Cuculia

The story

Cuculia Florence: Contemporary Cuisine in the Oltrarno, Michelin Recommended 2026

Cuculia serves contemporary cuisine at via dei Serragli 3/R in Florence's Oltrarno district, drawing on South American, French and Tuscan influences. The Michelin Guide lists the restaurant as Recommended in 2026. Chef Oliver Betancourt and manager and sommelier Roberta Del Prete founded the restaurant together and still work its kitchen and dining room daily.

Chef Oliver Betancourt's cooking

Oliver Betancourt was born in Venezuela in 1976 and first learned to cook through Caribbean and South American family traditions. Over three decades he worked through France, Corsica, Spain and Italy, including Madrid kitchens led by Juan Pablo Felipe, Andres Madrigal and Sergi Arola. He chose Florence in 2006 to study Italian regional cooking. The Green Guide awarded the restaurant 5 Radishes in 2026.

Dishes from the tasting menu

A past Valentine's tasting menu, five courses at 89 euros, shows how the kitchen works. It included tuna tartare with bitter cocoa and passion fruit, and handmade ravioli filled with creamy Jerusalem artichoke in a vegetable dashi. The meal continued with tamarind-marinated pork fillet and smoked potatoes, then closed with a molten 70% dark chocolate heart with mango and cardamom. A wine pairing was offered for 45 euros per person.

The room

The dining room uses neutral tones broken up by a dark, textured floor and copper details. The design follows a nest idea, with a bar counter cut from a cedar of Lebanon trunk. An 18th-century glass cabinet holds the wine labels. The private room seats up to 16 guests, and both the à la carte and tasting menus have vegetarian and vegan versions.