Cupini’s

Had not been in years forgetting why i stopped trying. I want to like it. Cold cooked food in a display case that they microwave before bringing to you isn’t appealing. I remembered the red sauce has a ketchup consistency, so didn’t get that, carbonara instead. It was pretty pasty. The bread is cooked from frozen and is ok.
There may be good things on the menu, I’ve struggled.
My biggest issue is the limited service for the price with expectation of tipping. Cheese Ravioli, vegetable, bread and tea cost $ 18. They brought the food, but diners fetch their own silverware, napkin, and soft drinks. All the customers kept getting up to get stuff while wait staff literally run through the dining room dropping plates at tables saying nothing. It chaotic and uncomfortable.

Best Italian whether you want lasagna spaghetti or fettuccine. I recommend the latter. We try to eat here every time we’re in Kansas City. You can also take home a few of the fresh noodles for your own creation.

This place is a true Italian gem, right off 39^th — not overly big or attractive, so you may miss it while driving and the parking is limited to the street, so be sure you GPS it.
This place was also featured on the Food Network and covered by Guy Fieri
If it is your first time visiting, make sure you go up and order your food, no waiting staff. I ordered the Chicken Picatta (doesn’t come with pasta though) and it was fantastic! I highly encourage anyone to try this dish and dare them to tell me it’s not amazing.
My date got a pasta dish, Linguine Pasta, and I stole some to add to my Chicken Picatta and I instantly fell in love with combo. I wish they would include an option to get a side of pasta with the Chick Picatta — maybe they do, but I’m not aware.
The place comes equip with TVs and music, too. It’s a cozy, causal atmosphere with a neighborhood feel to it.

A treasure. I’m very thankful my girlfriend introduced me to here. You can most definitely tell the pasta is homemade, and it’s fantastic. It’s awesome to find something in between crappy casual and expensive. I won’t name names, but I’m talking about Fazoli’s.
We did a pickup order; we called about 25 minutes before they closed because we didn’t realize they close at 8:00. The woman was delightful and gladly offered my girlfriend substitution options and answered a few questions she had regarding our order. Upon walking in, the atmosphere was very charming and a wonderful blend between modern and traditional; the menu is easily readable with a modern flair, and the desserts and pastas for display behind the counter felt like something out of Italy. Except I have not been to Italy, so I have no idea what I’m talking about. But until I go to Italy one day, I’m sold for now.
I was feeling traditional, and went with the lasagna. I find it difficult to find a good lasagna in a restaurant, but I was blown away by the robust sauce and thick pasta. The bites were very full and satisfying. Same with the toasted ravioli appetizer (except the meat kept falling out when we’d dip them in marinara). My girlfriend enjoyed her chicken parm, which isn’t on the online menu; the only odd thing about Cupini’s is all their options don’t seem to be on the online menu. We added desserts upon seeing them when we picked up our order, and I thought the cheesecake was filling and well-​blended.
With an appetizer, two entrees, and two desserts, it totaled around $ 40. I can’t wait to go back and buy some of their homemade pastas to use in my own cooking. I’d put Cupini’s up against any Italian restaurant in Kansas City, considering the price. Recommend very highly.
Food: 4.5÷5
Atmosphere: ⁵⁄₅
Price: ⁵⁄₅
How many times I plan to return: Over 9,000!!!

I was craving pasta, and after passing by Cupini’s the other day, I thought it was time to introduce this fast casual Italian joint to the BF.
I’ve been on multiple occasions, but it had been a while since my last visit. I remember it being good, and it still is now. My boyfriend was thoroughly impressed with his lasagna. I got the chicken Parmesan, which was prepared just right. I’m a stickler about the pasta being cooked al denté and being drained well, which Cupini’s knows how to do. If a place touts itself as Italian, they better sure as hell know how to prepare pasta properly.
The sauce on my chicken parm was thick and not watery, also another characteristic I look for. While I appreciated the thick sauce, it was still lacked much depth. It was basically a tomato paste with not much other seasoning to be found. Still good for what it is though. I ended up subbing the mostaccioli for spaghetti noodles because chicken parm deserves long noodles.
I had a bite of my boyfriend’s lasagna, and while I’m not a huge fan of ricotta cheese, I thought the lasagna was pretty good. Another reason I didn’t give Cupini’s a 5 is because of the toasted ravioli. I didn’t find it to have enough «oomph.» It was on the bland side and didn’t have much of a breading, which is actually healthier, but doesn’t add much depth in terms of texture. The meat kept falling out of it too, when I was trying to dip it in the marinara sauce (to undercut the blandness). You can tell they use homemade ravioli, so I give them props for that.
They also sell a variety of prepared Italian essentials for you to cook at home, which is nice. I plan on grabbing some pasta to cook at home on a future visit. I will likely make Cupini’s a regular place to frequent for those nights when I’m craving Italian and am too lazy to cook.
Overall: ⁴⁄₅
Food: ⁴⁄₅
Service: ⁴⁄₅
Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅

I love Cupini’s especially for their fresh pasta when I am making a dish at home that requires one of the several varieties of home made pasta that they carry: pappardelle, linguini, angel hair, amongst some
other various types. They make a great pasta dough, which also translates into them serving up some pretty decent pasta dishes in the store! Also, their pizza is not bad either and they have quite tasty sandwiches as well. For a local neighborhood spot, Cupini’s truly serves up good homemade Italian trattoria style food! The only thing at Cupini’s that I do not really enjoy is their deli display case. I have always found it to be kind of sad looking only slightly filled with mediocre salamis and cheeses; and, then in the other deli case are their prepared foods that have been cooled down. These items I have tried a few times and they are okay, not great, just okay. All in all though, Cupini’s does a fantastic job of serving up quality Italian food: from nice flavorful pizzas, to sandwiches, to fresh pastas! An added bonus: the service is always quite friendly and respectful!

Nobody loves pasta more than me. If I could live on nothing but carbs and still manage to zip up my pants, I would totally do it. So, an Italian restaurant that boasts homemade noodles should be right up my alley, right? Well, with Cupini’s maybe not so much.
The food was decent– good sauces and noodles, although it was a bit bland. The atmosphere was cute. It reminds me of a place I used to eat at frequently when I lived in the Boston area. It definitely has a small deli in a big city feel to it when you walk in.
But the service… oh the service. Not so good, my friends.
Ever go in a place and have the person behind the counter make you feel like a total peasant? Like they are looking down their nose at you for having the nerve to breathe the same air as them for a few minutes? This often happens to me with the people who work at makeup counters in department stores, and for some reason, it inexplicably happened here. I guess he was just too cool to be taking my order. Something he likely won’t have to worry about again.
While the food was good, getting through the line was painful, and I don’t have a desire to do it again anytime soon.

Everyday has a special, and I love $ 5 gnocchi day (Thursday)! Staff are genuinely nice people providing a wealth of information for the undecided. Walk up to the counter, order, pay, take a number, serve yourself fountain drinks, and find a seat. Within 5 – 10 minutes the most fantastic full flavor food was in front of me. Their pesto is the real deal and I wouldn’t hesitate to put it on everything. As a matter of fact if pizza is the choice a side of pesto for dipping will follow.
For the love of Italy I could taste the garlic and olive oil as soon as I got out of my car. In front are huge windows that once inside let in all the light. Fresh flowers, parmigiano and red pepper flakes on every table. It’s not a huge space but it’s got an old soul, comfort food feel. I just might have to jump into one of their cooking classes.

An amazing «hidden» gem. Cupini’s has authentic Italian flavors made from scratch from real family recipes!
Their entire menu is full of old world Italian favorites! If you are alike me and love quality food, prepared with real ingredients by friendly people who love what they do… you will love Cupini’s as much as i do. A huge bonus is that their prices are very reasonable and portions filling!
Whether you want to dine In it take out… You simply can’t go wrong!

Everything here is incredible. We’ve been coming here for ten years and never once had a bad experience. Many different pasta and sauce options. I don’t even have one favorite. Hands down best lasagna in KC. Save room for dessert or be sure to take it home.

I absolute love this place. I’ve introduced a few friends and they are hooked. I’ve tried a few different pastas and have never had a bad meal. The chicken & prosciutto tortellini and pesto gnocchi are my favorites. The tomato salad is garlicky and very addicting.
Save room for dessert because you’ll have a hard time choosing one. Cannoli, tiramisu, chocolate cake… all good. Parking is a little tricky but you can order online and pick it up if you’re short on time.

Couldn’t make up our minds on what to have so shared some mozzarella and tomatoes for an app, really food flavor. Ordered mini Trivi pizza which had mushrooms, prosciutto and olives which was really good too. Best for last was pasta with matriciana sauce which was a spicy bacon and onion sauce and was so happy when my wife decided she had enough and slid her plate my way. Can’t wait to go back and try a few more different things. Lasagna!

Quality Italian food, conveniently located and entrees are not $ 18 and up? It’s a Festivus miracle!
The general idea around Cupini’s to have fresh made noodles and quality Italian food at a fair price is worth Unilocaling about. I’ve always wondered why this isn’t more of a thing. It seems like in the past you could either bottom out at a Fazoli’s, or look to get a nicer, more expensive meal at Garrozo’s, Lidia’s or the like. With quality spots like Cupini’s and Bella Napoli in Brookside, the neighborhood Italian spots are beginning to thrive.
Cupini’s has an impressive menu; my latest venture there included ordering off Unilocal mobile (for the win) and trying out their chicken tortellini, which was great. I was a tad disappointed that there wasn’t a small side salad with it as the online ordering system said salad would be included with an entrée.
My wife tried their sweet pea ravioli, which was very disappointing. Do you like onions, blended with more onions, topped with sliced and carmelized onions? Well then that sweet pea onion-​oli would be for you. It was unbelievably overpowering. Despite this meal being a swing and a miss, it didn’t do anything to dissuade us from really enjoying Cupini’s.
Past experiences with their sandwiches and lasagne turned me into a fan of this place, and for the most part it’s hard to order wrong here.
While I haven’t tried their desserts, they look awesome as well, with classics like Tiramisu and a cannoli most likely to wind up coming home with me.
While we got it to-​go recently, it did look like they have built up their sidewalk seating by including a cool little alley to sit in, complete with overhead hanging lights and a nice urban atmosphere. The patio area is something to check out in the warmer months, and the cozy inside is nice year round.

Breadwinner, literally.
Please note: I ordered for pickup.
Holy lasagna! I couldn’t decide what to do for lunch yesterday and (thank you Unilocal) decided on Cupini’s since you could order online and I wasn’t feeling human contact to sit in and eat anywhere. Went home and unpacked all of my goodies which consisted of a half order of lasagna, homemade bread loaf, and cannoli. Online it said a small house salad came with but I didn’t receive one, however she hooked me up with extra cannolis for my wait so I didn’t really care. My lasagna felt like a brick in a plastic bag while walking to my apartment and it was at this point that I was beyond excited! This is the lasagna that I imagine Romans indulged themselves on until they puked their brains out to eat more. (True story.)
The texture, flavor, and overall consistency was just there without trying it felt like. The moat of sauce was on point and tasted fresh, not from a bottle. Their bread has the perfect ratio of crusty resistance on the outside and soft white fluff on the inside. It was seriously a treat to enjoy this meal. I’m not the biggest fan of the cannoli but they’re pretty good. I’ll extend into their other cake desserts more than likely.

Simple but excellent. The cheese pizza was to die for. The lasagna was super delicious. Will definitely go back.

This place is phenomenal. Best ravioli I’ve ever had and the location is intimate and perfect for a date. I always get the sausage and fennel ravioli and the sauce is to die for!
Price is a little on the high side, but totally worth it. Check it out!

So good I went here twice in a row. They are super accommodating!
Went for dinner bear closing. They still took our pasta orders. The meat ravioli is amazing. So is the tiramisu.
I worked from home the next day and went for the lasagna and cannoli. Amazing. This will definitely become a go to for me.

I’m truly impressed that such a good Italian spot can be found in Kansas. Cupini’s fresh pasta can best a lot of the NYC Italian spots I’ve been to.
We decided to get the Dino pizza and porcini fettuccine. The pizza was really good with a beautiful crust. Our pasta was taking longer to come out, so the gentleman working there came over with a plate of cold items from their case at the register. What incredible customer service! When the pasta did come out, it was well worth the wait. They definitely did not skimp on the porcini. And you could immediately tell that the pasta was fresh, not dried. And most important of all, it was al dente. Yums! I think if I wanted to be nit picky, I’d say that both dishes could have done with a little more… perhaps salt in the pizza dough and lemon zest/​salt in the pasta to brighten the flavors a bit more, but I am NOT complaining. Our meal was delicious.
I would return here again in a heartbeat the next time we are in town.

Driving across the country this summer, I desperately wanted to try Cupini’s for dinner. Unfortunately, we didn’t make our brief stop in Kansas City until after their 8 pm closing time.
Luckily, I recently got a chance to go back for work and made the stop this time. I came for lunch on a Thursday around 1pm and there was no wait. You order at a deli style counter and then seat yourself. You can tell there are people that come here regularly and take a leisurely lunch. I ordered the Bruschetta and the Fennel Sausage with Sage and Proscuitto Sauce Ravioli. The prices can’t be beat – cost me about $ 20 together – for the amount of food. I left STUFFED. The bruschetta was good, but nothing out of the ordinary. Fresh pasta with unique stuffing is always a win!

Ok, so I like so many others I heard about this place from diners, drive-​ins, and dives. I was expecting Guy’s typical Triple-​D joint, one with great food, outstanding service, and a little ambience. But what I wasn’t expecting was to walk into a restaurant that had merely microwaves reheating all of the food items?
I read a review about the lasagna, so I thought I’d give it a shot (see photo). The lasagna order was taken by a young guy who can only be described as «clueless.» Having not been there before, and I know I look like a regular, I can tell you that this order experience was anything but regular. After I paid I figured out where the seating area was so I grabbed my number on a stand (yes it’s one of those places), and made my way to the dining room. When I got there I had to ask the young man «So where can I grab that water from?» He quickly pointed in the direction towards the machines… Self serve, so why did I tip here?
The lasagna comes out after about five minutes, just about the amount of time it would take to microwave to heat it up. And typical of microwave food, it comes out scalding hot in some portions and not hot in others (the cheese in the center wasn’t melted… What?)
Long story short, if you want good Italian food you’d best look somewhere else!