Anima Cucina

3.5

10 Reviews

$30 and under

Italian

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 11, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

Great for fine wines
Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions

A bustling café by day transforming into an Italian inspired pasta & wine bar at night. Anima Cucina is inspired by the soul of "la bella vita"; the good life that connects us all. Start your day with a great cup of coffee and housemade pastry or breakfast entrée. Lunch offerings include artisan sandwiches, scratch soup, salad bowls, and rotisserie chicken. At four o’clock, we slow down with a curated wine list, craft beer, charcuterie, fresh pasta, and unique Italian inspired entrées. Don’t forget dessert!

Additional information

Location
101 N 5th St, Bismarck, ND 58501-4026
Phone number
(701) 751-1738
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Wine Bar, Café
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 7:00 am–9:00 pm
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
None

What 10 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

3.5

3.5 based on all time ratings

3.8Food
3.4Service
3.3Ambience
3.2Value

Noise • Moderate

10 Reviews

T
Taylor
Fargo1 review
1.0
Dined on February 15, 2025
1. Overall 1
2. Food 2
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
For $275 before gratuity, their tasting menu with wine pairing for two fell short. I think the chef has talent but lacks support from both front and back of house. - No course explanations, waitress instead left stained printed paper from the 5:30 seating for us to reference. - The timing was off, felt rushed, and almost forced until they fell behind at fourth course. - Nowhere to put silverware between each course. - Each plate and its pairing lacked creativity. I think the james beard nomination went to their heads cause the pricing, presentation, execution just didn't add up. NYC/SF/CHI would eat up and spit out this place in two months.
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M
Matthew
New York City1 review
2.0
Dined on December 14, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Over cooked pasta, burnt steak. Took a long time but they apologized. I suppose, minus the apology, that this gave the place an Italian character
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M
Marilyn
Las Vegas25 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 23, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a wonderful time. Great food and fabulous service. Can’t wait to come back 😊
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A
Ashley
Las Vegas2 reviews
4.0
Dined on November 16, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 4
We love the spot for date night as we have historically had a great experience. However, this time it was sub-par. I think this was solely a service issue. Not sure if our server was new or just spacey. We ordered calamari, cacio e pepe, spicy shrimp, and one other pasta dish that I can recall the name. Fridays are seafood night and knowing this, we had to ask our server for a specials menu. So unfortunate for those who would miss out just from not knowing to ask! We ordered all small portions to share. The calamari was cold and and the breading fell off I think because it had been sitting, the shrimp and cacio e pepe were room temperature. But the other pasta dish (sausage with red sauce and peppers) was hot, luckily! I know how food all of these dishes ate normally so it was a bit disappointing! Mind you the place was not overly busy. We sat for 20 minutes following eating and then had to still ask our server for the bill. I think this was purely a service issue as I know the food can be great. I hope there is room for improvement or it would be hard to continue to go back to pay for a barely warm dinner.
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N
Nick
Fargo5 reviews
5.0
Dined on September 14, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Top 5 restaurant in Bismarck. Will be going again. Excellent food.
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R
Robert
Minneapolis11 reviews
4.0
Dined on September 11, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Service was helpful if not particularly refined and they seemed to be a little short-staffed, but the place has a artsy little can-do vibe that appealed. Everything we ate was excellent. I would return if ever in the area again (would like to try the breakfast).
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R
Richard
Fargo1 review
2.0
Dined on August 27, 2024
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 2
Out of bread. Cost over$100 for the two of us and we were both still hungry when we left. Food was ok. No ambiance. Won’t be going back.
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SH
SusanH VIP
San Francisco11 reviews
4.0
Dined on July 9, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Very decent pasta dishes; one item was unavailable - porchetta - and that was disappointing, but it is a small venue and understandable.
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D
Darin
Fargo2 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 4, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
We had a new waitress who was very attentive when we arrived but was sidetracked when someone else (from the business?) arrived and were not take care of quite as well. I think may also have been short staffed and she was not educated enough on the wines for tastes and pairings. However everything else was spot on.
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NW
NickW
Fargo5 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 8, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Great food. One of the best restaurants in Bismarck. Looking forward to our next visit.
1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Anima Cucina is rated 3.5 stars by 10 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

2 people

Mar 11, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 1 time today

101 N 5th St, Bismarck, ND 58501-4026

Additional information

Phone number
(701) 751-1738
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Italian, Wine Bar, Café
Hours of operation
Mon–Sat 7:00 am–9:00 pm
Dress code
Business Casual
Parking details
None

Anima Cucina

Make a reservation

Additional information

Menu

What 10 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Anima Cucina restaurant rated?

Is Anima Cucina currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information