Luciano Italian Restaurant

On Friday, Jan. 29^th, prior to enjoying a concert at «Jammin Java» up the road a little ways, stopped in here for a bite to eat (since the food at Jammin leaves a LOT to be desired). It was around 6:15/6:30 p.m.or so & the parking lot was packed, so husband left me at the door & went in search of a space (ended up parking in an office building lot behind the little strip shopping center the restaurant is located in). Restaurant was equally packed, but we lucked out & were able to snag a table. Interior is clean, bright, & very nicely Mediterranean-​style decorated with fresh flowers on the tables.
Our beverages (two Heinekens) arrived promptly, & we placed an order for a shared appetizer of Fried Calamari, as well as one of their new specialty pizzas — a large «Four Cheese» white pie.
Calamari was, in a word, FANTASTIC! Huge mound of greaseless, pale golden, utterly melt-​in-​your-​mouth rings (no rubber bands here!), served with a lemon half & piled high atop an equally fabulous, obviously house-​made, flavorful, slightly-​chunky marinara. I have never had calamari so tender unless I’ve made it myself.
As for the pizza. Now, as born-&-bred New Yorkers + diehard pizza lovers, husband & I enjoy & know a thing or two about good pizza. Especially what’s considered «New York Style» pizza, & let me tell you — this is THE REAL DEAL. In the 22 years we’ve lived in Virginia, this pizza is the very closest thing to New York pizza we’ve yet to come across. (And we’ve hit a LOT of pizza places in that time, as well as frequently make our own at home.) In fact, as we took our first bites, we both looked at each other & wondered if perhaps we’d been teleported back to the Empire State.
The crust was thin enough to be foldable, but not soggy. «Foldable» is the key word here. (True New York pizza is not meant to be an artisinal crispy-​crust deal.) Crust rim was also perfect. I usually end up leaving the rim, but this time there was no way I was leaving a scrap. It was that good. There was just enough of the different cheeses (including small mounds of fresh ricotta), oregano, wonderful fresh garlic, AND — the piece de resistance — the very slightest slick of olive oil on top. (While I don’t agree with some folks who feel that a New York pizza isn’t authentic unless grease drips down your arm while eating it, I DO agree that it MUST have that little glistening drizzle of oil on top.)
Service was prompt, & we were able to get in & out in time to make our 7:30 concert.
Unfortunately, the customer copy of our receipt didn’t show the individual pricing, but the total for the above — two beers, one ethereal platter of calamari, & one cannot-​believe-​how-​great-​it-​was pizza — after tax but before tip came to $ 42.19.
Bottom line: Cannot WAIT to return, & only wish they were closer! One thing in our favor is that husband works close by to this location, so will be able to bring pizza home when I feel I need a NY fix. But I’d really like to try some of their other offerings in-​house, as tables are fairly close together, & what other nearby diners were enjoying that night (pastas & such) looked just as good as our pizza.

Love this place! It is a hidden gem that I almost missed because it is in a shopping mall. The people are friendly, the food is good and the price is right.

So my rating of this place might be a little bias because I’ve only ever tried the pizza and it is delicious! Once I find something I really like I generally stick to that because not too many places excel at multiple items. I can however tell you that friends of mine have tried different items on the menu and have given mixed reviews. All and all, if you’re in the mood for pizza this is definitely a place that won’t disappoint.

Our Server Mo is really cool. Very friendly and polite. His professional hard work and good food will be remembered. He told us the history behind Luciano’s. He has lots of knowledge about the history. Luciano’s Pizza, and food was good.

My family and I have been to Luciano’s two times now and were very pleased on both occasions. The pIzza is pretty good with a tasty sauce. The second time I ordered off of their pasta menu. I had the linguini with white clam sauce and it was very good. Another lady in our party had the eggplant parmesan and she said it was great! Fresh, hot rolls on the table is a plus as well. The service here is always great too. Attentive staff. Luciano’s reminds me of one of those cozy Ma and Pa style restaurants. My family enjoys dining here.

My husband and I love this place. The employee’s are really kind and helpful. We’ve had the spaghetti with hand made meatball’s. They are really tasty. The pizzas are really good, also. I recommend the meatball topping. The front dinning room reminded me of dinner in Italy beneath the stars.

As a New Yorker, I have been less than satisfied with many of the pizzas here, which are more on par with a Chuck E Cheese or a Dominos. Though these pizzas meet my dough/​sauce/​cheese cravings, they just aren’t bringing that crunchy yet soft, chewy crust and that melty stringy cheese. The pizza at Luciano’s is as close as it gets!
The pizza was hot and had plenty of sauce. I also liked that their meatballs are all beef – all about that!
The service was mediocre if not disappointing since we were 1 of three parties there, but the food was great. I will definitely be back, but probably for take out.
For me, the food is a solid 3.5, but the service drops it down to a 3.

As soon as you walk up to the restaurant, your nostrils are overtaken by the wonderful smell of Italian food (and garlic).
Great customer service! Very attentive and patient. They do have outdoor seating, so that was nice.
By far the closest to NY pizza in the area! Perfect ratio to the cheese and sauce. They have a great combo, two slices with a drink for $ 4.99. Can’t top that!
The only thing missing which would be a great addition to their menu, would be garlic knots. Other than that, great place!

If you like traditional NY style pizza this is about a close as you’ll get in the area. Typically i have been very happy with the food and continue to visit.

Luciano’s has got some great pizza. The 24″ super large is a lot of fun to bring home to the family. I will say that the prices are high at this restaurant and it can be expensive to sit down and eat for what you get.

4 ½ stars based on Pizza alone and that pie being a plain cheese. My personal favorite pizza in the NOVA area and will drive out of my way to get me some. All three ingredients are above average in terms of taste. The sauce is not overly sweet or spicy but has an excellent taste. Dough/​crust is on par with Ciro’s (Valentino’s in Alexandria is hands down the best imo) and the cheese ranks right at the top but be warned, the cheese does lay down some grease. The combination of these three ingredients are near perfect in my opinion creating the best tasting pie in NOVA. The only real negative I have experienced is a pie arriving not cooked to my liking as in just on the cusp of being cooked through however I like my pies with a little crunch.
My best recommendation would be to consume the pizza just out of the oven, YUM!!!

First time here. The service is quick and friendly. Very authentic in atmosphere. I ate a house salad while seeing the cook make my pizza by hand. Very pleased to have found this small restaurant.

I have been going here for the last 8 years, and while the rest of the menu, including pasta and other dishes is average, their pizza is top notch. I have yet to find a better place for a slice than Luciano’s.
Now, mind you, it is a now locally franchised chain, so they are not all created equal. The Oakton and Tyson’s locations are good, but the Fair Oaks one is rubbish.
Anyway, the sauce is just the right amount of spiced and sweet, a good amount of cheese, and for me — pepperoni. Plain and simple. Thin crust baked to perfection. If you want to go fancy, CalPiKi might be your place, but for as close to NY Pizza as you can get in Nova, look no further.

I have been to this neighborhood place a few times in the last five years, and every time the food has been average (at best) and the service unfriendly. The waiter (usually the same gentleman) acts like he is doing us a favor by taking our order. He gave us a hard time on substitutions once and was downright rude several other times. The food is not any better than what I can get at Paisano’s down in Vienna. When I want a good Italian meal I’ll go to Bonaroti.

The pizza crust was good. There was absolutely no taste in the tomato sauce and other toppings. My friend had the calzone and had the same comment. Italian restaurants should have good tomato sauce! Too bad. The prices and service were satisfactory. The gelato was too die for. It’s nice to be in a quiet restaurant.

No. No. No! This is NOT NY style pizza. What a shame. Friendly service. The quality of the pizza was not palatable. Two palms down for the food.

I took the advice of my fellow Unilocalers and stuck to the pizza at our New Year’s Day lunch.
The Personal Pizzas are a perfect size for one. I started with a House Salad with their House Dressing (which is an Italian-​style vinaigrette) for only $ 1.99. This includes a roll which was okay.
I’m a sucker for a good pizza crust, and this place was solid. The crust had a nice crunch to it, but was still nice and soft on the interior. Delectable! It was cooked well from crust to center without that soggy center that often occurs with a New York-​style thin crust pizza.
The interior décor was lacking though. The place can best be described as «traditional» and reminds up of early 1990s Italian restaurants. I’m guessing that this place hasn’t changed much since then.
I would love to have this pizza again, but it’ll probably be for carry out; I can skip the dark, dated interior.

Come here for the pizza and calzones. I’m from NYC and I’ve tried every place around the dc area. This ranks among the best. Sauce is just right. Thickness and crispness of the dough and of course the cheese all done right. I give em four stars because I find the rest of their menu offerings just okay. They don’t make their pasta or gnocchi in house and it shows. If they made that single change I’d have trouble deciding what to order!

My daughter and I went there on two separate occasions and we were served rotten mussels both times. When I pointed out the green and black slime on the shells and the meat, the waiter took them away and came back with the manager. The manager said he’d take the mussels off the bill for our «inconvenience.» We still had to pay the bill. Sorry, but after being served rotten meat, our appetites went away, there’s no way we’re going to eat the other food you’ve served us.
This place is just gross.

Meh.
That sums up this place.
Ate there and the pasta dishes were skimpy and very out-​of-​a-​box flavored. Seriously uninspired stuff that you’d get at any restaurant that has an Italian section on its menu. I just didn’t find the options to be that great, and it took me a long time to decide what to order. The dishes we got just were really small for the price and not that satisfying or tasty. The service was also extremely slow.
I guess it’s OK in a pinch, but in the northern Virginia area that’s so saturated with great places to eat, no need to waste your time here. Move along.