Cucina

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#3 of 41 Restaurants in Oamaru$$ - $$$, International, European, Vegetarian friendly

+64 3-434 5696+ Add website

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Hours

Tue

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Wed

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Thu

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Fri

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Sat

5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.5

634 reviews

#3 of 41 Restaurants in Oamaru

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Local cuisine, International, European, Wine Bar, South American, Vegetarian friendly

“Super close to the old town area, the restaurant opens at 5pm.”

“My wife ordered the rump lamb.”

“Three of us had the black garlic rigatoni with crispy pork, I did find the po...”

“The lamb was not cooked as we requested.”

Location and contact

1 Tees Street, Oamaru 9400 New Zealand

+64 3-434 5696

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Is this a wine bar?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

About

Situated at the south end of Thames St ( the gateway to the Victorian Precinct ) OPEN Monday - Saturday at 5pm - late ( our kitchen closes normally at 9pm but if it's busy we stay open until later). Here at Cucina, we strive towards creating a consistently comfortable and enjoyable environment, in which you can appreciate Oamaru’s finest fare with your friends and family. We believe in supporting local business, in which incorporates fresh produce. Our intention is to create a restaurant filled with great food, beer and wine, and most importantly, enjoyable times, wherein maintaining a high standard of integrity.

CUISINES

International, European, Wine Bar, South American

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly, Vegan options, Gluten free options

Meals

Dinner, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Outdoor Seating, Seating, Highchairs Available, Wheelchair Accessible, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, American Express, Mastercard, Visa, Digital Payments, Cash Only, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service, Live Music

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4.5

634 reviews

Excellent

435

Very good

107

Average

Poor

Terrible

scotts9401

New Zealand133 contributions

Excellent

Jan 2020 • none

Had dinner here for my wifes birthday, we chose the chef's menu so we were left at their mercy as to what we were served. Our starter was Empanadas which were excellent followed by egg tagliatelle as an entree and 55 day aged beef as our main and the dessert was something ive forgotten but my wife loved it as she is a dessert fan. I tried a little and it was nice but im not a dessert person. All the meals were a sharing platter, along with that my wife had the wine pairing at $55 which included 4 wines with each dish and i had two beers as I was driving. The wine selection was reasonable and normally restaurant priced at 3x bottle shop prices whilst the beer selection was enormous and quite well priced. We could not fault the service and the food was excellent as were the wines that were served. Surprisingly as an Argentinian restaurant I did expect to see more South American wines on their list, that was the only disappointing factor as we have had excellent South American wines at other restaurants. Total cost $215.

Written 14 January 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Rantin rover

Biggar9165 contributions

Good meal in busy atmosphere

Mar 2020 • none

Although Cucina is Italian for kitchen, we didn't find the menu reflected much in the way of Italian food. That said, we were in New Zealand and people in town were celebrating St Patrick's Day, so why worry. The former insurance office is a historic building in keeping with many others in this area of Oamaru and its previous use explains the strongroom with its safe door still located in the dining room area which was a novelty. The restaurant/bistro is a bright space, has simple furnishings and a smart looking bar area. There was a busy atmosphere when we visited with several families and groups enjoying an evening meal and I'd guess the place was near capacity which was surprising for a Tuesday night. The menu choice was fairly small however we were both attracted to the Fish of The Day which was Gurnard, served with potatoes, fresh vegetables, a seaweed salsa verde, smoked capsicum, chilli, herbs and a celeriac & apple cream sauce ($38 each). Although it was served warm, rather than hot, it tasted very good, was nicely presented and we both enjoyed the dish, together with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc ($12). Service was pleasant. We visited in March 2020, prior to Covid-19 lockdown.

Written 25 August 2020

Rick

7 contributions

Trust the Chef

Oct 2020 • friends

Absolutely fabulous evening with kind caring staff, from the pre dinner cocktails to the desert the service was fantastic. The food served under the “trust the chef” option was great value and one of the best selection of dishes experienced. I’d recommend anyone looking for a gastronomic experience to tantalise, that they ensure a booking and allow plenty of time to fully appreciate the offering.

Written 30 October 2020

Ruth L

Waimate111 contributions

Nice food, pity about the service

Feb 2020 • couples

We had reservations and arrived and were seated quickly but then we were not asked about drinks for 15 mins. Then we said we were already to order our meals. The meals were good and arrived in reasonable time. However we had to hunt a waitress down to order wine which never arrived until we were almost finished our meal. There was one waitress who was working over and above and another who seemed to be doing nothing! The meal was good, (if pricey)but the service and noise of the restaurant were enough to put me off going again.

Written 12 February 2020

B16SDP

Swanage47 contributions

More attention to detail please

Jan 2020 • couples

We booked here for an evening meal and were lucky to have done so as a lot of people were turned away as the place was full. The restaurant is noisy, frenetic and fun. The servers were very busy and friendly and helpful. We elected for the $70 ‘trust the chef’ four course shared plate menu washed down with a bottle of rosé. We started with a black empanada with wagyu beef. The second course was tagliatelle with smoked fish, cucumber and a little chilli. The main course was 56 day aged ribeye of beef with raw carrot ribbons, new potatoes and a tomato salad. To finish it was a chocolate creation with butter cherries. Presentation was good, but my main observation would be that for me, each of the savoury dishes was significantly under seasoned and as a consequence rather bland and lacking taste. Also the new potatoes which were served with an unusual but nice walnut garnish were floury and not very nice. This is a pity as otherwise the concept was good. We arrived at 19:30 and finished at 21:50 so we certainly weren’t hurried. Would I go back - probably not unless the attention to seasoning is improved.

Written 28 January 2020

Sally

3 contributions

Cucina, Oamaru

Oct 2020 • family

I booked this for a special birthday treat based on good reviews and the prospect of a 4 course Trust The Chef menu. They phoned a day or 2 before to say they couldn’t do Trust The Chef for us, as they had no vegetarian mains. It turns out there were no vegetarian “mains” on the menu at all, despite them saying there were. There were 2 vegetarian “pasta” options, both of which were greasy and literally revolting. The other 2 meals we ordered were an over cooked steak and some dry shrivelled up pork. It was by far the most disappointing meal I have had for years. There are great alternative restaurants in Oamaru though, so I will return to those next time.

Written 26 October 2020

Foodieinnz

Auckland18 contributions

Undisputed champion in Oamaru

Mar 2020 • solo

I have to say that I am enourmously impressed by the quality of steak. The food arrived promptly. (The last time I went there, I was told that the wait time was 30 minutes.) The only downside was that a little girl delivered the dish without smiles or any words.

Written 1 March 2020

scotts9401

New Zealand133 contributions

Not as good as before, Could improve.

Aug 2020 • none

Dined here with my wife for the "Argentinian Feast". This was their first "Feast" function and it definitely showed. This was a four course lunch pre booked. Firstly I would rate this 3.5 stars out of 5. Not as good as before when we dined for dinner one evening. Today the restaurant was full and they had problems from the very start. Their starter, empanadas, wasn't the starter but was served prior to the main, perhaps it wasn't ready or they forgot, not sure. The Empanadas however were very nice and their house smoked salmon was also very nice. The "Tortilla de papas" was stodgy and virtually cold and was certainly the worst part of the feast. I didn't see anyone trying for a second helping of this dish. The Ceviche and Chorizos were nice and there was no shortage of food. The main course "Cordero Al Asador" (lamb) was barely warm and certainly not to the flavour expectations of a signature Argentinian dish, it was quite fatty along with the salad it was to be served with never arrived. They eventually served the salad after my wife inquired, I didn't try it as we had eaten the lamb and what remained was quite cold when it did arrive and was no longer appealing, cold lamb with cold fat and salad not to my liking. My wife tried the salad and said it would have been nice with hot lamb, however not to be. The wine and beverage selection was again quite good and I couldn't complain there. The entertainment was also quite disappointing, i was familiar with the songs he was trying to play, the fact the tempo was out and too much bass, didn't help. He is best left playing at Sunday markets. This has the capacity to be quite good, though it is very loud with everyone raising their voice to be heard. Perhaps they need to cut the number slightly and raise their service standards as the food wasn't delivered hot nor consistently.

Written 1 August 2020

QTbased

Dunedin55 contributions

Underwhelmed.

May 2020 • friends

I feel a little loathe to write this because the restaurant has so many great reviews. But when 4 people on their first visit there all agree it was underwhelming.... Perhaps we struck them on an off night, when the chef forgot to season the food, or heat the pasta properly, or the waitress had never opened a bottle of wine with a cork (not her fault just needing a bit of training), or had enough time to come and ask us how our meal was in a reasonable timeframe. They were very busy but we weren’t expecting to wait 1&1/2 hours for our meals. On the plus side presentation of food was nice, ambience of the restaurant good, staff friendly, and they did take the pasta dish off the bill. The wine list was great and reasonably priced. Loved the Mendoza Malbec. We might give it another shot next time we’re in Oamaru.

Written 30 May 2020

Jill B

Wellington67 contributions

Disappointing Experience

Jun 2020 • none

We went to the restaurant with a group of people expecting to be delighted. However, our food was disappointing. The meal was warm and the pork was tough. There were many different components on the plate and it did not work well together. The best part of the meal was the thick cut fries - these wee served piping hot and were beautiful. Serving staff were friendly and attentive.

Written 23 June 2020

Yaninamuriel

Dear Jill, Im very sorry for your experience. Some of the components on our dishes are meant to be served warm. Im very sorry about your pork, we asked you 2 minutes later the food arrive if everything was ok with your meal and you all answered yes, so we thought everything was ok. The pork dish is very popular but probably not for your tastebuds. Again, we would love you to tell us when you were here about your experience so we could fix it straight away. Making a bad review in Tripadvisor is really upsetting for us as we are trying to do our best with all this pandemic situation, we checked your table and you could just tell us then. This is not very nice. Hopefully you will understand we are trying our best and that sometimes a bad review like this ( which it could be fixed straight away) could really damage our business right now. Regards, Yanina Tacchini

Written 24 June 2020

This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

DiMck

1 contribution

KoG & PTTR- Xmas do

Dec 2021 • friends

Superb experience - all four of us had the Trust the Chef with the wine match. Stunning from start to finish, fabulous flavours which surprised & delighted us all. Top notch service from happy & knowledgeable staff - thoroughly recommend. Generous servings for both wine & food - at a very reasonable price (given the high quality we experienced)

Written 5 December 2021

KiwiCriticDunedin

121 contributions

Great experience for a group

Jun 2020 • none

Eight of of dined together taking the Trust the Chef option, which proved excellent value, covering four courses, with multiple items for entree, mains and desert. Highlights included the mushroom and truffle sauce with the ravioli, and the 55-day aged steak (not to mention the broccoli puree on which it was served. Food delivery was well paced and services was friendly. Restaurant was absolutely packed, with a great buzz. All enjoyed with local beers, bubbles, a cocktail or two, and some very pleasant Argentinian Malbec. We will return.

Written 27 June 2020

John

504 contributions

Lovely ambience with a menu with a difference

Mar 2021 • none

We weren't sure what the style of food was but I'll call it Argentinian-fusion. The food itself was regarded by our group as being very good without being great. Some of us found it difficult to choose but having done so most were agreeable with the outcome. We felt the prices were a little OTT though. Service was just OK as those who ordered mains only waited over 70 minutes to be fed (this was a Wednesday night)

Written 1 April 2021

Tania B

1 contribution

Anticipointment

Mar 2022 • couples

We were so looking forward to eating at Cucina. We'd read the reviews, news articles and heard stories from friends who'd eaten there. We decided to try the chef's choice menu and do the wine match fir each course. We also ordered a beer and a cocktail thinking that would give the kitchen time to get organised etc. The first course arrived before any of the drinks, which was awkward, but also meant that when the drinks finally arrived nothing matched up with the food. We had the same problem with the second course, before having a word with the owner about what a wine match should match with. The food was good on the whole but did not live up to any other degustation we had been too. Very rustic but not the elevation we expected, given the price. Favourites were the empanada starter and dessert. The beetroot on beetroot on beetroot pasta dish was a definite disappointment. We did get a slight discount re the drinks matchup but we still found the $270 we paid to be way too much for what we were served.

Written 18 March 2022

Brettsue

Invercargill176 contributions

Delicious food and great service

Sept 2020 • none

My husband and I had a really good meal at Cucina. I'd probably describe the food as European influence rather than Italian, but it was delicious and served with a smile which is what matters. There was quite a long break between the entree and main, which as good because the entrees were large and filling. The wine list was good and the atmosphere was nice.

Written 7 September 2020

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