Luciano Ristorante Italiano-On the River

Beautiful location along the riverfront but very slow staff the at does not seem to grasp the concept of service. The food was mediocre and not very flavorful and quite overpriced. For the prices it isn’t worth it. For the feel of being outside and thinking you are in a real Italian restaurant… still pass

I wasn’t feeling too great so my dad walked from our hotel to pick up food here for me. When I called, they said it would be about 15 minutes. It took my dad that long to walk there, at which point he had to wait another 15 minutes. He was wary when he got a look at my pizza, but it was late and he knew I was hungry. It was, in a word, burnt. I could only eat about ²⁄₃ of each slice because so much of it was just charred. The toppings weren’t very appetizing either. I tried picking them off, but in the end I threw the whole thing out after ²⁄₃ each of 3 slices. There are so many choices in this area, it’s amazing any business is able to get away with this.

Expensive. Kids menu is good. Their pizza is really good. Salad not great. Antipasti not very good. It’s convenient if you’re staying at the Marriot but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Terrible service, the toasted ravioli had freezer burn and was stale. Sat at the bar with over 20 dirty glasses within touching distance. Witnessed a used decanter reused for someone else without washing. Bartender was in a bad mood slamming stuff down and not very cordial. Bad Santa…

Excellent service and great food. Catered for a large group with very little notice.

I have mixed emotions about this place. My first experience was great and my second not so much. Being that there aren’t that many reasonably priced and good restaurants near the convention center, you’re stuck just flipping a coin. We chose Luciano’s because it was listed on the Open Table app. We didn’t feel like waiting in lines like last year where everything was just insane during this convention. This year seemed to be different. I reserved a spot for 4 for 9:30. We got there early but they took us to our table anyway. I noticed it wasn’t busy. Our waiter was pleasant and very knowledgeable about the menu and portion sizes. The linens were clean, our glasses clear and the floor spotless. I noticed that some customers had said that there were spots on the linens and glasses. I didn’t see any evidence of that on this visit. Our food came and it was pretty good! It came hot and full of flavor. Our glasses were filled often. Our tiramisu was pretty good too!
Let’s skip to the second visit the next day since it wasn’t great. We arrived and were placed outside of the restaurant along the walkway. We were pretty tired at that point which made us giggly and we experienced the weirdest thing at the hotel so we expected things to add onto it since that’s how it always happens for us.
Our waiter asked what we’d like to drink and as we looked over the menu, he brought us our orders then left. I noticed what looked like the end of a fly’s wing or some sort of flat veiny green but transparent leaf in my drink. I couldn’t tell what it was. I removed it and sat there then noticed a cup stain on the table cloth. It was a faded red. My brother was the only one ordering a meal while I needed a coffee to wake up since I was returning back to the convention later. The waiter never brought the bread and oil dip. When the waiter returned, I asked him if he had some sort of coffee menu. I was hoping they’d have different types of coffees they could make. He questioned what I meant by a coffee menu.
«Do you have a coffee menu of some sort or maybe just a cold coffee will do. «
“Coffee menu???»
«Yes, maybe one with lattes or cappuccinos or versions of cold coffees? I need to wake up.»
«Um… Cold coffee?!? We don’t have cold coffee. We can make a latte or cappuccino, «expresso» and American «expresso». How about a decaf?»
As I was twitching to him saying «expresso», I said, «What? A decaf wouldn’t wake me at all. Haha»
«Ha. Yes, I guess not.»
«I guess I’ll take an American espresso»
He then asks my friend what she wants which was a tiramisu. He later brings my brother’s lasagna out and starts to back away but then asks if he wants cheese on it. My brother said he needed silverware. The waiter leaves and brings it. He then asks my brother again if he wants cheese. He sprinkles it on his lasagna then asks my friend if she wants cheese on her tiramisu. It didn’t even sound like a joke. She said no and just started laughing. We all looked at each other like whaaaaa? The espresso was terrible. It was extremely watered down somehow even in its tiny cup. My brother and friend finished their dishes and then the waiter came by but left again. He finally came back again and took the plates. We were waiting for the check but he asked how we were doing as he was leaving another table and left us with no way to answer back unless we yelled it. We paid and left the table. I looked around and noticed some clean tables but beside them was trash and dirty silverware. I’m not sure how all that was left behind.

Our food was off the hook and the service was very good. We had the chicken lasagna and lobster ravioli — tasted freshly made, homemade sauces, and we asked for little extras (fresh garlic) which came out right away. Highly recommend. Paola was our server and professional as you would expect from a classy and high-​end location. Met the manager and he too was professional and classy.

Meh. I should have known that this place would cater to tourists (convenient and on the canal but overpriced and mediocre food; that goes for the other adjacent restaurants, too). The food was unforgettable and my soup arrived AFTER I’d finished my entrée. At that point I’d completely forgotten about it! Our server was nice but new. He seemed a bit frazzled. All in all, just an OK experience. I’d recommend eating elsewhere.

Place was terrible took us almost two hours to get our food and it came out bland and tasteless and what kinda of Italian place doesn’t serve meatballs with there spaghetti never had I paid for something so bad

Fantastic afternoon at Luciano! Great service, wine and food… worth a visit for sure!

Absolutely the best Italian food that I’ve had EVER! They even have a picture of the staff taken with Andre Bocelli! So if Andre ate there that should tell you how good it is for Italian food! Yummy in my Tummy!

I think all locals should frequent our river walk for a night out; especially during the holidays. We joined another couple for a well-​planned evening of dining out at Luciano Restaurant, riding the river barge and then hot chocolate to wind-​down our evening; thanks Janie. What a perfect place to have dinner outside on the river and have the opportunity to listen to Peruvian music from the musical group Andean Fusion; I have seen them at the same spot on the river walk for at least the last two years.
The restaurant’s atmosphere is sophisticated and not too touristy, prices are reasonable for the quality of the food. We were served by Paola who was attentive to our needs. She seemed as though she was really interested in how we were doing; and having a choice spot to sit on a Sunday night we did not feel hurried to leave.
Normally I have a glass of wine with my Italian food, but tonight I opted to have some good olé’ Un-​sweet tea. My husband had some really good Merlot. I eat very little fried food, but thoroughly enjoyed their lightly battered shrimp which was topped with a lemon butter sauce. This dish was accompanied with some well-​seasoned veggies. I loved the way this dish was prepared.
My husband ordered the salmon which was served with the same vegetables and had a lemon caper sauce. Our friends ordered a carbon copy of what we ordered. We all left very satisfied, and not stuffed since the portion sizes were perfect.

Luciano’s on the Riverwalk (under the Marriott Rivercenter) is one of those few restaurants along the Riverwalk that is worth going back to. With its good food, friendly service and a pleasant ambience, you would almost forget that you are in a location where three quarters of all business establishments are rank tourist traps.
Luciano’s is child friendly. You can enjoy your favorite Italian dish and a fine wine while your kids scarf down corn dogs and Coca Cola.
Don’t get me wrong. Luciano’s is not exactly haute cuisine and is unlikely to be featured in Zagat’a top 50. It’s still a Riverwalk restaurant but if you’re on the San Antonio River and want Italian food, Luciano’s will not disappoint you.

Sat down to dirty table clothes. Not a good first impression!
Ordered an appetizer, salad and 2 entrees. Appetizer (calamari) was good and plenty of it. Bread finally arrived and it was piping hot and honestly the best part of the meal. Salad never showed up! Entrees arrive and the lasagna cold so I sent it back! The other entrée was luke warm, not hot as if it were prepared fresh. Which was evident when we had to take Zantac 30 minutes after leaving the restaurant.
First impression and not a very positive lasting impression either. With so many other restaurants on the river walk to choose from, I would recommend going somewhere else.

The food was delicious, service was great, and would definitely come back! Linguine di mare was huge, filled with seafood, and flavored wonderfully!

In need of lunch and not wanting a food court meal, I decided to stop here. The tables outside had a nice view so I chose to sit outside. I was seated right away but after waiting 10 minutes, I had to flag down a sever. He said he wasn’t in charge of my section, but did offer to serve me. I had placed my order and received my drink before my actual waiter showed up (total of 20 minutes after I sat down).
I started with the fried zucchini, which was featured as a chef recommended pick. The slices were thick and not at all crispy. The coating kept falling off of them and they lacked flavor. I also ordered the margherita pizza. The menu description said it was topped with crushed tomatoes, I guess I didn’t realize that meant canned tomatoes. The tomatoes tasted bitter and there were way too many of them. The crust was too thick on the ends and soggy in the middle. A very sad representation of a Neapolitan style pizza.

The service was so horrible and the even when they present the final bill, it wasn’t even properly presented in a check presenter or a plate. Even a ihop or Dennis present their bills with more class. Instead the bill came folded and pushed to you to like a fast food chain. For an establishment that look good on the outside the service is severely embarrassing. The food is below average as mentioned by other reviewer but the location is good. Due to their location there is high traffic of tourist and so it is not unexpected that their attitude reflect this; as they have no concern for repeat customers.
We inquired from both other waiters and the restaurant manager and it is interesting to here their response. Other waiters mention that the waiters are required to buy check presenters and not all waiters choose to do so. The manager mentioned that they don’t have enough check presenters and they have ordered but it takes a long time to arrive. As far as I can from the waiters who use check presenters at this location, it is just a standard black presenter and there is no customization to it so either the manager is lying (and would you want to frequent a restaurant with a manager that lies) or they have an extremely inefficient purchasing process or they simply don’t care.

Classic Italian food on the Riverwalk. It’s nothing special, but it’s a nice restaurant! They have all of the classics you’d expect them to have: penne alla vodka, fettuccini alfredo, etc.

Cute spot on the Riverwalk. Very touristy but despite San Antonio/​Texas being known for Tex Mex and not Italian I was very pleasantly surprised.
It was so humid during the day that I questioned whether sitting outside would be an option for this Canadian but by 8:30 the weather was so perfect. The music playing is a nice addition to the outing.
We ordered a bottle of wine suggested by the server — which was a very tasty red perfect for the summer weather. The bread was served warm and delicious and I ordered the salmon which was perfectly cooked and just so tender. My boss had the lobster ravioli and loved it as well.
I felt service was a little slow however, all in all, I was incredibly happy with the experience.

It always feels like a waste eating at chain restaurants when you’re traveling (I’m not even sure that this is a chain, but it’s sandwiched between a Saltgrass Steakhouse and the Marriot, making it part of a chain, so to speak). But no other property could boast an environment quite like the one on the River Walk, with floors and a ceiling suitable for a nice indoor feeling but with an entire side of the building missing to let in the autumn of TX.
As it was our first time here, DH and I stuck to the basics: penne pasta and lasagna. His sauce was a little sour for my taste (lemon perhaps?) but clearly made with fresh ingredients. My lasagna was perfect and the sauce was thick and full, unlike the watery jar stuff I’ve eaten too often. They serve bread and Olive oil while you wait, which is definitely worth doing.