Ovo
Italian
Organic
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Offers a few vegetarian and vegan dishes. Open Tue-Sat 17:00-00:00, Sun 12:00-00:00.


Venue map for Cuculia
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26 Reviews

First Review by sebbacon

WholeFoodLovers

Points +988

Vegetarian
28 Oct 2024

6 Star Vegan Meal

We happened upon this restaurant because it was open and near our AirBnB. We didn't realize what a gem we had found until we were greeted. You must stop what you are doing and dine here! This is the most extraordinary vegan food!!! In the international Green Guide of 1200 restaurants evaluated on how they present vegetables they are 94! Well worth the extra cost. We had such an amazing dinner we booked for a few days later at lunch and the chef created a whole new menu for us. When you walk in let them know you are vegan and they will make food just for you. Each bite of everything was packed with flavor, creativity and originality. The onion soup was worth moving to Florence for. This is a 5 star dining experience, the whole package from concept to delivery.

Updated from previous review on 2024-10-28

Pros: Creative use of vegetables, Amazing food, Customized menu just for you.

Cons: Not located near our home city.

robertajoiner

Points +219

Vegan
04 Oct 2024

Fabulous extravagant vegan tasting menu

We happened to pass by the small, beautiful restaurant on our way back to our apartment and saw the vegan tasting menus, looked up the reviews and decided to try it! We arrived at opening with our 7 pm reservation, and were “wowed” for 3 1/2 hours! We decided to go bust and ordered the7 course meal which ended up 11 courses and our 4 wine tastings became 7. Each and every course was exquisite! If you view the menu, there are only a few vegan things mentioned, but know that many more are possible. Portions were perfect and the service was excellent, with explanation of both the food and the wines served. Every wine (and bonus house made apple kombucha) were excellent and pairings were appropriate. It is definitely a splurge - but we are glad we did it. The memory of a lifetime!

Pros: Food presentation and flavor, Excellent, attentive service, Tables far enough apart for privacy

BeachwoodVegan

Points +24

Vegan
14 Apr 2024

Exceptional Vegan meal

We had the Vegan tasting menu, which was beautiful, intriguing and delicious. A great and highly recommended dining experience!

Pros: Food quality, Presentation, Ambiance

hazelkd

Points +44

Vegan
31 Oct 2023

GREAT vegan options!!

I ordered the 6 course chef creations meal and they made it all vegan for me. It was delicious every step of the way. The seitan steak was actually the best vegan steak I’ve ever had. The service was incredible and the ambiance was perfect. Can’t wait to come back!

Pros: Seitan steak, Kombucha, Gelato

StevenBecker

Points +89

Vegan
01 Oct 2023

Our Favorite in Tuscany

The owner is so sweet and very creative. Vegan options available but they are so creative they could do something on the fly. We went here twice which breaks our number one rule but it was worth it. We will miss this when home but will make this part of our future plans

Pros: The owner. Actually the entire staff, Everything we ate!, Great wine recommendations

Cons: The fact that they are not where I live

GiovannaFernandes

Points +32

Vegan
06 Jul 2023

Delicious vegan dishes

Had a strawberry gazpacho and a seitan with coconut milk that were both so so so good. Also, since I mentioned to the waiter I’m vegan they brought some amuse bouche that were all vegan as well

CaliJenn

Points +66

Vegan
17 Oct 2022

Fancy, special dinner. Amazing service, good food.

They understand vegan and vegetarian. Menu items clearly marked. Limited vegan but 2-3 dishes and one vegan dessert. In additional we were served a surprise starter gratis and it was delicious! They are all about presentation and unique flavors. They use modern techniques and push the envelop (eg a tomato that isn’t a tomato but is filled with chickpea purée; outside made to look like tomato - see pics). My main, the seitan, was too aggressively seasoned but everything else was perfect.

Updated from previous review on 2022-10-17

Pros: Amazing, attentive service, Homemade seitan , Fancy plates

Cons: Too expensive (main 24 Euro), Limited vegan options

Colter

Points +114

Vegan
15 Aug 2022

Alright

They had 1 vegan appetizer and 1 main. I had the main, which seitan. It was quite good but small and expensive. Fancy place

Mealeva

Points +829

Vegan
27 Oct 2021

Needs to improve

The chef has good ideas but the taste is not there yet. All dishes were too salty. Staffs are very professional. Music is annoying and too loud though.

Cons: Too loud music

Healthygal

Points +71

Vegetarian
15 Nov 2019

Sublime, intoxicating food

This was quite a surprise.
The food was excellent, imaginative and delicious.
Vegetarians and vegans would be thrilled with the choices and care that this couple make in creating a relaxed beautiful surrounding with exceptional food.

Pros: Fresh organic, Very delicious , Great staff and atmosphere

Cons: Not open for lunch except sunday, Would be an extraordina place if only vegannand ve

laureasia

Points +42

Vegan
08 May 2019

Good vegan options

We had a nice quiet dinner there yesterday. The place was empty but it was a Tuesday evening. Good options for both vegans and meat eaters, and the waitress was lovely

Pros: Vegan options: Risotto, Seitan, Tofu

JinnyChanny

Points +54

Vegan
12 Apr 2019

Delicious fine dining

The food here was delicious. It began with a complimentary amuse bouche of carrot soup / purée topped with a melon foam and quinoa and mint crumble, which was full of umami goodness. Starters were just as tasty, and we tried the home made tofu and chard wrapped fennel. There were some really nice and new (to me!) flavour combinations in later courses, and they had a good range of vegan puddings e.g coconut creme brûlée which tasted great. We had good service throughout the meal, and it seemed like everyone else in the restaurant did too. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this place.

Pros: Good vegan options , Delicious and exciting food, Nice atmosphere

Cons: Expensive (worth the cost)

KnitSpirit

Points +250

Vegetarian
15 Oct 2018

Parfait !

Une cuisine à tomber par terre, des serveurs adorables, un lieu agréable, l'idéal pour une soirée en famille ou en amoureux ! Grand choix de plats végétariens (non négligeable pour une ville où la spécialité est la bistecca alla fiorentina).

IdunRamstad

Points +58

Vegan
30 Sep 2018

Disappointing

Despite one really negative review, and mostly positive ones, we decided to give it a go. When we finally got a table at 22 (it was a saturday and we hadn't pre-booked, so our fault), we had to wait 15 minutes for water, another 15 for our drinks, and another 15 for the complimentary bread and free (vegan) soup. It was super delicious! We had ordered a starter (the vegan salad, as the waiter told us the lentil and tofu balls werent vegan?), and seitan for main, whilst my boyfriends mother ordered a steak. A good 30 minutes after the soup, we got the starter, but at the same time (!!) my mother in law got her main course. We complained, saying that we wanted all three main courses at the same time. They didnt care, just offered us free vegetables at our meal. Shortly after, we got what seemed like a hurried seitan not marinated properly (some bits were delicious, but the main part of it just tasted like bland, unmarinated seitan), and we only got 1 plate of vegetables (we asked for 1 each). Maybe it was because they stressed about our main, but the vegetables were overcooked, not even salted (my mother in law had vegetables with her meal, and they were nicely cooked, salted and even had pine nuts in them!) and we did not even bother to eat them. We were quite disappointed that after waiting that long, and having the experience ruined, noone seemed to care. My mother in law had to eat very slowly to avoid finishing her meal before we got ours. In the end, all we got for free was a bowl of plain vegetables we didnt even eat. Noone apologized or asked us about our food. And when we left, it looked like they were laughing at us, for having complained. Anyong considering going here: reconsider. Waiting 1 hour for plain seitan and ignorant service is not worth it.

Pros: Has vegan options

Cons: Long waiting time, Bad service , Mediocre food

SophieCox

Points +92

Vegan
15 Jun 2018

worst food I've eaten

Me and my partner went here as it was close to where we were staying. None of the menu states its vegan so we asked what was. The lady serving us went to ask, but didn't get back to us so we had to ask again. We were told everything without meat and fish,and didn't mention the cheese dishes, which didn't have vegan cheese option when asked. Overall the food came out and was a tiny portion which had flowers on and actually tasted like laundry detergent.all in all the worst food I've had on my trip and at least triple the price avoid at all costs.

Cons: pretentious expensive and not good food

ElieGo

Points +150

Vegan
31 Aug 2017

Perfect

I want to give them 6 stars but happycow only allows 4. Running on their chianti houswine I shall tell you that fhe food was delicious, as was their wine. The desert was to die for. Warm chocolate and fruits. And the waitress was outstanding and great about advising vegan options on the menu. Highly recommend.

JonSpectre

Points +50

Vegan
07 Aug 2017

One of the best.

Seitan so good it scares Jesus. Super nice waitresses and amazing food, huge vegan menu and great option.

faerycake

Points +98

Vegan
03 Sep 2015

Beautiful!

This restaurant was a really special place, and I'd highly recommend it if you want a slightly more expensive night out. What was really noticable (and appreciated) was how careful the staff were about veganism; the pasta my partner wanted wasn't vegan, so he chose the gnocchi instead, but was then informed they could make his original choice vegan especially if he wanted. (He ended up sticking with the gnocchi, which was delicious!) I had some equally delicious stuffed pasta, and enjoyed every mouthful! We were also given some absolutely wonderful (and also vegan) cold soup to start with. To summarize, the setting was beautiful and the food looked and tasted equally beautiful! If you have a really massive appetite, you might find the portions quite small, but it was great for us. As this isn't totally vegetarian, I can't give it five stars, but I would if I had the chance.

Pros: beautiful restaurant, helpful staff, fresh & sophisticated food

Plantp0wer

Points +105

Vegan
10 Aug 2015

Amazing plant-based food and heartwarming service

The host of our B&B (http://www.homeinflorence.com/) recommended this place and are very excited about the high quality of the yummy plant-based food, warm welcome by the staff and great ambiance. For starters the restaurant offered a delicious cold potato soup where after we shared the rice roll with noodles, crispy vegetables, and organic shoyu sauce. As the main course I ate the cool aubergine Millefoglie with rice and beetroot disk, carrots and celery salad and avocados. All very delicious and made with lots of fresh ingredients and care. The restaurant claims to serve only ethically sourced meat and fish dishes but I haven't seen any evidence of that and wonder for example where they source the rabbit they offer (as higher welfare systems are scarce) Anyway, if you're looking for top vegetarian and vegan food in Florence this is the place to be!

mroot

Points +36

Vegan
10 Oct 2014

Wonderful Culinary Delight

My husband and I ate at at Cuculia on our last night in Florence. The staff was friendly and helpful with our choices. We are vegan so there were many options for us. The spinach beet salad was delicious, and our main courses were full of flavor and freshness. The cuisine was a mix of Italian and Mediterranean flavors. We asked about the chef and he is from Venezuela. Excellent gourmet and creative food. Highly Recommend this restaurant.

Pros: High Quality Food, Friendly Staff, Ambiance

Cons: located on busy street, window seats open to busy street

HappyGina

Points +85

Vegan
21 Sep 2014

Loved it! :)

VERY charming place! The waitress was very sweet and made me feel very welcome :) I asked her for the "vegano" choices and she said the best was the beef. LOL.. I said.. "no, no, vegano..." She laughed. Perhaps my Italian isn't so good. She did say that the menu literally JUST changed in the past week, and I'm not sure what that meant. I THINK it meant there are less vegan options. I could be wrong though. And honestly, I don't she didn't really know what vegan meant completely, so I had to keep asking specifically about each non-vegan ingredient. But she was very patient with me, and another sweet woman came out to help clear my conscience so it's all good :)

Anyway, I was starving, and ordered 2 meals so I could take one home for breakfast. lol I had the seitan in a white wine sauce with onions and grapes, surrounded by a delicate velvetty beet sauce. It was good.

I also had the pasta with porcini mushrooms in a light potato sauce I believe. Very good :)

I, too, was given a complimentary appetizer of a foccacia "stick" (soft bread in the shape of a stick) in an AMAZING sauce made of ... hmm... I don't remember! lol it was good though :)

Overall, I enjoyed the experience and felt like a real human being eating at a real restaurant (I think my fellow vegans understand what this means.. hahaha) and the food was good and fresh and the presentation of everything was awesome! The portions seem a bit small but they really aren't, and they are definitely filling :)

5 cows up! :D

Pros: charming, friendly staff, good food

Cons: vegan awareness could be better, a little pricey

axis777

Points +114

Vegan
07 Jun 2014

Outstanding!

This is a fairly small and unassuming place from the outside, but don't be fooled. The vegetarian food here is incredible. My wife and I ordered the seitan "steak" in a tamarind/carrot sauce and am organic spinach salad. We were first served a really delicious vegan potato soup "compliments of the chef" (see photo). Then came a huge salad for two, with delicate young spinach, carrots and peas. Finally the seitan steak arrived - the best seitan I've ever had! The sauce was incredible and the seitan was firm without being chewy. We saw other people eating meat dishes, so you have to be prepared for that, but all of the meals appeared to be high-end gourmet food. Don't miss this place when you're in Florence - we highly recommend it. It's just a couple of blocks south of the Ponte Carraria bridge. so it's easy to walk to from most of the city core. The menu is in Italian and English, and our waiter spoke both languages.

Updated from previous review on Saturday June 07, 2014

Pros: Delicious gourmet food, Many orgranic ingredients

Cons: They also serve meat, Somewhat expensive

Fruchtfledermaus05

Points +149

Vegan
06 Jun 2014

Excellent

My partner and I had dinner here on our first night in Florence, while I am vegan he is a dedicated Omni, and we were both very happy with our respective meals! The waitress was very helpful and pointed out which dishes were vegan (3 options, all looked delicious...)and we were served a starter of tasty gazpacho with a piece of tomato focaccia "on the house". I had an amazing pasta dish with a rich almond "cream" sauce with lots of lovely green chard, and my partner had a salmon steak in pea sauce. The house white was cold and delicious, and only 13 euro for a litre! There was no vegan desert, alas, but I was pretty stuffed after the meal anyway and quite happy with an espresso!

Pros: great food/drink, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff

Cons: bit pricey (but worth it for one night), no vegan desert option

brinnet

Points +36

Vegetarian
16 Jun 2013

Great for foodies!

I am vegan and tried out this location with my omnivorous extended family. We are a well traveled group with one meat-and-potatoes girl, and we all were pleased! The menu had three vegan options (I did have to ask them to point out what's vegan), but they were patient and understood. Prices are a little higher than average, but I thought it was well worth it. They even gave everyone at the table a bonus delicious gazpacho as a starter and dark chocolate candied orange peel for a dessert (not sure if either of these are standard). The portions were very fair, lovely presentation, and about a 5 minute walk from Ponte Vecchio. I would definitely recommend if you're looking for something a little different from the standard Italian fare :)

Pros: portion size

Cons: noisy location, limited vegan options

anjST29

Points +15

Vegetarian
24 Mar 2013

Sunday Brunch at Cuculia

We have just had a really lovely Sunday brunch at Cuculia. The waitress explained the menu to us when she realized that we didn't speak Italian. It was a set meal consisting of a selection of 5 small portions of vegetarian dishes and a small dessert, all served together on a platter. It was beautifully presented and very tasty. The staff are very friendly and the atmosphere relaxing. Cost 10 Euro each.

Pros: Excellent food, Friendly, Good value

Cons: No choices

sebbacon

Points +28

Vegan
28 Oct 2012

Surreal in a good way

This is some kind of art-library-cafe-restaurant. It's not veggie but there was a choice of vegetarian food. We were surprised to get a complimentary starter which was a gazpacho served in a cocktail glass, on a white plate decorated with swirls of green and orange purees. I'm writing this review a few weeks later and can't remember what I had for a main, but I do remember it was garnished with a flourish of two deep-fried strands of spaghetti! It was confusingly spectacular as you just don't expect that in a bar, and some of it tasted very, very nice.

Pros: surreal, creative, gourmet

Cons: surreal




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