Dalla Cucina

My husband & I were married in Provincetown in 2011. We came here with our «attendants» for our post-​wedding dinner. The food was excellent and the staff was courteous and responsive. We felt like royalty.
We wanted to return there this year (2014), and found the location, looking exactly the same, but with a new name and sign.
Very sad! We were really looking forward to another wonderful meal!
Four stars for the wonderful memories!

Are you open for the season yet this year? I have been trying to make a reservation for this weekend for weeks! We got married at your bed and breakfast and now have a son and would love to bring him in for dinner! Or if you are in the area we would love to say hi! We leave early Monday morning.

Staff was very friendly. Cheese platter very boring. Scallops wrapped in bacon pretty darn good! Clams and pasta, too much pasta not enough sauce.

Great atmosphere away from the «action» of Provincetown. Go for the ravioli and or the homemade steak sauce.

This was our second time at Dalla Cuchina. Last year we went for lunch and this year was dinner. Both times we enjoyed excellent meals. The service was good and I am happy to recommend this as one of the best restaurants in Ptown.

This restaurant is amazing. My husband and I visited Ptown for the second time and we always go back to Dalla Cucina and every night that we are there. If we lived closer we would be there all the time. The scallops wrapped in bacon was exceptional and all pasta is made fresh everyday. All desserts are homemade and every single one is delicious. Wait staff, bartender are all polite and friendly. And the hostess, Beth, is the best! Love it!

Great food and great service! We sat outside and enjoyed watching people strolling by Commercial Street. The portions were well sized (not too big, not too small), and the price is similar to many other restaurants in P’town — except food is better here than in other restaurants that have been around for a long time. We’ll go back next year when we visit again!

Only thing good here was the appetizer. The sweet and sour calamari was tender and perfectly cooked. The pasta tasted like it came out of a box and the sauce with the pasta was FULL of rosemary sprigs. There had to be 2 – 3 sprigs in one pasta dish. It was out of control. We also ordered the chicken with sausage dish that also has 2 – 3 rosemary sprigs and my dish was swimming in grease. It was nasty. The chicken lacked seasoning but was tender. The waiter almost cut my face with a knife because he reached to serve us but held a knife in the other hand that came close to my face. I had to move away to avoid him! we didn’t order dessert since we did not want to waste further money on this place. We would not go back.

We checked out Dalla Cucina after trying and failing to secure reservations at 3 other restaurants. We could’ve done a lot worse, because this place served up some excellent cuisine at pretty standard Ptown prices. But, the rocky start along with the failure of a very simple drink make this spot an A-​OK rather than a Yay. I’d give them another shot, but they have a couple kinks to work out.
We made a reservation on the phone, and arrived about 10 minutes early. There was a group of 4 in front of us, who did not have a reservation. They took up a lot of space, so after we checked in with the hostess, we went outside to wait for our table. Another couple arrived about 15 minutes after us, and when they checked in, she told them their table was «almost ready.» She did not tell us the same thing, so I got nervous, because she seemed overwhelmed with how busy the place was. When I overheard her, I went back in to the restaurant and re-​affirmed our presence. I can’t say for sure that she forgot us, but she never gave us an update (i.e. your table is almost ready). When we were seated, it took another 10 – 15 minutes before our waitress came by, and an additional 15 before we got bread. Not a very good start, but thankfully almost everything improved from there.
I ordered the Galetto Saltimboca, which was basically a large quarter chicken. The breast was what I expected, wrapped in a generous amount of crispy prosciutto. It was enormous though, and would have been plenty to fill me up, but there was also a small thigh coated in a sweet glaze. This was all served over mashed sweet potatoes. which were just a little too thin for my liking. It could have been hotter too. Still, it was a very strongly executed dish and I enjoyed it. My girlfriend ordered the squash gnocchi and even though I liked my meal, I was jealous of hers. It was decadent, rich and the pasta was perfect.
As the meal went on, our server became more accessible and enthusiastic. It was a very busy night, so I get it, but still. A half an hour before the bread comes out is not ok. The only other complaint I have is that the drink I ordered was not good, and it wasn’t at all complex– a Malibu Bay Breeze. My dining companion ordered a cocktail from the specials menu and it was great. Maybe the bartender didn’t know what a Bay Breeze was? And didn’t have a smartphone? There’s really no excuse for not knowing how to make a Bay Breeze when you’re a bartender on Cape Cod.

this is by far our favorite restaurant in P-​town.
The lobster gnocchi are to die for.
we ate twice in their patio and it was so romantic.
We can’t wait to go back.
Finest restaurant there.

Perviously this has been one of our favorite restaurant — but this year they failed to deliver. The food was over-​sauced and heavy for summer. We love the staff and will say that the fried artichokes are the best. We will give it another try next year.

Plan to return for dinner, after having a fantastic latenight desert and perfect cappuccino. The service and reception were flawless. Glancing at the menu and dishes being served up, YUM!

Everything I’ve had to eat here has always been absolutely fresh, delicious and cooked perfectly. (And Ive been 6 times over the past two summers.) I’ve enjoyed so many different meals here– strip steak, cod, heritage chicken, polenta and sausage dishes and have not had a single disappointment. This restaurant is not to be passed by if you are looking for a satisfying and elegant night in Ptown!

Had a lovely dinner outside on their porch and, while they are not on the water, I could actually see a slice of the harbor across the street and in between buildings. The artichoke app was very good. My lobster pasta entrée was good but not great. Our waitress was actually pretty terrible — she left the table behind us sitting for 40 minutes without taking their drink order– but it looked like the rest of the waitstaff was on the ball. I would give them another try. And in P’town on a Tuesday or a Wednesday there aren’t many places open so that’s a plus in their favor.

Quick Review: If you can microwave a bag of popcorn, you can cook a more flavorful meal than you can get at this restaurant. Poor service, bland food, good bread,
Long Review:
This was a fairly unpleasant dining experience for a multitude of reasons, but lets begin with the good stuff first: the bread.
The bread is delicious, and I commend whoever it was that made it. It was served with some tomato-​basil-​oil spread that could just have easily come from a jar in a supermarket, but on its own, this bread was brilliant. Slightly salty with a brilliant crust reminiscent of a light cornbread, this alone is worth a visit.
Now onto the bad. Chronologically, since there is a lot to keep track of.
1. Time from ordering drinks to delivery to the table (which was next to the bar) was about ten minutes. The drinks were on the bar after two, which resulted in us staring at our drinks for awhile, which was a bit annoying, but the reasoning for this becomes clear.
2. The food. I had the P-​town scallops «wrapped in pancetta, speck & lardo» with asparagus, parsley, fingerling potato & «saffron onion sauce.» Notice that there are some quotation marks there. The scallops were wrapped only in pancetta, and barely at that. The saffron and onion sauce could have easily been water, since it had very little flavor. Also, as a hidden bonus, there were whole red peppercorns in the dish that crunched in your mouth unexpectedly. Tasting that is like getting a middle finger directly within your mouth. The potato and asparagus (there wasn’t parsley to be found) was laughably bland. My father and friend had the sea bass special (was remarked as «eh») and the Tagliatelle Bolognese (told it had no bite, not a great temperature either.)
3. The service was fairly horrific. We had to flag down a waitress (it took several attempts) to receive a second drink; considering the single course took an hour for us to fight our way through, not being asked how things were at all was disconcerting. It also took a very long time to pay; you should want to take our money! What it came down to was that there were two busy waitrons servicing the restaurant while several other bussers/​waitrons/​the front of house stood idly by. This is absurd. The front of house stared around vacantly, looking as if she was reliving some long-​past nightmare. She had a look similar to lost Alzheimer patients I’ve seen.
I don’t understand why people would give this place a good review. I have a theory that perhaps this restaurant is targeted at elderly folks who’s palates have dimmed to the point that gumming down some unseasoned veggies and bland fish will suffice.
A note to the exec. chef/​ownership: If you guys ran out of ingredients, 86 the dish, don’t put it out there with all the elements not on the plate. Also maybe 86 your front of house, she’s a liability. To whoever made the bread, thank you. It was the only part of my experience that didn’t upset me, and for a short time I was almost happy. Try to find a better restaurant if you can.

This is a gem. Fresh off a weekend of fine dining in NYC, the food here held its own and then some. The house made sausage, stuffed mozzarella and hen blew my mind. The waitress was upbeat and knowledgable.

OK, now that I have eaten dinner at Dalla Cucina twice and enjoyed their breakfast/​brunch menu at least eight times this summer, it if official. Hands down, one of the very finest restaurants in Provincetown.
Gorgeous dining room with glorious street side patio as well as private patio dining in the rear of this stately old home nestled in the gallery district of Commercial Street.
Service has been exceptional on all visits and Shelly, my delightful brunch server has my iced coffee in front of me before I even ask for it.
Breakfast/​brunch menu by Provincetown institution and living legend Noreen is the best in town. No one does French Toast, Eggs Benedict, or Cobb Salad the way she does. She is the undisputed queen of hollandaise. Classic, Steak, Lobster, Smoked Salmon, you pick your Benedict and I guaranty you will be licking the plate!
The dinner is beyond exceptional and Chef Michael and his team make all pasta’s in house, use the freshest seasonal produce, fish, and dairy. On my most recent visit, my guest had the striped bass and it was incredibly fresh and exquisitely prepared. The calamari appetizer is the best preparation I have ever had with a sweet & sour balsamic glaze. ! I ordered the hen on the suggestion of two of the servers and it had perfectly crisp skin glazed with marsala and moist breast and leg meat. On a previous visit I had the Pasta Vongole done with smoked prosciutto and peperoncini and it was a lick the plate clean experience.
On the recommendation of the bus boy Tom, I tried the fried artichoke appetizer done with an amazing mint/​pecorino pesto. I later learned that our busboy/​food runner was actually the owner! He was very sweet and it is evident he takes his business very seriously.
Bravo, bravo, bravo!

First of all, the service here is impeccable. My partner dropped her fork and the waiter swooped in and replaced it without fuss. I later spilled on my brand new shirt and was brought a glass of soda water to tend to it (it fared well!). Clearly, we were a hot mess there but the service did not make us feel that way. The waiter was attentive but not overly so.
My partner and I ordered different entrees and sampled one another’s meals. Both were clearly homemade with fresh ingredients.

High fives for all the Unilocalers who convinced me to come here — it was delicious and our waiter Tim was top notch.
First off — the garlic soaked bread that comes out with sundried tomato spread is worth the trip alone. Amazing.
For our appetizer we got the ricotta gnoccis and they were good but not the best part of the meal.
For my dinner I got the gnoccis, which are in half pesto and half tomato sauce. The gnoccis were soft and pillowy morsels of awesome and the tomato sauce was simply delicious.
Boyfriend got the stone grilled chicken and it was huge, super tasty and incredibly moist.
Overall our dinner here was probably the best we had on our vacation and we’d come back anytime.

Dalla Cucina has me suddenly wondering things like «if I could get a direct flight to Boston, and get right on the ferry to Provincetown, could I be sitting down with a Bermuda Storm cocktail some time this evening?»
Like a previous reviewer, my husband and I were in town for two nights and after one meal at Dalla Cucina, we went right back the second night (and would have gone for a third, if we could have!). We have been visiting Provincetown annually for years now — but have never found an amazing place to eat. Many great snacks and many great «Cape Cod» places, but nothing that stood out. Dalla Cucina just blew everything else away.
So first off, I just want to say that Tim — who was our server the 1^st night, and the bartender the 2^nd night, is absolutely awesome. He was charming, genuine, and just plain cool — along with being also technically very good at his job (attentive, knowledgeable, quick, etc). The food was perfect, but Tim still beat it somehow. I think he must really enjoy this career, to pull it off that well.
As for the food! The 1^st night I had a wonderful plate of proscuitto and parmesan (parma e parma!) to start off. Brilliantly simple — the kind of dish that only works when you use the best ingredients there are. A small dish of balsamic rounded it all off — and well it was so clean and perfect that I actually had it again the 2^nd night. Yum, and Yum. My husband had fried risotto balls one night, and a gnocchi appetizer the next — he loved them both — the risotto especially. Oh, and we loved their bread! Simple cubes of housemade foccacia, served with a tomato jam of sorts. Kind of a nice teaser amount of bread — not a huge loaf that you later regret eating (as in, when you’re too full for dessert — which you should definitely not be!!).
I had their whole branzino for my 1^st entrée — and again, it was simple and perfect. I literally ate every last speck of flesh off of that carcass. I’ll admit that my manner of eating may not have fit in with the elegance of the atmosphere — but no one seemed to care or notice, and if anything there was a nod of approval once the busser removed the truly clean skeleton from the table. My husband actually tried to rationalize licking his plate clean — explaining that it would not have been as ugly a scene as watching me eat the fish. I told him to go for it, but he wimped out. Oh, and he had their pork chop special — which was served with a blueberry sauce and something else I can’t recall (I was very occupied!). He devoured it though — and was kind of sad that it was not a regular menu item.
The second night I had their seafood stew — a great mix of seafood and all of it cooked perfectly (I hate it when you get these kinds of dishes and some fish is overcooked, some fish is under). They actually pulled this one off the bill because after two tries, the chef didn’t get it up to his standard. I actually thought it was great though and would have gladly paid for it. If I had any complaint — I would only say that the menu desribed a light saffron broth, and I wasn’t tasting saffron at all. But that is a total minor afterthought, given the complete deliciousness of the dish.
Desserts & drinks were also fantastic — tiramisu was perfection, and the Bermuda Storm martini was sinful. Tim also graciously sent over a few other tastes — yummy lemon martini type things… Now that I think about it, by the end of the evening I was probably only a few sips away from telling him I was in love with him… Luckily he knew when to cut me off, and we were all saved that particular embarassment. See — he’s intuitive, too!
So a couple of great meals at a new great place! Great service, great food, great vibe all around (seating cramped, but whatever). I hope to return to Provincetown and to Dalla Cucina sooner than next July!