Cucina Bella - Algonquin

I have always loved this restaurant but tonight my partner and I were both served a meh meal. My gnocchi were pillows of tastiness but they were drowned in an a... read more I have always loved this restaurant but tonight my partner and I were both served a meh meal. My gnocchi were pillows of tastiness but they were drowned in an acidic tomato butter sauce. The minestrone soup was bland with hard garbanzo beans. My partner had linguini with meat sauce. The meat sauce had pieces of meatballs that were made with bread crumbs. Once again, the sauce was subpar and lacked flavor. He did his best with table salt and pepper but overall the dish was a disappointment. His side salad was fresh and delicious. The server was attentive except that she neglected to offer to refill our non alcoholic drinks. She did bring us boxes for leftovers and the dessert menu when she thought we were done but she pointedly ignored our empty glasses (which had never been refilled during the course of our meal). Waitress was training someone and seemed to be the only waitress so maybe she was stretched too thin. Ambiance is decent restaurant is comfy and always clean. We will come here again but will wait a bit hoping it is back up to this usual standard next time we visit.

Terrible service. Had dinner reservations for 6pm last night, but didn 't leave until after 8:30pm. Got the manager involved and she seemed convinced things wer... read more Terrible service. Had dinner reservations for 6pm last night, but didn 't leave until after 8:30pm. Got the manager involved and she seemed convinced things were normal as she kept making comments about how things seemed to be working out. Not a single dish or drink was comped to compensate for an extremely long wait. The food was eh ... was disappointed since I had heard great things. The drinks are also NOT good. I got an old fashioned that was watered down and my wife got a martini that tasted like juice. Drinks also took approximately 20-30 minutes to get (if we were able to get lucky enough to catch the waitress and order any). At the end of the day we paid $200 for a family of 4 to sit waiting for over 2.5 hours after making a reservation, wondering what was happening most of the time and only being disappointed with drinks and food and the lack of communication from the staff. Definitely won 't be back and do not recommend this place to anyone that values their time and money. Go to Aliano 's Ristorante in East Dundee for a MUCH better experience!

Most of our food and drink order were good except for the Chicken Marsala that my son ordered (bland) and the house martini drink that my daughter ordered. It t... read more Most of our food and drink order were good except for the Chicken Marsala that my son ordered (bland) and the house martini drink that my daughter ordered. It tasted like Nyquil. Yeesh. Our server was attentive and quick. The ambience was quite nice. Although it was packed, we were still seated quicly since it was already 8p. Acoustics was not bad either. We didnt have to yell across the table just so we can hear each other. I would go back.

They should take Carbonara off their menu since they don’t know how to make it. The garlic flavor overpowered everything. Who uses Garlic in Carbonara? It was s... read more They should take Carbonara off their menu since they don’t know how to make it. The garlic flavor overpowered everything. Who uses Garlic in Carbonara? It was so thick like they used cream instead of the traditional ingredients. The Marinara sauce tasted chemical-like. The mussels were good, but could tell they forced spoiled ones to open which is not acceptable. We barely at half the portion and threw out the rest, will not be eating here again.

Came here for a girls trip. Amazing food, great service, and wonderful environment! We were from out of town so this was amazing for us. Service: Dine in Meal t... read more Came here for a girls trip. Amazing food, great service, and wonderful environment! We were from out of town so this was amazing for us. Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: $30–50 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Build Your Own Pasta, Calamari, Stuffed Mushrooms