Lago Cucina in New South Wales

"We had a wonderful experience at the restaurant! All the food was absolutely delicious — we especially loved the steak and the octopus, both were cooked to perfection. The service was outstanding, very attentive and friendly. The cocktails were also fantastic. As a chef myself, I truly appreciated the quality and can confidently recommend this restaurant to my friends. We will definitely be back!"

"So fabulous that we have booked in already for June. A wonderful surprise on our way back from Newcastle. It’s hard to pick our favourite as each dish was sublime. That said, my all time favourite dish is zucchini flowers and Lago Cucina does it superbly. The service was impeccable and I would like to give Andrew a big shout out…super friendly and attentive. Wish all restaurants had someone like him. See you all in June!"

"Located above the Budgiewoi Hotel Is a rather large Italian restaurant with nice river views on the front side, it has a warm dimly lit romantic ambience but also a light tropical feel. I was greeted warmly, shown to my table and made feel welcomed. Drinks were made with a generous nip of alcohol and served promptly. Entrees; Were fairly fast to arrive, the octopus was semi tender with a slight chewiness but still very nice, the accompanying romesco had a surprisingly medium chilli hit to it and the fried chic peas had a wonderful texture and added an extra dimension to the delightful dish. ( Entrees ranged from $7 -$19 ) The mains ; The wood fire pizza was perfect. Soft and fluffy, good crust, thin base but not too thin, the whole thing made and Cooked exactly right. It was of medium size. ( pizza ranged from $26-$30 ) The pork belly ( no crackle ) was also cooked perfectly and it was tender and went well with the soft mash celeriac but I have to say the accompanying fennel wasn’t good, it was under cooked and very hard to chew, almost raw and very stringy. I like fennel raw that wasn’t the issue, but fennel cooked only slightly does not have a nice texture and against the softness of the pork and celeriac it was completely out of place being so hard and crunchy, on what would of been an otherwise perfect plate of food. My only other complaint is that it was a very small portion, it was more a portion of an entree than a main, with only a few slithers of pork belly, 3 teaspoons of mash and 3 finger sized portions of fennel, the dish was a bit overpriced at $36 for what it was. ( mains ranged from $34-$42 ) Dessert ; I’ve had tiramisu almost every where on the coast and have been totally disappointed until now … Finally I have found a restaurant on the coast that can actually make tiramisù properly .. So Thankful It was everything it should be, rich delicious thick and creamy with a hint of sweet and just the right amount of coffee. Perfect. The extra little addition of toasted flaked almonds on top was a wonderful bonus and a textual delight. Desserts were all reasonably priced at around $14. All staff were pleasant and the Service was good, maybe a little over attentive if anything. The music was playing at a good level with Easy listening modern hits. Would I return, yes. Would I recommend, yes. Bookings are essential ( with credit card ) Suitable for an intimate dinner for 2 up to a large function."

"Fantastic experience especially customer service wise. It’s 10/10. We were really looked after! Chicken options are limited surprisingly. Overall, food is superb with what we chose, ambience is superb and no words about customer service! Thoroughly enjoyed."

"We had such a beautiful lunch here today. We came to celebrate my Mums birthday and from the moment we arrived the service was outstanding. Jacob went out of his way to accommodate us. He was so warm and welcoming and he also has a great sense of humor. All the dishes we had were outstanding. The oysters were a standout but we thoroughly enjoyed everything including the delicious cocktails. We will definitely be back."

"This place is wonderful. The food, the service, the atmosphere. The team were engaging, funny and patient The meals were off the charts, we all loved our dishes and had food envy because everyone else's meals looked great. Thanks for having us!"

"Christmas lunch was scrumptious and so much to eat.staff were very fast and friendly and helpful. Mum is 94 and she ate everything. Cocktails were yumny thx so much"

"Authentic Italian flavours and great food. I had the Quattro Formaggi – rich, creamy, and delicious. My partner ordered the gnocchi with truffle and mushrooms, which was very good (a little more truffle would make it perfect). Desserts were cheesecake and tiramisu, both simple but well balanced and full of flavour. Really enjoyed the experience and will definitely be back. Highly recommended! PS: I’m an Italian chef, so I really appreciate authentic Italian food."