Cucina Paradiso - Oak Park, Illinois

SPICY

I was very pleased with the food, service, and overall experience. I usually go to Il Vicolo Trattoria, but they discontinued the dishes I love, so I'm looking for new places to try. I enjoy fried calamari, Brussels sprouts, and shrimp scampi. I prefer flavorful food that isn't too rich. I also like that they offer two different pasta sizes: small and large.

Angela C.

We had our baby shower there in early Oct. ‘24 and everything was wonderful. We did the chef special menu plus fruit trays. The food was nonstop! The bar was a la carte- but soft drinks/coffee included. The pricing was more than fair given the value and quality of the extensive menu options.

We had an hour to set up and had the entire place to ourselves it was a perfect venue for and I had to literally show the guests the door at one point- they were having such a great time nobody wanted to leave!

I was able to add an arch for pictures, a welcome sign easel, have a table for games and photos and gifts and 5 tables for guests meeting our specific needs. There is plenty of room for more decor which is nice but you can add as much or little as you’d like and the space is still perfect!

I recommend having any function here for your family or friends- the menu variety and freshness of the never ending food served was impeccable! Nobody had a bad thing to say, they were too busy eating, drinking, and celebrating in the beautiful space! If I could give them 10 stars, I would! I couldn’t even grab pics of the food, it was enjoyed immediately! I recommend going with the assorted pastries for dessert every time- amazing!

Thank you to the staff for everything that day, it was a wonderful celebration! We can’t wait until our next date night to return!

Greg

I just wasn't impressed with the restaurant. A personal pet peeve of mine is I hate it when you make a reservation and they sit you next to the waiter's station. I felt that the food was just there, nothing special about it. I expected more and was let down.

Eric

Service was amazing at this location. Everyone was friendly and responsive.

The meatballs were light and moist, but had a mild flavor.

I didn't think the sun dried tomatoes added anything to the Caesar salad.

Overall the food was ok, with great service.

H L.

My son is extremely picky and our waiter (Jose ) went above and beyond he brought him samples and even gave him doughnuts to make his sad face turn around. I have never had a server care so much about making his day before. He was attentive and understanding. The pomegranate martini is top notch here and the food no matter what you choose is delicious. We had pastas and chicken and everyone was delighted. Dessert does not disappoint! The only sad thing is that this restaurant does not have more locations as we drive over an hour to eat here. If that doesn't tell you that you should include this wonderful gem of a place on your next outing then I don't know what will.

Conrad P.

Our first visit; nice decor, tasty food, attentive staff (Jose). Plenty of specials.

john L.

Anthony and the Cucina staff catered a memorial service for my father at a local venue and did an amazing job. From start to finish, Anthony made it easy - as with any memorial, it was highly emotional, but the fact that they do so many of these they knew exactly what we needed. From helping choose the menu, linens, bar, set up and working with venue on our behalf, it took much of the stress away. The catering staff was outstanding throughout the event and the food even better. I can't say thank you enough to the entire crew at Cucina. Highly recommend.

Mike W.

So... I gave Cucina Paradiso 5 stars because it was the best experience I've had in a while. We walked in on a fairly busy night and got a seat at a bar table fairly quickly. The server was pleasant and personable. She had recommendations when asked, and was genuinely apologetic when she came back to tell they were out of what I order.

I ended up getting their homemade rigatoni. It was phenomenal and really homemade. It was so similar to pasta I made from scratch a week earlier. The desserts we're just as good. The lemon blueberry mini dessert was tart and not too sweet.

Oh, and the drinks were great too. Can't wait to visit again!

UPDATE (3/3/22)
Still a great place. Went in at 8:15 on a Thursday, important to know that the kitchen closes at 8:15, and had an enjoyable experience. They made sure the kitchen hadn't packed everything away, and then sat us at a table. We asked to change to a booth and the hostess moved us before we sat down. Even though it was obvious they were starting to wrap things up for the day, we never felt rushed in any way. The food came out almost as fast as the drinks, both were tasty.

I had the ricotta stuffed gnocchi, and my wife had spaghetti and meatballs. The gnocchi was like nothing I remember having before. They were little pillows with a soft creaminess and almost dissolved in my mouth. It was complimented with a chunky tomato sauce, that had a touch of creaminess. The 3 meatballs were massive, and she loved them. There are 2 in the fridge that came home with us.

The food was amazingly delicious, the service impeccable and not rushed, the drinks were incredible, and had we not known they were closing up, would have stayed for a few more.