Italian Pasta Concept From Seattle, Due’ Cucina, Lands in Lakewood

Due’ Cucina, a Seattle-based Italian pasta house, has opened in Dallas’ Lakewood Shopping Center. The company has four other locations, all in the Seattle area.

We’re not sure how Due’ Cucina’s lone non-Washington state location found itself in Dallas, but we’re glad it did – we like this place a lot. The founders, Filippo Fiori and Davide Macchi, both originally from Italy, say they’re “armed with a passion for pasta and a desire to share the delish secrets of our nonnas and nonnos in every bite.” Fiori and Macchi curated the menu.

Due’ Cucina is a counter service-only operation. The space is small but has a decent amount of seating, and grabbing takeout orders here is a breeze. At the front counter, you’ll find touchscreen kiosks where you can customize and pay for your order.

You’ll choose a sauce and then a pasta (casarecce, spaghetti, paccheri, campanelle, bucatini). Some of the sauces include pomodoro (tomatoes, baby spinach, salted ricotta), kale pesto, carbonara (egg yolk, pecorino romano, cured pork cheek, black pepper), wild-caught smoked salmon, cacio e pepe, and short rib ragu made with chianti.

You can add extras such as sourdough bread, homemade pork sausage, poached egg, burrata, and ghost chili oil.

We opened with mushroom and white truffle oil over campanelle ($13.90) and added a shot of ghost chili oil for 50 cents. The campanelle was a proper al dente, and the mushrooms and white truffle oil are a match made in heaven. We highly recommend the ghost chili oil for anyone who wants to kick their pasta up a notch.

Next was an order of eggplant parmigiana ($11.90). In addition to sauces and pasta options, you can also find dishes like the aforementioned eggplant parm, lasagna alla Bolognese, homemade ravioli, bell pepper bruschetta and wings alla cacciatora (chicken wings in tomato sauce, veggies, herbs and olives). There’s also a marinated eggplant salad (grilled eggplant, mixed greens, smoked ricotta). The eggplant parm was nicely layered with fried eggplant, tomato, caciocavallo, and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Our dining partner ordered the lasagna ($14.90) and gave it high marks. The lasagna at Due’ Cucina is made of egg-dough pasta, Bolognese sauce, Parmigiano Reggiano and bechamel. For dessert, we tried a slice of Torta Della Nonna ($6.70). That translates to “Grandmother’s cake,” a rich custardy pastry topped with pine nuts. It was good – not overly sweet, but just enough.

We were impressed with Due’ Cucina as a fast-casual spot. We loved the breezy ordering process; everything was simple. And the prices weren’t bad either. It’s a place we can see ourselves returning to for future takeouts when the mood for pasta strikes, which is often.

Outdoor seating is also available, as well as wine, beer, cider and a couple of house cocktails (spritz and negroni). And for those of us requiring gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and vegetarian options – Due’ Cucina has you covered on all fronts.

Due’ Cucina, 1900 Abrams Parkway. Daily, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.