this place get good reviews? My husband never complains, and his dinner was yuck. Rolled up little balls of meat that were chewy in his lasagna sauce. Somebody please open a decent restaurant in this town, preferably one for vegetarians and vegans.

This place offers pretty standard Italian food with a upscale touch to it. Some example items are prosciutto, veal, duck, filet mignon, clams, and mussels which come carefully crafted with their corresponding menu item. The main dishes did not blow me away even though it was my first time trying veal which was quite tasty, however, the crème brule was beautiful in both presentation, smell, and taste which was the real winner amongst the menu options.

The highly rated Unilocal reviews led me here for dinner on a Friday night during my trip to Sonoma. The restaurant was packed and there was a 20 minute wait for a table of 2.
The restaurant is small so you get cozy with your neighbors and it gets loud in there. The service was quite disappointing. The server was friendly, but sadly, not attentive to our table. It was even difficult to flag him down for the check or a refill for water. It seemed that he was only attentive to those who were ordering alcohol.
Everything on the menu looked amazing, and we ended up ordering the Gnocchi Gorgonzola E Noci and Rigatoni Alla Carcerata. Gnocchi Gorgonzola E Noci is their homemade potato dumplings in gorgonzola walnut sauce. Rigatoni Alla Carcerata consists of sausage, roasted peppers, peas, and tomato cream sauce. Both dishes were just average, nothing special. I preferred the rigatoni more as it had more flavor. But, they were both saturated with salt, which was unappealing so I was only able to eat half my meal.
All in all, I didn’t find the dishes here as anything special and the service was subpar. I would rather eat elsewhere around this area next visit.

Food was excellent, the staff was wonderful, and they have gluten free pasta for my sister. I was lucky enough to eat here twice while visiting my sister and her family for a week. Everything I had was delicious, but my favorite dish by far was the Rigatoni with sausage! It was amazing and the sausage was perfect, not the over fennel filled mess of usual garden variety Italian sausage.

Although very busy and very crowded the wait staff and management or extra friendly, the menu selections were vest and the service was over and above the call.
The calamari salad was fresh and unique.
He homemade raviolis were world-​class as was the gnocchi.
We did not save room for dessert but judging by the tables around us it looked to be awesome.
This is not a quiet place on the weekend and filled with people enjoying themselves, drinking fine wine and having a good time.
I would recommend this place to people who enjoy good food, good service and personable and friendly atmosphere.

The bolognese sauce tasted like it was straight out of a chef boyardee can! I didn’t need to spend that much on a meal that I could have cooked better myself at home. I think I would rather stick with my MRE’s from the Army than ever eat here again.

Cucina Paradiso its a great place to go for dinner delicious Antipasti to start for two people then we had the seafood pasta special and the Flan dessert to die for its worth the calories. Good wine selection, it was our first time the owner came to our table and greeted us along with the staff, very good atmosphere we will be back.

this spot is so quaint and intimate– classy without being over the top, comfortable and unstuffy. the same goes for the food– everything i love about italian cuisine is highlighted here. simple, gorgeous, concentrated flavors of each element of the dish (es) yield a balanced composition when only a few ingredients are allowed to shine. nothing cluttered or over the top, the quality ingredients and thoughtful preparation really drive the wow factor in the plates. in other words, you can’t hide behind complication, and that is where the real art and grace of italian cooking lies.
amazing calamari salad, with a slight charred texture and perfect tenderness. played well with the crunch and peppery citrusy arugula (rocket?). truly delicious seafood/​shrimp with fresh fettuccine. the (pomodoro?) sauce/​ragout work is sublime, with the perfect texture, weight, and balance. complimentary table bread with dip. solid wine menu. great service.
definitely stop by if you’re in the area!

My wife wanted pasta and Cucina’s seemed to be the highest rated Italian establishment (within a reasonable driving distance) so we set off to what ended up being the best pasta I have had in many years.
One certainly needs to make reservations as it was packed with diners! We were lucky enough to find two bar seats and were swiftly treated to excellent service in a romantic atmosphere.
I ordered the homemade gnocchi pasta which was stuffed with ricotta cheese and tossed in a creamy black truffle alfredo-​type sauce… soooo good. The gnocchi had the perfect pillowy texture and the sauce was drinkable! I hardly enjoy pasta but this was marvelous! One of only two Italian restaurants that I would come back to.
Also, the bartender whipped me up a non-​alcoholic soda/​juice/​mint drink that was nice and sweet.
Cucina’s is now our go-​to place for Italian food.

The moment we walked in, the waiter who would be serving us, brought us to our table immediately. He was friendly and courteous. We ordered wine and I had the Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel. It was perfect. The table bread was warm and fluffy and the oil it came with had a mixture of what seemed to be assorted nuts and it tasted almost candied. That was delicious. Then I ordered the soup of the day which was tomato with crab in it. That was incredible… It did not pair well with the wine but it was perfect on its own. Then my friends got the steak/​beef risotto and duck ravioli. I ordered the shrimp fettucini and I was blown away.
This food was top notch. But that’s not the only reason I’m giving this place 5 stars. The biggest takeaway for me was the service. When that same waiter cleared my soup bowl, it was less than 20 seconds before I had a brand new clear one next to me. Every time I finished my water, which was about 4 times, it was full again. My friend asked for a second class of wine and had it before I could bat an eye. The waiter even provided us the wine information after our meal so we could find it again.
With 3 people having wine and full plate dinners, it was still under $ 100.
All in all, this is 5 star gourmet dining with a 3 star price. Incredible. I will recommend to everyone!

Delicious Italian food served by wonderful staff memebers. This authentic Italian restaurant is located in Petaluma. We live in Santa Rosa and come out of our way to dine here. The menu is full of authentic Italian dishes. There is also a bar if you are extra thirsty. This little place also offers outdoor seating with a lovely view of the Petaluma River.

Came to Petaluma after a Sonoma excursion. The restaurant came highly recommended by our host and after reviewing Unilocal… bf and I decided to go. Everything on the menu sounds delicious so making our decision difficult. We ended up asking the server for recommendations. Started off with the carpaccio… nothing exceptional. Not sure why I order carpaccio at Italian restaurants when it’s just lemon, olive oil & s & p… something I can make at home.
Bf ordered Pappardelle with meat sauce. Hoping it would be like a bolognese but
nothing like it. Meat sauce was a bit salty and did not go well with the pappardelle noodles at all.
I also ordered the same noodles but with a light cream sauce with prosciutto. My noodles were a bit too al dente and not enough sauce so pasta was dry. Wouldn’t come back if we were in the area.

«Delicious Italian Food Variety, Served by Nice Professionals «
My wife and I attended my Son’s Wedding Rehersal dinner at Cucina Paradiso Ristorante Italiano, in Petaluma, CA. This restaurant was fantastic ! From the mixed cheese and meat variety Italian appetizer, to the delicious Ceasar Salad with Anchovies and Parmigiano cheese, to the Fettucine with Rock Shrimps and wine sauce, to the Scaloppine with Porcini Mushrooms and Marsala wine sauce, to the Pollo Saltimbocca, to the Filet Mignon with black truffle sauce. Oh, and Cucina’s homemade Tiramisu to finish our meal was the most tender and delicious we had ever eaten. The serving staff has a great smiling, and professional attitude. Our server Karls was fantastic ! If you want high class Italian cusine, at reasonable prices, surrounded by great servers, in a great Italian atmosphere, Cucina Paradiso is the place to go.

I dined here as part of a pre-​wedding celebration dinner. I’m not from the area, but I very well might find myself taking a trip back to Petaluma just for their filet.
I had quite a few things during my visit. For appetizers, I tried the calamari, beets, and arugula/​prosciutto. I also sampled some of the cheese platter. Everything was really top notch. It was a sign of good things to come.
For my entrée, I got the filet mignon with some vegetables and potatoes. I asked for it medium rare and that was the right call — it wasn’t too pink and was packed with juiciness. Tender like you wouldn’t believe. Every bite got me teary eyed — partly because it was so good, and partly because I knew it was one bite closer to being all gone. It was bathed in a truffle sauce but didn’t need it at all, the steak would have been just as delicious without it. Not that the sauce wasn’t good, but the cut was that phenomenal, I just wanted to savor the beef. It really is up there with some of the best steak restaurants out there. Do yourself a favor and make sure you order it — I can’t imagine anything else on the menu could beat it.
For dessert, I got the tiramisu. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by Americanized, non-​authentic tiramisu, but I was not a fan of theirs. The balance was just off. I couldn’t taste any rum flavor and the cocoa powder dusted on top was far too predominant. Perhaps it’s authentic and I just don’t know it, but it was highly forgettable.
The filet should probably be good enough for a 5 star, but I was a bit disappointed in the service. I was part of a large party, but they were not very attentive to our needs. It took a while to order my wine and to get refills. They also cleared some people’s food but not other’s until well after they were done. The staff was rather robotic, not very warm or hospitable. But again, the food was so satisfying, I’ll give them a pass on the service.

What can I say about this place? Overall, it’s an excellent experience. My wife and I were coming back from a little weekend trip up the coast and we needed a place to stop for dinner on the way back to the city. Since it was the last night of our little three-​day weekend, we decided to splurge a little bit and go to a nicer restaurant in Petaluma. It was a Sunday night, and the place was packed, for good reason. We managed to sneak into one of the last open tables near the windows. There’s a relatively large dining room in the front and also more tables in the back. I think there’s also a patio behind the restaurant along the Riverside, but we didn’t really check it out.
Our waiter was hilarious in the sense that he seemed overly serious and he may have been imported directly from Italy. That said, he was super nice and recommended that we split a salad as an appetizer (which we did). At this time they also kept us stuffed with delicious bread while we waited for food. My wife went for the veal saltimbocca, while I went for the duck ravioli. Both dishes were impeccable, delicious and perfectly cooked. We would’ve liked to have tried dessert, but honestly we were so stuffed with bread we had to roll out of the restaurant without a sweet finale.
If I were going back to Petaluma, I would definitely try this place again. In fact we might even drive up just for the purposes of going again.