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19 reviews
Belmont, MA
"heck yes! i thought this place was just some stupid bertucci's wannabe for the upper middle class families of belmont. WRONG! all of their…" read more »
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the food here is sooooooo good. packed full with flavor, not salty or heavy, just good. Its one of the few places in the northend that is worth every expensive penny.
Very nice little joint on the very famous Hanover street. Nice decor, sliding windows, dim and relaxing setting. Valet is quick and efficient and the service is great. I highly suggest you try the stuffed mushroom, tuna tar tar with a little italian twist to it or the Gnocchi. They have great portions and pour once killer glass of Riesling. Never tried the dessert.
Also has a very trendy bar seen after the dinner crowd starts finishing up. If your really craving dessert, you can swing by one of the North Ends many famous little pastry shops. So although the protions are huge, save some room for something like the Modern Pastry ......
A
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Romantic first date?
Party of Two?
Your table is now available.
Well, not quite...but all's well that ends well. After walking into Lucca unannounced on a Wednesday evening, the host promised us a table quite soon and we sauntered off to the bar to have a cocktail while we waited. Two seats open on the end were calling our names and we saddled up and chatted over a beer and a martini. The bartender was quick and friendly and the atmosphere was bustling, the patrons all looked pleased and every breath filled my nostrils with the mouth-watering smell of truffles. All good signs.
Then we realized how long we'd been sitting at the bar. And how many tables were open. And that people who walked in after us were getting sat in front of our eyes. An investigation quickly took place and our suspicions were confirmed: The host completely forgot about us! Not a good sign.
We were sat, with apologies, quickly at a table overlooking Hanover Street, in a nice quiet part of the restaurant. A plus. But, with 10-15 tables open around us throughout the dining room, it puzzles me as to why they sat a couple at the table right next to us.
The service from this point on was very good..attentive, knowledgeable and well-paced. The food was very good to excellent..the oyster were fresh, the proscuitto app was good but not exciting and the main course were good-sized portions, perfectly cooked and elegantly plated.
When our plates were cleared from dinner, we asked for the dessert menu and the waiter promptly brought it over and replied, "we have a dessert selection on the way to our table, as well as a dessert wine pairing...on us." We of course accepted our alcohol and sugar-packed apology with relish...a zabaglione with fresh fruit and two glasses of moscato.
Lucca, apology accepted.
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So by far the best service and Italian food I have ever had. I go to lucca twice a month for 5 years and I have never had a bad meal or bad time. The wine, the service, the food, the place the BREAD!!! Its a great time.
Make a reservation or book a party.
I looooove this place. I've had two date nites here with my boyfriend and great times were had at each.
They have a great bar menu with very reasonable prices.. .great ambance. . .accomodating staff. I had a few questions on the menu which were answered by our waitress in a friendly and non condescending manner.
The wine list is extensive and fairly priced. We even found a bottle of chardonnayoff the list from the town in Italy we vacationed in!
The bar menu is served late nite and has a ton of apps and pizzas to choose from. This is my go-to spot in the North End!
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Had half of my huge family taking over this restaurant & although we overheard one of the waitresses talking crap ("don't make the setting too fancy, they're a 'walk in'") we had a great experience with our waiter(s) - we asked a ton of questions & ended up having the BEST meal of our lives. everything was fantastic!
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Tried this place out after walking around the North End and checking out a variety of menus. I had the pollo con faro which was delicious. They had one of the better wine selections of restaurants and ended up trying a bottle of cakebread which was wonderful. (They even put the wine in a decanter which was much appreciated.) The restaurant is great for a date night. Would go again.
I'm gonna have to say i usually don't mind payin for good Italian food but last time i went i was disappointed.. The quality of our food seems like it was rushed and no love went in to making it. My friends had the chops.. and i had the Salmon i think i could've gone down to the local Shaw's and done just a good of job. I asked my buddies how the food was they said the meat was tough and my Salmon i didn't think it was seasoned right.. I will try it again cause i have faith maybe the chef had a bad day or was asleep who knows.. Sometimes buyers remorse rules!
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It started at the curb. We were about to valet the car, but the manager came out to park it for us. This is on a busy summer evening on Hanover Street. If you're a Bostonian, you appreciate how preposterously unusual this is. If you're not a Bostonian, well, imagine ;) Or ask in a comment.
We were seated promptly at a street-front window table, just like I requested when making the reservation. Then the manager came by again to give me the key to the car, saying he found a spot out front and was happy to save us the valet money. Wow!
The food was delicious. We each got a smallish pasta dish as an appetizer, and shared a steak and risotto entree later. My pasta was delicious: gnocchi al cinghiale, one of my favorites. Cinghiale is wild boar, which they marinade and braise for two days (!). It's tender and perfectly matches the gnocchi, olive oil, and cheese. Wow.
Another reason we went to the restaurant is their great wine list, a Wine Spectator award winner for several years running now. As you might expect given the context, the focus is on Italian wines, and reds at that. The best area of the list, again as expected, is the Barolo and Barbaresco selection. Lots of Gaja options, although those are wicked expensive.
It was a hard choice, but we ended up with a 2003 Sottimano Barbaresco from the Curra vineyard. It's just a tid on the young side, but otherwise a fantastic match to the food. Just a delicious wine, and given how good I think it's going to be in 2-5 years, the current retail value is great.
I have to preface by saying I'm not too picky about my Italian food. So that said, I really like Lucca's. I've been for dinner (good) and I've been for drinks, and the latter was one of the most pleasant bar experiences I've ever had. The bartender was friendly but not too much so, the dirty martini was mixed to perfection (extra olives, woo!), and we got a basket of fresh bread and red sauce even though we'd announced we were only there for one round. It's the kind of place I'd feel comfortable going back to alone to have a chat at the bar with some of the regulars or to watch the Sox game.
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While my 1-star rating won't severely affect the overall rating of this place, it really deserves it. Food was "eh". You know? You go to the North End and pay a little premium, and expect a little more, not a little less. Save the money and time and try one of the many better Italian restaurants in the Boston area.
I know you'll still go. You read my review, and then the others, and say to yourself, "Maybe the Nitz was having a bad day". Then you'll go there, pay too much for mediocre Italian food, and realize the Nitz was right. Here's a better idea: go to Vinny's (76 Broadway, Somerville). You'll think you're in the wrong place (it's in the back of a superette), but definitely THE place to go for authentic Italian.
Happy feeding!
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Booooooooo. Why, oh why, did I take my Italian relatives here? Gah- kicking myself-. Well, it was the only place we could get a table right away at 8:30pm on a Friday night. This was quite possibly the shi**iest meal out party of 7 had ever had in Boston. The food was crap and it was laughably overpriced. When places like Terramia and Pomodoro are offering true Italian cuisine just down the street, it hurts even more to know that Lucca somehow gets away with throwing a pile of crap on a plate and charging you $40 for it. CRAP. They can't even get an antipasto right. Seriously, stay away from this place if you appreciate quality food. We will never go here again.
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Ok, so i have to be honest..I may be SLIGHTLY obsessed with this quaint little place. I have gone there several times, and I have always received exceptional services from the staff here. The food is amazing, and I absolutly love that I can reserve my favorite seat downstairs by the wine room! The light set the uber cool romantic mood great for those o0oo-la-la nights with the hunny!
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I was here once with a friend, and was very impressed with the wines, food and service. I tried a rigatoni with wild boar marinara sauce and it was out of this world! I would return to this restaurant in a heartbeat. :D
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Great drinks, wine, food, and atmosphere!! Will definitely come back when back in Bean town!
Wine list: The list itself is great, as there are a lot of hard to find and expensive wines. But good luck trying to find something to drink if you dont want to pay a few hundred. Anything cheap (under $60) was pretty crappy.
Food: OK. but glorified mac and cheese with sausage isnt really worth $30.
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I must confess; I am no pasta connoisseur. My thought, how hard can it be to make and why so much? With that admission, I have done this establishment twice now. First time was decent. The experience was nothing to Yelp about. The second trip: much better. I had a dish that I could not have prepared at home: Linguini alle Vongole. I am sure the clams would have thrown my intense cooking nature out of balance. The Tiramisu was simply amazing.
Sure, the place was crowded, but this is the North end. I am always amused at people driving in the North end. Why?
So, my thoughts. Go to Lucca and don't drive.
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I'm going to try not to hold it against them that we were seated next to the most obnoxious table in the house that put a major cramp in our dinner conversation.
The scene is much more "business dinner" than the trendy north end spot I was expecting, but it was fine by me. Our server was absolutely delightful (though just as aggravated by our neighboring table) and the service was prompt and quick (not annoyingly quick).
I highly recommend the orecchiette - the san marzano tommatoes added a surprisingly rich flavor, the white sauce was creamy and indulgent, and the sausage was spiced and cooked to perfection. The rigatoni with wild boar was a favorite at our table and for vegetarians, the gnochhi with mushroom was a safe pick.
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For a nice dinner Lucca is probably one of your better choices in the North End. Its very intimate and the food is solid although not particularly memorable. And its expensive.
Recently, we stopped in here with friends after eating at Antico Forno. One friend used to live in the N End and had been a regular here. When we got in she started gabbing with the host and the bartenders who all remembered her. Once we were seated and ordered drinks, the waitress carded us. That's bad form - when you know everyone in the restaurant including the bartenders I think the assumption should be that you've been served there before.
Then without asking, the bus boy opened a bottle of water. We would have been fine with ice water. He proceeded to fill our glasses, but only made it 3/4 of the way when he ran out. So he opened another one. That's even worse form. I was hoping they would be comp'd, but no. $11 for water.
We sat for a little while, ordered a couple of drinks and a dessert each. Nothing crazy. We wound up with a $60 per person tab. Yikes.
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YUMMY. That was the best pasta meal I have had in the past year. Maybe even over a year. For a party of 12, they managed well and didn't mess anything up order-wise. I sampled a little bit of everything, and it was wonderful. For me, personally, I had the caprese salad (largest ripest heirloom tomatoes, and the freshest mozzarella cheese), and it was great. Perfect amount of seasoning. For my entree, I had the orchiette dish, which everyone at the table agreed it was the best dish out of everything we ordered! Orcheitte pasta ( I think that was the type of pasta we had), cooked like a casserole type dish, with melted fontina cheese, some sort of oil, broccoli, mini tomatoes, and some really good Italian sausage. It was topped with some bread crumb like topping and baked till the bread crumbs were toasty and crunch, perfect to complement the warm cheesy inside of the casserole. Yummy........
Good sized elegant restaurant, warm, and romantic. Definitely, not your little meatball and spaghetti Italian, more like your elegant, carpacio, lots of white and red wine, marble decor, Italian.
Everything was great, including the service. My one complaint: the food took way too long to get out. Seriously, 2 hours to get entrees out in a place that was not at full capacity?? That was the only letdown. And to give them credit, it could have been because we were such a large group.
We really love this place, the service & food is always great. Yes, it's a little pricey, but it's amazingly good & a great place for a special occasion. We spent a few days in Lucca (in Tuscany) several years back & they definitely capture the sprit of the beautiful walled city.
Highly recommended, but bring your wallet!
12Jan07 Update, went again & had a fabulous feast here. Everyone here (bartender, manager, waitress) were fantastic! Man, great wine, apps, mains & don't forget that dolce!
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My best friend and I came here to celebrate one evening and had a wonderful meal. Our waiter was very personable, friendly and helpful. He recommended a great wine for us based on our tastes and we ended up trying something very nice and different. The food was all wonderful. Having lived in Italy, she and I, our expectations are a little high sometimes, but the dishes were very tasty and well prepared. We didn't think we'd make it to dessert, but we did and with great results. Dinner was very enjoyable due to the food and our waiter. The restaurant overall got a bit noisy at times and was a little chilly by the windows, but nothing terrible. I hope we get a chance to visit again. It was a great place to celebrate!
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The food here is amazing! And the dessert is even better. They have a very interesting drink called a Cucumber Martini, definitely try it if you are a fan of traditional martinis. A little pricy but I think it's worth it for the atmosphere and the service.
This restaurant was highly recommended by the concierge at our hotel.
Nice atmosphere but the food was pretentious and overpriced, besides being unappetizing. Service was decent but stuffy.
Everyone in our group felt ripped off.
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My name is Lucca, I live on the second floor . . .
Not sure why this place has so many stars. Pizza was gritty, not fresh. Ambiance and decor were both meh.
But then again, I strolled in really late (after 10PM), so perhaps I got the shorter end of the stick here.
Great food, nice atmosphere. Very helpful and kind waitstaff. The food is very well prepared and definitely worth the price. The desserts are phenomenal and the cocktails as well. An all around good place to dine for some high end cuisine.
As a resident of the North End I can promise you this is one of the best places around. The food is pricey, but first class. Make sure to get a reservation and ask for a seat on the first floor and not the basement.
The open air layout is also a plus... but that only holds for the summer and spring.
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Good venue. Many North End restaurants are tiny and cramped, which can be nice for a couple to enjoy a cozy meal. However, if you've got a corporate group of eight, you may want some room to spread out. Lucca has a large bar/upstairs area and the downstairs portion is nicely laid out so you don't feel like you're eating dinner on your neighbor's table.
Very nice service. We were seated immediately, even after I had called to push our reservation back a half hour. Wait staff immediately approached us and got our drinks together. Our waiter was knowledgeable on the menu and answered all questions very well.
This is a good pick if you have a large party from out of town.
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Hi End! $180 to sit at a table beside the bar listening to drunk guys talking shop and banging into your seat. $35 veal was at the most warm.Tables for four are away from the bar get one...
We were supposed to be a group of 9, but only ended up being 5 people. And Lucca was awesome about it. They let us wait a considerable amount of time to see if the other 4 would show and didn't pressure us to order, even though it was Saturday night. Even after the others didn't show and we offered the extra tables back to the waiter, he said to leave them. I felt like a jerk, but not because of Lucca, they took it with ease. And that I praise them for.
Also, the food was a little pricey, but not by North End standards, and it was delicious and I left extremely full.
I have something against any restaurant on Hanover, but I have to admit that Lucca is delicious.
From the vino and antipasto to the salmone, the experience at Lucca was quite good. Yes, it will take a bite out of your bank account, but you only live once. Eat, drink and be merry. Make Epictetus proud!
(Unless, of course, you actually have studied philosophy and understand my above statement to be a complete fallacy; smartass.)
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I had a fabulous meal here. I cam with a large group of people and we closed the place down. The food is expensive, but well worth the price. The restaurant is dark and candle lit - ideal for both an intimate dinner as well as a large group setting. Staff is GREAT. Very helpful, quick service and let us stay beyond their close because we were having such a great time.
Lucca is much more than pasta. They have a fantastic wine list... we went with a deep robust red (I'm pretty sure it was a chianti). Bread was fresh baked, salads were fresh and the entrees were amazing. We shared several plates of steak, veal, pasta, risotto and seafood. Overall, a fantastic experience. I will definitely go back!
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Great spot to take a date. The service is very knowledgeable, the wine list is very well put together, and the dishes are presented creatively. Only downside is that the lighting can be VERY low. All in all, a solid place for a pricey Italian dinner.
Excellent food, very classy atmosphere. Entrees are very reasonably priced, presentation of the dishes is definitely above and beyond what I expected.
I went with a fairly large group and we got their melon prosciutto appetizer, which was excellent -- it's not hard to mess up this appetizer staple so it's a plus that this was perfect. For my entree I had the clam linguini, which were perfectly cooked and very light in the stomach. That's how good Italian food should be!
This is by far the best fine dining experience that I have ever had. My husband I regularly visit Lucca and even still we always leave amazed. Everything on the menu is exquisite and the wait staff is outstanding. A few of my favorite menu items are the Lasagne ai Funghi, Bistecca con Risotto, and Budino di Cioccolate. Enjoy!
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I had always reserved Lucca as a "special dinner" sort of place, because my bank account would not allow it any other way. Until a couple weekends ago when I was out for just a couple drinks with the boyf, I discovered...THEY HAVE A BAR MENU!
OK so its still not cheap, but the food is great and if you go for the bar menu you can get by sharing a pizza or an appetizer with a friend and feel satiated without spending an arm and a leg.
If you want a date restaurant, Lucca is also a good choice. For a romantic dinner I would ask to be seated downstairs in their wine-cellar-esque like room if you can. It's less noisy and has a more intimate atmosphere.
One last thing I just have to add...Lucca gets my vote for best service out every restaurant on Hanover Street, hands down.
i like to come here every once in a while with my buddies after work to share a (couple of) bottle(s) of wine. The restaurant itself is pretty great-- one of my faves in the north end-- but I also enjoy the the bar menu, which is more casual and pizza-fied.
Lucca is a very solid option for Italian in the North End, and is every bit as worthwhile as it's more hyped across-the-street neighbor Bricco. I've eaten there a couple of times before when visiting the fam in Beantown; and we had a table for 8 this past Saturday, and the food was better than i remember it.
The menu is broken down in classic Italian style by Antipasti, Primi (pastas), Carne and Pesce. The standout antipasta is the duck confit tart, but I've had that a bunch of times so this time went for a half dozen oysters, which were tasty, paired with an apple cider mignonette. They serve many of their pastas as half portions appetizer sized offerings, and many of us had one. I tried the baked orrechetti with a truffled cream sauce, brocolli rabe & Italian sausage, which was excellent. The penne with cinghale (wild boar) ragu was also quite nice, though very different to the orrechetti. They also had a wild mushroom gnocchi which will have to be tasted another time, a papardelle Bolognese, and a linguine with clams dish with which they have replaced their lobster based pasta dish, as theres a market anomaly of some ilk at the moment which has priced lobsters outlandishly high.
For the mains they had several appealing meats on offer including a braised veal loin and a Gorgonzola stuffed pork chop (I had bites of each, and they were yummy - the pork chop was INCREDIBLY rich). I tried the beef tenderloin over Parmesan and truffle risotto with pancetta demi glace. It was a very succulent and well prepared piece of meat. The risotto, while full of good flavor, was slightly clumpy.
The wine list is extensive, and leans heavily on Italian reds (hard to fault them for that!). We had a young blend made by Angelo Gaja which was very nice (2005 I believe, merlot & sangiovese?), and an '03 Isole y Olena - both were pleasantly light and just fruity enough for the unseasonably warm evening. The service was OK. I was annoyed with the waiter who brought those of us who ordered 3 courses our first two courses at the same time, and he was a little to quick to get away from the table at times, but we were a party of 8 who sat at 9:45 so I ought to cut the guy some slack.
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Charming..classy..Great food...the Lasagna and mussels are fabulous..and the dark bar and wood panels give you an elegant feel.....wide selection of wine..and rich menu..!! Great even for jus drinks after work..!
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We found a new North End restaurant that we'll go back to for sure. It's definitely one of our favorites. The pasta with veal was delicious. We went here Saturday night and it was pretty crowded (Labor Day weekend) the service was great considering how busy it was. This restaurant is on the top of our list.
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