Cucina Asellina

Prosciutto pizza with black truffle and fried egg. Enough said. This place is awesome. Great pizza and good drink selection. Love that it’s walking distance from midtown bars. Outdoor patio with good view of midtown is great in the summer.

It was late in the evening in Midtown Atlanta and we were looking for a place to get a good meal. We made a reservation at Cucina Asellina via Open Table for 10 pm. After initially struggling to find the place due to a lack of easily visible signage, we finally did… and found out that they actually close at 10 pm. But the owner was nice enough to get us a table anyway, and personally waited on us during our time there.
This is a neat establishment overall — a simple dining area with a combination of booths and tables that probably seats about 50. Very high ceilings. A visible kitchen area. Low lighting. The food was very tasty — I had a fresh squid ink pasta dish which absolutely hit the spot. My wife had one of the wood-​fired pizzas and it turned out very well. And the owner and his staff were incredibly friendly and helpful throughout. It wasn’t overly expensive, either. I’d definitely go back to this place, and I’d recommend it to others.

Solid but not outstanding food and the service left something to be desired.
My first time in Atlanta since high school and I was happy to spend some time in the city. It was a beautiful day out when we went, albeit a bit windy.
I ordered one of the salads with spinach and goats cheese and chicken on the side. The salad was very good. The chicken though had been spiced and then cooked with large pieces of herbs, which left a bitter taste in my mouth. Not the most amazing salad in the world, but it was good.
The service though was very strange. First, we had to ask to bring us bread (and I’m still not sure if they charged us for it). The waiter seemed full of himself and constantly messed things up. We ordered two salads and he couldn’t get the orders right. When he went to serve us the first time, he knocked the water pitcher against the wall, splashing water around. Finally, he completely ignored us at the end of the meal and it took forever to get the check and then, we had to go inside to pay. The restaurant was not busy at all– they were just standing around chatting. Given that this is a business district, they should have known that people want to eat quickly.
Unmemorable meal– probably wouldn’t consider going back.

The food was very tasty, but it seemed like the service was off — or that the focus was on STK next door rather than Cucina Asellina.
Everyone enjoyed their food, including the risotto special (which two people split).

Awesome service and great food. Short ribs appetizers are a must and the pizza was delish.
Drinks weren’t as good as expected.

Highlight:
Solid menu. Service needs improvement.
The Food:
I’ve never been to Italy but this tastes like authenticity. We ordered the baby back ribs (tastes like they were seared in butter!), the Pappardelle, the Gnocchi w/​sausage and the Tiramisu. No complaints about any of it. The flavor combos were unexpected and oh so yummy! The portion sizes are also generous. We would order it all again tomorrow! For cocktails, we had the Squillo (Absolut mango, lime and cucumber), if you like midly fruity and refreshing drinks, you can’t go wrong with this one.
The Service:
If you’re looking for hands-​on service (you know, where the servers catch your napkin before it falls, refills your drink at the ¼ mark), you won’t find it here. While friendly and knowledgable about the menu, they are definitely aloof.
When we entered, there wasn’t a hostess in sight. We walked from one entrance (there are two) to the other and waited a solid few minutes before we were greeted. They were unable to find our reservation (which we made through OpenTable, then confirmed by calling), but it was no biggie. We were offered indoor seating immediately, but opted to wait for a table outdoors. We lounged at the bar about 15 mins. Patio seating is in the heart of Midtown. You’re literally steps away from the street. If you love to experience the energy of your environment (cars buzzing about, people walking by), you’ll love it. We did.
Our server was polite and helpful with menu recommendations, though I didn’t get the warm and fuzzies. He could’ve been more attentive — our drinks were never refilled, our food was served by a runner and my hubby was nearly done eating before the server came to check on us. We gave 20% gratuity, but unfortunately it wasn’t warranted in this instance.
All-​in-​all, we’ll be back and recommend others to check it out (at least once). However, in a city swarming with amazing places to dine, it’s not enough to only present great food. The entire experience has to be on par. Many great restaurants have lived and died in Atlanta and I imagine service had a lot to do with their overall success.
Tip: Valet parking is available but the attached garage offers self-​parking — 2 hours free with validation.

Went here for dinner on a Friday night and really enjoyed it. We were able to get a spot out on the patio, which was very nice. The service was good, with the waiter making very helpful recommendations on wines by the glass.
A friend and I shared the bruschetta as an appetizer, which includes goat cheese and eggplant — great additions to the traditional recipe, in my opinion. We also had the wild mushroom pizza (pretty good, in my opinion, though I didn’t realize it was made with white sauce until it arrived — next time I’d try the margherita). The best item of the night was the herb garganelli (with sausage, rapini, and pecorino) — it was excellent — creative and a great balance of different tastes. I loved the mix of sauce, veggies, and sausage, and the pasta seemed like it must have been home-​made.
Definitely a place I’ll visit again!

One of the best brunches in Midtown.
I’m usually more of a traditional something-​with-​eggs type of girl when it comes to brunch, but this was definitely a worthy exception. The baked lasagna was probably the best I’ve had while dining out. The bottomless mimosas were literally bottomless — Chris, our waiter, was there to re-​fill before they were anywhere near empty. Great food. Exceptional service (ask for Chris!).

Ambiance and the service was great, like many other midtown restaurants. However, the mood seem to over-​compensate for the lack of quality in the food for its price range.
I had the grapefruit and arugula salad and the calamari for the appetizer. The portions were generous and I enjoyed the fruit salad. The calamari was heavily drenched in batter and difficult to taste the actual squid, which was surprising for a fine dining establishment… While the batter was not oily (great!), it seemed heavily salted and ruined the taste.
I also had the special, squid ink seafood pasta. The seasoning was incredibly oily and made me a bit nauseous. All I could taste was the buttery sauce. I could not eat more than a few bites. I admit that there was a variety of seafood (crab? and shrimp), but for the price (over 30 $…) it was heavily disappointing.
Based on the three plates I had, while the quality of the ingredients were good, the preparation was not par with the mood/​price of this establishment. It seems like another midtown restaurant with great ambiance and décor but the actual food falls quite short. I would not recommend this place for the price range.

Can’t say I’ll go back, but I’m glad I tried this place. The best way I can break down this 4-​star review is where Cucina Asellina earned 4 stars and where they fell short.
Pro’s
1. Our service was top notch. The valet was prompt, our waitress was super nice and accommodating, plus full of suggestions for the menu, and the bartender was easy on the eyes (btw — bartender — if you’re reading this, you should call my friend who gave you her card).
2. I took Kathleen M.‘s suggestion on the prosciutto flatbread and it knocked my socks off. The «pizze» comes our piping hot covered in gooey cheeses, crispy ham, plus a fried farm egg which acts like a sauce atop the pie. Yum!
3. Excellent drink list. I really enjoyed my wine, and true to the Italian theme, at the end of the meal, our waitress split a shot of limoncello for us so everyone in our party could try a little sip.
4. Loved the ambiance on a spring afternoon. Our group met there after work, when all the doors and windows were open blowing in a nice breeze. I do like the décor (I’m a sucker for modern architecture) and it was a good place for people watching.
The only reason I can’t give Cucina Asellina 5 stars is the price. For the flatbread, an arugula salad, glass of wine, and half-​shot of limoncello my bill came out to $ 43 after tax and tip. If the management offered their happy hour special longer than 4 to 6 p.m., I’d come back.

My husband and I came here to escape a sudden downpour on a recent Saturday and decided to have some apps and drinks in the hopes that the storm would pass. When we got there, the restaurant was empty and had just a weird vibe– all the servers were watching TV, talking about their plans for after work… should’ve been a signal right there.
We ordered three dishes– the buffalo mozzarella, meatballs and a pizza. The food was all fine. Not anything stand out, but tasted good. If this review were just on the food itself, I would probably give this place 3 stars.
The service was just weird though, very absent– and literally the whole time there were other waiters watching TV, talking about going out drinking later that night… it just threw us off.
The worst thing about our experience, however, were the cocktails we ordered. Seriously, worst cocktail I’ve had in a looooong time. I think I had maybe two sips and that was it. It was not balanced and overly boozy. The worst thing was it was SO EXPENSIVE– $ 12! For a terrible cocktail! Seriously, those drinks were enough to make me not want to return.

Went here a few Saturdaya ago early in the evening… we were in just after 6 and were the first table sat.
Service was fantastic throughout, our server was funny and knowledgeable and the manager came over after our meal which I always think is a nice touch.
We stayed on Peroni and wines for drinks so no problems there and the food was delish!
We shared a selection of small plates and all were really tasty… the flatbread and meatballs were our faves.
Loved the actual restaurant, modern midtown coolness!
Will be back for sure :)

Cucina, remains a great option in Midtown. A group of four of us came here for a late dinner a few Fridays back. We shared a couple of flat bread pizzas that were outstanding along with a bottle of Layer Cake wine. We then each had our own pasta and we were all very impressed with the quality.
Some at the table argued that perhaps there was a bit too much olive oil on the pasta. I felt it was very authentic and true to Italian form. The executive chef, an Italian himself, came out and talked Italian pasta and pizza with us.
Great place with moderately priced fare and an upscale atmosphere. I totally recommend this place over most other spots on the three block radius.

Not sure what we missed that so many people loved about this place, but we had a very unpleasant experience and would never be back. A summary:
décor/​ambiance — all tables are highboys, which didn’t bother us but might bother some people. what DID bother us was the odd music selection, being played distractingly loud. strange music mix, including a lot of 80’s songs. when we mentioned the music to our server, he agreed and said it gets louder and more «techno» as the night goes on. not really want I want to listen to during a nice dinner.
service — bad. our server gave us no direction through the menu, explained nothing unless asked, I had to request fresh ground pepper for my salad. I realized just how bad he was when I overheard the server at the next table walking them through the drink menu, describing the pastas that are made from scratch every day, talking through menu items in detail and proactively offering them fresh ground pepper. our salads came out when we were still eating our app; and our appetizer, salads and entrees were all rushed out within 35 minutes of our 6:00pm reservation time. when we told the manager about the poor service, he offered up, «Well, we have some good servers and…»
food — the speck and pecorino appetizer plate was delicious. the veal meatballs appetizer were wonderful and hands down the best item we tried. I had the prosciutto and truffle pizza and may be the only Unilocal reviewer who didn’t care for it. my husband had the pasta with boar sauce, which was inconsistent — some bites were good and some just tasted bad.
after providing the manager feedback (when he asked), he removed our entrees from the bill, which was a nice gesture, but we still would never return. my husband and I eat out 4 – 5 nights a week and there are much better Italian restaurants in the city (just off the top of my head: Antico Posta, La Tavola and Veni Vedi Vici.

Great, trendy Italian restaurant in Midtown.
Loved the open space and the sky-​high vaulted ceiling.
Definitely try the hand-​made pastas!

5 stars for food, 2 stars for service. It’s really unfortunate that our waiter was so awkward and that he spilled coffee all over the table, booth, and my dress (without an apology mind you) because otherwise, I would have really enjoyed my lunch date with my dear friend.
Despite poor service and the empty room (I was the first to arrive for lunch and during a two hour lunch only saw 3 other groups), the food was phenomenal and made up for other lacking components. We started off with a field green salad, which although was not exceptional or super creative, was fresh and lightly dressed. Our pasta dishes really were amazing once I got over my initial «Really? $ 13 for 5 pieces of ravioli??» reaction and quite filling. Definitely go for the pasta (we got the sun dried tomato ravioli and the sausage/​wild mushroom garganelli). We also got coffee and a citrus panna cotta with pistachio sorbet. Most excellent.
Is free bread offered here? Because we certainly didn’t receive any. I noticed the other tables getting them, but I just figured they ordered it as an appetizer. I must do some investigating because this girl here loves her carbs (obviously!).
They offer valet but no one was anywhere to be seen when I went for lunch. Luckily, they validate parking for up to 2 hours in the parking deck behind the restaurant that they share with the Loew’s hotel. I’ll need to come back for dinner one day and give it another shot. Let’s hope I don’t get the same waiter.

When it’s Mondovino Mondays at Cucina Asellina you must go!
$ 25 for 4 almost-​full glasses of wine and 4 small bites from the chef.
I’m not really much into wine, but the wine fellow on the night I went (Kevin) happily told us about the wines and other wine related events. Very friendly and also lives in midtown.
The four bites brought out by Chef Josh Carden were universally acclaimed by us all. Started out with salmon carpaccio, which was paper thin, fresh, and lightly flavored with truffle oil and pan-​fried capers. I could eat this stuff all day.
Next was a blueberry ravioli with shitake mushrooms and triple-​cream cheese. Fresh handmade pasta is out of this world. Interesting flavor profile. Kudos to the chef for being slightly mad.
Third we had a pappardelle pasta with homemade sausage. Definitely in my top ten red sauce pastas. Fantastic flavor.
Last we had the pistachio garganelli which is on their regular menu, but was also fantastic.
We sat outside and enjoyed the sights and sounds of midtown. Mostly businessmen were here during our visit, but during the week you can pretty much come as you are.
Getting a chance to chat with the chef and the wine guy on a fantastic patio in midtown was a treat.
I’m excited to go back and order off the menu. Well done!

I recently dined at Cucina Asellina while in town for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. After having experienced the divine dishes of world class chefs all afternoon, this little gem did not disappoint.
The atmosphere is classy, casual, and unpretentiously trendy. I would have preferred the option to sit in a lower chair, but high boys are all they have. It is a small space so I understand the need for small tables, but a tad more table space would have been nice.
Our server, Ben, was knowledgeable, friendly, attentive, and entertaining. The manager visited our table and was helpful in asking the Chef a question I had about ingredients in my dish.
THE DISH! My goodness was it tasty! We started with a black truffle and fontina pizza with a cracked egg in the middle. This pizza was quite a buzz around the festival. It was beautiful and delicious.
For main course I had a handmade ravioli stuffed with White wine and Sweet Tea Braised Pork Shank, topped with a spicy apple chutney. Very interesting flavour profile. One of the best meals I had all weekend.
For dessert we had a panacotta which was lovely and light, not too firm, just how I like it.
Overall we had an excellent experience and would definitely recommend this little joint to others visiting Atlanta.

Oooh, mama likey.
First of all, this place isn’t at all what I expected. Being STK’s sister restaurant, I thought it’d be super trendy and dark and overpriced and filled with people who thought they were beautiful. Not the case at all. It’s a little dark but very open (just one big room, actually), relatively casual, and filled with an awesome mix of people. Don’t be scared by the ridiculous prices of the menu online: that’s for the NYC restaurant! The menu here was *very* well priced, with almost everything ringing in from $ 11-​$ 14.
It’s definitely a good spot to share various dishes: they’ve got flatbreads, pastas, and the like. We ordered up the prosciutto flatbread to share and OH MY GOD. I didn’t want to share it. I wanted to have it all to myself. Despite the waitress trying to push me in another direction (I should have known!) I ordered the burger special. I was craving one, I couldn’t help it, and it was lackluster. The bread was delightful but the meat was dry and flavorless. Womp womp. But seriously, get the flatbread. No joke.
My cocktail (the Delicata) was pricey at $ 12 but light and heavenly. My Hendrick’s and tonic was also $ 12 so I can see coming here for drinks turning in to an expensive foray. If you’re sticking to the food, though, it’s a fantastic value. We had great service from Ava, and all in all it was a fantastic night out. I’ll be back!

Great food (4our stars) but stingy wine pours pull this down to a three.
The bartenders are crazy stingy. My glass of wine was probably 3 oz for $ 10. Seriously, it wouldn’t have
I really enjoyed the food here. The pasta and carpaccio were excellent. The salad was bland in dressing though there was a lot of it.
I’d like to see this place do well. The food is great and it will do well if other parts catch up.