Cucina Rustica
The Collective" Village of Oak Creek, 7000 AZ-179, Sedona
(928) 284-3010
Recent Reviews
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Food was amazing. Our server Eric was great and gave us great recommendations.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The entire experience was amazing! From being greeted by the host to our knowledgeable server to the food.i would highly recommend this place if you're in Sedona
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best meal we had in Sedona! Lovely staff and restaurant. The food was great and very fresh! We enjoyed the pollo parmigiana, lasagna, gnocchi, and caprese salad. Quite possibly the best chicken parm you’ll have. Finished up with great gelato and espresso!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent food! I got take out from here two nights in a row, delicious both times.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Delicious Italian cuisine, our server, Heather was wonderful. The staff worked brilliantly to get our food to us. Relaxed atmosphere. Great place to get dressed up for a special occasion. Have the soup, Elixir of Love, to support Dahl's philanthropic endeavor. Besides, it's delicious!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cucina Rustica has an inviting atmosphere, and we were welcomed warmly by the host. He made sure we were comfortable from the start, engaging us in friendly conversation as he led us to our table. However, the service that followed didn’t match that warm start. Our server, Isaiah, was polite but inattentive. Water refills had to be requested, and empty salad plates lingered long past their welcome. Isaiah didn’t check in on our meals once they were served, and for a restaurant aiming for high-end Italian standards, that left a gap in the experience. We could see that Isiah was involved in conversation with the bartender. Toward the end, an awkwardly timed attempt at rapport coincided with the arrival of the payment terminal, making it feel more transactional than genuine.
Unfortunately, the food didn’t redeem the evening. The pasta sauce was watery and lacked depth. What was called focaccia was more akin to toasted bread. The olive oil with jalapeño seemed diluted and didn’t enhance the dish. Overall, the flavors were bland—frankly, we’ve had more satisfying Italian at chain restaurants.
In short, while Cucina Rustica has the potential for charm, the service details and food quality need refinement if they truly want to meet fine-dining expectations. We would not recommend this restaurant and will not be visiting next time we are in Sedona.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 1
Excellent food. Had the chicken parm with pomadoro sauce. Amazing. Matt the bartender, great service. Atmosphere is really unique. 👍👍
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Our meals were the best we've had in AZ! Our server, Heather, was exceptional! Friendly, knowledgeable and attentive.
Definitely save room for dessert!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We chose Cucina Rustica for our Valentine’s Day dinner, expecting a beautiful and intimate evening, but unfortunately the experience was extremely disappointing from start to finish.
The service was lackluster. Our server was rarely present, we never received a single drink refill, and when our appetizers arrived, we didn’t even have side plates.
We started with the calamari and focaccia. The calamari lacked depth of flavor, and the focaccia honestly tasted like frozen Texas toast that had been reheated rather than fresh, house-made bread.
When our main courses came out, I was hoping things would turn around. I ordered the spicy vodka pasta, but for the price, I would have honestly preferred a meal at Olive Garden. The sauce had an off, almost metallic or “rusty” taste that made it difficult to enjoy.
Because the food had been so underwhelming up to that point, we decided to skip dessert altogether. At that point, we didn’t feel confident that dessert would make up for the rest of the meal.
To make matters worse, the atmosphere — which we expected to be quiet and romantic — was disrupted. We were seated next to Chef Lisa Dahl, who was very loud and animated, clearly making her presence known to guests. At one point, she stood up and took photos right next to our table using flash. This was very distracting and felt disrespectful, especially on a night when we were hoping for a calm, intimate Valentine’s experience.
At this price point, I would much rather dine at Élephante Scottsdale, Saint Pasta, or Sexy Roman in the Phoenix area, where the quality of food, service, and overall experience consistently matches the cost.
Overall, what should have been a special evening turned into a frustrating and disappointing night. Unfortunately, based on this experience, we would not return.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Focaccia taste and looks like Texas toast! Not authentic
We dined here on Valentine’s Day and were really looking forward to a special experience. With Chef Lisa Dahl dining with friends on the same night, we expected the service and overall attention and service to reflect that level of presence. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Our server- Laura, informed us that the tortellini and pastas are imported but did not provide any additional information about where the food is sourced or the background of the dishes. For a restaurant at this price point, we expected more knowledgeable and engaging service, especially regarding menu details and ingredients.
Overall, the experience felt overpriced for the quality of food, service, and atmosphere. We had higher expectations and left disappointed
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Great food, atmosphere and service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
THE best soup I've ever had
Great wines, cocktails
Charming interior
Terrific service
Can't wait to go back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nico was an incredible server—professional, funny, friendly, genuinely kind, and such a breath of fresh air. We were there for our anniversary, and he absolutely made the experience that much better.Thank you, Nico! Stay safe out on those mountain bike trails.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cucina Rustica absolutely blew me away! My husband and I were visiting for our anniversary and came to eat here for dinner. The service was exceptional, Jonah and his assistant server for the night were incredible. They were both very personable and attentive, everyone else in the staff who we interacted with were very kind and warm. The food was EXCEPTIONAL! Our compliments to the chef. I cannot recommend them more!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Cucina Rustica was a fantastic experience. The ambiance is classy, elegant, yet comforting. The food was 10/10 for every dish. The staff is attentive and knowledgable. Ann-Marie was my waitress, and I have to say I am not sure I have ever had better service at a restaurant. She was able to offer her advice when choosing certain dishes, and her choices were spot on. She was friendly, paid attention to every detail, and went above and beyond to meet specific requests. This was the ultimate experience of fine dining and I highly recommend it.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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