Worst table service I have ever received. We went on a Tuesday night. Party of 2. Walked in around 6:45 without a reservation, didn't get served water for half an hour then another half for drinks than another half for bread. B.R.E.A.D. Manager(? Blonde man in glasses) walked up to us asking how we're doing. I said "We haven't eaten anything yet, so not great" and he responded "Have you been to a crowded restaurant before?"The restaurant was at most at 50% capacity when we walked in. I mean it was a Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, like come on! Most terrible attitude I had to deal with. The food finally came out around 8:30. We waited almost two hours to get two pasta dishes. The actual food - shrimp slightly overcooked. Scallops just weren't fresh at all. Pasta a little too al dente. Sauce, whatever. My friend got a "truffle pasta" - oily as hell and maybe a droplet of truffle oil. Couldn't really taste the truffle. It also came out with hella white mushroom. I expected actual truffle on top, but I guess I was expecting too much. Overpriced for the quality of food IMO. Drinks were nice, though. The outdoor space was quite nice as well. Looked so promising, only left me with disappointments. Mediocre at best. Will not return. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Frutti di Mare Con Rigatoni - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This was may first time at Lucca. My mother and I were visiting Phipps Conservatory for their Christmas light show, and we wanted to go somewhere local for dinner beforehand. I looked up "best restaurants" in the area, and Lucca Ristorante came up. I read that the restaurant hand makes their pasta everyday, so we really wanted to try out some authentic pasta. The restaurant itself is very quant and charming. It's easy to spot with its blue awning outside. Inside, you definitely get an Italian vibe with the aesthetic. it's small but in a charming way. My mother and I split their arugula salad, which could easily have been a main meal for someone. The roasted beets and goat cheese were amazing together! I had a glass of their pinot noir with their truffled pappardelle... AMAZING. If you like truffles and cream sauces, get this. Surprisingly, the sauce wasn't too creamy, which I really appreciated because it can be hard sometimes to finish a meal if a sauce is overtly creamy. The service was a little slow, which was really my only qualm. However, the restaurant was packed, so I didn't think too much of it. I would recommend calling the restaurant if you can't find a reservation spot on Open Table. I had no luck on the app, and they were able to get me a table when I called (not sure how that happened but glad it did). We are definitely excited to go back and take the whole family next time! read more

Lucca Ristorante - Truffled Pappardelle - Shitake, Oyster, Mushroom, Butter, White Truffle Oil, Cream - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Our server was very good, on point whenever we needed anything and was attentive. We did make a reservation in advance too. The Brussel sprouts with pork belly were VERY delish! Seasoned and cooked very nicely. Would definitely order those again. It's a massive portion, 4 of us shared this just fine! We ordered the Tagliatelle Bolognese and Truffled Pappardelle to share. They were both good, but I wouldn't say I would come back specifically for either of these dishes. I was excited about the idea that the pasta was made in house, but it lacked the BITE of homemade pasta and was a little over-cooked. The bolognese lacked flavor, just tasted like a regular marinara sauce even though the meats should be there to add extra flavor. It was good, if you like plain pasta with meat sauce. Nothing special. The truffled pappardelle was extremely light. I enjoyed it, just lacked a bolder flavor that you would expect from a "higher-end" dish. The pasta sizes were perfect for 1 person, I ate the entire plate and if we didn't have an appetizer then I might even have had room! I would recommend getting a soup/salad if you're a big eater with your meal! The margarita tasted like it was made with old ice and the bartender way overpoured on the sours. The Honey Mule was good, strong! I would order that again read more

The food was quite good. My wife's brussels sprouts were overcooked, but they promptly replaced them. We had an outstanding server. My one star overall rating is because someone who identified himself as a "manager" was unbelievably rude. I asked about changing tables because it was hot where we were sitting under a heat lamp, and he made a point of explaining in an abrupt and dismissive tone that it was Valentine's Day and that we couldn't move. I have never been spoken to so rudely in a restaurant. When I asked him to stop, his response was simply "leave my restaurant." I asked him if he was the owner, he said no. He then said he would bring the owner to our table, but he never did, nor did he return. His behavior was appalling and unacceptable. read more

Fantastic local Italian restaurant! The restaurant itself has a wonderful atmosphere that is romantic and welcoming both inside and the outside seating. You are given fresh bread, that is still warm, the moment you sit down to review the menu. The bread is so delicious you can eat it plain, but they also have oil and balsamic on the table for you to dip it in. The menu has all your Italian staples, as well as some more unique pasta dish flavors. I ordered the chicken parmesan and absolutely loved it! The chicken is huge, tender, and lightly breaded with a flavorful bread and seasoning. It's coated with a melted cheese layer and placed on top of spaghetti. The sauce is slightly sweet and doesn't overpower the dish. I loved it on the perfectly cooked noodles and dipped the chicken in some of the excess for added deliciousness. Our waitress was extremely sweet, spoke in a soothing soft voice, and made sure our night was perfect. Highly recommend a date night here and can't wait to go back! read more

Lucca Ristorante - Chicken Parmesan - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

My wife and I loved this restaurant when we first had their food a few years ago. I was because of this excellent first experience that we decided to have them cater our wedding. The catering was on the expensive side, but we were fine with this considering the quality we were expecting. Our expectations were not met, not even close. The staff was rude, the food was cold, and my guests were upset. I voiced these issues with the owner a few days later, and he had the audacity to blame me, my guests, and our venue for not adequately accommodating them, even though any and all accommodations that were asked for were provided either via email or over the phone. If you eat in you may have a better experience, but from our experience do not cater from here. read more

The pasta was good with the chicken piccata. The gnocchi was good. Don't order the steak or the caesar salad. The steak was the worst cut of meat I have ever seen. It was fatty, and so grisly it was nearly impossible to cut. It was allegedly a NY strip steak. Service and ambiance were average. The salad was skimpy and not very tasty. read more

Pathetic excuse for a restaurant. Would never recommend this experience. Do not eat/attempt to eat here. Only thing worse than the food and service is the manager in charge of both. read more

Wishing there was a zero stars option, but 1 star will have to do. Terrible management and planning. I attended a wedding they catered at, and everything was awful. They were late, treated the person paying them poorly, and the food was average at best. The food was cold, orders were wrong, and overall the best part about the reception was the food they didn't provide. 4700 for a mediocre service is bad, and I heavily recommend no one use this restaurant for catering. read more

Visited Lucca last week for a rehearsal dinner for our friends wedding. I had never been here before - and had no idea it existed. If you're looking for a rehearsal or group dinner location in the Oakland area I would definitely recommend checking it out. They have a wonderful outdoor covered patio that comfortably sat 20-25 of us for the dinner. Our meal selections were chosen ahead of time. I opted for the chicken Parmesan. Prior to our entree we were served wedding soup - which was absolutely delicious. The entree was good as well. I thought it was a nice portion and liked the taste of the sauce. Our meal ended with TWO cannoli - which were fabulous. The inside of the restaurant is small, but cozy. I'd like to return to try some appetizers and some of the other items on the menu. read more

Food was terrible, pricey for what you get, service is unprofessional, ambience quiet (Wed night). There were four of us, two out of town. Our table was put together with two smaller tables shoved together, but they had 1" height difference. After we were seated we were handed very stained menus. One of our guests ordered Irish coffeee but he was sadly told that they didn't have Irish whiskey, although we could see that they had a full bar. They just brought him a cup of coffee in a thick coffee cup. Two of us ordered pasta dishes (pasta was claimed to have been made by hand in house) and out of town guests wisely got salads. We also ordered a plate of pasta to share. My eggplant parmigiana was already cold by the time if arrived. The tomato sauce pasta below the fried eggplant had dried out when it got to me. We said nothing about our food, we only exchanged glances. The extra pasta plate arrived after two prompts; only one person ate at it because it looked pretty awful. We didn't order dessert but got coffee, again served tepid served in a cold cup. The coffee was undrinkably bad just like any restaurants around here. I would avoid this restaurant as much as possible. Take your dining dollars to other places instead of Lucca. Lucca used to be a little better in my memory, but it was always pricey for very ordinary food they served. Now they serve badly executed Italian American food at a very high price in a pretentious environment. They don't pay much attention to the quality of food, service, or our dining experience. We felt embarrassed to have taken them to this restaurant. read more

The food was tasty, however, the menu was a bit confusing. I ordered the Chicken Piccata and was confused on the "add a protein" option, so, I added chicken. Turns out, i got 3 pieces of chicken. The asparagus was nice and crisp, however, the artichokes were a bit soggy. The lemon in the sauce was barely detectable and the capers were flavorless when combined with the asparagus and artichoke. Pickup was a nightmare. No carryout spots and if you were picking up an order, the staff was very dismissive of me, like I was an uber/doordash/delivery person. Unfortunately, for $30+ meal, the meal, the ordering confusion and the aloof service will probably mean that I will never eat at this establishment again. read more

Lucca Ristorante provided catering for my friend's wedding this weekend and could not have dropped the ball more if they had tried. First course options were served to the entirely wrong people, and the vegetarian option was served with a slab of pork belly on top. They lost the plates and cups and attempted to blame the wedding party for the mixup. The wedding party weren't served their main course until 9:00 PM, and the food was cold by that point. The staff were unpleasant and unhelpful, and the groom had to become involved before we were able to sort any of this out. All attempts to resolve these issues have been stonewalled and met with blame. Therefore, I do not recommend Lucca Ristorante for your event catering. read more

This my first time going to Luca Ristorante. I love my experience. You have to make reservations, which I didn't know about but the restaurant was kind enough to still give a table to me and my friend. The environment is very mellow, you can seat inside or outside. The waitress was so nice. I ordered the wedge salad and you have the option to choose a meat if you want so I added salmon and I was not disappointed it was so good. I also enjoyed some appetizers, their meatballs and bruschetta. I enjoyed with a bottle of their rose champagne which was good. I would recommend this place if you want try a new Italian restaurant in the area. read more

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Disappointing at best. Meatballs greasy untasty mush. Pasta uninspiring. Just seemed like they don't care. Service, well, we were sitting outside sun beating down on us, which is okay for awhile but in our faces as 6pm. Called if they could put awning down a bit...No.... Asked if there was table inside as we were just getting to dessert....No.... Asked if we could sit at the bar....No... they are generally anti-patron and the food is lame and does not compensate. We left without dessert and will never go back, can't recommend this place. Not Pitt standards. They should close if they hate customers so much. So many places to eat in this town with great food and great service. The location is great, too bad the restaurant isn't. read more

service was great, restaurant looks very cozy food is disappointing tho the garlic bread came with meatballs is cold and hard; the brussel sprout is burnt and looks like charcoal; the scallop in the seafood risotto isn't that bad, but the risotto itself is quite bland. the total for two people was around $100(not counting in the tip), was expecting way better food for restaurant that have a price range like this. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Brussel Sprouts - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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my bar was pretty low. i was looking for italian food delivery - chicken parmesan in particular - that would be better than ordering delivery from BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse. i would say the food i received was roughly equal to BJ's, and it's possible i would have been happier with BJ's. my meatball appetizer came with 3 meatballs and they were all over-cooked. i had to work pretty hard to cut through the meatballs with a fork. my entree was chicken parm. the chicken was dry and the spaghetti noodles were soft and stuck together. the sauce was pretty blah. i probably would not order take-out or delivery from this restaurant again. read more

Good Italian good and friendly service. I would rate the food average compared to other places but the overall experience was really good. The have a lemon cake that is awesome. I tried the seafood risotto and enjoyed it. Nothing exciting but everything came out fresh and timely. The bread they serve is cold. I would prefer warm, fresh bread. I would return as this is a nice place to enjoy with coworkers, friends. read more

I visited Lucca Ristorante with my wife and 10 year old son before seeing the Holiday lights at Phipps Conservatory. What a great experience ! The food exceeded our expectations from start to finish. The calamari and brussel sprouts were phenomenal. I've never had calamari more perfectly prepared as they were tender yet crisp and salted to perfection. I highly recommend the Short Rib Risotto. No knife needed ! The ultimate Italian winter comfort food. Chicken parm is chicken parm right? Not at Lucca! The sauce and spaghetti that accompany the tender chicken is simple and perfect. The service was excellent as well. The only way your meal could be any better is if you can get Zac as your server. 10/10 !!! read more

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My husband and I had an impromptu date night here on a recent Friday night at 5:15 pm. When we arrived, we were seated at a two-person table right in front of the bar. The restaurant is small, and everything is close together, so I'm unsure if someone using a wheelchair or other assisted mobility device could navigate it easily. Once seated, we felt like we were intruding on a group of people hanging out at the bar who were there for a private party, but they were ushered away after 20 minutes. The rest of the evening felt quite romantic and intimate. We were there for an hour and a half and enjoyed drinks, an appetizer, two entrees, and a dessert. To start the evening, I had a pomegranate margarita, which was strong and delightfully tart. We did the calamari for the appetizer, which came with a tomato basil sauce. I liked that the calamari didn't feel super heavy or fill me up too much before the entree. My main entree was the caprese chicken pasta, which was very acidic due to the San Marzano tomatoes. My husband had the beef tenderloin pappardelle which he finished. While I enjoyed the taste of the mushroom sauce on him, I don't think I could've eaten more than a few bites due to how rich it was! I ate about half of mine and took the rest home. We ended the night with a slice of tiramisu, which I can only describe as decadent. It wasn't too heavy on the espresso, and the cream was soft and silky. All in all, we would come back again. I was surprised to see some of the other negative reviews, but here is what I'd say: 1. Make a reservation. 2. Expect to be there for an hour or more, especially if you order drinks or multiple courses. 3. They seem to be consistently understaffed, so be sure to extend the servers/bartenders grace. 4. It sounds like they tend to have bigger parties on Friday/Saturday nights. Consider lunch or a weeknight dinner if you don't want to deal with that. 5. Pasta seems to be their specialty, so consider one of those dishes when ordering. We chose to take the night slowly and really enjoyed both our time and experience together! read more

Food was excellent. Service was weird, felt like we were intruding even though we had an early reservation. They weren't really ready for service. Our meals were great, except for the "fresh" bread that was cold and partially stale. I'd go back later in the evening next time and I'll assume the little quirks were because they had just opened. read more

We had a 6:00pm reservation but arrived into that part of town early, so we walked in at 5:30 to see if we could sit at the bar or maybe even get seated early. Upon walking in, we were greeted with a grimy carpet and dismal overhead lighting, and a color palette from 1983. But that doesn't bother us! We're adventurous and whimsical, and that probably means the food speaks for itself! There were 3 or 4 other people in the restaurant seated who appeared to be enjoying their meals. We stepped into the bar, which to our great luck, was completely empty! We were immediately scolded by the lady behind the bar with an unfriendly "We don't seat walk-ins". No walk-ins...to THE BAR? Weird. No matter. We roll with the punches! We let her know that we had a reservation at 6, so all good to hang at the bar til then, right? Wrong. "You cannot be seated until your reservation time." And still can't sit at the bar til then? No. Enough said. We went to a 5 star restaurant 10 minutes away and had a great time. Don't need to tell us twice to never come back! read more

DO NOT GO HERE! Ate with my family of 8 12/23/23. First and only good thing- servers were working their asses off and were very friendly. Drinks- espresso martini was beige- see picture. Tasted like vodka milk. Gingerbread martini was syrup- like drinking a coffee flavoring syrup (didn't get a pic). Appetizer- lord have mercy. The bruschetta (pic below) was chopped unripe tomatoes with no seasoning. Calamari was gag worthy- so chewy! Arancini was so so. Brussels sprouts were flavorless, the free bread was the best part. Dinner- UGH. Alfredo is oily pasta with tough chicken. Truffled Pappardelle was overcooked pasta and hard mushrooms- not truffle. Wedding soup was okay. Shrimp scampi shrimp was very tough/ overcooked. Beef tips left so much to be desired- no flavor, again everything just tasted like butter, no other seasoning. I expressed to the server our displeasure- each of us ate MAYBE 1/8 of our dinner. No boxes. He was very polite, and I expected a manager to possibly come and even apologize. Tried to give us $50 to come back. NO THANKS! Refused it and left. $433 worth of total crap. Will never go back. read more

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Pittsburgh has many neighborhood restaurants and many go to the Strip for Italian cuisine. Lucca is nestled in Bellefield neighborhood in the shadow of the Tower of Knowledge. In a large brick former home with a wide porch area, this place feels like a neighborhood go to destination for some wine, antipasti and pasta. The service is friendly but they were slammed so we waited too much. Wine helped. The whipped cheese on bread was ok, but the bread should have been toasted. The salad was good. The short rib risotto was tasty but the risotto was over cooked. This place is ok, but could be good. read more

We had braised short rib risotto, seafood risotto (requested only shrimp), spaghetti with meatballs and shrimp scampi. The braised short rib was tender and juicy. A+. The shrimp was large and had a good flavor. The shrimp scampi pasta was clumped together. The spaghetti and meatballs were tasty but the meatballs had a strong garlic flavor. The salted caramel gelatto had a good caramel flavor. We had ordered a wedge salad and coffee but was told the restaurant was no longer carrying wedge salads and they were out of coffee. Our waiter was attentive and checked back as much as possible considering they were busy. The restaurant has a nice outside deck for summer dining. The noise level wasnt to loud. read more

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Too expensive for what I ordered... low quality food, calamari was like something out of a high school cafeteria. Stay away....

Katie was extremely rude, food was good but she was horrible so won't come back. I asked her to close out door shade because sun was burning us and she refused read more

I went here for the birthday and everything was a huge disappointment. The service was horrendous. The waitress barely came to our table to check up on us, the food came out so late, and the waitress was cold and rude. I called and used my last name for the reservation and I kept having to spell my name and the waitress kept laughing over my last name; it was extremely unprofessional. There weren't many options on the menu and it expensive. Most importantly, the food tasted, I hate saying this word, but disgusting. No seasoning, didn't taste fresh, no flavor, greasy. A true disappointment. We got the calamari (mostly batter and grease), wedding soup (weird smell and bitter taste), truffled paradelle, salmon, and ala chittara read more

Great Italian restaurant in Oakland! Handmade pastas are excellent! The wine list is solid with something for everyone. You can't beat the 1/2 price bottles in Tuesdays!! read more

I like this restaurant, but don't love it. The service is excellent. The atmosphere is really cozy and well decorated. The pasta was touted as homemade and something special, but I found it to be mediocre and overcooked. I would recommend it even with these flaws. read more

Well made pasta. Met my expectation. Cannot think of more reviews so just typing some random words. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Shrimp Scampi Truffled Pappardelle Lunch - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Lucca is conveniently located on Craig Street. It has an extensive American/Italian menu with reasonable pricing. Based on my dining experiences here on several occasions, the food is decent but nothing too memorable. The service could be very slow, possibly due to shortage of kitchen staff/servers. Be aware of time if you are having a business lunch on a time frame. Bottom line: A good choice for business lunch/dinner, but I probably would not dine here with friends/family. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Scallops Lunch - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

We had a nice dinner here! Started off with a bottle of wine and ordered the sausage stuffed peppers. The stuffed peppers also came without sausage, which is what we ended up getting. It was still good and we told them they brought out the wrong thing and that we liked it and didn't have to take it back. At the end they did take 25% off that item on our bill, which was nice. For dinner we got a pasta, we told them we were sharing. I liked that they split it in the kitchen instead of just giving us an extra plate. Loved that the pasta is house made! read more

Lucca Ristorante - Frutti di Mare con Rigatoni Dinner - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

I order from here often because it is good food but it's like a roll of the dice, when it's good it's REALLY good and when it's bad, it's bad. I've gotten the risotto once which was barely cooked and ultimately had to throw it away. I've ordered the full brussel sprouts several times and sometimes it comes with the pork belly and recently it hasn't. I've taken to only order the side now because while I will say the brussels are consistently delicious, paying $13 without the pork is just not worth it to me. Consistency is not a strong suit here, on the good food days it's my favorite food and on the bad food days it's in the trash. read more

How can I rate this negative stars? Service is as straight outta hell. Ambience could be improved. After 90 minutes it was mediocre, probably would taste better if it came out 60 minutes prior. Not to mention James the waiter handing us warm white wine and being shocked when we requested an ice bucket. This business would not understand the priorities of a mid 20s year-old woman if it slapped them in the face. Let me give everyone a piece of advice, people are avoid this place like the plague. read more

Amazing tomato and Wedding soups. The perfect spot for a quick munch during a cold rainy day. Service was friendly, made me feel at home. Ambiance was relaxed but music was a bit too loud. Will return soon. read more

My wife and I came here for our anniversary dinner. It was a nice Thursday night so we decided to sit outside. The patio is partially enclosed by brick and covered with lights strung above. With nice weather outside I would recommend trying to sit there since you have a more secluded space than what typical outdoor seating provides. For my dinner selection I ordered the Lumache and veal pasta. I loved that I could tell the pasta was freshly made, and unlike some Italian restaurants which cater to providing Americanized Italian, I felt that Lucca's menu offered dishes more along the lines of a traditional Italian restaurant. I liked my pasta and would come back here. The atmosphere was nice with string lights outside. Food was solid Italian as well. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Lumache and veal - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

This wasn't my first time dining at Lucca. However, the only reason I'm giving them four stars is because one of the people at my table didn't enjoy his meal. We had the Brussel sprout appetizer which was so tasty. I honestly wasn't expecting it to be so good. I had the risotto with braised short rib and it was absolutely delicious. The short rib was cooked perfectly and was full of flavor. For dessert, I had the lave cake with ice cream. While the cake was not anything special the homemade gelato was amazing. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Food was overpriced and mediocre at best. The waiter was awkward and the manager was just plain rude. They put a forced 20% gratuity on the check without mentioning it. And then there is a line on the check for an additional tip. So you will end up paying double tip if you don't pay attention. Do not go here. There is way better Italian food in Pittsburgh for a more reasonable price. And ones where they don't try to rip you off read more

Came here for a group dinner event. We had the meatballs as an appetizer in addition to bruschetta. I enjoyed the meatballs but think they would have been better without the baguette and with larger meatballs. The bruschetta has artichoke in it which I was taken aback by and honestly didn't taste like bruschetta. I think traditional bruschetta would be preferable. I addition the baguette the bruschetta is used for did not taste fresh. The fettuccini came with smoked pork with Lavender-Chipotle Cream Sauce and Pickled Beets. It was an interesting twist but not sure if the combination worked. The pasta was a bit spicy so be aware then ordering (our waiter did inform us of this). Overall I think this place takes Italian food and puts a spin on it but I'm not sure if they are getting it quite right. I think for the price tag the food is average. I think there is great potential but there definitely needs some fine tuning in their recipes. I wouldn't come back here given the price tag on their food. read more

Lucca Ristorante - Fettuccini - Italian Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania