La Cucina in Oxford

For our family, eating here is like 'coming home'. The home made food, with fresh ingredients, all cooked from scratch, with great cooking happening in front of you, the emphasis in food (those bright colours of the veg in display!) and the service from the staff is hard to find anywhere! Love La Cucina x

Delicious food, excellent service and good price

Lovely staff, great food, super.

Wonderful place that continues to have the best Italian food in Oxford. Always worth asking what the specials of the day are.

Great atmosphere. Good acoustics. Can converse without having to yell.

Friendly service and lots of choice. The pasta dishes varied in quality from good to mediocre, the salad leaves were a bit gritty and the garlic bread was not very garlicky but perhaps we were just unlucky!

What a crying shame this place has no clue how to use booking apps. Booked on the fork - booking confirmed - rang restaurant on day of booking who had absolutely no record of booking. RIDICULOUS. Couldn’t fit us in or made any effort to accommodate our group. Would probably give this a miss if the food is anything like their booking systems.

Food was absolutely delicious, and not too expensive. I really enjoyed the papardelle with duck, and my friends tiramisu was delectable. Also would recommend the thick hot chocolate. I'm convinced you can't order badly here.

Great pizza and eggplant parmigania. Friendly service, highly recommend.

It is so rare to find a truly Italian restaurant that includes a healthy dose of love for Italian cuisine - La Cucina truly excels with a genuine Italian menu and Italian chefs. My friend and I were in the area just before lunchtime on Saturday, and we popped in for a quick coffee. The wonderful scent of food preparation from the open kitchen tempted us to stay for lunch and boy was it the right choice! The starter was a wonderful crunchy, but at the same time soft, flatbread with figs, mascarpone, pecorino and mortadella - on paper it shouldn’t work but it was delicious! For mains, my friend got the duck pappardelle with juicy bits of duck, a true testament to the Milanese chef, whilst I had the gnocchi alla Gorgonzola. Both portions were generous without being too big. Whilst both mains were more than sufficient for a lunch, we couldn’t leave without dessert: affogato for my friend and a slice of ricotta cheesecake with slices of beautifully candied orange for me. Service was very attentive, you can tell when staff are happy and well trained at a restaurant since the three persons who looked after us (I presume students at Oxford) clearly knew the menu well and were friendly and professional, thankfully without the over the top plastic courtesy that is way too common at other restaurants. Absolutely five star all the way, and with the added bonus of an easy drive to St Clements car park literally next door, a miracle in Oxford to have such convenient parking. Also very easily accessible by public transport. Can’t wait to go back!

Good rounded italian food. I like eating there every time we are in Oxford

Great place, friendly staff and a good menu. All of the choices were excellent.

La Cucina in Oxford is a must-visit if you’re ever in Oxford or even looking for some amazing Italian food as it’s worth the travel. The food is fresh, authentic, and absolutely delicious—especially the pasta and pizza. The staff are incredibly friendly and attentive, making the whole experience even better. If you're in Oxford, don't miss this gem! Highly recommend and I look forward to coming back soon!

We have visited La Cucina numerous times over the years and we’re never disappointed. It delivers on both food and service. The dishes are flavourful with fresh ingredients and we ended up ordering an extra main course to take home with us for that evening! The staff and owners have always been extremely friendly and create a welcoming atmosphere. Perfect for a casual meal or special occasion. Hopefully this time we don’t leave it so long until we return!

pasta was great, they have a seperate vegan menu if you ask for it which is very nice :)

excellent Italian cuisine, moderate prices and friendly service. Gladly again

Not a great experience overall. Painfully slow service both to take our order and get our food. It seemed that Deliveroo orders were taking preference over people in the restaurant. When our food arrived the tomato, rocket and red onion salad was just tomato. The pasta was overcooked and bland and rather flavourless. No parmesan offered. Overall we felt that the service was cursory and unattentive. The pizza was good although the chilli oil mentioned in previous reviews was not offered. Very unlike our previous experiences here. Disappointing.

Food was amazing, truly Italian food!

We absolutely love eating out here. Always 5* food, drinks are delicious and service is above and beyond. If they have the Gorgonzola and pear flatbread I can highly recommend.

This has been our favourite Italian restaurant for many years. Lovely friendly welcoming staff, an excellent menu and delicious food, always interesting options on the Specials board. A great place for romantic occasions and for special family events.

ムスコのお誕生日で利用しました。Bdayの子がいると伝えて予約したらデザートにハッピーバースデーと書かれたバースデープレートを持ってきてくれました。サービスも最高でなんといってもお食事の美味しいこと。シーバスも臭み一切なしで素材が新鮮無事が伝わります。また必ず行きたいです。スタッフの方皆さまに感謝です！

Food was good but nothing special. Service was great, our waiter was very attentive.

My boy’s birthday - they looked after us really well. Seabass, pasta and desserts were excellent too.

My friends and I chose this restaurant based on its high recommendations and good reviews. I liked their special menu, especially the flatbread with Gorgonzola and pear, which was delicious. The calamari as starter was also a good choice. For the main specials, I tried the lamb shank with chickpea mash. While the lamb was good, the mash had too much onion for my taste. The duck sauce and pappardelle was a decent choice, but I wouldn't recommend the penne Bolognese. The wine glasses, though functional, were thick and not ideal for truly appreciating the wine. The location is quite busy with traffic and ambulances, so I recommend sitting inside, especially on a chilly day. The service was great, the lady, who I believe is the owner, was very friendly and attentive to all the customers.

The staff were lovely and we had a lovely seat that had a breeze in the warm summery day. The starters of the boue cheese and pear was lovely. The calamari was ok and the bolognese was sadly not the best. I thought it will be a ragu that has been cooked over long time so to have more dynamic flavour but it felt very average sadly. The cheese as well was already grated rather than having fresh cheese. The wine glass could be improved and sadly the staff came couple of times to ask us for more food/drinks when we wanted a bit of time to not be asked to order more. Having some recommendations from the menu on which ones they recommend will be better.

Großartige Pizza, mit das beste Essen in 2 Wochen England, netter Service, auch wenn uns nachher die etwas unbeholfenen Anfänger bedienten

The pizza here was lovely; light and airy and very flavoursome. The tagliatelle was cooked to perfection. The chilli oil was actually properly infused with chillis and hence a great accompaniment for the pizza. The tiramisu was delicious and we just didn’t want it to end! The apple torte with ice cream was exceptional and actually my pick of the desserts. The fact this restaurant has a dedicated children’s menu is very helpful. I would definitely visit again when in Oxford.

Our table ordered 4 dishes and I tried 2 of them: Pizza Capricciosa and Tagliatelle ai porcini con rucola e olio tartufato. The pizza was quite nice. Unfortunately the tagliatelle lacked any flavour and when I asked for extra virgin olive oil, they gave regular olive oil :(

Ate here with my parents and sister. Excellent Italian food.

Lovely staff, and the specials are always great.

I'm still dreaming about the incredible meal I had at this restaurant last night! The food was a symphony of flavors and textures, with each dish more delicious than the last. The chef's attention to detail was impressive, with every element of each dish carefully considered. The service was exceptional, with our server being friendly and knowledgeable about the menu. The atmosphere was lively and upscale, with a great selection of wine and cocktails. I was blown away by the value for money - the prices were reasonable and the portions were generous. Overall, I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for a special night out. Five stars isn't enough - I'd give it 10 stars if I could!

Food was good, tasty and fresh but nothing crazy special, I am the type of person who eats out because food is better than at home.. in this case it was same level. But still enjoyed it. Lovely service, although it was strange when we walked in there was no one to seat us. The atmosphere is really lovely.

I really enjoyed the food here. The pizza was fresh and delicious, and the tiramisu was rich and satisfying. The menu is large and varied, and the portions were great. I'd recommend this place to anyone who likes Italian food.

Visiting Oxford in July as we have had an excellent experience last year decided to go again , Happy as this was excellent as well lovely meal and friendly staff . Hopefully we will back next year again Many thanks to you all for a lovely memory

Been visiting Oxford for second year . After a day out wondering where to go for a meal , decided to go back to the place that we had an excellent experience last year so that was La Cocina , where the food and service was great again , hopefully we will be back next year again , Thanks to all of you for the fabulous afternoon that you have mad for us 🙏🏻

Great service. Carbonara was made with cream, quite disappointing for a restaurant which claims to be authentic Italian.

Authentic Italian Restaurant in Oxford

Nice Italian restaurant, groat's cheese salad very nice 5 stars, Pizza good 4 stars. Coffee nice and mellow and ice cream and sorbet good.

Authentic and wonderful. So great to eat in a non-chain Italian restaurant, where everything looked and tasted totally Italian. Staff were super-friendly and helpful. Meal was reasonably priced for the quality - which was exceptional.

Excellent service in a nice chilled environment! Prices are fair and the food was really good!

We celebrated my parent's anniversary here. The service was attentive and accommodating (one of us didn't like their entree and a replacement was delivered promptly). The portions are reasonable. Everyone (eventually) ate most everything. The restaurant is lively.

Nice dinner before a concert at SJE Good vegetarian options Friendly and helpful staff

Really good service, and nice food. The waiter also was always available and polite. Really recommend it.

One word, bellisimo... Great atmosphere, you feel every bit of Italia... Great people, great food.

As always, excellent food and service.

Very friendly staff, excellent food and a very knowledgeable chef

Simple food cooked exceptionally Had the Gorgonzola pear flatbread..delicious Crab ravioli in spicy tomato sauce..delicious Lamb and roasted spuds..the sauce was divine

Italian restaurant, the place is clean and spacious, the prices are fair, if you are a group of more than 5 people they charge you a service charge. The coarse dishes. The lady who serves is kinder than the young people. It closes at 10:30 at night, most restaurants close at 10 at night, so it is an option if you arrive late for dinner

Very nice experience, the food is very good, very nice taste, the environment is very welcoming, all staff polite and professional. Nice to spend time with friends or family to have good time and taste nice food.

I tried this restaurant for the first time on my birthday and my friends and I really enjoyed it! The meals are of really good quality, with authentic Italian products. Finally, the owner of the restaurant has been absolutely kind-hearted with us, by bringing a birthday cake for the dessert while none of us told her it was my birthday ! I highly recommend this place

My starter (goat's cheese) was the best thing I've eaten in a long time. Mains of gnocchi and tagliatelle were so good. Affordable wine menu and he service was impeccable.

Great Italian restaurant with a lovely atmosphere.Our party had the pizza, pasta and risotto which was all delicious Great service and a nice touch singing happy birthday to the birthday girl

To get straight to the point, this place has an extraordinary Pizza Diavola! It's one of the best I've tried in quite some time and this says a lot about this restaurant. The gluten-free pizzas are also on par with their gluten counterparts. If you weren't a pizza addict like I am, I don't think that you would be able to notice the difference. The service is also excellent. The place looks quaint, while the waiting time is next to none. I don't think that even 10 minutes have passed since we placed our order and the food was already there. Lightning speed! As you might have guessed by know, if you're into pizza, this place is a must! A small observation though. I also tried the Tiramisu, but that one didn't impress me. It was ok, but I wouldn't order it again in the future.

Tasty food which came quickly. Great service and attentive staff. Especially thanks to our waiter (on table 25) who was lovely!

Staff are very friendly and there's a great atmosphere in the restaurant, however the food was quite average.

Raises the bar, quality food and service, as always

Best Italian food I've ever tasted

The 2 salads we ordered to share were awesome. I order the Tuscan salad, my wife the goat cheese salad we’re fresh, full of flavour and a nice mix for sharing. I had the lasagna, which was large enough for 2, but was so good, I finished it myself. My wife had the Penne alla Bolognese, and our daughter had the spaghetti carbonara, which they both really enjoyed. If you are looking for authentic Italian food in Oxford, look no further than La Cucina, you’d be hard pressed to find better.

Really wonderful evening here. Thank you for the warm welcome and scrumptious food!

Had family lunch for son’s 50th on a Saturday,12 adults 4 young children. Service was friendly and exceptionally efficient given the size of our party, children cared for thoughtfully. Food was excellent though children’s portions rather large.

Excellent meal - menu is varied and plenty of vegetarian options. We had fish/pasta/pizza - all were delicious and the service was friendly and attentive

Delicious, authentic, unpretentious Italian food. I had the gnocchi and then shared some of my sister's pizza - both delicious - although the pizza was vegan and I didn't have high hopes, the vegetables were exceptionally flavourful and tasty and it had a superb tomato sauce. I wish I had ordered a side of vegetables and a starter too. The soup looked great.

I have coeliac so am unable to eat gluten. I had the best gluten free pizza I have had in a long time. The rest of the meal of grilled goats cheese salad was fresh and very tasty. This is real treat. Strong recommend.

Lovely little place. Went there on a work event. Food was really good and service great. Would definitely recommend and will return when I'm next back in Oxford

Great portion of food, so delicious as well!! Nice service and affordable price, definitely recommended and will come back again

A lovely restaurant with friendly staff. Very modern inside with clean toilets!

Amazing selection of food - whatever your flavour of Italian they will have something to grab you. The atmosphere with the open kitchen is great and the staff are incredibly friendly. Great service and wonderful food! Mucho buono!

First time in Oxford and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone

Phenomenal and authentic Italian food with attentive staff and an accommodating kitchen. Highly recommended.

There was a large group of us, so we pre-ordered in advance. Unfortunately due to a bus breakdown, some of the parties were running late and the team were very helpful and understanding of the delay. They asked us when we were ready and we didn't go long without empty drinks in the meantime. The food was great, the staff were attentive and lovely and we were all happy with our food. Good vegan options as well, which doesn't go a-miss! Our main server was great too, I believe her name was Emma but I can't be sure. She was so helpful, kind and patient with our big group.

An authentic lively Italian dining experience. Delicious food every time. Great atmosphere. Friendly. Professional. Fairly priced. Excellent menu with interesting varied specials. I always enjoy eating here and have never had any problems over many years. Yola and Alberto run a super restaurant. Strongly recommend.

Fantastic food, great value, nice people.

The food was good and the service was very attentive although it was noisy and, for me, difficult to communicate with other people on the table. £33 for two courses was on the high side although the food was of high quality and cooked well.

An absolute must if you come to visit Oxford and love Italian cuisine. Every meal looked delicious (and was, according to my colleagues), so I'll have to come back many times to eat myself through it all. A wonderful place, not to be missed.

Had a pizza in here and must say that it tastes ok. Don t get fooled by the name it doesn’t really resemble anything with an italian pizza. If you can buy one from a street vendor it will taste the same and save you some money

We were a large group, on a retirement evening, over 30 years in the NHS. Great service , well organised , lovely food. Everyone was very happy and felt full and looked after. Calamari well cooked, not like rubber bands. Best pizza i have had in a long time. Now the desert caramel pancetta, was excellent, can't wait until i go back a have ot again. Highly recommend this place.

Rip off ! Greedy serving portions on pizza and tuna salad! We pay double the price for half a serving! This is immoral. This has happened on more than one occasion in Nov 2023. A meagre portion of serving which belies belief. The manager on duty Iola is absolutely unprofessional and unsympathetic to the customers’ perspective. She made us feel like liars.We founds her demeanour as impolite and aggressive. We will never order from La Cucina again.

The meal was good, the service was very good

La Cucina may be the best Italian restaurant in Oxford. The pizzas are quite good (Americans may want to ask for the pizza to be sliced when ordering), and the pasta is as good as I have had anywhere. But here is the surprise for me- we were there on a night when one of the specials was liver and onions. Not exactly standard Italian restaurant fare. It was cooked to perfection and seasoned extremely well. Most places overcook the liver and hope to hide their tough, leathery liver underneath a mound of greasy onions. Not so at La Cucina, where the flavors were great, the balance of meat and onion perfect, and the meat moist and succulent. Bravissomo!

Beautiful pizzeria, very welcoming, the pizzas are delicious and the service very pleasant. A good evening. Dessert specialties. Thank you 😁

Lovely family restaurant, great atmosphere and food.

Came in without booking for a quick meal, lovely staff and food. Very helpful with allergies and nice large portion sizes.

Delicious food and amazing service from Lorcan. We had a very pleasant meal.

Good food, nice service and close to a parking lot.

Very good food, not overly priced. Extensive menu.

Having spent what feels like years wanting to come and try the food here, we finally booked a table. The starters were really really nice, and came out so fast, especially given that it was busy. The mains followed soon after, and both were well presented. The food is all freshly prepared and you can really tell they make it with love. Unfortunately on this occasion, my main lacked any real flavour to it, but the pasta itself was home made and very well cooked. The dessert was perfect, and I’m sure we will return to try something new on the menu! Glad to have found a trusty local Italian restaurant

Having spent what feels like years wanting to come and try the food here, we finally booked a table. The starters were really really nice, and came out so fast, especially given that it was busy. The mains followed soon after, and both were well presented. The food is all freshly prepared and you can really tell they make it with love. Unfortunately on this occasion, my main lacked any real flavour to it, but the pasta itself was home made and very well cooked. The dessert was perfect, and I’m sure we will return to try something new on the menu! Glad to have found a trusty local Italian restaurant (I would agree with a previous review that the kitchen staff stare a lot - I just smiled and looked away)

Okay. You have to come there and ask for some fried pizza. You can't help but ask again. Light dough and dry frying, served with tomato sauce and cheese. You won't be able to do without it anymore.

Loved dining here on a trip through Oxford. Great staff (attentive/helpful, no hovering), and the menu is expansive and thoughtful with beautifully curated ingredients and preparation. We ate there both nights AND a lunch because they were so kind and welcoming and there were so many delicious dishes to explore on the menu. If one of the owners Yola is there, you will be treated like family!

Good quality lunchtime food( pizza and trout dish) , service OK however we were not shown or offered the specials board which we only noticed later when another customer was being served. Shame as dishes were appealing

A lovely and friendly Italian restaurant serving some fantastic food. Loads of pizzas and pasta dishes including a massive calzone! The pork chop with nduja, smoked cheese and mash (last Sunday's special) is delicious.

Lovely authentic Italian food

Nice food and our waiter was good but the only thing I would say that was bad is that all the male staff in the kitchen kept staring at me and my friends and were trying to talk to us whenever we went to the toilets through the kitchen door. All of us felt really uncomfortable and I would actually tell all my friends and other young girls not to go in to La Cucina because of this.

Fantastic service, delicious food, would highly recommend to anyone who loves Italian food! I hadn’t spent much time in Oxford before so took a chance based on the positive reviews elsewhere, it certainly exceeded my expectations.

Some of the best Italian food I’ve had! Loads of vegetarian options! The staff is also lovely and the atmosphere is really nice. Highly recommend!

Excellent Italian restaurant close to Oxford city centre, with a relaxed vibe, tasty food and mid-range prices. Parking available. We enjoyed a bresaola & rocket starter, pizzas and drinks, all of which were top quality. Bill for two came to £50, which is a decent...

We turned up quiet late but the staff were not pushy for our order even though the kitchen was closing soon. Food was excellent and staff very pleasant.

Great service. Shame about the food. The onion and tomato salad would benefit from salting the tomatoes beforehand, cutting out the tough central part of the tomato, and adding some olive oil to the dressing. The tomato sauce of the melanzane parmaggiana could have been cooked out a bit more. Lastly the panna cotta was quite solid and rubbery and overly sweet - perhaps a bit less gelatin and definitely did not need both a caramel sauce and amaretti biscuit. My partner liked the seafood risotto but commented that it contained one squid ring, two prawns and three mussels.

Classic, Italian food with good service.

It is always delicious, relaxed and welcoming