Tucked behind a smart olive green shopfront, this delightful little Italian café/deli is a family run business that specialises in authentic Italian food – while also taking pride in using fresh Irish ingredients, as followers of their italianfoodies.blog.com will already know.
Very busy and cosy, everybody loves La Cucina. And no wonder, as Bruno & Lorraine Faneran offer casual dining with a difference her – there’s a very high standard of cooking coming out of the semi-open kitchen, and it’s a place where you’ll find smiles all round (from both staff and customers!).
Natural light, and walls lined with cookery books and small pictures of Italian food, wine and scenery make for a lovely atmosphere, and welcoming staff make sure to show you the display cabinet full of delicious speciality sandwiches, wraps and desserts before seating you at high pod tables or the communal window eating area, which also has high seats.
There’s something for everyone on the menu, which offers many Italian favourites - bruschetta, salads, lasagne, spaghetti and ravioli dishes, pizza - listed under the familiar casual dining headings (antipasti, insalate, pasta, pizza, and sandwiches & wraps), and with plenty of daily specials too.
Make your own pizza is very popular, based on a 12 or 20” margherita pizza with a range of reasonably priced toppings. And you can wash it down with one of a small number of Italian wines by bottle or glass.
Local suppliers are listed on a blackboard - and they serve Murphys of Dingle ice cream, as well as desserts and other sweet treats from several nearby artisan suppliers, including Gingergirl, and Sallymills Bakery.
What really makes La Cucina stand out is its friendliness and the sheer quality of both ingredients and cooking, which make for food that looks great, is very tasty and offers outstanding value for money in both the restaurant and the takeaway.
Highly recommended. [Also at Centro, Henry St, Limerick city. 061 517400. Open Mon-Wed 10am-9pm, Thu & Fri 10am-10pm, Sat 12pm-10pm, Sun 12pm-8pm].
