Cuckoo

I’ve been coming to Cuckoos for several years now. The food at this place is always delicious. Try the Cuckoos pizza, with chicken and feta. Food comes out quickly, but the service is inconsistent. Sometimes, it’s very responsive and other times it takes forever to order and ask for your bill.

Worst restaurant experience I have ever had let alone for a celebration, De villiers was our server for a table of 11, food was good however small portions, considering they were $ 30 platters, seafood was overcooked with no flavour and very poor serving amount for $ 20, however when it came to pay the bill I paid my $ 165 bill first on my card, selected no tip since I was leaving cash on the table, unfortunately found out about this after we had got home; but a couple people had witnessed the whole scenario, he looked at my interact receipt, and started mumbling in front of the next couple are you serious? No tip? While making angry noises, ended up getting to the birthday girls seat she went to pay, however I had already covered it, he then said I had paid but she can leave the tip, another couple had heard this remark, then when continuing to receive payments kept glaring at me apparently and mumbling rude remarks, then when back to the birthday girl, guilted and charged her credit card for a gratuity, we got up, left, luckily the person who witnessed it all grabbed my cash off the table as she realized he didn’t deserve a cent after all this. Upon getting home and hearing the story we were furious, called the manager told him the story and he said he would call back within the next day or two, what do you know, it’s been two weeks now, not a call back from this unprofessional, arrogant establishment, I have since told many people I know about our ruined birthday dinner, and since Cuckoos can’t find any customer service in themselves, here’s my poor review, strongly suggest avoiding this place

Fun Store and Ice cream. Their Italian restaurant «Cuckoos“is out of this world.
We are part of a rat pack touring show and performed in Qualicum Beach.
Wonderful locals and we became fast friends with many. Spent the day with one of the locals and he took us here. You know its great when tourists and locals love it alike!

We heard great things about Cuckoo but came away feeling pretty disappointed. The service was terrible and it was not very busy. t took 30 min to order our meals, a further 30 min for them to arrive, then nobody bothered to follow up and ask how they tasted. Our waiter forgot about us numerous times, and another one noticed twice and «filled in». The chicken cannelloni was good, but the pesto chicken linguine was bland and had no flavor, so we shared the cannelloni. At the end of the meal another 20 min passed before someone noticed we’d finished and had a full plate of linguine left, so they took it off the bill when we complained. We won’t be back, not that good at all.

I saw the reviews and decided to try this restaurant while staying in the area. I should start by saying that I’m first generation Italian Canadian so I should have definitively known better when the menu slogan was «never al dente». I asked the waitress what that meant and she said that real Italians never eat pasta al dente… I should have taken that as a warning and left but curiosity got the better of me. As a fluent and first generation Italian, that was news to me — never al dente. Mama mia! The pasta was so over cooked that I couldn’t wrap it around my fork. It was mush. If you can’t twirl the pasta around your fork, it is way way way too over done. The gnocchi was like mashed potato. The pizza was horrendous. Like sauce and basil on a cracker. If other diners like this food, that’s fine — they are entitled to their own opinions but if you are an Italian, or a connoisseur of Italian food do not eat here. We didn’t touch a thing after tasting. Our plates were full when they took them away and no one asked us why. They asked if we wanted them wrapped to go! LOL! I asked the waiter if it was normal that they offer to wrap up food that wasn’t eaten after 20 minutes. We didn’t touch it. Normally that’s an indication that something is off! But no one seemed to care. The service was not rude, but clearly not the standard we are used to. It’s a shame really, a beautiful spot and polite staff but inedible «Italian» food.

Great family style Italian. Reasonable prices for the quantities. Mostly pasta offered. Very accomodating of our children who had food allergies. Much appreciated.

Lovely dining experience. My boyfriend & I were staying at Free Spirit Spheres in Qualicum Beach about 20 minutes away and this restaurant was recommended to us. The patio seating is a must if the weather permits. Very large, cute view, and romantic lighting. After being seated, we waited AT LEAST 15 minutes before a server even approached us, which drives me nuts. After WE approached a server (who ended up being a fantastic server, so in the end. the wait didn’t bother me as our server made up for it!), I ordered the Mediterranean Cioppino, which was delicious, I highly recommend it. I ordered the Linguine al Granchio. which was actually pretty bland. Don’t feel bad for skipping that entrée. My boyfriend got the cannelloni’s which was very good. I’m pretty sure I picked at his food more than my own.

I have been to combs many many times before travelling from Europe back then and this restaurant is very new compare to most of the other things around here.
The dinning area is great both inside and on the patio, a lot of room and have an open space, the sitting in the patio is great but could be little cool in the evening so put that into consideration.
Food: we did the family style meal: spinach salade, caprese, smoked salmon pasta, pesto chicken languini, vegetarian pizza, capriciosa pizza
Both salad was outstanding for all of our party of 5 and we finished it all up, both pizza was amazing, my favorite is the capriciosa, it’s an amazing balance really, the pasta were OK for me nothing special and not my favorite, though they weren’t bad I just usually not big on pasta, I found the salmon is a bit too salty but the past taste very fresh and well done, the pesto I found a bit too heavy. The serving amazingly generous so it worth your money, I found the restaurant is reasonably well priced with the quality of food I was served.
Yes I will be back again very soon on my next trip.

Excellent food, accommodated us with no reservation definitely be going back. Great service as well.

Absolutely unreal food and service here. I have gone on three different occasions and each time ordered three different things, every time being extremely impressed.
The food is fresh, the service is fantastic, and the location is absolutely beautiful. The Wood-​fired pizzas are to die for, and their spaghetti and meatballs is better than even my own father’s (don’t tell him that).
If you’re looking for a fantastic meal in a beautiful setting make sure you check this place out!!!

called 3 and a half hours before we wanted to make a reservation, no one picked up so I left a message thinking someone would call back to take my reservation. nope. called 45 minutes later, and again, no one picked up. so I emailed them, maybe they didn’t want to call me back because of long distance charges, no response. maybe they took the reservation in the email and there would be a lovely table awaiting us, so we headed down to the restaurant. there were no table for the amount of people we had, 5, inside so we had to take a table outside and it was relatively cold out and not all of us had jackets but the provided us with blankets which was nice. the hostess also warned us that it would be a half an hour wait for food which was fine. the waiter greeted us promptly, filled our water glasses and left for a few minutes and took our drink orders which were brought to use pretty quickly as well. I got the herbed Italian lemonade which was to die for! they brought the complimentary bread basket and my dad is deathly allergic to buckwheat and the bread was dark and looked quite sketchy for someone who’s allergic to buckwheat. we asked the waiter and he wasn’t sure so he brought out a place of their homemade focaccia bread for him just to be safe. our food arrived in 35 minutes after ordering and everything was amazing (mushroom risotto, lasagna, king crab pasta & Parmesan chicken) although the pastas were a little on the dry side. we also got the tiramisu and New York cheesecake for dessert and both were amazing as well!
over all the experience once we got to the restaurant was good but not being able to make a reservation was off putting.

We liked this place… It’s right behind the «Goats on the Roof» Coombs country mercantile on Alberni Highway. Fresh, elegant meals, charming décor. You could have a linen-​tablecloth experience or bring your kids for a family pizza night.

Really good food made from scratch. Rare to find around here. It is expensive though so be prepared. smaller menu but still good variety.
Also I was annoyed to see people with small children there. It is not a family place. It’s classy with white cloth napkins and tablecloths and fancy food. There’s nothing for kids on the menu for a reason… If people are paying that much for a meal out it should not be punctuated by squawking children beside me.

Stumbled upon this place randomly, after stopping by the Goat on the Roof… Best thing ever! Everything we tried was amazing. The pasta is fresh, the tomato sauce is rich and you can really taste and appreciate each ingredient on the dish. Best Lasagna I had in my life. The Chicken Cannelloni and Mushroom risotto are also great.
Price is well worth the quality. Service is efficient and friendly. All wrapped in a casual, cosy environment and lounge music… Looking forward my next lunch here. I wish I was not the designated driver to be able make it perfect with a glass of wine.

Great restaurant from the décor, the staff and more importantly the food. Eating family style was good. Loved the salmon fettuccine, amazing. Definitely worth the drive to Coombs.

First visit here was in the summer. I stopped by for lunch by myself, sat outside and what a beautiful place. My lunch way terrific and love that you can get a glass of prosecco, not just a full bottle.
I ended up having a cappuccino and staying much longer than I had planned.
Service was excellent.
Second visit was even better, we went there for dinner and everything was great. loved the antipasto platter. Décor is beautifully simplistic.
This restaurant is a much needed addition to this area.
We will certainly be making a trip here when we are at the cottage!

An absolutely phenomenal restaurant! The four of us stopped in for lunch on a day trip to the island. It was recommended by a relative… otherwise, we never would have known about it! Located far up the «lane» in coombs, it was a little difficult to find at first. We parked at the main building (with the goats on the roof) and walked about 3 or 4 buildings «up» the lane, past the produce market. The décor of the restaurant is classic and very welcoming/​warm. We were here in November, so the patio was closed, but I imagine it would be very nice in the summer.
Now for the food. I ordered a caesar salad to start, which was about average. My entrée, however was excellent! The «salmone» thin crust pizza was loaded with capers, salmon, spinach, and goat cheese. One of the best thin crust pizzas I’ve ever had. The rest of our table ordered various seafood pasta dishes, and each one was excellent.
The service was good too, and our server was friendly and knowledgable about the area. Although I can’t remember the exact figure, the prices were reasonable as well.
Overall, Cuckoo is one of the best restaurants I’ve been to in a while. Not only will we rush back the next time we’re on the island, I’d even consider making the trip over just to get my salmone pizza fix!
⁵⁄₅

This is an annual stop for us while we visit Coombs market for some unique shopping. This was our first visit for dinner however. We will again be back as this is a very good Italian experience in an unexpected place. I enjoyed my Chicken Parmesan which was served on a great bed Alfredo pasta. A couple of the seafood dishes were also quite remarksble. The price could be a little better or the portions could be a little bigger for the perfect experience. See you again next year!

Stopped in for lunch while touring Coombs for the first time but others in my party had been before and recommended it.
My friend and I shared the gnocchi and Caesar salad and it was excellent. Our 12 year olds had Mac and cheese and pizza and they are every bite. Not usual!
Great service and lovely outdoor deck. A wonderful lunch.

We went here for the first time a few days ago while travelling on the island. We will definitely return. We had children of all ages with us, from 5 – 15, there was something for all of them, there were the goats and bunnies to see from the patio, there’s colouring, and there’s food for fussy eaters. For the adults, there is delicious seafood, and interesting afternoon cocktails like the herb Italian lemonade. The platter size salads are big enough to share or be a large meal for one. The patio is huge and accommodated our party of seven. We made a reservation but I couldn’t say if it’s necessary or not.