Michael Anthony’s Cucina Italiana

Amazing dinner. We had the Marriott Chef Tasting with Wine pairing. It was memorable, delicious, and unique. PJ the sommelier was very talented and knowledgeable. A must do!

We were there last Saturday for their sips and bits. Fabulous food served in the bar if you are not too hungry. Normally we eat in the restaurant itself where they offer the full menu. We love this restaurant. Excellent food, professional caring staff.

We have visited Michael Anthony’s more than once and have never been disappointed. Recently we went there for Sips and Bites and our server, Elijah, was very professional and helpful. He made sure that the person in our party who has shellfish allergies received the same quality of food as the rest of us. He was also helpful in suggesting an after dinner cocktail that included a rare liqueur. I recommend this restaurant if you are looking for high quality cuisine, very pleasant atmosphere and great service.

Impressive!
Visited Cucina Italiana with colleagues, after a day of conferences. We all commented how impressed we were for various reasons, but the food was the first. This establishment could stand the test in a big city with no problem.
We were seated quickly and because of the size of our group, had the entire upstairs to ourselves. It is an especially cool space in that a chef’s kitchen is part of the space, which I heard allows them to conduct cooking classes and chef’s tastings. In any event, the staff seated us quickly, took our orders, and drinks landed very quickly after that.
The bread was warm and comforting. The salads and soups were crisp and smooth, respectively. The steak I ordered was cooked perfectly, was utterly tender, and the flavor was a mellow combination that played on your tongue without overpowering. Last, the Sformata di Cioccolata was an immaculate soufflé cake with a soft ganache-​like interior and crisp exterior. Paired with a sharp vanilla ice cream, I will take memories of the dessert to my grave. :o)
Other items to note are that my dinner company spoke highly of the wines and pairings, other patrons were clearly enjoying their romantic evenings over exceptional food, and the host staff was gracious from entry to departure.
Truly superb.

Ok easy review. We are from Buffalo and frequent NYC so we have had lot’s of great Italian food. This by far was the best we have had. My wife and I opted for the early bird special (had to watch the Bills vs. Pats game).
My wife had the ceaser salad and I the pasta efagioli to start with which also came with fresh bread with brushetta and oilve oil. For our entrées we both opted for Elicoidali alla Sardignola which was fantastic! For desert my wife had the profiteroles (cream puffs) and I the tiramisu. Our bill for 3 courses, glass of house red and coffee with desert was only $ 59!
The portions were perfect, our server Nikki very friendly and attentive and the food fantastic.
We have been coming to HHI for a few years now and are very happy to have stumbled upon the restaurant in an unassuming strip mall.
Do yoursef a favor and stop in. Reservations recommended.

Our first time to Hilton Head and without a doubt this was the best restaurant we experienced. Alex at the Omni recommended the restaurant to us. Excellent food and great service by PJ. PJ knows his stuff. He made great recommendations, very friendly, and is also one of the Sommeliers. My wife had the homemade linguini and clams in white wine sauce. They prepare it with fresh clams in the shell. It was one of, if not the best tasting dish I have ever had at an Italian restaurant. I had the veal scaloppini with prosciutto, mushrooms and light cheese. It was delicious, but not quite as good as the linguini. The Chianti we had was some of the best Chianti we have ever had. PJ recommended it and gave us the history. For desert we chose the chocolate lava cake with vanilla gelato. It was pretty good, but not great. Atmosphere was great old world Italian. Prices were reasonable for a high end restaurant. If you have only one place to dine on Hilton Head, and want Italian, you can’t go wrong here. Great experience!

One word: WOW.
My (now!) husband and I came here during our honeymoon and had an incredible experience, easily one of the best meals we’ve ever had in Hilton Head.
We both got cocktails while they decanted our bottle of wine, and the Italian 75 was a great way to begin our evening.
We started with the sautéed calamari, which had a delicious tomato broth and was the perfect starter. Next we both got salads, his a caesar, mine the panzanella. They were both delicious, mine had wonderful fresh herbs, sweet tomatoes, and mozzarella.
We had a hard time deciding on our entrees and were very happy to hear we could get half portions of the pasta dishes. We chose three to share: the bolognese, spaghetti with crab, and a special with shrimp and tomato cream sauce. The favorite for both of us was the bolognese which was deliciously well balanced and served with house made pasta.
It was crazy for us to think we had room for dessert, though we did get a couple bites of tiramisu in before boxing the rest up for the next day.
Though the food and wine were absolutely fantastic, the highlight of the evening was our server Jason. He made excellent suggestions, provided great conversation, and even though we were there late in the night, he never made us feel rushed or unwelcome. Definitely ask for him!

We came here for our wedding anniversary! This was an absolutely delicious and fantastic evening! PJ our waiter was a gem! Very enthusiastic and knowledgable and made the experience worth while. Besides. The food was fantastic! Homemade pasta, cooked to perfection! Nothing was not to brag about! The antipasti was a great start and we ended with vanilla gelato topped with espresso and chocolate. Don’t miss this place while in Hilton head!

This place is amazing. The food, ambiance and service are all phenomenal. The early bird special goes until 5:45 and has some really good options. I got the early bird special: beet salad, crab pasta and pana cotta. My sister got the ceasar salad (it was good but very small, i recommended choosing something else), the pasta with sausage and the tiramisu. The beet salad is refreahing and super fresh. The crab pasta has an amazing sauce. Its delicious. The pana cotta was delicious it had this awesome orange rind on top. Our waiters were so nice and super fast. Definitely a place you shouldn’t miss!

Great service. Great atmosphere. Pricey, but it was worth it. Veal piccatta was fantastic. We’re be back.

Ask for Jason! My boyfriend and I chose Michael Anthony’s for a very special occasion. We sat upstairs and had Jason for our server. He was attentive and very knowledgable about the menu and which wines to pair with our selection. He made the entire evening a very enjoyable dining experience so much that we ordered dessert (which we never do).
Will definitely tell visitors and friends to dine with you!

Lovely! We went in a group of 9 for my parents’ 30^th wedding anniversary. The waiter, Peter, was extremely nice and went out of his way to ensure we were having a fantastic celebration. The lump crab spaghetti made me forget I rarely eat pasta!

Excellent service and for vacation dining it exceeded our expectations. If you are from a big city and have access to top restaurants then you might be a little disappointed.
We ordered 2 cocktails and they were subpar. The wine selection was very good. I would recommend skipping the cocktails and ordering a bottle of wine instead.
We started with the pasta soup & cheese board. The soup was good and the board was above average. My husband had the duck special — it was delicious. I had the gnocchi and it was a little bland. Not the best gnocchi and not the worst.
We had the dessert trio. The panna cotta was exceptional, the tiramisu was good, the profiteroles were not good.
We spent over $ 200 and has a good experience but have definitely had better meals for that price.

Solid Italian dining. A little heavy handed at times, but delightful service, and a lovely atmosphere.

We ate here a couple of years ago, and were pleased so this year we decided to try it again. No more.
The prices are ridiculously high for the portions and for the area. They rushed us through our meal, and we were not ordering from the early bird menu.
We are used to NYC prices and it’s less pricey in NYC. We ordered wine by the glass (6 oz) and the prices were high– lowest price on the menu for a read was $ 11.
Then we both ordered pasta for our main course, lured by the delicious descriptions. The portions were smaller than what we consider typical appetizer portions for pasta, approximately 1 cup of pasta. After a $ 90 bill for 2 wines, 2 pastas and 1 appetizer, we left and went home where we ate another dinner.
We are dumbfounded that they can stay in business with the disparity in the portion size to the price in South Carolina. We wonder if it’s because it was a holiday weekend. But whatever, we won’t be returning.

Can’t believe we just discovered this restaurant.
What a hidden gem!
Outstanding chef prepares fabulous tasting dinners and desserts.
This place will stay permanently on our must go list!
Also interesting are the cooking demonstrations.
Love this find !

Wonderful service, helpful. Very good Italian. We had a group of 16 and service was consistently good. Good appetizers, entrees and delicious desserts and beverages.

When we got there at 6:30 with a reservation for 4, we were promptly seated upstairs by a waiter. We quickly got bruschetta (bread with sliced tomatoes on top). My son and I thought it was the perfect palate preparation. I ordered piadina (flatbread with a sliver of tomato on top) which came with tomato sauce. Again only my son and I ate it because my wife and my daughter do not like tomatoes. Then came the bread and olive oil for dipping the bread in. It was fantastic and everybody in our party liked it.
We all agreed that the antipasti and bread were ⁵⁄₅.
It was hard to choose what entrée to get, I chose the stuffed pork chop special wrapped in Italian ham. It definitely earned ⁵⁄₅ stars. My son got the penne alla Boscaiola with mushrooms, peas and spinach, he rated it ⁵⁄₅. My wife was not that jazzed about her pasta, the Bolognese, really the only clunker in the entire meal. She had thought the sauce was too dry and did not rise beyond the ground beef flavor you would get with Hamburger Helper. A woman at an adjacent table actually called the manager over about the Bolognese at the same time. My daughter really liked the Gnocchi; I tried it and though it had the perfect springy texture.
The desserts were all major hits. My daughter had the profiteroles. My wife and I split the chocolate soufflé which had rises perfectly and had an exquisite molten chocolate core, served with vanilla gelato. My son had the blood orange sorbet, amazingly creamy for a sorbet.
My wife and I had different wine flights of 3 wine samples (Flights 2 and 3). We actually thought the wines were only about average given the price of $ 15 for a flight; none were really standouts we wanted to seek out when we got home. The total of volume of wine in a flight was only a little more than a normal single glass.
With 2 wine flights and 3 desserts as above, total price with tax before tip was $ 184. Fairly reasonable for upscale dining.

Excellent three course early bird special. First time dining here in over 20 years of visiting hhi. Great ambiance and service and most importantly fresh and delicious Italian food. My party tried just about everything on the early bird menu and everything was good. The pork dish and crab spaghetti entrée were favorites and the pana cotta was to die for. You also receive iced tea or soda with the early dining special and $ 7 glasses of house red or white wine.

We always visit Michael Anthony’s while on Hilton Head Island. You can be assured an elegant meal. Do not judge a book by it’s cover… go inside and enjoy. Hardworking, polite, knowledgable staff. They take reservations.
Michael Anthony’s has a Italian Market during day hours where locals and visitors can pick up meats, cheeses, wines, cookbooks, and other Italian goodies. Cooking classes are also offered.
The food is amazing. Ingredients are high quality. Even the bread and olive oil are pleasing. Year after year our group of six or more is 100% satisfied when leaving. Truly a Hilton Head Gem worthy of all accolades.