Bottega Cucina

The only thing holding this back from 4 stars is the cramped seating and the pricing. $ 30 entrees are just overpriced for this atmosphere and plating. I know they say it is local and organic but it is price gauging in my opinion. That being said the waiter was great — friendly and had answers for everything. The rabbit spring rolls were excellent — 4 small rolls for $ 13. The tortellini app was very tasty as well. We tried the sea bass entrée, chicken parm and the duck breast. All fabulous, no complaints but would be back sooner if the bill was not white table cloth high.

Absolutely disgusted with my experience with this restaurant for lunch. My office ordered take out and three of us ordered eggplant parmesan grinders. We got back from picking it it and all three grinders had two paper thin slices of eggplant on them. There wasn’t even enough eggplant on the sandwich for it to be considered a sandwich. In addition there was no sauce on any of them. I called the restaurant to voice my concern and received no help at all. They said they would call me back and never did. Very disappointed. For $ 9.00 you should get more than a sliver of eggplant.

Well we pulled in and planned for the worst. Tiny place in a strip mall and no liquor! I have to say this place is a diamond in the rough!!! Knowledgeable staff, great wine selection and FANTASTIC FOOD! Daily specials were very good, great apps! Don’t miss this place!

After reading the mixed reviews, I can see why there is such a wide spread of opinions. It was good advice to order a half portion for dinner. My salmon was prepared well, but the sides (glazed carrots and glazed beets) were lacking. Very small portion on the sides. The person refilling the water was certainly ‘on task’ to the point of slightly annoying. My friends all enjoyed their meals very much. The atmosphere is nice and friendly. For 4 people, dinner and drinks cost $ 200. In my opinion, it doesn’t warrant a return trip for that price.

What a ruby! Some of the best Italian I’ve had. A sweetly romantic ambiance and friendly staff make you want to overstay your visit. I was there for the first time last night, and they boasted Thai Tuesday on the specials board. I so badly wanted to try their Italian fare, as, well, it’s an Italian joint, but, I was smitten with the thought of crispy smoked duck with jasmine fried rice and a fried egg. Holy wow! So good. I savoured every bite! They offer a nice selection of beer and wine and the desserts! I had the molten chocolate cake and still thinking about it. Rich in flavour, light in texture with just the right amount of whipped cream. I am going back on Saturday for my birthday dinner and I can hardly wait! Thank you Orpheus!

Less than impressed. Though the calamari was good and the pesto was delicious, our meals were boring. The bread was undercooked, the salad was plain and boring and the meals were average. My husband ordered a pasta with chicken and there were only a couple pieces of chicken in there. I had spaghetti and meatballs with a bland marinara sauce and plain meatballs. Wouldn’t go back.

TINY little place, but a gem for lunch.
Tho: I do warn you, the service can be rather slow at times. It was over an hour for lunch there the other day, only one server on the floor. That said, I wasn’t in a rush, so it was ok. Just be prepared if you are.
It’s a nice change from most of the surround area, and the waitstaff thus far has proven to be very nice. The flavors are bold, but not too overpowering.
A fresh soup every day.
A soup and salad/​sandwich combo!
A great selection of beers and wines, a large amount of them local.
My only dig at all is the proliferate use of Ciabatta in the sandwiches and appetizers. I don’t know why, but they don’t strike me as very upscale. They seem store bought. I’d prefer nice, local, fresh baked bread and rolls. And a difference between what you serve sandwiches on and what you make your garlic bread out of, but that’s just me, I guess.
I will definitely be coming back for lunches!

After rave reviews from multiple sources decided to give Bottega a go.
Immediately walking in, realized this is a very cozy locale and have to be prepared for some creative seating arrangements :)
After getting seated, the staff was friendly and very attentive and knew the menu well.
When it came to the food, we might have caught them in an off night but thought other Italian restaurants in the area really shine compared to the Bottega.
For the price, there were definitely better options; but to be fair, will try and give it another go at some point down the road, and re-​rate appropriately.

What a fun find– this tiny place tucked away. Who knew? I was at the movies and a friend said let’s go for a bite after. He said there’s Italian across the street. I thought he meant in the shopping plaza, but he didn’t. We cut through the fire station yard and there it was. Tiny, but smelled so good.
Service was pleasant and quick, and the food was great. I had a simple pasta with chicken and broccoli. This is a favorite dish of mine and will determine if I’ll return. I will, it was that good. Also– I really liked the pesto oil for dipping bread.
I don’t know how crowded they get at dinner with such a small place– but it was perfect for lunch.

Awesome Italian with heaping portions. Very friendly staff and super convenient if you’re looking for a nice dinner right before the movies on date night. It was good, missing a little extra love in the seasoning but I’ve definitely had worse, and this isn’t it. Pricey so if you’re looking for cheap, got to tbell or something lol

This is a small, quaint little place that is a find that most people look for but rarely ever discover!
Yes, it’s small, yes it’s next to a mini-​mart, but none of that matters when you experience the food! Congratulations to chef David, you hit it out of the park for my wife and I.
If your looking for exceptional food in a quaint atmosphere, this is the place.

Good food. Brussel sprouts a great appetizer. Salad wasn’t the best. Pasta dishes very yummy. Beer and wine was great as well

First I want to start off saying that this is the first time I have ever written a review on Unilocal,that is how passionately I feel about detouring people from this restaurant.
I dined with 2 other people, and 2 of the 3 returned their meals. I ordered the eggplant Parmesan. What I received was 3 ice cold mini medallions of frozen eggplant on top of cold penne. The sauce tasted like a tin can.
Also, the service was TERRIBLE! When I told my waiter that I did not like the taste of my meal, no apologies were given instead he chose to never return to our table and then we had to deal with a pushy hostess. Who literally reached across the table to grab a plate and hit me in the face with her arm.
Lastly don’t even think of ordering the flatbread pizza. It is a cracker (or stale motza) topped with canned sauce and unmelted cheese.
we dine out frequently and we all agreed this was the worst restaurant we ever have been to.
Overpriced, disgusting food!

Went to Bottega Cucina right before a movie, and was not disappointed! I ordered a butternut squash totellacci which had a delicious walnut and maple cream sauce over it as an appetizer. I then enjoyed the Rompicompo, which was a tasty pasta with salmon and red pepper sauce, which I enjoyed with a well paired wine. The servers were friendly, attentive, and prompt. The food was delicious. I will be back ;)

Food was okay, the cloth they give u to put on your lap, or whatever it smelled like a dead duck. How often do they suppose to wash those. I don’t think they been washed since they open. Will not go back.

Three long years since I’ve darkened this portal.
All is still more than well! Amazing happy fast staff, whisking out your excellent food/​beverage!
Thanks Bottega Cucina!

Awesome meal and incredible service. It’s a must!!! I would recommend mend this to anyone in the area. Outstanding!

Well this place was a fun little find. As other people have mentioned, it’s an Italian restaurant found right next to a mini mart/​convenience store. It would be really easy to miss if you weren’t looking for it.
It’s a cute little place with a handful of tables and a small bar area that overlooks the kitchen. They have a handful of beer on tap (a surprisingly varied selection for such a small restaurant). They also have a wine list that, admittedly, I didn’t peruse to thoroughly.
They have a variety of salads, pastas, flatbreads and entrees. I opted for the Ricotta pasta in half portion (yes! they have half portions!). It was good, but some of my co-​diners had better meals. The pasta was a touch overcooked for my tastes and it could use some more seasoning, but I still ate most of it. My friend’s Penne Vodka was more my style — I’ll get that next time.
Overall, I’d say 3.5 stars. I’ll come back again to try some of the other pasta dishes.

Lost its luster.
What happened after 5 visits, typically Chef Phil greets you with a smile, hello and enthusiastically suggests his latest beer find. Not today
We sat at bar seat only to be greeted with a suggestion to take a table. Then after reviewing the menu we were hounded to order even before the evenings libations were poured. What happened to the ambiance of getting something to hold down the thirst before even considering the menu.
After several minutes of wondering what the kitchen was making, I saw several dishes being rejected by customers. Perhaps the junior chefs were having a bad night, the staff was having an off night, and owner was having a slow week. But nothing should take away the feeling of stepping into an old world Italian gold mine only to be dejected by bad food and poor service.
I typically would have given them ⁴⁄₅ stars, tonight just felt like fast food chinese.
Pasta needs attention, another plate was just refused. Never again. Love the beer but the pasta was completely off. Sorry Chef Phil you lost our business forever.

Set in an unassuming location next to a shady looking convenience store Bottega Cucina is really the hidden gem of West Springfield. I’ve had this place bookmarked forever and finally stopped in tonight. I had no idea what to expect inside based on the look of the outside, but was really surprised upon entering; It is really nice. We were seated right away and an awesome waitress greeted us. She started us off with complimentary bread and a garlic/​basil oil. The oil was soo good we asked for a second bread and oil setup. I was really impressed with the quality of the beers on tap from Stone to Dogfish Head. Although the beers were impressive, most of what was on tap sadly didn’t go well with Italian food. I settled on a German Pilsner which was lighter and a good prelude to the heavier fare to come. We started with the mushroom crostini appetizer. It was very good, with a great decadent sauce and a ton of mushrooms, but would have been easier to eat with sliced mushrooms. I had a small Caesar salad before my dinner and wasn’t expecting to see they put capers on the salad, but it was awesome and worked. My wife had the Chicken Parmesan and I had the Spaghetti Puttanesca for our entrees. The chicken Parm was tender and delicious, especially the sauce. My puttanesca was loaded with olives and capers. I really enjoyed it, and would get it again. We had the chocolate mousse dessert. It was homemade and very good. If you’ve never been try not to be put off by the exterior and the EZ mart next door. Keep an open mind and walk in! Our server was awesome, very soft spoken, patient, and attentive. One of the best restaurants in West Springfield. Will definitely go back.
Stopped in for dinner and ordered the same spaghetti puttanesca for a second time tonight. I Have to say it wasn’t as good as the first time. It had almost half the olives and capers as the first time I was there and was lacking in sauce. Our complementary bread for the table was stale. My wife’s two attempts at ginger ale and sprite both failed because the soda machine was acting up. I read this before and now believe it about the half portion being almost exactly the same size as the full portion. It’s like an illusion because of the bigger plate, but for like $ 10 more it’s a ripoff. Service was still pretty decent as they were not very busy. Still have great beers on tap. But I’m on the fence about whether I’d go back or go to A Touch Of Garlic.