Cugini
1556 Solano Ave.
Albany, East Bay
510.558.8000
| posthoc's Late Night Restaurant Guide |
Finally, wood burning oven-baked pizza in the East Bay! Just the aroma suggests relaxing evenings in a café in Italy. Cugini means "cousins," in this case the owners themselves. The boys are there to meet and greet and, from the moment you walk in until you’re waddling out the door, you’ll rarely feel unattended to here.
Cugini is a refuge for the garlic seeker, but there are also rewards for those less fond of the stinking rose. Sample the bruschetta: a satisfying combination of warm and cool, dry and wet, sweet and pungent. The Caesar salad has a tangy garlic tone. The calamari is spectacular: expertly prepared, these are not McSquid by a long shot and are served up with an addictive aioli. And these are just the starters!
The pizzas are Italian style, as opposed to Chicago or New York, and feature the margherita and quattro formaggi varieties among others. Pizzas are medium sized, thin crusted with very fresh ingredients on top. The wood smoke lends a subtle sweetness to the dough that you can’t get any other way.
The pasta selection includes the usual roundup (aglio e olio, clam sauce, etc.) plus a few less common ones, such as penne con pesce. These dishes are tasty and the pasta is a proper al dente, though on one visit the broccoli in the penne con broccoli was a bit undercooked (tender crisp is one thing, but not nutlike).
The place is a tad loud: you can expect to converse in a loud voice once a few tables have been filled. Service is pleasant and effective; the atmosphere is cheerful and bustling. Find garlic refuge at Cugini. Appetizers range from $4.95 to 8.95, dinners from $8.95 to 14.95. Cugini, 1556 Solano Ave., Albany, East Bay, 510.558.8000. 5 – 10 PM, Tuesday through Saturday; 4 – 9 PM, Sundays.
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