We took advantage of the Labor Day holiday weekend and booked a two night stay in Keene because of the two, major, rail trails that pass through town. So, I hopped on Yelp before our departure to figure out where we should make dinner reservations. On the first night, we decided to try Luca and I'm super glad we did. First, they seated us kitty corner a the bar, just as we asked in the "special requests" section of the reservation form. I.e., great service from the outset. Second, the bartender was very attentive and made our cocktails exactly as we asked (not always the case sadly). Third, and most important, the food was amazing. So much so that we made our own version of the two appetizers we tried and served them at a dinner party recently to rave reviews. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Finally, the restaurant is clean, comfortable, and tastefully decorated.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We can't wait to come back to Keene and go to Luca. read more

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Sad to see that Luca's has closed. We have had great meals here over the years, although the change of ownership was not for the better

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Luca is good food, good people, and a nice atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great for a date night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] A bit pricey, but worth it. read more

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Great service! Located right at the town square. Huge menu that I would call more "Italian" vs. "Mediterranean". Appetizers were fried goat cheese balls (terrific) and lamb kabobs. Entrees were lamb chops and beef ragu. All tasty and about the right size portions. Add 4 glasses of wine + tip and damages for 2 were $160. Recommended! read more

Tucked into the Centre of Keene NH..is a cute Mediterranean flavored restaurant. My best friend and I decided on a lighter lunch. But it wasn't light on flavor. We both shared two appetizers and then ended up getting salads she ordered a Caesar salad with grilled salmon and I opted for the Greek salad with chicken added. We did share fresh burrata with fresh strawberries and the shrimp with pesto sauce. And one thing that we did do was combine the pesto sauce on the toast with burrata cheese and it was just off the hook. If you are from Keene or visiting. Luca's should definitely be on your list. read more

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Absolutely amazing food here. Advised as a Mediterranean Cafe with a bonus of an Italian owner. Seating inside and outside. Phenomenal service. We had the fried mozzarella to start. This was almond crusted with basil pesto and fire roasted tomatoes accompanied with baby arugula. So delectable. Shareable for 1-2 people. We then had the mussels italiano Prosciutto, garlic, chardonnay, lemon, butter, fresh Parsley. Served with grilled ciabatta bread. Again, amazing! My mom had the cheeseburger and she felt this was the best she ever had. My dad had a linguine dish with chicken. Sorry, I can not remember name of dish. My dad is a very picky pasta eater. He is critical. His favorite dish is spaghetti but it must be cooked to his liking. My mother is an amazing cook so he is spoiled at home. Often times, we hold our breath as we wait for him to take his first bite. Well....we all exhaled at the same time because he absolutely loved his linguine dish. He talked about his meal for more than a week and asked my mother to try to recreate the flavors. My son had linguine con peas and bacon with chicken and I had the penna alla genovese. I usually am not a fan of pesto but this dish turned me right around because I was amazed. My mouth waters as I write this review. Dessert was strawberry cheesecake and the best lemoncello cake my palate has had the pleasure of tasting. I ordered one to go for my hubby who missed out on dining with us. I can not wait to return. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Food, service, and atmosphere were great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The volume in the place was a little loud due to the open concept but still a good vibe.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] My phone died so I did not get photos but 2 of us had the specials and one had the noodle dish off the menu. read more

The waiter was insensitive about my disability. It put a cloud over our meal. Not going back. read more

Went to Lucas for our 33rd anniversary dinner. Started with humans and chips & olives as apps. Mains were a vegan cashew cheese raviolis. Our vegan gelato's were blood orange and passion pineapple. Our mains were not on the menu yet however we were told by our waiter that the new menu is coming. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Our meals were delicious and the atmosphere friendly.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Truly impressed with this charming place and the service was spectacular![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We ordered a beet salad, Greek salad, scallop plate with pork bellies and the fried chicken sandwich. Everything was delicious and we didn't have to wait long. It was really a perfect experience! Keep up the good work! read more

Dropped in for lunch. The caperese sandwich and the greek salad were very good. The burger looked delicious but I didn't get a chance to try it. Recommended! read more

Luca - View from patio dining area - Mediterranean Near Me - Keene, New Hampshire

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Luca's was a fabulous spot for date night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The outdoor seating was a very nice atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Cocktails were delicious - we had the bees knees and whiskey sour. The salmon was perfectly cooked and very flavorful. I've gone 3 times now and always order it! The spicy pasta was good, but would probably try something different next time. highly recommend! read more

Luca - Salmon and spicy pasta - Mediterranean Near Me - Keene, New Hampshire

We had a great lunch here today. I had the linguine with shrimp, peas and bacon in a white cream sauce. The boss had Luca's favorite - chicken, brocollini, cheese and aioli. She love the sandwich that was served on a ciabatta bread. My linguine was delish. Creamy, filled with peas and bacon bits with grilled shrimp. The sauce was rich but not overbearing. The wait staff was extremely professional, friendly and attentive. We had a great meal here and I think you would too read more

We has a great experience getting a take out meal from Luca's. We got the Greek Salad with the Faroe Island salmon, Lamb Gyro, Luca's Favorite (chicken sandwich with broccolini on it--who ever thought to put broccolini on a sandwich! YUM!), and pasta/vodka sauce. Everything tasted so good and fresh and it had a ton of flavor without relying on salt to create the flavor. We thoroughly enjoyed this delicious, well priced meal. I will emphatically second the advice of other Yelpers: "you can't go wrong with anything you order". We will definitely be back to explore more of the menu! The only tiny thing is that the side of potato chips were in the to-go containers with the warm sandwiches and were slightly soggy by the time we got them home. Not a ton you can do to avoid that! read more

Great experience, food, and drink. Warm beautiful summer day. Seated outside. Smallish menu with plenty of good options for a non meat eater. Great beer curation , I had a hoppy IPA. We both had large Greek salads with grilled salmon. Perfectly cooked and flavorful salad. Highly recommended! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]What a gorgeous little town and a beautiful restaurant.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Started with a long wait to get seated and even longer to order. I ordered the Mediterranean salad for a starter and the chicken Parmesan. After a long while, they put some bread and oil/vinegar on the table. The bread was pretty good but the oil was horrible. Plus you couldn't get to the vinegar under all the oil so just ended up with a soggy piece of bread. The salad finally came around 40 minutes later. The flavors were all good but it was soaked in way too much dressing. I love dressing but there was seriously enough for four salads there. Another 30-40 Minutes later and the mains came. Chicken parm was ok. I would give it a 7 out of 10. Took the wait of another 20 Minutes or so to get our check (then another 10 after that when we saw they gave us the wrong check). We wanted to pay with a credit card but it was taking so long for her to return, we just paid with cash on the table and left. read more

I was completely taken aback by the complexity of flavors in every bite of the meal. Each dish had an incredible initial hit and got successively more delicious as you ate it. Luca's is a gem, don't sleep on it. read more

Very disappointed. Food was sub par. The "fisherman's platter" came in a small bowl. The salmon dish also came in a small bowl. The spring pea ravioli, had 3 ravioli and an over abundance of mushrooms. The restaurant was not busy, yet the server was very inattentive. We had to get up ourselves to lower the sun shade. We were never asked how our meal was once we got it, and all the food came out one dish at a time with a long times in between. The salmon came out last and was at least 5 minutes or more after all the rest. It was a very expensive meal, that was totally un-enjoyable. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Lovely outdoor dining area overlooking Central Square.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Menu offered excellent variety. We began with the mushroom appetizer and the goat cheese balls which were both excellent. Entrees were their chicken sandwich and linguine with mushrooms. Both were more than enough for lunch and very tasty. Just a terrific dining experience. read more

Let's start with the positives. The wine, beer, and cocktail selection is excellent, as is the service. The bread is phenomenal - soft and pillowy with just a hint of crust. And the portions are great. The ingredient quality is also excellent. But, the food lacks seasoning and is just not quite at the level one would expect given the prices. We tried the almond crusted mozzarella with pesto and arugula. The cheese was beautifully crusted but the dish lacked salt, acid, and garlic so it was disappointing. The roasted mushrooms with Parmesan polenta was simply okay. Again, it lacked seasoning and the mushrooms tasted like they were not roasted but rehydrated dried mushrooms. This dish had the acid the other one lacked but was not in proportion to the dish. We next tried Luca's favorite sandwich (chicken) which was on excellent bread but it was largely your basic sandwich with what seemed to be Ruffles potato chips as a side. Mmmm, k? The chicken Francaise was okay. The seared chicken breast was a breaded and pan fried chicken breast that drenched in the sauce. Here again, the sauce lacked balance. Too much garlic, too much acid, not enough fat, and no salt. On the plus side the linguine was cooked perfectly. The Bolognese sounded great, three kinds of meat in a tomato cream sauce. It, too, was disappointing. Honestly, the dish lacked seasoning (a common theme), and really didn't have an identity. The meats were indistinguishable from one another. In our most honest moment we described it as akin to Chef Boyardee. Not the best impression to leave one after a moderately priced meal. The restaurant was full, with Friday and Saturday reservations booked in advance. I suspect this is the only "classy" restaurant in Keene, making it a great date night opportunity for the older crowd. Next time we're in Keene we'll try somewhere that gears toward the college crowd. read more

lovely restaurant, creative takes on Mediterranean staples and featured new dishes...The service was good, not great and the prices are a bit high for the overall experience. Wished there were more superb Italian cuisine dishes. read more

Food was amazing. The service was slow, but I think it was just our waiter as all others were hustling. When your sat and finished your drink and sit for 10 minutes without being asked if you want another drink, it's usually the server. Nonetheless, would give it a second chance. . read more

Traveling from the north country and stopped at Luca's just by chance. What good luck we have! Had a wonderful lunch with great, friendly service, but the most important treat was the food. It was rich and full of flavor. I had Cavatappi Sausage & Broccolini. Highly recommended for pasta lovers. My companion had Tortelloni alla Panna. She savored every bight. You really should give this cafe a try. I see some folks rated the place poorly. Certainly don't know where they were or how their day was going, but it wasn't the cafe where I was. read more

What has happened to Luca's? Food and service have gone down the drain. Though I have visited this restaurant several times when I was visiting Keene during summer months, my recent experience was a complete disappointment. In fact, it was insulting. I invited 5 other family members to celebrate my adult son's birthday. We ordered a variety of appetizers but the cold slimy calamari and spoiled Italian sausage were inedible. When the FIVE dinners finally arrived, we patiently waited for the remaining sixth dinner. We asked our waiter about the missing dinner and he said it was coming. Not true. We waited for an interminable length of time My son insisted that we go ahead and begin eating, but we felt awkward eating when someone has to wait . Funny thing is that he had ordered the same entree as Grandpa's, an eggplant dish. But we had to send this eggplant back because it was still cold in the middle. When the waiter returned, he served Grandpa, but still NOTHING for my son. About another 10 minutes later when we were finished with our meals, he returned with the missing entree and rudely said, "I'm not charging you for this one." No apology. No excuse. In fact, we left both eggplant entrees mostly uneaten. The eggplant was basically a baseball-sized sphere in a heavy grease-laden coating with a dab of marinara. Just looking at the unhealthy unappetizing mess would discourage you, too. So I really hope that you have better luck than we did if you decide to support this business. But if you like fresh and healthy food and polite service, move on. read more

Good food, but oh how I miss their pasta/salad night. We used to go all the time. It was such a great deal (I would pay extra now, if they brought it back). [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a beautiful little restaurant and seeing kids go there for prom is super cute.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The owner brings them ginger ale in champagne flutes, and really takes care of them! read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Walked into the original entrance and thought it to be a strange layout. We couldn't figure out where to sit[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Decided to go in the other room and, honestly, it felt like kiddy land.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Kidding aside, the music was good and we were able take in the view of the square.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We quickly placed out order and discovered the wine list was lacking. Ordered a Pino Noir - they were out, the few other listed were not appealing. The Zinn was wrong, the Syrah didn't fit the meal, I mean, this is an italian restaurant, right? Shouldn't there be an italian wine, or even a good Cab on the list? Our 2nd glass of wine ended up with the last on the list, Malbec. No complaints about the meal, it wasn't authentic, but it was very good. We ordered 2 appetizers and 2 main courses. It all came at once since the kitchen was closing. We will more than likely not return and it's a shame because we had heard it was once a fine restaurant. The owners need to rethink where they are headed with this current setup. It appears to be disconnected to anything Italian. read more

Excellent food! We stopped spontaneously and are so glad we did. Quite a nice surprise. You could simply taste the freshness.

College graduation from Keene State we bought our daughter, boyfriend, and boyfriend's parents here to celebrate. The food and staff was 5 star! read more

I was lured in by the 4.5 stars. Staff was very friendly and accommodating. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We witnessed a lot of activity regarding people arriving for dinner while we ate.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We had a late lunch so we decided to share a few small plates. The fingerling potato dish was undercooked and just ok. The sautéd calamari was very good and the whipped feta and cream cheese with naan bread was absolutely heavenly. Lastly, we had the pork belly with scallops which were by far the most delicious dish we had there. The belly and scallops were both cooked to perfection. In summation, we were happy we stopped in to try the food, but the attraction of a 4.5 star rating by other Yelpers left me winding why? read more

nope not for me. ragu braised beef arrived too quick, like it was reheated. house wine was weak and probably to encourage pricey bottle purchase. didnt find many healthy choices. spice and texture just was sub par. bad night i guess, we went down the street for a festive fire retreat. the bar is so lowered these days for everything. [[HIGHLIGHT]]the restaurant has a nice atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

This is a lovely, cozy little restaurant. So far, the most romantic and intimate restaurant I have found in Keene. The employees are always kind and welcoming. The food is delicious. My daughter has a favorite sandwich that she always gets when we're there and requests to-go when my husband and I go but she can't make it. Full bar with hot drinks which are excellent on these winter days. Outside seating is closed for the season and we miss it because we take our dogs. Just a few more months! read more

I've eaten all over the world and this was the most delicious food I've ever had! Friendly staff. Make reservations- we lucked out and got there early and snagged a table. My son said" If food was a hug, this would be it!" read more

I have enjoyed Luca's in the past. It was too early for dinner. Rather than try the new Tapas bar we decided to opt for a plate of Mussels Italiano. The Maître d' could not have made us feel less welcome. Standing in the middle of an empty room she declared that it would be hard to fit us in without reservations. I refuse to believe that she was looking for a tip, as that is not something people do in New England. I started to leave by my wife said to give it a go. The mussels were fresh and as expected. One can only do so much with mussels. The Fritto Misto was very well prepared, and our waitress was very accomodating by having the calamari removed before it was served. the aioli was superior. [[HIGHLIGHT]]One particular thing that was very offsetting was a constant rumble and hum that seemed to permeate the building. It literally was shaking the table.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] So I'll try the Tapas bar next time. Luca's food was more than adequate, but I don't go where I'm made to feel uncomfortable. read more

we had dinner there recently, both the salmon and special of mussels was excellent. the BIG dissapointment was the ceasar salad. they should take it off the menu, or make a home made one that lives up to the quality of the rest of the restaurant. service was A+ in every way. So was desert ;) I will be back, but avoid the ceasar salad. I would love to give it 5 stars, but the salad was a deal breaker. read more

We really really enjoyed this restaurant Owner was funny and attentive Staff was eh-seemed too frantic for not being all that understaffed nor busy Our server came and went and that was that! The food was great with the exception of the tiny 'bowl' of soup! It was literally a diner cup sized and 1/2 full Also the shrimp- Overcooked small 4 piece dish with no bread and a lot of sauce, which was delicious The gyro and chicken sandwich were delicious I'd say overall one of the best restaurants in Keene Thanks Luca! read more

Tried Lucas for our first time. The server was polite enough but somewhat on the slow side. Not a huge deal but he then brought a basket of pita, crackers, and hummus, which he basically tossed on the table as he was passing by. The pita was soggy like it had been sitting in water and there was only about a spoonful of hummus for six people. Off to a bad start. I ordered two appetizers, wild mushrooms and roasted Brussels sprouts. The mushrooms were good, but the Brussels sprouts were not roasted, no crispiness at all. I ordered salmon thinking it would be a lighter meal. The fish was good, but the cus cus and root veggies were very heavy and not very good. Overall, the food was not great. Then we got the bill. $240 for six people.... no cocktails or anything like that. $45 of gratuity tacked on. Soggy pita? If you can't get pita and hummus right, you have no business charging $240 for a meal and tacking on $45 in gratuity. read more

Great food for a fair price. Everything we had two nights in a row while visiting was fresh, cooked perfectly, and served attractively. We will be back. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Service was fine, outdoor seating atmosphere was nice but the food was inconsistent.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The whipped feta cheese dish with apricots and naan was delicious. The potato fingerling dish was undercooked - could barely cut the potatoes. Didn't bother to eat it and asked the server to wrap it up so I could take home to cook. Baked it for 25 minutes and that made it much better. read more

Been here three times since summer of 2021. Tiny, unasumming, but inviting. Excellent food. Period. Call waaay ahead for reservations and even then you could be shot down. read more

FABULOUS!!! We came for lunch at 11:20 on a Saturday. They were kind enough to seat us (inside )...lovely, simply decorated atmosphere. We 3 (mom, dad and adult son) had the Italian vegetable soup (special), the large Greek salad, lamb gyro and spinach ravioli( incredible sauce). Nathan , our server, was professional and personable. Lucas was quite welcoming. The food was incredibly delicious. We read reviews on yelp and made the trip from Lenox, MA to try this restaurant (and see Keene and the leaves). So glad we did!!! read more