Cuckoo Trattoria and Pizzeria

This place is a must when you go to the island. It has great food and a great glutten free menu as well.

Dietary restrictions: Glutten free

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Conchiglioni was scrumptious and paired nicely with the wine recommendation of our delightful server. Cuckoo's Trattoria & Pizza has a welcoming ambiance of elegance and festive style.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Cuckoo Pizza

Ragu Bolenese

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Mussels in Wine and Garlic Sauce, Maccheroni Bolognese

Had two meals in one week. Lunch for two, both ordered the Meatball sandwich . After a lengthly wait our sandwiches were served. Both we could not eat, a large slab of overcooked hamburger between two pieces of a bun . The waitress did credit one meal. Fast forward to today, table of 6, my meal was “spicy prawns” which tasted like cooked prawns in a medium salsa and a tasteless salad . My wife’s dish was a pasta dish that was just OK. On top of this the noise level made conversations near impossible. We will not be back

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 4

Great restaurant in a place you wouldn't expect. I had a wonderful meal with my family.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

The place itself is quite beautiful and the service is good. The food is somewhat lacking. Underseasoned and a bit bland. Overly expensive and banking on the nice atmosphere I think.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Cuckoo Pizza

The atmosphere is really nice. The sizeable menu was impressive. The staff were kind. It was clean, and the ambiance was lovely. The food however was very very disappointing. Extremely overpriced for the quality you get. It was all cold, the pizza was very undercooked. The flavours were not good in any of our 7 dishes. We are grateful for the opportunity to eat in beautiful places such as this but feel as if the price and atmosphere in no way match the quality of food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 3

When I called Cuckoo Trattoria & Pizzeria last minute for a late lunch, Fausto answered the phone and immediately said, “Absolutely, come on down to celebrate!” That was already amazing, but the experience only got better from there.

We arrived with our two dogs, Charlie and Luna, and were absolutely blown away by the warm welcome we received. From the hostess to our incredible server, Lara, every single staff member went out of their way to make sure we—and our dogs—were comfortable and happy. Lara was attentive and kind, and she made sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal.

But what really stood out was when Rok, one of the management team, came over to personally greet Charlie and Luna. He spent time petting them, playing with them, and making them feel like absolute VIPs. It was such a thoughtful touch that meant the world to us.

As for the food, it was nothing short of incredible. The pizza was some of the best we’ve ever had, the veal scallopini was cooked to perfection, and the wine pairing was just right. Everything about the meal and the atmosphere was exceptional.

We will absolutely be coming back to this wonderful spot. Not only was it the perfect place to celebrate a special occasion, but they treated our dogs like family, which is rare and so appreciated. Thank you to Fausto, Lara, Rok, and the entire team for making this a truly unforgettable experience!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I have to rave. This was already a favourite of ours but we recently had our wedding there and it was an absolute dream. We got a lot of “best wedding we’ve been too” or “best food at a wedding we’ve had”. And it was ALL because of the owner Fausto and his staff. He helped us curate our perfect day - he really knows what he’s doing. We hosted out rehearsal dinner as well and can safely say we’ll be back for our anniversarys too! Can’t thank the whole team enough!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fantastic service, ordered online and food was made fresh! Our family loves this place, we will return any time while on the island!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Margherita Pizza, Cuckoo Pizza, Spaghetti & Meat Balls, Salmon Pasta, Caesar Salad

Sadly this place is going downhill. They have raised their prices and both our meals tasted like last week's left overs. 8$ for a small Ceasar salad, the croutons were hard enough to break a tooth. We had Cannelloni and lasangia that had a slight mold taste and noodles were undercooked and the dishes were not cooked long enough to melt the cheese. When we complained the waitress said the owner would "look into it". No apologies or efforts made to fix the meals or give compensation. Not worth the money.

Eaten here many times both at lunch on the amazing patio in the summer and dinner in the evening. The food is always excellent with gluten free options for my celiac wife and daughter and the service is beyond reproach.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Enjoyed a lovely dinner and drinks with friends. The service was excellent and the food was fresh and delicious!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Linguine Pescatora

Pro - lovely service, attentive but not over imposing. Food was very good. Mild complaint, the homemade pasta tasted like if might have need over worked prior to cooking. The sauces were excellent. Generous portion size, definitely left overs for my wife and I to take home. Quaint dining room. Not too bright not too dim.
Con - we don’t live here so finding the restaurant was a bit of a challenge with it being a dark and raining evening when we arrived It’s set back from the main road, within a group of buildings on either side of this smaller road.
Verdict - worth finding. .

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Maccheroni Bolognese

the moment you walk in, you know you're going to have a lovely dining experience. Warm and truly friendly staff. Gracious atmosphere. And really great food. I love the large selection of wine by the glass with all wines being the same price point; staff knows the wines well and can help you find just what you want. Our crab/salmon cake starter to share was light, flavorful and accented by a nice sun dried tomato aioli. I had a seasonal special of local squash gnocchi with wild winter chanterelles in delicious, not overly heavy but still comforting sauce. So good! One of the best dishes I've had in a long time! My friend's gnocchi quattro formaggi was the kind of decadence she was craving. The potato & spinach gnocchi were perfectly light and full of flavor, complementing the sauce and not just the thing to put the sauce on like so many gnocchi seem to be. We were too full to have any dessert (despite having leftovers of our entrees), but if I'm ever back in the area.. cause they looked amazing.
After having dinner the previous night in Parksville that was way more expensive and just not very good, I would plan on just coming here with plenty of time for a long, leisurely dinner Italian style. Prego Cuckoo's!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5