Cuccini’s restaurant, located at Town Quay, Southampton, has a notable history.
It opened in March 2006, taking over the premises that previously housed Los Marinos, a Spanish tapas bar that was originally located in Canutes Pavilion, Ocean Village.
Azmin Karimi, who also headed a successful Cuccini’s restaurant in Bournemouth, oversaw a significant £250,000 refurbishment of the Southampton location.
The vision for Cuccini’s at Town Quay was to be “top class and of high quality – bringing a bit of glamour to Town Quay.”
The restaurant featured a downstairs bar, an upstairs a la carte restaurant with nightly live music including jazz, and a top-floor sun terrace.
It was praised for its Italian food, with a Daily Echo review from November 2007 highlighting dishes like “Funghi alla Cuccini” (deep-fried breaded mushrooms with a secret recipe garlic dip) and thin-crust pizzas like the “Tropicana.”
The review also noted that the “awful summer didn’t allow this lovely place to be used to its full potential,” particularly referring to its top-floor sun terrace.
Compounding this challenge, Cuccini’s faced fierce competition from other Italian restaurants in the area, notably La Margherita.
La Margherita had a long history in Southampton and became a well-loved institution at Town Quay. It had a strong reputation for authentic Italian food and a loyal customer base, having moved to its waterfront site in September 1998 after years of success in Commercial Road.
Despite its initial popularity and positive reviews, Cuccini’s at Town Quay closed around 2007.
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The premises remained empty until 2012, when permission was granted to convert the building into offices. Both “Cuccini’s” and the earlier “Around the World” restaurant at that location were ultimately converted to offices.
While its doors may have long closed a long while now, many will no doubt have memories sparked by these pictures.