When I worked evenings in San Luis Obispo, my colleagues and I ordered dinner from Cugini’s in the Marigold Center more times than I can count. We liked the pastas—especially the butternut squash ravioli—wood-fired pizzas, and salads.
So when I heard that Cugini’s was expanding to Santa Maria, I eagerly visited within a week of the restaurant’s mid-May opening. The locally owned pizzeria and trattoria is on Betteravia Road across from Target.
I took the whole family. We kept it quick and simple, ordering pizza by the slice and the terrific three-salad sampler.
My children could not have been happier, nibbling on the pizza, homemade pasta salads, baby greens, cherry tomatoes and little mozzarella balls, and fresh baked bread.
We will definitely be back to this clean, family-friendly, affordable restaurant for more tasty food!
Owner Louise Pippin was very attentive, catering to every customer in her restaurant that evening.
Pippin has owned Cugini’s in San Luis Obispo for nearly eight years, and since she’s a Santa Maria native and resident, she decided to expand to her hometown.
She’s no stranger to the food industry, having worked in restaurants for 42 years. She once owned Lompoc Burgers and Nick’s Place in Orcutt and then in Pismo Beach.
She knows how to take care of her customers and admits that it’s a lot of work to run a restaurant—not to mention two.
“Yeah, it is! You’re married to it,” Pippin said. “But you know what? I like people! I’m a people person, so that’s what I love.”
Pippin’s mother is Sicilian, so she grew up eating Southern Italian specialties. She takes pride in bringing reasonably priced, homemade, authentic Italian cuisine to the Central Coast.
“I’m proud of everything because it’s all from scratch; we use extra virgin olive oil, we get our vegetables from Nipomo so we try to use as much local [produce] as we can.”
The most popular items on Cugini’s menu are the pizza slices and the salads.
“A lot of people like to come in and get the salad sampler: three salads [for $8.99],” she said.
I tasted my way through more than a dozen Cugini’s salads, and they were all delicious! My favorites were the fresh beet salad prepared with olive oil, mint, and parsley; pasta salads; Mediterranean salad made with cucumbers, red onions, tomatoes, olive oil, and red wine vinegar; and the house salad, which is butter lettuce, baby lettuce, Romano cheese, and cherry tomatoes with a balsamic vinegar and gorgonzola dressing.
In a hurry? No problem. Customers can order a variety of pizzas by the slice: cheese ($2.99) or with toppings ($3.25).
“It doesn’t take that long to get your food,” Pippin said, “because the pizza is about 95 percent cooked and then it goes into the oven to finish off, and out the door they go.”
Or put in your order for a wood-fired, thin-crust or rustic family-style pan of pizza or pasta dish, then sit down in the attractive dining room and start with a salad and wine or beer.
Craving carbs? You can’t go wrong with the homemade pastas. There’s lasagna; a handmade ravioli of the day; penne al forno, wood-fired baked pasta with meatball wedges and eggplant; capellini in bianco with a creamy roasted garlic fontina sauce or al pomodoro with tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil; penne San Luca with chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, and basil; or the traditional spaghetti and meatballs.
There are cold or hot sandwiches, including the primavera with tomato, basil, buffalo mozzarella, and avocado; the Cugini Special with mortadella, soppressata salami, capocollo, and provolone; hot roast beef and cheese with caramelized onions; eggplant and provolone; and pastrami with provolone, mustard, and pepperoncini.
The restaurant also serves Greek food, such as salad and gyros, “and it’s the real tzatziki sauce,” Pippin added.
Cugini’s caters, too.
“We have foot-long sandwiches, full pans of lasagna, penne al forno, eggplant parmesan,” Pippin said.
And it wouldn’t be a true trattoria experience without Italian dessert: Cugini’s desserts—including cannoli, tiramisu, and cheesecake—are all made fresh daily.
The new Cugini’s in Santa Maria is open every day from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 230 E. Betteravia Road, Suite G.
Mangia! Mangia!
Sun food and wine writer Wendy Thies Sell wants to hear about your favorite restaurant. Write to her at wthies@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 6-13, 2013.