Cucina Pazzo

Really good italian food, actually just like my grama used to make. We’ve ordered through the The bike peddler for restaurant delivery a couple of times now and every time the food is consistently good. Tonight we had the egg plant Parmesan, the rigatoni Bolognese and the beet salad. The salad was fresh and the beets were ripe… Tasty! The eggplant was hearty and the rigatoni was cooked perfectly al dente.
This is now our go to italian spot, next to my favorite Mexican place Gringo!

Recently stopped in to Cucina Pazzo for a couple of appetizers. I love that they bring out fresh baked bread with their olive oil and herb dip. I believe they could sell that in a bottle.
I started with the Meatballs Al Forno which are served over a stoned ground polenta and covered in Fontina cheese. My tip… Save some of the bread to sop up the cheese fondue.
The next appetizer was the Flamed Kissed Carpaccio. Rare Beef tenderloin served with arugula, onions, capers, asiago cheese and hard-​boiled egg. This is drizzled with lemon creole mustard and served with crostini.
Both were outstanding and reasonably priced. Behind the bar was Audra who knows the menu and can make recommendations for you.

Great food and service. I highly recommend the salmon with saffron risotto and cinnamon bread pudding – both dishes were on point.
A great place for kids, too. We’ll definitely be back.

I really liked that they have a dedicated vegetarian menu as well as options for portion sizes. The food was delicious. Do eat the bread and sauce that comes with it — I usually skip bread at restaurants but it is well worth the calories here. The service was very attentive without being intrusive. They didn’t have the bottle of wine we ordered and so, instead, the server brought us a less expensive bottle that we both loved. I would definitely come back here.

I went back to this restaurant with my family during the holidays. While I still think the cost is way too much for the amount of food, the food is truly excellent. Service was great and the drinks were also wonderful.

Solid overall — casual place and we came without our daughter but can imagine us taking her next time (they have a kids menu).
We will definitely try it again after enjoying the following:
Salads — Caesar and Chopped — get the dressing on the side for the chopped (it was a little too sweet for me)
Asian pasta dish with four kinds of pork — I ordered the small portion because I wasn’t that hungry. Perfect size for me. Very tasty dish — the waitress sold me on it saying it was one of their most popular pastas (when I asked her for a ranking).
Meatball appetizer — flavorful, but not as hot temp wise as I would have liked
Focaccia bread with the balsamic dip was tasty too.
We split their Espresso Budino for dessert — basically an Italian version of coffee pudding. It was covered in salted caramel and had a giant dollop of nutmeg mousse in the middle of it. And it was served in a large tuile (edible) bowl. Glad we got it — fun to eat and look at, but it was too rich (particularly the mousse) and too large, and I wouldn’t get it again.

We came here at 8:55PM on a Wednesday night for a drink. There was no one in the restaurant other than a handful of people at the bar. From the moment we walked in… we have never felt so uninvited in our lives. It was very clear that the employees working just wanted to go home. They were so terrified that we may want to order food (from the kitchen that closed at 9pm). We felt so uncomfortable that we left within minutes of sitting down. I can’t imagine that this place will make it. I know we won’t be back. There are too many other great options to tolerate this kind of treatment.

We have only been here for sunday brunch but it was very, very good. Even the breakfast potatoes packed a lot of flavor and had a good crispness without being burnt. Along with Scape, these are easily two of the best brunch places in St. Louis.
We can’t wait to try dinner here.

The food was great. I had the Caesar Salad and the Fettuccine Alfredo. The salad was perfectly seasoned and had a great taste. Same with the Fettuccine. I had the small portion of the Fettuccine. That was plenty for me with the salad.
But what I most remember is the excellent customer service by the waitress and the manager.

We stopped by less than half an hour before they closed for brunch (unwittingly) and still received friendly un-​rushed service. In fact I didn’t even realize they closed at 2 for brunch until there was a lull in our conversation and we suddenly saw that we were the only people left in the place — oops and thanks for not rushing us out the door. My steak n eggs were very tasty and cooked perfectly to a medium rare. Lovely modern rustic décor. I will return for dinner in the near future.

I highly recommend this place for brunch. One of the best that I’ve had in the StL area. Each time I’ve been there I was very satisfied with the food and service.
They have a great outdoor eating area to sit and enjoy the beautiful weather for brunch.

(3.5 stars)
Now, I’ve only been to two restaurants in St. Louis — Cucina Pazzo and Taste. If I had to choose between the two, I think Taste is slightly better, slightly more sophisticated, and definitely more fun.
There’s nothing wrong with Cucina Pazzo — it’s lovely — its décor is something I might describe as pseudo-​rustic, and I can imagine on a Friday or Saturday night, it would get quite loud and fun in there. Our server was attentive and friendly, and always willing to offer his recommendations. But some of what we ate wasn’t quite as exciting as I had hoped for — take the char-​grilled California artichoke — this was, I thought, nearly tasteless, and the charred tomato vinaigrette and lemon aioli didn’t do much to bring flavor to the dish. Many of us ordered from the mix-​and-​match fish section of the menu — I had scallops in the jalapeño lime marinade (served with corn & avocado salad, salsa verde, fingerling potatoes, and — again! — charred tomato vinaigrette). The scallops themselves were amazingly fresh, and they were cooked to perfection, but somehow the jalapeño lime marinade — which sounds so full of flavor — didn’t bring much to the dish. The corn and avocado salad — which was more corn than avocado — was delicious (though grossly our of proportion to the dish — three scallops were sitting in a pool of corn and avocado salad), as were the fingerling potatoes (though again, proportionally, I think there could have been a few more just to give the dish a bit more heft).
The highlight of the evening was the «half-​baked cookie,» served piping hot with some of the very best ice cream I’ve ever had.

Literally the best pancakes I have ever had! Went for daughter’s birthday. She had the steak & eggs benedict. Steak was a tad overdone, but the flavor was phenomenal!
One of the best Bloody Marys I have had, as well. Great place! Will definitely go back for dinner some time. Great bar area and outdoor seating! Staff was spot on, even when dealing with «entitled» people who can’t read the «SEE HOSTESS FOR PATIO SEATING» sign in front of the entrance!

Really impressed with this place.
Maggie took us through the menu and specials with a casual charm and confidence that was backed up by some really incredible food.
We got in a little early for our 6:30 reservation and got seated immediately. Within five minutes a delicious bread service of fresh focaccia appeared with a garlicky olive oil dip.
We chose two appetizers: the caprese and the Brussels sprouts.
You’ve not had caprese until you eat it here. It’s a layered parfait of croutons, heirloom and cherry tomatoes topped with fresh burrata. Incredible.
For dinner we split the fish trio (awesome, three entire dishes on one plate) and a gluten free pasta that really pissed me off (why have I not had such good gluten free pasta before?!)
The food was great and the service was excellent and perfectly timed. Five stars, would come again and again.

After dining at Cucina Pazzo, I feel like I should go back through all of my Unilocal reviews & subtract one star from every rating.
After bickering with the Mister about where to dine al fresca this evening, we arrived at Cucina Pazzo. The weather was perfect so we sat on the patio. Emily was our server. We were greeted immediately with a personal water carafe. The menu was varied but not overwhelming. Bread service was fresh & accompanied by a dipping sauce of oil, balsamic, fresh garlic & herbs.
Appetizers ranged from meatballs to fried ricotta balls, tuna to carpaccio. We decided on the grilled artichoke with crab imperial. At $ 19 it came in as the best appetizer I’ve encountered & was definitely worth every penny. The aioli served alongside tasted of tangy Parmesan & fresh squeezed lemon. As delicious as it was messy.
We shared a salad as well. Fresh, gooey burrata with beautiful tomatoes, red onion, basil, celery leaves & foccacia croutons. This salad came in at $ 12 but put other Italian restaurants serving burrata to shame. Beautiful presentation as well.
For dinner I had the rigatoni in a light tomato sauce with sausage & ricotta. This was simply heavenly comfort food at its best. The sausage was incredibly fresh, sweet & spicy. The ricotta was melted & creamy. The combination was just perfect. (At home, I might double the ricotta & sausage but that’s because I’m a total heathen).
The Mister had the filet. The pan sauce was everything. The Yukon potato purée was so rich, so creamy, so buttery that I was tempted to flip the table over & drop kick the patrons to our left. Each bite of the steak became better than the last; I wavered between moments of such intense emotion, one second teary-​eyed, the next, so drunk in love. I found myself anxious & at a sort of existential crisis. What if all food tasted this good? What if I had never tried this quality of sustenance? It was confusing & beautiful, to say the least.
We finished off the meal with two desserts: bread pudding fit for a king & some sort of nutella concoction that had the appearance of a sundae belonging to a small child. Both were extremely decadent. Add a coffee and the bill for two patrons, for four courses, was $ 108.
I’ve spent twice as much & have been happy with half the quality. I can’t explain enough how much I loved my dinner this evening. I really hope you will give it a chance.
Oh, two small things: don’t sit on the patio unless you love for fellow patrons to have idiot dogs barking at passers-​by & your bum/​hips measure less than 40″ as the chairs are not fit for «full — figured «pregnant types such as myself.

My girlfriend and I came for lunch in late February. The dining rooms were full, so we sat at an elevated booth in the bar. Karla was our delightful server.
The oil/​balsamic mix served with the bread was mostly balsamic and ruined the bread. We should have known from the color. it was hideous.
We shared a caprese salad (heirloom tomato, crudo, buratta, olive oil, aged balsamic) for $ 6 each. They got the olive oil/​balsamic balance correct on this salad. It was good. But $ 12 for a salad?
She got a veal dish. I got the shortrib papardelle ($ 15) with cipollini onions and roasted mushroom sauce.
Her veal dish was a mess on a plate. There were two veal cutlets. One was breaded and had sauce. The other veal cutlet wasn’t breaded and had no sauce. Who sends this type of disaster out of the kitchen?
And these cutlets were sitting on a meager bed of pasta. Come on. Pasta is cheap. Could you not have given AT LEAST a reasonable amount of pasta?
Top this off with: she said the veal was not good: immemorable was the word she used. Flavorless. But she did like the pasta, the two strings she got.
On a higher note, my paperdelle was quite nice. A hearty dish. A few forkfuls will do it. So, I took a lot home. And it served for two more meals.
I hated that my girlfriend’s dish was a flavorless disaster, But I liked my dish. So I’m going to cut in the middle with three stars.
This took me a long time to figure out. I liked my dish so much, and she got the bad one. I’ve been on the other side of this many times.

Dining at Cucina Pazzo is kind of like watching P! nk doing an aerial performance on an awards show. You expect that it’s going to be good, you start off impressed and then you hit the wide-​eyed, jaw-​dropping amazed stage. That’s what Cucina Pazzo did to me. My expectations were wildly exceeded!
First of all, the space is awesome — exposed brick and open kitchen with a bar and two dining rooms. I’d call it modern without feeling sterile. The service from beginning to end was fantastic. Our server explained that the wine list contains all Italian wine and it was pleasant to see quite a few unique choices.
Now on to the food. I was expecting tiny portions based on previous reviews, but the portions weren’t bad — they just weren’t tub-​o-​pasta sized dishes that St. Louisans are accustomed to. I thought they were perfect. To start, they brought out amazing focaccia bread with a dipping sauce they referred to a «Sicilian crack» — once you taste it, you’ll understand why. I shared probably the best Caprese Salad I’ve ever had (in the winter no less), with various types of tomatoes and a scoop of whipped ricotta drizzled with balsamic. There was also little surprises under — pesto and a few croutons for texture — wonderful! I also tried a bite of the escarole salad. As an olive fan I fell in love with the buttermilk Kalamata dressing that comes on it.
As for the apps, we tried the Ricconi — fried ricotta balls with addictive crispy pepperoni in a tomato confit. These were better than expected. We also tried the Meatballs al Forno served on polenta with fontina cheese. These were worse than expected — just not moist enough.
On to the mains. I was determined to get something that I couldn’t get anywhere else and that was no problem. Tons of inventive options here. I went with a stuffed pasta called the Bacon Caramelle. Candy-​shaped pasta (think large wrapped tootsie roll shape) stuffed with bacon on a bed of balsamic onions in Maytag blue cheese sauce. Oh my GOOD LORD — this was everything I love in one dish. It was so good and very decadent. Others at the table had short ribs and gorgonzola polenta (I tried a bite — very good), the lobster risotto and the swordfish — all got rave reviews.
I’m in love with this new addition to the Central West End. I can’t wait to go back!

After coming to Cucina Pazzo by Justin Saturday, I have to say this new Italian dig has a «pazzo» of my heart!
Food 4.5÷5
I thought Pastaria’s papparadelle was good, but Cucina Pazzo’s Papparadelle was più delizioso! The pasta is handmade, but has a wonderful chewy texture. Biting into the thin pasta, you get a wonderful chewy texture that only the best handmade pastas possess. It’s thinner than Pastaria’s I loved the spare ribs and the rich flavor of the sauce. Only thing was that the portions are TEENY! Our $ 15 pasta was in dish with a diameter only slightly larger than a pomelo or grapefruit. I was still hungry after dinner which means -.5 stars for me.
The buttermilk fritto misti tricolore appetizer with fried calamari and veggies was — it’s served with 3 dips. The avocado pesto was amazing and I pretty much hogged it all for myself (oops, #sorrynotsorry.) The calamari was fresh and tasty with nice full chunks of meat– none of that weak stringy stuff they serve often at other places.
Ambiance ⁴⁄₅
Chic. Hipster with modern feel. There are brick walls with photo prints. This was home of Duff’s before. Full window walls and a little archway before you enter. The patio in the summertime would be great to chill in. Not a huge fan of the caution signs all over the restaurant to prevent people from tripping on the weird floor leveling though…
I’m looking forward to coming here for happy hours which from what I remember is suppose to be 4 – 6 M-​Th with half off appetizers and drinks!

Nom nom nom!
Ordered the focaccia french toast, pesto home fries, and the bf ordered the jh pork belly and silver dollar pancakes and sausage. As is the case with most upscale dining restaurants, entrée sizes were slightly larger than small plates. In the case of the pesto home fries, the portion size was miniscule. My french toast was divine. The flavors were so complex, and blended perfectly. The crunch of the cinnamon toast crunch was a perfectly complement to the apricot pieces in the jam. The sugary mix of the cereal and the muted sweetness of the apricots blended together perfectly. Then, the sugar kick of the maple whipped cream really made for a perfect sweet dish. The pesto fries were great — I could tell it was fresh pesto and I could taste the spinach and basil, I just wished there was more of it.
The bf’s JH hash was nice, the only problem was, where’s the pancetta? We deduced it had to be the tiny crunchy specks in the dish. Everything about the dish was great, though. The meat didn’t overpower the other flavors, and the sunny side egg was perfectly executed. And if this was the only way I had to eat brussel sprouts for ever, I certainly wouldn’t be mad — it wasn’t an overpowering vegetable taste, but instead complemented the rest of the dish.
The silver dollar pancakes were doused in syrup, and, who doesn’t love that. The bf ordered a side of sausage, which were a decent size, and also maple flavored, so no complaints there.
All the food was delicious, and considering the quality and price (actually affordable!), this is a great brunch spot. The ambiance is really nice too, and our server was great, also. Unfortunately neither of us were full at the end of the meal, and instead of gambling to see if more of their sides would do it, decided to stop by a fast food place and get some more food.

Cucina pazzo was warm, welcoming, and much larger than I expected.
The pasta itself is quite good, but the restaurant is lacking in value and a bit in service training. Our server was very nervous and a little scatter-​brained. I came here hoping for pasta as good as Stellina’s and food quality (but really portions) like their sister restaurant The Tavern, which I also enjoy. Perhaps these goals were too lofty.
Every review points out that the pastas are small– served in a 5−6″ diameter copper gratin pan. Don’t expect to share this dish. In fact, you’ll probably order more food if you’re not drinking your money away. I am not a big person, and I was still hungry.
We tried the:
Pappardelle with braised beef and mushrooms– well-​cooked pasta, small pieces of beef– not tender enough to pull apart with your fork, but tasty nonetheless.
Rigatoni al forno– good depth of flavor, not terribly spicy, pasta didn’t stand out
This is a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and I’ll probably return to try brunch, but I would opt for Stellina or Pastaria before here for pasta.