Cugini

Looking for a bite to eat a little later in the evening than usual, I got a craving for pizza, and decided to finally stop by this place that I have slept on for decades. True. Even after closing in on 6 million views, and having reviewed over a thousand restaurants, I am sadly, or on the other hand joyfully, just now discovering Italian cuisine. Cugini, has an incredible menu of House made pastas, calzones, and of course, wood fired pizza. I ordered the Sicilian, with mozzarella and sopressata, and watched it sizzle next to the open fire, while I drank a glass of delicious white wine, recommended by my server, a Berkeley local who was super cool and informative and new her way around the menu. I generally have to be careful when I eat in the East Bay since it is a rare occasion when I do not run into 10 people that I know, and I usually end up spending more time talking than eating, which kind of gets in the way of my restaurant enjoyment, which is why I don't really eat very close to where I live that much anymore. However the place was thinning out, I was there last customer, and in the end had this beautiful place all to myself, with a delicious wood fired pizza, and ended my night with a cannoli, and a cappuccino. There are a lot of different kinds of pizza, and several different levels of quality when it comes to Wood-Fired pizzas, and this place is top tier. The ingredients all tasted super fresh, the atmosphere was great, and I intend to go back again. Highly recommended for people who want delicious, almost exotic tasting food, without so much spice, or without always depending on the local Asian restaurants which are incredible in their own right. The Italian thing is just a completely different vibe, and I'm glad I finally discovered this spot on Solano which until recently was a secret to me. Five stars.

The food is great but service is horrible. Today was the 4th time I went and the last for me. Each time I went I was served by a heavy set male. He was rude and impolite. I love Italian food and I always leave a good tip, pleasant and not demanding. I don't know why he was so rude to me and my companion. We had to ask for bread and small plates so we could share the salad. He was very rude. I looked around today and noticed all the customers were white and we were the only oriental. It's normal because the neighborhood is predominantly white. I don't want to believe it is racial But why??? I hope management would respond to this.

Just dropped in for a quick bite with the niece after a long day of hiking. It hit the spot. Chicken Limone was delicious especially the mushroom caper sauce. Have a reasonable kids menu, where my niece was able to enjoy a nice sized personal pepperoni pizza for $8. Service was great, will def be back if in the area.