Lucca

Best pasta ever! Everything was made fresh not frozen. Staff was great ! Would definitely go there again. The restaurant was old world quiet and dark loved it!!!

Took a large group to dinner. One of my guests was excited to return there. Attentive service from the moment we arrived. Shared appetizers. The Brussels sprouts were delicious. Everyone loved their entrees, but those of us who got the gnocchi really lucked out. Probably the best I’ve ever had (and I live in a big city with lauded Italian restaurants). Shared desserts were also good. Highly recommend. Front porch looks lovely for warm weather.

This place is great! I recommend the focaccia appetizer, the house — made tagliatelle, and the zeppole for dessert. Also, David is an excellent waiter! Very attentive, friendly, and recommended great wine and food. I will definitely come back.

The food was delicious with a nice ambiance and good service. We had the mixed olive appetizer and salad. Bailee had spaghetti and said it was delicious… she even ate the meatballs. I had the grouper special that was very good. Well worth the money.

Order the Brussels and steak with bacon jam. The cocktails were perfection, be aware the selection is more about whisky than wine. My partner ordered a pasta dish with chicken and the poultry was not seasoned. He found it to be underwhelming although the pasta was perfection. I think any Italian making that statement is a win in my book. We will be back, soon.

Another wonderful dinner date. Late evening check in. Still serving. Staff was very accommodating. Nothing was off the menu. Love chicken. They had an awesome balsamic chicken, one of my favorite. «available» score!!! Lucca’s is a wonderful Italian restaurant
My date decided on some Fruit de Mer with shrimp, scallops, crab and penne pasta in a spicy creamy tomato sauce. He liked it!!!
I had a very nice Malbec wine selection wih entrée that calmed the stress of the day more than expected, afterwards there’s were enough left over to take home for tomorrow, leaving room for dessert. We had a marvelous bread pudding. Eyes bigger than stomach. Take home a must, A very nice meal on a weeknight. Compliments to Lucca for bringing a bright spot to a gray day. We will frequent this establishment again.
Recommend!!!

Nick Senske stars as the new executive chef of Lucca. The appetizers are amazing from the cheeses paired with fig jam and crispy prosciutto to the lightly fried calamari with spicy tomato sauce and peppers. Be sure to try the pastas which are made in house using locally sourced vegetables for the sauces. The meatballs are also handmade to order and are full of flavor. Together, it’s easily best dish of spaghetti and meatballs (topped with melted straciatella cheese). The tagliatelle is just as good if not better. My favorite entrees are the filet, veal, or the mixed grill are always solid choices. But do not miss out on the marvelous molten lava cake!

I live approximately two blocks from Lucca, and have walked by it about a gazillion times. Given that my friends and I had plans to head to Phipps on Sat. evening, and that they wanted to have dinner somewhere on Craig St., I suggested it, given that it’s one of the few upscale options. As you can see by my rating, unfortunately, our visit left something to be desired.
The main issue was the service. From the time we sat down, it was clear that serving us was not a priority. After 10 min., the waiter came to take our drink orders, and then brought them out in another 5 min. However, after that, we sat for about 15 min. with no sign of him coming back to take our food orders. I finally went up to the hostess stand and demanded service, which was followed by him coming over to take our order in short order.
For our appetizer, we ordered the terra stracchiatella de bufula ($ 15), which consisted of fresh mozzarella, crispy prosciutto, and fig jam. We also ordered the crispy calamari ($ 11), which comes with red peppers, onion, and spicy tomato basil sauce. While the crispy prosciutto was good, the fresh mozzarella was more watery than I’d like. I’m not a huge calamari fan, so I’m not the most objective judge of calamari, but it wasn’t as crispy as I’d like, and I wasn’t a fan of the spicy elements – though I get that they were included to add flavor.
For our entrees, we ordered the following from the pasta menu: tagliatelle ($ 18), braised rabbit risotto ($ 14), and wild mushroom risotto ($ 12). The tagliatelle was quite al dente, to the point that my friend who ordered it was wondering if it was cooked properly. He became accustomed to it eventually, and enjoyed it after that. I can’t speak for the braised rabbit risotto, as I didn’t try it. However, I can speak for the wild mushroom risotto, which I ordered, and it was severely underseasoned. Because our table didn’t have salt and pepper shakers, I (miraculously) caught our waiter’s attention when he was waiting on the table next to us and asked for some. The addition of salt and pepper greatly improved the dish – even then, though, it was 3.5 star quality at best.
As expected, when finished our dinner, we sat for a good 10 – 15 min. waiting for the check. Fed up with waiting at this point, I got up and approached the bar, where our waiter was working, and firmly requested the check. It was at this point when I realized that our waiter was actually the bartender, and that the restaurant was understaffed. Out of goodwill, we tipped 15% – needless to say, the actual deserved tip was much less. In his defense, he did make a delicious French 75 – though, not to sound like a cocktail snob, but it was served in a martini glass instead of the proper highball glass. For those keeping track at home, we spent 1.5 hours from arrival to departure. Needless to say, we were less than impressed, and won’t be returning until they up the ante with the food and get the service under control, esp. at this price point.

Lucca is a fine Italian dining experience. Having lived in Italy for nearly 2 years of my life, I can say this place is the most authentic in Pittsburgh. Now if you want a menu with typical Americanized-​Italian (Stromboli, calzone, Alfredo, etc), then Lucca will shock you. Yes they have a delicious steak on the menu. And yes, steak is very Italian (central Italy).
Fantastic appetizers (stracciatella cheese with olive tapenade was incredible), insalate mista was spot on, and for an entre I had swordfish with capers a lemon sauce, side of red sauce bolognese pasta. wow. So good.
Truly a 5-​Star establishment.

I had a wonderful dinner at Lucca with my family and friends. The restaurant is very quiet and comfortable. The service is attentive and professional. I had the gnocchi which was absolutely amazing but tried all of the other dishes which were equally delicious. Originally a Pittsburgher and having moved to San Francisco, this restaurant rivals the Italian food establishments in my new home.

Lucca is delicious. The menu isn’t extensive but the dishes are well done. I recently had the gnocchi with scallops and loved it. My fiancé is a fan of the veal. This is our go to place for good Italian food. Love that they have homemade pasta!

I heard Lucca had hired a new Chef and have been there twice since in the last few weeks, once for lunch and once for dinner. Let’s get this out of the way first: Lucca is pricey.
I got their burger at lunch and it was really well seasoned and perfectly cooked. It’s really up there for me for beat burgers I’ve had in Pittsburgh. They added some crispy prosciutto and that was a nice touch, but the burger itself was a star. As for the fries I (sadly but wisely) opted out. The salad was small, but light. The burger was more than enough for me.
And for dinner I devoured a gnocchi dish with 2 large scallops in a butternut squash sauce for dinner and it was perfectly executed. Maybe I’m just really easy to please but gnocchi and scallops are both a little bit of a challenge to get right.
Lucca is also doing brunch now and I’d love to come back to try it out. I think they’re really trying to compete now that the more laid back Union has remodeled and foodie darling Legume is up the street, and honestly they should be competitive! Lucca has the best outdoor seating on the street, so they get points for that.
To many Pitt and CMU grads it might remain the place that was too expensive for them to even look at the menu. However to those alumni: if you’re not overburdened by student debt (TBH a small population), you should give Lucca a chance.

I’ve been here twice myself for lunch and have scheduled business dinners here on two other occasions.
The food is fantastic — I highly suggest any of the pasta dishes. They do a fantastic job of balancing their dishes to not make them too heavy. Keep in mind that their menu changes. I wouldn’t say that it’s «seasonal» because it doesn’t work to cater to seasonal vegetables or anything of the same. However, they do take dishes off and put new ones on, so don’t be surprised if you view an old menu somewhere online or if you return and the dish you loved the last time isn’t there any more. (I promise you that you will find something else JUST as delicious!)
While this isn’t really a beer sort of place and you’d most likely order wine with the dishes, if you ARE a beer drinker (you probably are if you’re in Pittsburgh…) the beer selection is odd. Dogfishhead 60 min IPA, Hoegarten, and Peroni — that’s it. I haven’t tried the cocktails, so I can’t speak to that.
Someone below mentioned the service as to why they gave such low stars. I’ve never been impressed with the service, but they’re not horrible. I think it’s just a little odd at the not top notch service for such a nice restaurant, but don’t let that keep you from coming. Just keep it in mind where you do!

My husband and I loved everything! We were greeted and seated by a very friendly host. Our server, Jackson, was perfect. He suggested a great wine, and we also took his food recommendations. My husband had the mixed medley of shrimp, salmon and scallops. I had the blue crab ravioli. Both were delicious!!!
If we’re ever in Pittsburg again, we will definitely be back.

Like many others, I have always walked by but never tried this place. Unfortunately, it seems that I have not missed out on much. The staff seemed less than enthused to be serving us. Upon arrival we were sat at a table that was in complete darkness. With barely any other patrons in the dining room, we kindly asked to switch tables. The server rolled his eyes and complied. Our waters were served quite late. My halibut was very good but the poor service was more rememberable. Thus, 2 stars.

Really nice environment and upscale atmosphere for a celebration or just a night out. When my dad and I walked in for a late lunch on a weekend, the host was a little curt, but our server was very friendly. We were seated at a table for two that was sectioned off by columns, which could make for a very intimate setting.
I had the Atlantic salmon, which came on a bed of steamed asparagus and spinach with a chive butter sauce. The menu said steamed rice instead of the spinach. I would have appreciated the carbs, especially since the portions are on the smaller side here, but I didn’t mind the spinach either. The salmon was incredibly moist, possibly due to the fact that it was on the fattier side. The vegetables were fine, and the sauce was, well, buttery-​tasting.
My dad ordered the grilled boneless chicken breast, which came on a bun, with fries and ketchup. (He also could’ve chosen salad or soup.) I tried some of his chicken, which was heavily (though not excessively) seasoned and tender. He seemed to enjoy it. The fries were crispy and pretty good, and I liked that they were seasoned with something other than salt. I’m not sure what it was.
I’m not itching to return, but I had a good experience.

I’ve eaten at Lucca’s a couple times however this past time I went I really wasn’t impressed. I actually didn’t even like my entrée. My husband & I split a spring mix salad which was ok nothing special & the truffle fries which were awesome. The fries w/​the truffle sauce were the best part of the whole meal. They also bring out fresh bread with olive oil & balsamic vinegar, which was good. The downside is they do not have a very big vegetarian selection. When I went there was only 2 vegetarian entrée options. My first choice was the gnocchi pasta but they were out of gnocchi so I was forced to get the only other vegetarian entrée on the menu, pasta w/​vegetables in olive oil. I did not like it at all. I couldn’t even finish it. It had hardly any flavor and there was so much oil it made me sick. I was really disappointed b/​c I have had good pasta there before. I guess they’re really hit or miss unfortunately. I may go back but it’ll be a while, not my first choice.

Found Lucca on Groupon and figured we’d give it a try. We went on a Saturday night and sat at the bar. The bar itself is small, and the bartender acted as if he would have rather been at the dentist having a root canal then working that night. We started with the wedge salad and it was fresh, but nothing special. The spaghetti and meatballs, was rather bland, and lacked flavor. The pasta was cooked perfectly, but the sauce had that metal taste, as if it came straight from the can. The meatballs themselves (2) were ok, but lacked flavor.
The bartender never once came over to see how our meal was, and in fact we never saw him again until we were finished and ready for the bill.
Lucca does have nice ambiance, and is dimly lit. Parking can be difficult, and you may have to park a few blocks away.
We would return with another Groupon, but not if paying full price.

The food was good for a lunch. I had my taste buds set on something they didn’t serve until dinner but I made it work.

Been wanting to go here for years! After we saw a show in town we decided to stop here for dinner. The mushroom and Brie soup was delicious. Hubby had the lamb and I had the pumpkin ravioli with mascarpone topped with toasted hazelnut.
It’s not cheap, but the food is oh so worth it. The one thing I would change is better lighting so the menu is easier to read. Will definitely go back!